i bought my car 3 years ago last may. still down

 

wtf is that supposed to mean??, that if your 17 you dont know anything about cars or u dont know how to drive? what are you getting at? because im 17, (18 in a couple months) and i know how to drive and work on these cars, i also race formula cars with rotary engines in them, although i am just getting a rx-7 i bought a 240sx as my first car and i have done quite a bit of work to it.

so i am wondering what you mean by, "You're 17 dont get one."

you shouldnt stereotype all younger kids and automatically think that they dont know anything and are just trying to jump on a bandwagon or have a faster car than they can handle.

 

first and foremost, the OP clearly stated that he has no background working on cars or understanding how they work. Secondly, you're very likely to be an overconfident, underskilled driver at 17. You may hate me for saying that now, but when you reflect on your life, you'll see.

Additionally, with or without mechanical aptitude, you're not going to get very far with this car on a tight income. Even if you can work on the thing by yourself, the parts cost is outrageous.

 

****, 17, rx7, insurance... CHA-CHING!!!

 

actually insurance for a 350z is inexpensive compared to other sports cars. a friend of mine who is 19 bought his 05 brand new and he pays $80 per month full coverage and thats with 2 accidents and many tickets on his record, he also has a contract job that pays very well.


trust all of us and none of us; the FD is a great looking and fast car. but thats all it is, as with any sports car. a car is a car is a car. but the FD in particular needs as much attention as a girlfriend or being on top of your bills. i had the option to buy one but i relaized i would be in the whole for at least 2 years keeping up with maintentance and keeping it reliable.

IF you can find an FD in excellent mechanical condition as in; recently rebuilt, all reliability mods done, vacuum hoses replaced with viton or silicone, new stock or aftermarket turbo with supporting mods including ECU for tuning. and for a decent price then go ahead and go for it.

the other thing is, unless you have cash on hand for a car in such condition, which fetch anywhere between $10k-15k+(maybe less than 10k IF YOU ARE LUCKY ENOUGH) you and your parents are gonna find it difficult to get a loan, its not impossible, but most banks wont loan out so much for a 10+year old car, and no private owners will really negotiate a deal for financing, ASAIK, most FD owners who are selling are weary to who they sell their cars to. they dont want their pride and joy they took so much money to put in for just anyone to buy.

it is more trouble than its worth getting an FD unless you got lots of cash laying around just to keep it running.

your best bet is to get a nice clean NA FC and learn from there. especially when you have no real mechanical experience on any car or a rotary for that matter

 

haha.

yeah full coverage was a b**** but i wouldnt have it any other way.

to the OP, please if you get the car, make sure its not your DD.

 

We all want sick, fast and fun cars. And yes the FD fits the bill perfectly but it isnt the most forgiving either. Like someone stated earlier, if you like the look of the supra, get a non turbo and learn on that. A lot of people come on these boards and ask the same exact questions you have and they all get the same answer: Read the FAQ! haha The FAQ has all the info you could ever want from the very knowledgeable members on this board.

How did I start? Well like you i wanted an FD and did not know anything about cars at the time. That would be because I wanted an FD since i was a little kid in elementary school . During middle school i found out about this board and began reading everything i could about the car as if this was the bible. Long story short, i saw, i read and i conquered lol I got my FD earlier this year after what to me was a very long wait, at the age of 19. Its been worth every penny and minute of my hard work.

So even though we may seem like we are trying to steer you away from getting this car, we are.....haha well in a way we are trying to save you from a potential nightmare. Rotaries arent the easiest to work on, nor are they cheap.

Most of the guys on this board have a real genuine love for the rotary and the RX-7 (especialy the guys who have gone through more than 2 rebuilds ), otherwise many of these guys wouldnt be on here. So if you only like the look then chances are you wont love the car after you realize what you got yourself into.

 

to the OP:

This is an impossible request: if you end up with a FD.. don't wreck it please !

too many cars out there not enough FD's and Turbo FC's

 

If you want an RX-7, buy a non-turbo model, which were sold between 1979-1991. They have plenty of power, are good-looking, and are very fun to drive. You can find one for under $7k, and the insurance will be cheaper as well. There are plenty of aftermarket parts available, and they can be upgraded later when you are ready for more power.

Contrary to popular belief, the rotary engine is very reliable. Unfortuneately, Mazda didn't do the best job of upgrading the EFI and cooling systems on the turbocharged RX-7s.

-s-

 

insurance isnt cheap in CA. 17 will cost at least 2k for a year.

