Fd or Fc??!
 

I just got a job and will be making decent money... Im 17, and ive wanted a rex forever... It will take me about 6 months or so to save up 5500, which is good enough for a decent turbo 2 and some simple mods... Or, should i wait a year and get an Fd?

If you have the ask, the FD is not for you.

FC.

if u call an FD a rex i don;t think ur ready for a FD

Re: Fd or Fc??!
 

You are looking at more than 1 year to get an FD... prob around 2 years would be more realistic. Don't forget you'll need insurance on that thing and some extra cash for reliability mods/repairs before you even dip into performance.

I just sold my FD to get a FC. What do you want the car for primarily? I want a mostly track car and the FD just became too expensive to get where I wanted with the car. If you're willing to work hard and save up enough for a FD, and can properly maintain it, go for it. All you guys make it sound like owning a FD is like being in some elite club.

given the small numbers of them made, we kinda are...besides didn't you know all us FD guys were snobs?:D

sounds like a supra forum...those guys are so much fun...

For most average cars, it is not the cost of the car that kills you. It is the cost of insurance that kills you. Especially since you are so young, you will have high premiums.

Coupled w/ the fact that:

1) The FD is a sports car (2 door) meaning higher maintenance costs, poor gas mileage, etc.
2) The FD is a newer car (compared to the FC), DMV registration fees will be higher.
3) If any major repairs are needed, it can cost you an arm and a leg (unless you are mechanically inclined).
4) You will probably have to give it a tune up first, considering it is a 10+ year old car.

IMO, a FD is a expensive car for someone that is still in high school. If your parents are willing to help pay for maintenance and repairs, then you are fortunate. But w/ that said, there are individuals who were in high school and were able to afford owning a FD.

Ultimately, it is your choice. My choice, if I was in your position (and those two cars are the ONLY options), would be the FC.

Not at all. Just as you stated, it was expensive to keep.

So if you have to ask if you can afford to keep one, then the answer it probably no.

Mahjik is right on. The FD can be very, very expensive. If you keep it for a while it will need a new engine and turbos rebuilt. Not to mention piping, vacume hoses, syncro issues the the trans. (etc.)
Just do some research before you buy and FD.

Good luck and have fun!!

FD is an expensive car to maintain...If you find one that has everthing done to it already ie. reliability mods, engine rebuild, perf mods. and maintained properly you are looking at 16k plus...then you have to factor in engine rebuilds every 50k or so (on the conservative side of thing). If you are looking at it as being a daily driver it will get expensive...I have an FD with 84k original miles with the engine getting ready to go because of coolant seals...that rebuild is going to cost me 4-5k after install. bringing my grand total of owning the FD for a little over a year to 31k...so you do the math...I know when I was in highschool I had trouble owning a motorcycle :D....so think long and hard if you really want to be broke, eating ramen noodles till you get out of college and get a real $$ making job that you can actually support yourself and your FD.

I really can't speak for the FC but I know the FD is a money pit...But Gad Daymit, I love my car...One of my favourite passtimes is taking a chair and sitting in the driveway and have a late' and stare at the car and start thinking about the things I want to do next :)

And Another Thing!
 

I can't help but think "Damn, with the money I spent on the FD already I could have a brand new WRX/STI or a new Evo 8." but then I look over at the 7 again and then I feel better :D

Why do kids constantly advertise that they are 17 and just got job and this is one of their first cars?

SHIET, the mere point of asking and trying to show off that you have a job should mean you don't need a rx-7. It's not a special car at all. Get it for all I care. It costs about the same as a slightly newer model economy car.

Next thing I know you're going to be asking which BOV will make your stock car the loudest.

The freaking 3rd gen section is completely flooded by idiots and 17 year olds who are thinking they are showing off by advertising their age.

Please if you have just enough money to purchase the car it will not be enough. Maintence, Insurance, and gas are just a few and at your age its not worth being broke over. There are other things at your age you should be doing besides living paycheck to paycheck at an early age.

When you're 17 showing off is just as important as anything else. To each his own.

Another example of someone going overboard....I think you're just jealous cuz he's 17. :whipit:

You guys are right..this IS starting to sound like the Supra forums (although they've got their good guys, too.).

I kinda feel bad for him now...He must think our "elite group" is filled with a bunch of @$$ #0!#$..

come on guys...
 

