Im a junior in college, and dont drive my FD to school. I used to have a civic, but it "unfortunately" got stolen from my dorm parking lot freshman year. I picked up my FD and am taking no chances. So, Im drivin my 87 nissan pickup truck beater. doesnt really get the looks on campus, but I dont care. I look forward to the weekends where I dont have to worry about it.

 

Not if you want to get laid!

 

I'm 17 too. Hehe..
It's safe in Singapore, no worries for me. The only hassle is that I have to send my car to some checking thingy cuz its almost 10 years old..

I would go for the Supra TT if there are no FDs.. sweet car.

 

Uh, yeah - in Singapore you get beaten for spitting chewing gum on the ground, and obscene/indecent magazines like YM and Cosmo get confiscated when you arrive in the country (not me, my little sister hehe).

Dad taught there a few years, never had to even bother locking his doors there....

 

Gamezilla, if you are serious about learning more about 7s, try attending the Houston RX7 Club meet this Saturday, final location TBA:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/htxrx7/

Just don't act suspicious...

 

Right now I'm just scouting out possible cars to do some serious research on. I wont even be worried about getting whatever I decide to get until early summer 03. Right now I'm looking into getting an FD, a TII, or a MKIII Supra Turbo. I'm leaning toward the FD, but the maintanence and poor gas milage is a big turn off. I can do the work. I have the knowlege and the experiance. I just dont think I'll be able to in the middle of a parking lot.

 

If all you have is spare time and money, I would say go for it. Even if you do, it is at least a 30 minute drive from San Antonio to find some good twisty bits, which is what an FD is all about. I have had a FD for 2 years now and I am going to UTA near Dallas. Other than the occasional autocross, there is no where to have fun in the car and more often than not it is frustrating dealing with all the traffic, much like S.A., and the GAS BILLS. Like in the previous posts, I believe there is A LOT of work involved in owning a FD, which I do not have because of school and FSAE(check out the UTA cars at maepro.uta.edu/fsae or check our 2002 car out in the November issue of Road and Track.) Being the nit-picky person I am, it drives me nuts not having my FD in tip top shape.
Other than that I can say that an FD is the most thrilling, not to mention eye catching car to drive for its price. I have met many people in the racing community all over the U.S. and Canada and all the racers and mechanics I have met loved the power and handling of my/other FDs. Unfortunately I have to sell it due tuition costs. I hate saying it, but the reliability and sportyness of a N/A Supra sounds a lot more reasonable as a college daily driver. If you must by a FD, like the way if felt when I was 19, I would say park it in Spring and have fun with it when you go back there. In my opinion a FD is a rare car that would be worth holding on to for years to come, not just waisted on the streets and highways building up miles. If I could do it all over again, I think I would have waited until I was out of college to buy an FD, or hopefully that and a Porsche, Ferrari, ...just my 2 cents.

 

The guys in the club are super helpful, and the last time I went to a meet there were still a good assortment of generations and owners to talk to. I heard from a member that it's kinda thinned out a bit over the last year/two. Still, might be worth it to hear experiences straight from the owners, in person.

The gas mileage is horrible, though it's said that a new O2 sensor helps. I personnaly think it has to do with the fact the FD begs you to nail it everywhere you go. I honestly can't see how people daily drive thier cars (for an extended period of time, or high mileage anyways), and I strongly suggest you keep the Pathfinder as regular transportation. I drive avg 600 miles/week, so maybe someone that only needs to drive 15 miles a day can get away with one as a daily...

As was said once before here, all you are going to hear about on the is Forum is when things go wrong, and maybe sometimes we might exaggerate a tiny bit. I've had my share of problems (believe me), but nothing that would ever make me sell mine.

You might also want to contact Bryan Smith, the manager of Mazmax 713-896-8005 (off the top of my head, their website is down, see phone book), and keep in touch with him, as that he sees a lot of cars go thru, and usually has the latest news on what is for sale. Mazmax is on W. Little York and 290 (sorta), so its not too far (relatively) from you. Bryan is a long time member, and has a 2nd and 3rd gen. Tell him the guy that desecrated his Silver '93 Touring Auto (now manual) sent ya...

 

Hey - I'm 18. Gas is a big factor, these things LOVE gas. I pay at least $30 a week in gas. Insurance also sky rockets, I am lucky though because my dad is listed as the primary driver of my car so it went up $500 a year.

I work at Gold Star Chili and get paid $5.30 an hour plus tips. I manage to make car payments, gas, cell phone bill, and buy stock on about 17 hours a week. I also go to college full time and run this site http://www.cincystreetscene.com - which I hope will begin to make me money soon.

-Charlie