hey ive been readin up on the car and all and i know the 7 is known to have reliability problems. (im sure you guys have read plenty posts about these but please help me out lol) I wanna buy the car and i was wondering about how much money it would cost to fix all the possibly problematic parts in the engine or anywhere else. I've already read the faqs and all i know what i need to fix, or atleast i have a really good idea i would just like to know how much you all spent on average for these "safety measures" and if i really have to do them at all.

 

The cost depends a lot on how much you're able to do yourself. If you get all work done at a shop, parts and labor could get pretty costly. You can find quite a few of the reliability mods you're looking for for a reasonable price here on the forum. Good luck

 

well i dunno how different working on a rotary engine is from a regular engine but if its not too different most of it could be done by myself as long as it doesnt require nething i cant get but just for the parts alone about how much would it cost? thanks alot for the help btw

 

RX7's are reliable. If you treat them right.

 

read these

https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-generation-specific-1993-2002-16/want-buy-3rd-gen-need-reliabilty-mod-help-41513/
http://www.fd3s.net/stages.html
https://www.rx7club.com/3rd-gen-archives-73/need-questions-answered-experienced-3rd-gen-owners-27053/ << read the post by jimlab
http://www.turborx7.com/recomend.htm

main things:
Radiator upgrade $300-500
AST $100-150
vaccuum hoses $100 (labor's gonna be expensive)

 

Radiator upgrade is not necessary if it's in good condition, with acceptable coolant temp in summer month. I am Dallas, it is hot here, I am still using the stock radiator.

AST upgrade will give you peace of mind while driving...not worry it splitting up.

Vacuum hoses job is not necessary if everything is working properly.

Doing yourself will save bunch of money...I did...at least $3500.00 so far. There are lot of how to information on this board.

 

ah ic thanks guys only problem is i know absolutely nothing about engines. well i wouldnt say nothing, but not enough that i would do any work on a car myself. i read the posts and im totally confused about parts and this and that xD. i appreciate the help tho. so along with the car i can expect somewhere like 2-3k worth of extra for reliability and safety stuff?

 

The key thing for you is to not rush.

Buying an FD IMO is more important and tricky than owning and maintaining one. And it's hard to buy one if you don't know the details somehow already.

There is plenty of info on how to do stuff here and on the FAQ'd websites, plus the factory service manuals. Learn to use them, and you'll have plenty of info to go by.

 

Downpipe if that wasn't already mentioned.

 

the most important thing as mentioned above is buying the right one. If you buy one with a few reliability mods done, then you might save your self some money. If you buy one that was really taken care of, then you wont have to spend any money at all. The bottom line is make sure if you buy one that you go get it checked out by a shop. The rx7 will be good to you, if your good to it. good luck and be patient.

 

Learn to do the work yourself. I hadn't really worked on cars before I got my rx7 and within a couple weeks of owning it I had torn everything down and fixed most of my problems and would of payed out the *** to have a shop do it.

For example, last night I needed to replace the waterpump and I had a shop quote me $600 including parts and labor. I found the part for $100 and did it myself in about 2 hours.

 

Turning wrenches isn't the hardest thing in the world....just takes patience and attention to detail in most situations. Service manuals will walk you through pretty much the entire car. It's scary at first, but diving in head first will teach you alot. I pulled a transfer case last night with a buddy for the first time on his diesel....we had no idea what to expect and no service manuals but a ton of ambition, but we did have enough tools to do the trick, which didn't take much. It would of cost close to 2k to get it done at a shop, and we spent some 4-5 hours and ended up costing him less than 500 bucks, including a couple beers and pizza he bought us afterwards. Granted, this was a calk walk chore, but still a little nerve racking tearing parts off a rig with only a guess as to what to expect.

Hardest part is getting the tools, lifts, etc for certain jobs. Those are expensive, but will pay for themselves in a short period of time rather than giving a mechancic 75 bucks an hour.

 

well i have a car in mind that seems to have been very well kept and has had mods done to it tho, actually it seemed like quite alot i really have no idea cause i didnt understand a third of the stuff but it seems as if it was well kept and if i go there check the boost and all that it sais on the faqs and it turns out to be okay i should go for it? and i got a friend that could help me do all the engine work given that rotary isnt too different from working on regular engines.

 

Where is it located? I know FDs in and out and may be able to go check it out for you. Send me a PM if you're interested.

 

Make sure you have a place where you can work on it and have lots of tools. This forum can tell you damn near anything.

 

well we could work on it in my friend's garage and its located somewhere in NJ.

 

I purchased the car last February of 2005. I must admit ... its a beauty but highmaintenace and cost:

Purchase Price $ 13,546
2005 $ 5,240
2006 YTD $ 5,184

that includes timely replacement and upgrades.

 

wow lotsa money

 

damn I thought I got the shaft when my clutch went. you, sir, are dedicated.

 

I'd really like to hear your definition of 'timely replacement and upgrades.' I certainly hope your $10k got you a rebuilt motor, tuned ECU and upgraded suspension/tires.

-s-

 

wait so will it cost like 10k in 2 years? i hope not...

 

I do not recommend you get a 3rd gen without first owning some type of RE powered car, preferable a TII, they are Much cheaper and you can learn on them without risking 1000's of dollars. IF you can keep up with the maintenance on a second gen tii than maybe you can move up to FD, keep in mind, EVEN IT you do all the mods youself on your fd parts still cost a fortune. here's an example: passenger side inside door handle: $325 a/c panel: 150
you could probably spend 2ooo bucks simply Restoring a stock 3rd gen interior....
for series 4 87-88 tII there is an rtek available. with about 2000k in mods you can make an 87-88 tII comparable to a 3rd gen with stock twins. finding a second gen with a nice interioir is hard thought, however, UNLIKE a third gen you could buy every interioir plastic new for a second gen and it'd probably cost less than 500 bucks. and unlike a 3rd gen there are aftermarket carpet kits readiliy available for 200 bucks or less most 3rd gen kits are close to 1000 bucks...
get a TII since your new to rotaryies, most people who get 3rd gens without knowing rotaryies have a very bad and expensive time....

 

FYI: professional rebuilds for blown 3rd gens engines usually start at around 5000 including labor and the sky's the limit from there! and also keep in mind the expensive twin turbo system this alone will cost 800 to rebuild from Turbonetics.
fyI: you can get upgrade rebuild TII turbos with upgrade 60mm compressor wheels for less than 500 bucks with warranty....

i like my 3rd gen but it is definetly a money pit. But i will say that nothing is like driving a 3rd gen (even a TII). Thats why many people pay the xtra $$ to get a 3rd gen than a TII it's just different....

but since your new to rotary engines , you get a TII

 

umm a TII? lol

 

Bryan Jacobs is talking about the 1987-1991 RX-7 (FC chassis), Turbo II, it's the previous body style. It has a single turbo setup, so the engine bay is much simpler. There were a lot more FC RX-7's built and sold in the U.S., so parts are a lot cheaper.


Aside from maintenance and cost, the FD is not a good sportscar for beginners. Where other cars will let you get away with minor driving mistakes, the FD will punish you if you do the wrong thing at the wrong time (brake too late, accelerate too early, apex early, etc...). Lots of young people have wrecked FD's because of the unusual power delivery of the twin-turbo setup (and because they had never driven a sportscar before). If you haven't already owned a RWD sportscar, or you don't have racetrack experience of some sort, I wouldn't recommend buying the FD.

-s-