car hugger

iTrader: (1)

Does any one use their FD as a daily driver? If so, what's unreliable mean to you?

akiratdk

I daily drive my car every single day 7 days a week...... the only unreliable **** is that in my area... to fill up my gas tank is $50 a week...... awwwwwww.... ****.... times like this I wish I had a crx.....

Lil Red 7

i drive mine usually everyday, unless i take the suv. but mine gets pretty good gas mileage

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

The problem is not from being a daily driver, but from modifying the car. The car is relatively stock form is about as reliable as you'll get for a sports car. When you start modifying the car, you begin to push other stock components past what they were designed.... that's when stuff starts to break.

If you want a reliable FD, follow this:

1. Replace the radiator with a drop-in aluminum radiator
2. Replace the AST with a drop-in aluminum AST
3. Remove the Pre-Cat and use a downpipe
4. Add a water temp and boost gauge

5. (most important) Leave all the other crap alone. If it breaks, replace it with OEM parts.

I drove my stock FD for years without problems (after a new engine that is). It wasn't until I began to mod the car that things began to fail and/or break.

This is the kind of car you won't be able to "cheap out" on. Parts can be expensive and there aren't really any cheap alternatives. The little things though will go a long way (i.e. spending money on good tires and brakes).

Keep in mind that you are buying a car that's over 10 years old. Things are going to break or fail in some cases just from age.

JTurtonRX_7

I drive mine every day. Its a car man, its built to be driven. Unreliable is when a car won't start or dies on me, basicly when it has problems getting me from A to B. My RX-7 has never not gotten me from A to B.

rynberg

It gets to be very expensive as a daily driver, for gas alone if nothing else. Mahjik, once again, is right on the money. Although I would like to add that daily driving the car will make short work of your suspension bushings. Replacing those every so often is expensive and a PITA.

I've been daily driving my FD for 3-1/2 years and 31k miles. Well, except for the last two weeks.....

Vader

I drove my 7 for 3 years everyday, and am about to again.
It was great. It never stranded me.
But, i'd be lying if I said it ran right all the time, and that was the maddening thing about it for me. I also blew two motors, and when it is your only car, that is a real killer. It really put me behind the 8 ball.
Listen to Mahjik. Stay away from modding it.

manny34711

my fd is my dd

birdy01

same here, DD

japspec

I've been driving my Rex for about a year now and no probs yet

scotty305

iTrader: (2)

These cars are fun daily drivers, especially on long highway trips, but the fuel mileage is pretty poor (15-17 mpg, 20 if you're lucky).

Preventative maintenance is the key. Replace worn components before they have a chance to cause failures. I've put 15k miles on my car in the past year, including a few autocross events, and it hasn't ever let me down. The car is mostly stock, only mods so far being a ceramic-coated downpipe and mechanical boost gauge.


Maintenance I've done since January '04:
Check the oil every other tank of gas, and before each autocross race or pre-planned "spirited drive"
Oil change, every 1-1.5k miles, new filter every 3k
Spark plugs, every 5-10k miles
Coolant flush & fill, every year; be meticulous about air in the system: https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generation-specific-1993-2002-16/radiator-cap-funnel-eliminate-air-bubbles-342309/
Fuel filter, every 15-20k miles
Accessory belts, according to factory specified interval
Transmission fluid, " "
Spark plug wires, " "

I need to change the brake fluid, install new shocks and replace a few suspension bearings this summer. I'd like to add oil and water temp gauges as well.

-s-

JTurtonRX_7

20 if your lucky, something is off with your car. I always get atleast 23 out of a mostly highway tank 24+ if im lucky. City driving here at a small college town is horrible though, warm up drive 4-5 mins then turn off im getting 13-15. Im going to try out a new strategy though, just warm it up for 30 seconds instead of waiting until the stock gauge moves to drive.

technician

Why not just save yourself the trouble and spend $1-1.5K and buy an early 90's Mazda/Nissan/Toyota car that gets 40MPG+ and will run short of a bomb exploding? That's what I do, and it saves me a TON of money, plus if my FD for some reason needs to be in the garage it's not an issue with transportation. It might not look pretty, but you know what else you have in the garage waiting for a sunny Saturday.

