Freeway

What up all,

I am considering buying a 3rd gen. I'm still looking for the right one. I have a fully restored tII but I always wanted an FD so I've decided to sell the tII and get one. I was wondering how you guys like your rexs? How's the reliability (will i need a daily driver too)? What kind of mileage should I look for? Have any of you gone from FC to FD? Any regrets? Any advice for choosing one? I really need the imput so anything you guys could tell me would be a great help?

Thanks
John

BrianK

Love it.

You should get a daily driver too... the FD is not a high milage car - the more you drive, the sooner it will die, so make your trips worth it (in other words, don't drive to work in traffic).

anywhere from 12-17mpg... maybe more on the freeway.

I didn't.... but I've driven several FC's... no comparison. the only similarity is that they both have rotors in the motor.

should have held out for that NSX - less reliability problems.

get a '94 or '95. Granted, anyone that has a '93 will say that there is no difference... then complain about peeling dashes, wheel hop, squeaky interiors, etc.
get a compression test. keep an extra $3K around for your engine rebuild. change oil often. get a boost gauge. get a water temp gauge. replace the precat with a downpipe. replace the radiator with something better. keep the same width tires all the way around. get a front strut tower bar (if it's not an R). reaplce the plastic AST with something better. keep the boost below 13lbs. don't grow over 6'2" tall.

did I miss anything?

oh, do a search on the forum before asking a question so JoeD doesn't bite your pee-pee off.

Freeway

I have tried searching but I can't find any that are specifically directed to me. I have tried posting this in the lounge but no one really answered me. You see, I'm looking to get one soon so I'm trying to get the most feedback possible. I figured what better place to post than a forum filled with FD guys so I could get some good direct answers. When I asked mileage I meant how many miles on the car would be good. Thanks for your help. How about anyone else?

Oh JoeD, please don't bite my pee-pee off. I need answers only you guys can provide.

Thanks.

Freeway

63 looks and one response. Come one guys. Impress me with your supperior knowledge....and include opinions too please.

your ever so persistant friend,
John

legendr35

i just bought my FD about 2 weeks ago. Right now, it's in the shop getting all bearings and syncros replaced because of grinding. Most the vaccuum hoses are hard as a rock, meaning they need to be replaced soon. the engine idles funny, and I believe my second turbo is shot. other than that, its a nice fun car

btw: my fd has 118,000 miles, with around 32K on a rebuilt motor.

the engine is prone to blow up at anytime, so watch out.

this is also my daily driver.

Dr Wankel

First: Buy a cheapo daily driver. This will keep the miles down on the FD, and make it possible to get around in the winter if it snows. And this will also lower your insurance rates if you do it right.

Second: Buy a service manual

Third: Do the reliability mods first (Silicone hoses, DP, rad, boost gauge) If you are mechanicaly inclined and have tools do the work yourself. By doing this you will learn a ton about the car, ( i.e. you wont have to ask us what the difference between the BOV and CRV is) and you will save yourself some cash.

Fourth: Go Drive the damn thing!!!!!!!! And don't even try to get the silly grin off of your face because it just isn't possible.

Freeway

why do the engines go so frequently legend says there's 34k on it and it's goin. I heard some other people say this too. If I get one I will take good care of it. Is this why people have problems, because they don't take care of it?

legendr35

Just my turbos are going out, they have not been rebuilt yet.

Toadman

Hey John, not to be mean or anything like JoeD , but you have a turbo II according to your profile and have over 350 posts here so you should have a pretty good idea of what owning any rotary entails, yet you have never seen nor visited a 3rd-gen thread devoted to what you are asking about before?

JConn2299

It's my opinion that engines blow due mainly to improper modification and or lax maintenance. The maintenance isn't hard or that extensive, it's just that it has to be done on time. One example: change the fuel filter every 15,000 miles. Mine was changed at 10,000 and it already had water in it. Dave at KD Rotary told me he's seen engines blow because of dirty fuel filters. The gas flow is partially blocked, the engine leans out and BOOM.
The same with mods. The stock FD engine is so highly tuned that it operates within a narrow envelope. Put a couple of mods on it without increasing the fuel flow capacity and everything's fine for a while, then
a cold day comes along and KABOOM.

That said, I've found my '95 to be a very reliable car. I go along with the others. Get a low mileage 94 or 95 (stock if possible) and a beater.

Freeway

I never really looked for information on FD's because I didn't have the money so I figured there was no reason for me to get my hopes up. Well, things are lookin' up right now and I can finnally get one. I'm just looking to gather some personal information based on your experience. I'm just starting to learn about third gens because I'm so close to owning one.


JConn,
I'm planning on keeping it stock for now. I don't want to jump the gun and I can live with 230hp or so compared to my tII with 190.

JConn2299

Finding a stock one is going to be the problem. Most of the ones I've seen or heard of have been modded, and it's usually more extensive than just a catback exhaust. But if you find one, go for it. Don't worry, the stock horsepower is still tremendously fast.

juliof

Once when I was at Pettit a mechanic told me most of the engines they rebuild are because of dirty fuel filters, this seems to be very critical for the FD.I also think the high engine temps eventually reduce engine life, stock fans turn on at 230F cant be good in the long run.

maxpesce

My 93 is a daily driver (75mi/day Commute) it had 83k mi on it when I bought it in Jan 2000 and blew a waterseal @ 103k mi in April - My suggestion is either, find one with good maint. records and less than 65k mi or find one that is ready for a new motor and plan on spending $4-5 to get a rebuilt motor dropped in.

But I LOVE my FD Drive one You'll Love it!!

EunosFD

I just find it kinda funny that some people still maintain the thought that the FD engine can be reliable. I bought mine with only 36k miles on it and the previous owner had impecable records on it...oil changed every 2k miles or less, regular service, fuel filter, et cetera. However, at 48k mine crapped out on me. I did as many reliability mods as I could financially (dp,silicon hoses, and whatnot) but to no avail. I pampered that thing mechanically, but nothing helped it seems. The fact of the matter is that the FD is not a reliable car nor was it ever meant to be. I don't ever recall any Mazda ad praising it's reliability. It's not a freekin' Civic for Christ's sake. If you keep that in mind and compare the performance then it kinda evens out. It was meant to be a high performance car not a commuter car. Definately keep a stash of money saved up just in case and get a beater car as the FD might be sitting for periods of time...plus it just plain sucks in the wet. I had plenty saved up for a new motor and whatnot, but in the end I chose to go back to school and finish my education rather than keep shoveling money into that car. I'll likely get another one once I graduate though...they're that addictive I'd also check out Steve Ciriani's site if you haven't already. He has TONS of info there and even a Buyers Guide which I used when I bought mine. Good luck

www.scuderiaciriani.com

Flybye

The good ol reliability question.
You have to understand one thing. An American FD is currently anywhere between 7-9 years old. In my book, that's grounds for a project car. No matter WHAT condition it's in, it WILL need some good TLC. Even if the car only has 29,000, you still need to deal with such things as age detoriation. Gaskets only hold for so long and so does rubber.

Reliability will ALWAYS be an issue on an american FD now. The question you need to ask yourself is "How much attention am I willing to give it".

Personally, and as I have stated 3.2 billion times before :p, fun factor comes before reliability. I don't care if I have to do little odds and ends here and there. The FD is a BLAST and a half to drive. Everytime I drive her it's like Love from the begining. I've gone on 4 hour Sunday drives going NOWHERE just to enjoy Rexy. I'm the type of person that looks at it and sees a soul in the machine. Most people don't look at her like that, which is the reason why people ditch their FDs for something else.