OK, I have gone back and forth between cars for about a year now. I originally wanted an rx-7. after reading all the horror stories of these cars, I concluded that this car wasn't for me ( reliabilty issues, school and work). Since then I was looking at DSM's, 240's, 5.0's, TA's, and some others I cant remember. Being 18, for most poeple is hard to get enough money for a nice sports car. I recently got a great job at a honda dealer ship, get about 1100 a month net. Then I found LA motor cars which is about half an hour away from me they have 3 year warrantys with a 100 dollar deductable per incedent. I have about 11k saved, the rx's are around 14-15k. Dad said he would spot me and I would pay him later (monthly). But I have found several z32's for 8-10k. Do you guys think I should get the 7 or settle for the 300zx? in speed how are these comparable? I drove a 300 before and it was fast, had exhaust and a chip 11psi. never drove a 7 (sat in one, when I was looking to buy one but it broke when I got there!) Sorry for the length, but I wanted you guys to know where I'm coming from. Thanks!

 

I don't think 1100/month is enough to afford one, with or without a warranty. I don't think people understand how much it is to even maintain these cars. Warranty won't cover maintenance.

IMO, if you can't afford the car and still be comfortable it's not worth having. Go for the 300, it's a much more stable platform.

 

Nothing wrong with the Z, it's just more of a powerful grand touring car than a pure sports car like the 7. My practical advice is for you not to get a sports car at this point in your life, but hey.....

Kyle is completely right though, these cars are very expensive to maintain as daily drivers. I think you would fall over if I showed you how much I've put into my car over the last 19 months (not including mods).

 

yeah thats what I was thinking. The Z seems more practical, but it isn't a 7. I guess this will make me want to get my engineering degree sonner so I can get that three rotor I've always wanted the thing is those Z's have around 90k. Those Z's have good potential. I'm getting something I 've had this 97 hx civic for to long!

 

I owned a '91 300ZX TT for 5 years and I would say that overall reliability is only average at best and parts/labor is very expensive. However, motor-wise, they aren't as sensitive to mods as an FD is, and you can run 400 - 500+ hp with bolt-ons easy, and without issue. The Zs are heavier cars and couldn't touch an FD on a roadcourse or in auto-x, but they can be straight-line beasts. Check out TwinTurbo.net, hang out there, read the FAQ, ask questions and reconsider after getting more familiar with both cars.

 

well I don't really like the 300zx all that much. my absolute last resort is a 1g dsm . I could buy that thing and make it stupid fast with the money I have. what exactly makes the 7 so hard to maintain? the only things that I was worryied about was the engine and turbo's. my dad would have to lend me 3k and told me to pay him off in 2 years. thats 125 a month plus ins. I just want one SOOOOOOOOO bad!!!! but so far I've got 4 replies and they were suggesting not to get one.

 

Maintainence is reasonable in terms of cost, you just need to do it more often than most other cars, and if you "space off" an oil change for a couple months, the results are not fun.

The real expense comes in trying to make the car "reliable" This usually entails down pipe, radiator, coolant hoses, all fluids, belts, AST, and other odds and ends. These parts end up costing a pretty fair chunk, and have a disturbing habit of needing to be replaced at the EXACT moment you don't have the cash, and unlike a Camaro, you really CAN'T just run it until you can afford to get that hose/AST/belt/filter/whatever. So the cost per miles of driving pleasure can be a little problematic IFF the car hasn't had those upgrades.

Once you start modding, give up all hope of affording anything else for a while. My experience has been ok, in that I find the stock touring car to be exactly what I wanted, a powerful, competent driving automobile that looks like sex in motion. But the previous owner took pretty terrible care of it, and I ended up replacing the engine. Not cheap.

Anyway, the cost issue is pretty heavy in terms of overall keeping it on the road factor, and REALLY so if you don't do your own work. Working on it yourself is not terrifically hard, but it REALLY helps if you know how to wrench.

Lastly, driving the thing is extremely rewarding, and also somewhat hazardous if you're young and male. I know I would have died at 18 if I had an FD to run around in. This isn't ageism here, just observation. I finally calmed my driving down at 27!!! 120mph in a 45 zone? But I didn't think the car went that fast!!?? Having the turbos spin up in the middle of a corner cause you decided to punch it results in bent metal and/or bent people.

Actually, look into an FC. REALLY good cars for pretty damn cheap, and less touchy.

 

What makes them hard to maintain is that they are 10 years old. Things break, ALL THE TIME. Besides the engine, turbos, etc, other things break.

If you keep it stock, and just do reliability mods, you more than likely won't blow an apex seal due to running too lean. But that doesn't mean the engine won't blow. If the car you buy still has the original motor, it's 10 years old too, and nearing the end of it's life.

Whether you get one or not is up to you. I got mine when I was 18. I make close to $1600 a month during the summer, slightly less while in school, and this is a HUGE financial burden on me. But my payment is a lot higher than yours will be, so I think you can afford it. But it's up to you

 

I understand that stuff will break due to the age. since the car comes with a 3 YEAR 36k MILE WARRANTY, was a big selling point for me. Engine and turbos are included, 100$ deductable per incedent, parts AND labor included, work to be done at RP. I'm NOT going single, stand alone or jacking with the boost. I just want to get a full exhaust and a FMIC for performance, THATS it. It would such a privalage to just have that car I wouldn't care about modding it to hell. I have the chance to go to an auction with my uncle. He said I could find a ls1 TA for about 9-10k. Thats a nice car in my price range and is probably faster then a stock 7. BUT who doesn't have one! and who actually cares for the interior or the car? It would just kill me to have a modded 12 second TA and pull next to a FD! knowing that I could have had that car for 3k more then what I paid for the ever so popular american car. But if the maintanence is that bad I guess I should keep looking.