I almost feel bad to be associated with you guys now. I grew up learning about this car with you all, and by golly, i will die with all this information too! Living paycheck to paycheck really sucks and people constantly emphasize that, but also like what somebody mentioned about how showing off at 17 is just as important hit the nail on the head. It does suck that we have to grow up and now down in the sense that we don't start off with a job and retire young, that would be the best thing in the world, but we all know that isn't true. Cut him some slack, we should strive to not be anal and feel "special" about the cars we own, but instead should feel an obligation to provide knowledge to the ones who want it the most; our forum users.

Re: come on guys...
 

"GO TO OPRAH!" "GO TO OPRAH!" "GO TO OPRAH!" LOL im just kidding, mr 17 year old should do whatever the hell he wants, i just bought an fd today.

Congrats Killuminatic!

I'd rather not mention my age or the age i bought the car at, or money I made when I was 18 cause it wouldn't prove my point.

I really don't care if you are 17 and own a FD. My gf bought her FD when she was 18 but she never showed off about it. Just don't advertise it. Shit gets really irritating.

In no way do I think FD owners are elistest. I would just like to have people stop advertising their age and their new job.

If you look at the general posts in the 3rd gen section, it is completely filled with people with who themselves make the current 3rd gen owners somewhat elistest. "ive wanted a rex forever"

If you really get down to it. It's just a car. It's very affordable even for a high school kid.

But you have to admit that there is a difference between

1. Teenager wants or owns a FD, wrenches here and then, accumulates knowledge through others, Internet, books, trial error, and overall humbleness about the car itself. Basically quiet about their age. But not in denial to others abotu it.

2. Teenager wants or owns a FD who asks questions on a public forum and constantly states their age and their new money (not this person who started this thread but many others). As people get older the amount you make you keep to yourself, no matter how much. I know some really well off people on this forum with cars worth 6 digits, and yet they don't even list it in their signature, they only list the RX-7.

The troubling thing I find is in the future I will be associated with this group. A group that posts topics like.

Good FD interior pictures post here! posted 5 times
how to tune a BOV
loudest BOV
do metal pipes increase HP
HELP!!!!!!! I'm having boost problems (yeah this is new)
BEST exhaust on FD ( because only best is good for my car )

Newbies, please remember. Be quiet. Don't let yourself be noticed because assholes like me will tear you up. I've been rude, and I apologize, I'm just irritated.

Nothing wrong with learning, nothing wrong with being a newbie, nothing wrong with being a teenager owning a RX-7, nothing wrong with showing off (I'm probably the biggest sinner here)

But for heaven's sake shut up about your age and stop making yourself noticed.

Classic
I own a 1st gen dsm as well, on the DSM boards people always post aobut how they got their bov "tuned" and now the car runs awesome and sounds "hot".

I do agree with the elitist feelign in the 3rd gen section. Sometimes I wonder if im the only non-college educated fd owner on this board. I guess people who work hard for a living don't deserve an FD.:(

think you guys are making a big deal out of nothing...the comments about "if you have to ask don't get one" might come off as stuck up, but it's the truth...if you're asking then you are probably not the most mechanically inclined (will have to take it to a mechanic) and the bottom line is although the car may only cost 15k to get it's expensive to maintain parts/labor. it's a good warning. i've meet a couple of people who bought they car because it was relatively cheap then were crying when the engine went and had to fork over 5k to get it running again....

I think its worth pointing out that the FC and the FD are older cars that may have been driven hard. Either one is going to require investment to maintain. Most RX7 owners are enthusiasts where the car is almost more a recreation than just transportation.

The FD is certainly the more expensive animal, especially if you get into aftermarket parts. Doing work yourself helps keep the costs down but an FD can still bleed you dry if the car is not solid when you buy it. The FC is cheaper to repair it but it is older and so may require repair more often. Both cars must be maintained properly (eg regular oil changes etc). They will not tolerate neglect like some other cars. I am not trying to be negative, I simply am trying to warn you about costs you may not have considered.

Buy a FB! best place to start and easy to contol out of turns....nice car to learn in and gain confidence..
good luck
by the way i can say this from experience, i have all a tII, gsl-se and an fd. had a gtus too(1990).

