I guess I'll use this as some type of "e-therapy" or who knows maybe this will help someone with a wavering passion for their FD.

A little back story first. I have been in the rotary scene for a little over seven years and in that time I've had three 7's. My first FD was a gift to my self for my eighteenth birthday. I worked two jobs throughout all of highschool to get it. All the hours sucked but getting the "car of my dreams" was worth all of the sacrafice...or so I thought. It was my daily driver for 3 years, unfortunately I only got to drive it maybe two weeks every month because the rest of the time it spent at a rotary shop racking up repair bills. I guess it was to be expected with the high milage of the car(around 180k) but for a struggling collage kid having to replace the engine, turbos and just about every moving part on the chassis it had to go.

So I sold it and picked up a great daily driver(Miata) and put everything else into paying for school. But eventually the rotary bug bit again and I was on the hunt for a new 7. This time I found a mint TII that was already very well modded at a great price so I jumped on it. Strangely enough this car made great power and was most FC owners wet dream but for some reason it just didn't do it for me. I was just about ready to cut my losses with the rotary scene and move on but I then got a call from Fritz about this Cym FD he just picked up that would be the perfect replacement for my former FD. When I saw it the car was essentially a drag car so we decided to painstakingly bring it back to its former glory as a street car. I knew it would be a lot more work and money then I had to give but at the time I felt that same feeling I got from my first FD of "you can't pass this up, its something really special". After a few months she was ready to come home with me.

Unfortunately sneak repair bills suddenly arose so I had to sell my Miata to get the 7 back on the road. So with my low mileage 7(47k) as my only car for both my girlfriend and I all I could do was hope this wasnt going to turn into the typical FD(constantly nickel and diming me to death). Guess what, it was! every weekend it was something new that would keep me busy and rob my paychecks. Who doesn't mind living like a person on well fare and worring every time you take your car for a ride? After all I have my dream 7...so it's all worth it, right?

Its been over two years like this and with my once treasured Cym reaching 100k and needing tons more work/money to be thrown at it im having a hard time justifying it all. I used to absolutely addore everything about the FD and would get so excited to see another one but I feel like after all this time there's no surprises left in these things. Just like some of you others who have been here for a while im sure we all know all the tech questions that come up, all the body mods/wheel combos/bolt ons and who makes them so it starts to all become the same thing over and over again. So my question is to those who have chosen to keep your FD, what makes all of the sacrifices still worth it to you?

 

Wow I feel for you man. If I had as many problems as you did, I'd consider doing an engine swap or get another car. Did you ever do a full refresh on your CYM? What's gone wrong with it?

 

I drove my FD FOR WORK for about 2 years. Only problem I had was a busted clutch hydraulic line. Got it towed to the house, got a local hose shop to make one up, I was on the road the next day.

A lot of it is maintenance and taking care of problems before they happen. I also can't imagine having ANY older car that I'm not able to work on myself, if I had to pay some one to do all the work on my car I'd be SO broke.

The FD can be a VERY reliable car. Mine is a weekend driver now, but a few months back I hopped in it with no problems and drove to Birmingham and back (about 5 hours one way). Zero problems.

I see many FD's that have the basics neglected. You're foolish if you're putting a giant intercooler and fancy aero parts on if it needs brakes, the coolant is old, the coolant hoses are swollen, it's dripping oil.... You really have to take care of what the car needs first THEN start modifying it. I think too many people get carried away modifying their cars and neglect good old maintenance.

I absolutely LOVE my car. It's fun as hell to drive, it's unique, it sounds incredible, it isn't yet another Mustang or 350z, and it's a lot of fun to work on too. I HAVE my dream car.

Dale

 

Well so far the car needs its turbos rebuilt, all of the mounts, the delrin bushings need to go, a few electrical things, find some rattles in the interior, an alignment and a repaint. I've spent my entire ownership getting my boost pattern perfect and doing nothing but replacing failing factory parts with things that should get more life out of them. Its just painful to keep throwing money into it to be the super star it deserves to be only to question "why" at the end of it. Its like an up hill battle without any sufficient rewards.

 

Wow, sounds like you have been unlucky, buddy
I daily drove my car for a year, summer and winter(snow all winter) here in norway. Only problem was a master clutch cylinder and radiator hose braking down. Old parts from a cali-car that couldnt take the temperature difference anymore
Mine has been sitting in a garage for 3 years now as ive been through a ton of personal problems(ex, house, those things). Finally, ive gotten it together again, single, loving it, and the 6 months up until now i have swapped out all bad parts, picked the car to atoms, refurbished, washed, primed and painted everything, and put it back together again. Fitted the reliability mods, performance mods, and only waiting for the enigine from the US that just hit my local port for pickup. Once its in, its complete again. Its been my get-back-to-life therapy, rebuilding the car step by step as ive rebuildt my life. Every day, if i havent done some work on the car, ive just opened the garage door and looked at it for a few sec.... just.... look at it....! Its so beautiful! And next to her, my other love in life sits, a Eunos Cosmo E.CCS 20B. They are hot together! Whenever im down, i just open my garage door a few secs, and all "problems" fade away

 

I have owned at least one rotary powered car for the last 30 years. I can't imagine not having one. I'm not sure what it is, but it just feels right.