It's easier on your pocketbook in the long run, easier on the FD, and makes your FD that much more special when you take it into town once a week instead of seven days a week.

WanKeL FD RX-7

iTrader: (7)

it is possible to daily drive an FD, like others said, to be sure , you need to get the reliability mods first, and then, you'll be okay.

Max

1QWIK7

iTrader: (33)

i dont daily drive mine but i do drive it often, especially now since the nice weather started, ill prob be driving it like 4 times a week (i drove it like once a week, if that, in the winter time)..and so far the car has performed flawlessly..always started up, never stalled, boosted great when i wanted to have some fun..

i dont take advantage of that though, i warm up the car correctly, cool it off correctly, change the oil more than what is needed to, i check and inspect the engine bay a couple times a week..and im not really "stock" as you want to call it..i have enough mods to give others a headache if they have some problems with their FD..

rotorhead333

Mine is a daily driver and fully modified, streetported with every upgrade (340hp+/-). I have to say, it's one of the most reliable cars I've owned. Other than that It drinks a lot of fuel and more so if you don't keep your foot out of it. Reliability mods and being meticulious on maintenance are key. Oh, and don't cut corners on cheap parts upgrades or cheap fluids. Use hi-quality stuff and it will be a happy machine.

POS7

Mine's a daily driver also & i agree 100% with this. Change your oil often & change parts as they wear which can be expensive, but keeps the car running.

Without maintenance items that others have mentioned, the car will be very unreliable. That being said, I actually like daily driving the fd. Sometimes I drive in my parents' sentra, it really isn't the same. I start missing the 7 after a few days not driving it.

the_saint

My FD is my daily driver again.

I gave it two summers off, and drove my Nissan Sentra Spec V, but missed the power/handling/fun factor.

1. The FD drinks ALOT of gas, esp the way I drive.

2. Change the oil.

3. Enjoy

PhoenixDownVII

Agreed.

I believe in the great "medium" between Daily Driving the FD and making it track only.

My theory is: Why drive it if I can't DRIVE it?! If it's raining or snowing outside, I wont' want to mash the throttle. If my commute is to the city, or in heavy traffic, it won't be any different being in the FD vs. a cadillac.

If you love the FD, you love it because of what it can do. It shines best on open roads, dry days, and the track. I call my FD my "half Daily driver". I let a secondary car take the beating of snow and rain, and stupid commutes, while the FD gets the second half of the day/week of the fun stuff...

black93RX7

I dd mine.

Gas is crazy, I spend about $200 a week. Not kidding!

Fully modified w/ a T-78 .....

The car has been fairly reliable, the advice above is excellent. Regular Maintenence is a must

Its nice having a 388rwhp daily driver

KrisRX71993

i used to drive mine everyday, but when i put the new street ported motor in, it just became uncomfortable. I also at the time added a new ecu, down pipe, mid pipe, and removed some emissions stuff. After all that it became loud and just not what i would want for a daily driver. So, yeah i wouldn't go crazy with the mods man.

Brent 94

iTrader: (1)

My car is my daily driver too, i even used to drive it through the winter until i almost crashed a few times in the snow so now i just drive the truck in the winter when theres snow out. My car isn't the most reliable thing but it's only not started when it had a blown seal. Aside from that it's always gotten me where i needed to go. If you treat your car with care it will last, but if you rip it around everywhere it's going to let you down when you need it most. My cars got almost 100,000 miles on it now and im on just my 2nd motor.

MR_Rick

iTrader: (7)

I pretty much drive my every day but only put about 5 miles one trip to work, no problems with it. Look at my sig for mods. It cost me about $30-35 every 2 weeks for fill her up with the 94 stuff.

USCmatt

I've daily driven my FD for a little over three years. It's had its problems though(engine, tranny, AC...), but I can say I was fortunate enough to have other cars available for me to drive when it was out of commission. I know I'm saying this going into hot humid summer weather but the best thing I think I've done as far as reliablility is removing the AC. It seems like all of the problems I've had with the car are gone now, been running great for the last 9 months.

RX7SIGN

Everyday driver no problems..