Alright... Im not going to post a typical noob response and get all defensive and insulting, but you just cant make generalized comments like "the next thing you know he's going to ask how to tune his blow off valve to be loud" and stuff like that... I'm not and have never planned to get an upgraded "sound-off" blow off valve, because whichever car I get, I want to make it as much of a sleeper as possible, since hardly anyone knows what Rx-7's are. The only reason I said that i was 17 in my original post was so that people trying to answer it would know as much about the situation as possible, not to try and "show off". I posted this question in the Fc forum and was much more well recieved. The peopl ethere gave me actual reasons as to why which car was better at this point, not things like "if you have to ask, its wrong for you" or "if you call it a rex, you shouldn't have an Fd" (by the way, for the intelligent guy who said that, The first place heard/saw that was a heavily modded Fd guy's sig...). So I guess that this forum isnt so much for people to get information or advice off of, but a place to be rediculed if you arent absurdly rich and over the age of thirty. Sorry for wasting your time.

i'm not rich and under 30...seriously, we're not all that bad.... i like the FD better for looks and power get the FD :p:

ya gotta pay to play :D

personnaly, id get the FC

im in a similar situation, im 19 (not bragging, just stating it so you can better understand my situation) And i have a chance to get a FD with a salvage title (which needs some work) or a Turbo II. I wanted to get an idea of what you guys thought was so pros and cons of both cars. seems like more steryotyping going on in here rather than advising but ive come to expect that from this forum :p: anyways. Do you 3rd gen guys think it is worth it to build up the FD for people our age or should we just stick to the TIIs we can get now. I know i personally would be doing most of the work on the car and i dont really mind if the car sits in the driveway while i get it running.

If you can take off the insurance, then sure why not.
My original thinking was this:
a non-running FD costs about $6-8k
a salvaged/dented FD costs $8-9k
a salvaged FD costs $9-12.5k
an FD that "needs work" costs $12-14k
a good FD costs $14-16k
a "mint" FD costs $17+
@5500 in 6 months, that won't buy you much. I bought mine for $15.5k w/44k miles. Everything was near stock and working great. 1 yr later, i've already spent about an additional $14k on it for mods, and I still feel that I'm ALMOST done. :(
OK, i'm done whining

p.s.: this is SoCal pricing, btw

i managed to find a non running salvage FD (with engine) for 3G... by your standards, im getting a hell of a deal. perhaps i should go for it. This is east coast pricing :D

If you went to a Porsche dealer and said "Hey, I just got a new job at the Post Office, can I afford a Porsche?", what do you think they are going to say?

Bottom line is it doesn't matter if you can afford to "get" the car, can you afford to "keep" the car. There are more expenses than just "purchasing" a vehicle.

IMO, if you have to ask someone else if you can afford a car, then you probably can't.

i'm a fd owner trying to sell it for a fc. i just want to use it for track use and thats why i'm making the change. if anyone wants my car it is going for 12k with missing parts and a great motor.

luigi

Yeah... I wasnt asking if i could afford one, I was asking which would be more cost effective, given my situation... thanks though...

lol, that's the same thing.

If you can afford one, it's cost effective. ;) If you are in a situation where you don't have free cash, then as everyone said, the car is probably not for you.

Granted, there are plenty of people on this forum that don't need to spend a dime on their cars other than normal maintenance (oil changes, etc). However, a majority of the people usually have to fix or repair something on their car (read spend money/time).

The price to get the car may not be a lot of money. Depending on the car you get though, you may end up putting a lot of money back into it to keep it on the road.

So, as my original statement, if you have to wonder about money, it's not a car for you.

so if this car was to be a project, not a primary daily driver, so i could just work at my own pace, and i can afford to buy one, i shouldnt have a problem? :D

I think thats the best advice you can possibly give some one. I drove my fd for 3 years with no problems, only maintnence. In the last few months I have had a lot of trouble with it. If I didn't have other cars or was stretching myself just to own and insure my rx7, I'd be up shit creek.

And.... you may put a lot of money into it if you want to modify in terms of parts and reduced reliability. Many people spend as much on mods as though do on the car, insurance and everything else combined...

How about this.....Save your money......go to college......get a great job.....and buy whatever the f@#* you want. You're 17. Wait to get the FD. The FC would make more sense for your situation. Either way good luck.

Also, if you get an FD. You better have enough money to buy a "junker" for when something goes wrong with the FD.

people over at the fc forum must be smokin some shit to think they're fcs are better then fds.

Depending on how you like at it they can be. Definatly a better every day car, and more bang for the buck.

no meddle. no.

play nice

More bang for the buck? Sure. ;)

There are people damn near giving away blown turbo IIs.

How long have you owned oyur FD for? 24 hours. Shut up.

:rofl: