Hey all! I'd like some good opinions on the FD cars. I have an 88 TII right now, but, I been so very drawn towards getting the so sexy styled 3rd Gen.7 My question is, How is the FD in terms of reliability? I mean, I have heard that the FD is a little more problematic and fussy versus the FC, Is this true? Does the FD come with factory flaws or bugs, if any?

 

Perhaps you should post in the third generation section and use the search function in that section as well. Every generation of this car has its flaws and things to watch out for. Just determining if you have the resources (time and money) to deal with them is the major issue.

 

personally, i wouldnt buy a 3rd gen unless i had the money to redo the entire engine and components (under the hood) before i ever drove it. i read n article that said the 3rd gens had three major problems. i wish i knew where it was because i sure as hell cant quote it. i believe it was insufficient cooling, vacuum lines that couldnt handle the heat, and an ecu that couldnt keep up with the first two problems. i believe some 3rd gens lasted only 30K miles. the good news is it wasn't the engine (rotary), but other technical problems.
i dont speak from experience, this is just what i read.

 

they are very exspensive. i know heat is an issue and stock ecu cant go over 12psi of boost or something like that and ya

 

They must be a blast to own, but it all depends on how deep your pockets are.

 

Yes, I ben told that they are fussy, but, once they are dialed in and running in proper form...they are a monster (Hauls ***)

 

Stop spamming all the sections.


-Ted

 

It's a higher maintenance version of what we are driving.

The FD's looks, popularity, & performance have pushed it's price too high for it's age.

 

Here's the deal... the FD's are a better car in 90% of factors. However.. I'm 6'3" 230Lbs, I feel like a moose in a hampster cage in my buddys FD....

Finicky.. well.. yes, However, if you dump and extra 4 grand on a standalone and a single turbo.. you can get rid of a lot of those problems. (and create some others) But to own an FD and keep it maintained and running properly, you'd better be able to shell out the price of a second gen in maintenace and parts every couple of years.

I could own an FD and do maintenance no problem, but i couldn't afford to "hop it up" and still have money left for gas... Therefore, i stuck with my TII, which is paid for, and threw some money at it.

Its all about your budget my man.. I feel bad for my buddies FD cause he bought the car, and now its starting to show signs of "empty owners wallet". bald tires, cheap parts put on it, rigged up parts on the engine... yuck

 

I'm going to pose another question: say you find an FD with 30k on a new motor for $13000. All maintenance has been done. How much money should one have available in this case for maintenance and repairs? I was guessing somewhere around 6k to be safe.

 

If you do plan on buying one I would also buy a little beater car just in case the FD goes down. I now own a truck and love my FD, I now have time to do whatever to the FD because I have my truck to putt around in.

 

Jeez, keep it fairly stock with all of the realability mods and the car shold last you for a long time.

 

Mine had to be one of the most fixedout there... I know on mine I had replaced nearly everything possible... motor x5 suspension... turbox4 body work all sorts of crap... did it burn to the ground? yup! would I do it again? hell yes!

I guess it depends on your determination. I worked for parts not food.

 

Reading this post is disturbing, I never knew there were so many clueless FB/FC owners.

 

You can read my discussion about it here

 

it's not a civic, it's not supposed to be cheap. if anything, they are selling much too cheap. letting people who know nothing about them buy them and then blow them up/crash them.

 

I wish I could find such a good deal. I a car like that would go for $17k easily. (depending on interior/exterior condition)

 

Absofreakinlutely!

A FD isn't as picky as people make it out to be. The thing that really gives it a bad rap is the guy that buys one and throws all his $$ at bolt-on mods without making sure the rest of the car is up to snuff.

The performance is much higher than any other RX (no comparison really), getting away with cheap tires, etc is a good way to make a fast car slow and unreliable.

Straight line acceleration is good in TIIs but the rest of the car is much better.

 

and there are some now hitting close to the 200,000 mark w/ original engine or maybe just 1

 

haha, second gen haters!!!! just kidding!... they are cool car's and most likely wontt have problems if you take care of them. on the other hand, if you drive it had every second you gget a chance, it wont last too long..... and there is alway's things that you cannot avoid!

 

don't hate

 

educate

 

respeckt

 

not clueless... just curious as to owners' experiences.

 

of course, it always happens like that. there were bad experiences, though. you cant ignore these simply because it didn't happen to others. realize and accept a car's weak links and fix them so they do last.
i also, shortly, made the point that it wasn't the fact that it was a rotary which so many people love to blame.
my only point is to dont be so naive to the fact that some, or most, cars have an issue that turns up. correct it before it costs you.