 

I keep happy with my FD by not daily driving it. First, I don't get too down with mechanical issues, second, I take my time to fix things when they first appear, and third, driving a sluggish Jetta makes the FD feel like a million bucks.

For the last couple of years I hadn't been driving it hardly at all because the paint got so bad. But now it's finally repainted and I'm itching to get it out for a few drives before winter closes in. Spring will be fun.

 

Your car looks great! Love the black and yellow contrast.

I think the lack of control, ie having to pay to get anything fixed that happens might be a large part of the issue. Always waiting for the other shoe to drop is no fun, but if you have a good understanding of the car and what needs to be done to fix it, or prevent issues in advance, It might be more enjoyable.

I don't know how much you do yourself, but this always seems to be one of the main detractors for some FD owners. It is a rare and wonderful platform, but can be a pain if you can't work on it yourself.

 

The rx7 challenged me. Challenge accepted.
Plus, they're pretty awesome
Not like discrete mathematics. Which challenged me, but was not awesome.

 

Everything short of an engine rebuild I can usually handle, I think the problem stems from any real motivation to keep it going. This is a stretch but have any of you ever had a relationship that you cherished so much that any problem or fight seemed insignificant compared to how you feel about that person and then one day it just gets hard to see the point in keeping it all afloat? Big stretch I know but kind of relates to the original topic.

 

I drove my FD as a DD for the first 2 years with very little trouble.

After adding some mods, I quickly realized that keeping it on the road was going to become expensive if I kept changing things. I bought another DD so I can camp out some deals on parts between modifications. I can't imagine paying someone for most of the work I've done, and probably would've gave up on it if I did.

 

the fd will drive you nuts

 

Everytime I take mine for a cruise and I get all the thumbs up is enough to keep me motivated. Just opening my garage door and seeing her sit there puts a smile on my face.

 

I always have "The List" on my desktop of all the little projects I want to do. And every deployment, I add to it. The list will never be done, and while that might dishearten a lot of people as they just see the cost of the projects, I take it as building the perfect car. Nothing can match the potential of the rotary, or the styling of the FD. Even with some body damage, faded paint and an engine leak steaming, I still get stares wherever I go. That's the power of the FD!

 

Wait till you have kids, then it really falls by the way side. I need about 5 grand worth of stuff, and i know it wont happen for years. The thing is, i love the car and will keep it till i can afford to fix it again. Good luck

 

"steps to building the perfect car", I really like that. As for the attention you all are getting, I think my local area must be spoiled from getting to see an FD every day because I get ZERO attention from other drivers and for some reason at the local shows my car can be the only FD there with a show quality shine and be avoided like air born aids while one of the many Supras or the occasional NSX will steal the show with ease. Very confusing. I would assume having a healthy rotary scene would help out tremendously but getting the local guys together is like pulling teath.

 

a typical new car payment with no money down is around $400 based on a car that's 20k. if youre spending around that a month i think you are fine. the fd really wont depreciate anymore than it already has.

 

I'd never consider my FD as a DD... it's annoying to get in and out of (low and has a fixed-back racing seat), it's got a firm suspension and the mileage is bad. No interest in sitting in it during stop-and-go traffic on the way to work in the morning and no interest in sitting at 120 km/hr on the highway for hours to travel long distances with the loud exhaust humming. Don't want to leave it in long-term parking at the airport where it can get dinged and dented. Etc etc. Much rather do all those things with my 2012 model-year car.
However I LOVE it as a weekend warrior... I enjoying tinkering with it and I enjoy racing it and knowing that if I ever blow it up I can throw it in the garage and drive something else until I fix it (which hasn't been necessary yet). No problem driving it a couple hours to a track/event, but I wouldn't want to HAVE to take it on every random trip.
It serves it's purpose and I love it, but it's definitely not an everyday car to me

 

This is a very good point, maybe im tired of the car because I spend so much time in it and use it for absolutely everything. If everything goes smoothly this month I could swing a cheap dd(another Miata perhaps). To be honest my interests have wandered. I've been trying to justify a switch to an Evo for the tracking and practicality or the NSX for its history and reliability. Plus it's hard to get bored with a new platform with tons of new things to learn.

 

I love the car. Mine isn't perfect by any means, but just thinking of driving it gets me going. I drive it at least 3 days a week. I finished an engine swap early this year and my gf still has her rotary powered FD, they're just awesome cars. I dunno. Yeah I spent a shitload on maint. before the rotary and with the new motor, all is good for now, but the car could still use fresh paint, some exhaust work, etc.

Unless you are very sure about the path you want to go on and know exactly what needs to be replaced/repaired and how much it will cost, you're always going to be spending $$ on the car when you don't expect to. These cars are old, stuff wears out/breaks.. bearings, seals, bushings, boots, rubber hoses, etc.

But I love my FD Hardly ever see them around and when I do i get so excited to say what's up give a thumbs up kind of thing.