 

I know for a fact that insurance varies per driver.

when i was 26, i went through Allstate, full coverage @ $301 a month.
I gave the car to the wife and she insured it, full coverage @ $96.00 a month (at the time she was under 25, i had one 3 year old speeding ticket on my record).

Turns out, she had been on her parents insurance policy since 15yrs old so she had clean history as where i didn't have that much history. so the kid might get a break. even today - its still the same, she gets much cheaper insurance than i do on the same car(s).

personally i dont want to see an FD in the hands of a 17 year old kid. I want FD's to be around for a long time.

if you didn't know anything about cars - thats no big deal but get ready to learn or pay-up. I was pretty much in the same boat when i bought my first FD.. didn't know much about them but i do recall people saying "the motor wont last~~!" ...at 180k miles - two engines - not bad

i never drove the car like a hot rod or raced it... it was just a tired old R1 who wanted an easy escape from the abusive owner

do what you want - dont listen to our opinions but know this - if you buy an FD and abuse it, we'll kick your ***!

 

oh yeah and to those who say it takes thousands of dollars a year to maintain an FD.. I'd hate to own that car or the car hates to be driven by you! :P

 

Over a decade old used sports car=raping your wallet. Doesn't matter which brand you pick, the equation stays the same. Buy something reliable, like a newer civic and go from there.
If you don't, you'll be thinking "damn, I should have listened to Larz. It's one in the morning and I'm slaving over this FD trying to get it to run so I can get to school/work tomorrow."

 

wowzer, what a depressing thread.....but so true.

 

I believe the saying goes:


Stupid people never learn, they will continue to repeat the same mistakes.
Most normal people learn from their own mistakes,
Someone who is truly wise will learn from the mistakes of others.

 

Well put, sir.


To the OP:

If your intention is to buy an already fast car, and keep it STOCK (other than reliablitly mods), then you might be able to handle owning an FD. If your pockets are deep enough to afford a daily driver, then you are a little closer to "comfortable" FD ownership. If you expect to be able to rely on it for daily transportation, you probably want to look elsewhere. Someone already said that any 10+ year old sports car will be expensive to maintain, and this is especially true with the 3rd gen rx7. Your lack of experience with cars in general likely means that you would rely on a shop to do your maintenance/repairs. Competent rotary mechanics are few and far between, so expect to spend more at such a shop, and expect to wait a little longer for service.

If you want to learn how to turn the wrench yourself, I would suggest picking up a civic or something. Make your mistakes, and learn from them on a "cheap" car. When you are comfortable working on cars, (and still want a 3rd gen), start reading the FAQ's here. All the things you need to know about buying/maintaining an FD can be found in there. Make sure that you hang on to that civic (or whatever you buy) so you have a backup vehicle. This way, you can take your time with whatever repairs are needed, and you wont have to rush them. If you do it this way, owning an FD will be a much more rewarding experience.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

 

don't get an rx7. learn to drive first.

 

The car will kick your butt if its just a little tooo wet on the ground. No traction control in the rain w/ an rx-7 = DEATH. well not really but you get the point. since i got mine when i was 16, i do not regret it, but sometimes i think that i could have made a wiser decision in choosing cars.

if i was in your spot, i'd go with an s2k.

 

Humble suggestion: Check out both the NA and NB Miatas. We own both a 1990 NA Miata and a 1994 RX-7 (FD), both bought new. Although both cars have had a few problems, neither has given more trouble than any other cars we have owned in the past. However, the Miata is inherently more reliable, easier to maintain, and much less expensive to insure and repair. Plus, it is just as much, or maybe more, fun as the RX-7, even if slower (when stock; mine has a turbo).

Frankly, I think you are on the wrong forum; you should be lurking http://forum.miata.net/vb/, instead!

 

I have never heard wise investment and FD used together before.

If you are worried about insurance don't get an FD. My insurance makes me cry. It would cost me less to insure a Dodge Viper than my FD. At least with AAA...

Don't get an FD unless you can afford 5k a year to fix it.

Don't get an FD unless you can work on it or you have shop near you that does.

Don't get an FD without doing gobs of research first.

Don't get an FD unless you know how to handle high powered sports cars. Period. Age doesn't matter it is experience. I started racing a 12.5 second drag car when I was 15. I have raced down a track more than a thousand times and FD's still scare the **** out of me, even after driving them for years. I have the utmost respect for this car. If you don't have experience driving high powered sports cars I would urge you to attend a 3-day bonderaunt or skip barber class.

 

Holy crap old thread. That was a waste of 5 minutes...