Also: realize that if you want more car you have to pay tons more... like if you want a z06 vette, it will cost you around 80k new, maybe 40-50k used. something to think about. unless you already dropped that much

 

I sort of found that if I drove mine every single day, the magic would start to wear off, as I became "used" to the car. You start to take the handling and prowess for granted. You get stuck in traffic jams in it, and you get angry with other people and idiots on the road, and you forget you're sitting in an RX-7. And the magic fades.

Best thing to do is use it ONLY every so often, every few weeks. Enjoy it in summer and take it through the twisty bits.

I daily drive a 2001 bmw E39 M5, and the magic is well and truly gone from that thing, because I use it every day. Its no more exciting to me than a camry, and it breaks down A LOT, being European and very temperamental and expensive to fix and maintain.

Put it this way, the M5 feels sluggish and wallows in corners, and doesnt have the power or the brakes that the FD has. Yet passengers get in it, and go "Wow, man this thing is incredible!!!!!" Yet I just go "Meh". It doesnt do it for me anymore.
The M5 is the daily car because it seats 5 people, has all the luxuries and can get groceries. It can do everything pretty well.
I "endure" the M5's heaviness and wallowing in corners, because I know that in a weeks time when I pull the FD out of the shed, it is going to feel soooo much cooler to me in comparison

In regards to the RX-7 being unreliable and breaking down a lot, well that hasnt been the case for me. Its been twice as reliable as the bmw will ever be. And its cheaper to fix, parts cost less and its engineered much simpler and sturdier than the bmw will ever be. There are over a dozen computer modules in the M5, and each one is coded to work with only the VIN of that particular car. If one module dies, then you cant just swap it out, like in an FD. Everything must come from the bmw dealers, and be coded for my VIN using bmw proprietary software that only the dealers have. Its mega $$$ just to maintain it as it ages. Some days I wish I had a camry instead.
I never wish to swap the RX-7 for a camry though. Its uncomplicated and I can do all the work myself. It is the least-maintenance intensive and cheapest car I've ever owned. And it will run rings around most other cars through the twisty stuff. If something does break with age, its a small price to pay for the huge amount of fun it gives.

 

If it was me I'd dump the problematic CYM and pick up a low mileage (<40K) queen. Then, I'd never daily it, rather make it a weekend toy - sometimes waiting 2 or 3 weeks in between rides. If that doesn't rekindle your fire, buy a 911 GT2.

 

I bought my first fD in 2007 it was black and tan interior. 67k on eBay w/ buy now price of 9000 I was over seas in Iraq looking for something to spend my warbucks on. Well I found it. It was delivered to my mothers place in Houston TX and she drove the thing before I even knew it was there. Later I got an email from her with the o my god and a nick name for the car that will forever be " PRETTY LITTLE GO FASTER CAR"
before I even got home I had a bsport wide body, 19inch wheels Toyo tires, single Turbo, manifold, you name it I had it. Then I got home and drove it for the first time. I will never forget the feeling and the looks from what I call "the crowd"! Because there are 5000of 15000 if not less today even registered and drivable not counting the many that have been turned into race cars. The crowd is in reference to all those people that have no idea what it is or knew of them but have seen more Ferrari's and dodge vipers than an fd. And ooogle over its brilliance of having no pistons, and to the many younger kids that after school take there buddies on a cruz through some neighborhood where they know is an rx7 and there buddies don't believe them.
I have spent thousands of dollors on useless junk like the wide body that no longer exist and three types of headlight conversions and still have parts to an ic system collecting dust awaiting its day to be thrown in the mix.
I have fixed many things and broken more. Argued with the wife about it and in the end I always win. Why cause she can't argue with the fact its the sexiest car she's been in. It becomes more and more rare every day and equally more valuable regardless of the trim.
I own it and my son will own it when he's ready and I will keep rebuilding and fixing no matter the cost.
Some say money can't buy happiness. I say sometimes happiness isn't cheap!
Main reason for keeping and never letting go is the pride of being a part of a culture of car and owners more unique than any other.

 

Yes, been there done that.

My FD is the same. I basically got into cars, eventually went to school for it. Graduated as a BMW NA factory certified technician because of the FD.

At one point, I had such a huge argument with my parents (I was born in China, so my parents are very traditional, and money is always a problem) due to financial situation came upon. I had to choose between selling the car (it was down, blown engine and such, needed alot of work) or end my relationship with the parents.

Thank God I have a very understanding fiance who shared the save love for my rx7 and a bunch of close friends who know that I treasure my FD every moment I am with it.

So these best friends and fiance had came out with a huge amount of money to bail me out at that situation. Now I am back on tracked, I had return the favor to these friends and my fiance and I get to keep my FD.

Currently FD is getting painted in the shop, which should return to me by next week. I've basically stripped the whole car, had someone else rebuild my engine and everything else I do on the car from tire, wheels, suspension, transmission everything to fixing my interior and carpets.

I can conclude that the FD is a significant object which symbolized or something that shaped me as who I am today.

-AzEKnightz

 

I stay dedicated to my FD because it's a never ending project and no one else has it in my town...I'm actually thinking of getting another one as a DD