 

anyone else have any input?

 

buy the ls1, put an exhaust and headers on it, reprogram the computer, change the oil regularly and forget about it. the thing will run 12's and the motor will go for 100k easy. the warranty on the 7 is great but what happens when it breaks and they say it's from abuse and you end up fighting it out with the warranty company while your car sits idle? a daily driver 7, even in stock form, requires a substantial amount of $$ to be cared for properly. not to mention parts that wear out such as tires, brake pads, shocks, etc. don't get me wrong, i love my 7 but if i wasn't making good money, i would have had to sell it by now.

 

I agree with this, get an LS1 or something. I don't see how warantee companies even write warranties for these cars. They have to do their research I would think. Legal-z, is right tho, I seriously doubt they'll honor a warranty no questions asked.

 

No offense, but does it really matter? From the sound of it your going to get the 7, no matter what. But dont wreck it, because you are close enough to me to come over and bitch slap you if you do. Just be careful, this aint no civic.

 

Breath mint.

not entirely. I respect all these responses because these are poeple that actually own these cars. there info is worth there wieght in gold. I have mentioned that I was not going to jack with car that I just wanted to have it, so I thought it would make the car easier to mantian. But I'm still getting the same responses. I don't want to get the car and have all this unexpected crap to happen to it, now I know there is a good posibilty that the car is not in my field.

 

Normal maintenance by itself isnt that expensive. I think what most people are talking about here, aside from reliability mods are expenses due to replacing things because of age or mileage. You are buying a 9 or 10 year old car and its hard to say what parts might need replacing after you get it. If nothing goes wrong, then it wont be that expensive to maintain but that is not necessarily going to happen.

 

I don't know how many times it needs to be said but here goes...

The RX-7 is an expensive car to own and operate. It is old, its gets horrific fuel milage, it requires constant oil changes (turbos require it), the tires don't last (Z rated/uni directional tires last 25,000 miles, max), parts are very expensive and always are a special order. It can't carry much more than a briefcase, the interior is cramped and has no place to put things. It is more difficult to get in and out of then most cars because it is so low.

It is a pure sports car and good for ONLY ONE thing and that is driving. If you only want to drive then it is a blast and you should get it.

 

What kinds of parts would you expected to fail??

 

The are two big reasons why FDs are hard to maintain: 1) there are a million failure points, and 2) they aren't built with k-car type ability to handle neglect. The insane heat under the hood only accelerates these issues. You've got to know what you're doing (the stickys and FAQ links will get you there) or else small problems will become big problems. The only flaw IMO of the FD is a lack of good stock gauges and equipment to help with this. It's very important to get a boost gauge, water temp gauge, new radiator, new hoses, and keep filters and plugs new and clean.

If you know what you're doing this car rocks. Just take a look around here and you'll know what I'm saying.

Dave

 

I wouldn't buy an FD if you are truly "pennywise" . . . they are like airplanes. Money makes them drive, not gas. If I had $14k to spend I would go for a Corvette. I would also consider one of the 944ish Porsches if they weren't so expensive to get parts for.

 

Breath's fine.
Hey you asked for honest responses and your getting them.

 

Ok, I'm sorry, but have you researched this car enough?

You want a full exhaust and a FMIC, however you don't want to jack with boost or a stand-alone ECU.....



Honest opinion? This is not the car for you.

I was actually talking to a local friend who was wanting to buy an FD as well. I had him over to the house when I was doing my clutch job. He is basically in the same position as you, however, he has now realized that the FD is not the best fit for him at this time. I mentioned to him to check out the mid-90's MR2. Sure, they aren't FD's, however they aren't domestic and you can modify them, they are Autocross demons, and just a fun car all around. I don't know about your area, but they aren't too common around me either.

 

Excellent advice, if it weren't for an FD I'd be driving an MR2, I don't know how many times I've said this. They are an excellent and more cost effecient alternative.

 

If I messed with the boost or comp it would VIOD the warranty. The first thing I was going to do to it was replace the hoses, fluidine radiator, aluminum ast, and some gauges. Then I was going to put some BPU's on it. Just enough to make it better then stock. I really don't care if the car is super fast, I just have wanted one for a while. I could get a lt1 corvette, ls1 TA, dsm, mr2, or for a little more get the FD. YEAH those 944's are the &*(^! my dad has a 89 944 turbo s. that car looks good, resembles an FC. and is fast. I just want a nice RWD car that is good for autoXing. The american cars go straight. I would go for a s13 fast back with a sr20 in it, but It's not legal. Keep em coming

 

Well, everybody's responses seem to have covered everything.

Try to find an RX-7 with all or most the reliability mods done. Even better, find one with low mileage or the motor replaced as well. Get the car if you have the will power to stop there. But if you plan on doing anything else, then I suggest you start looking for alternatives because one thing will lead to another. Before you know it, you will be broke.
You seem to really want this car and sometimes that itself is a good enough incentive, but with the RX-7 things are always complicated.

 

you know, as crazy as it seems, you might do alright with a porsche 911. i have owned 3, one 82 sc and 2 carrera's (85 & 87). if you find a well maintained carrera, they are basically bullet proof. the 84-89 models are the ones i'm referring to. just make sure the clutch is new and you likely wouldn't have any expensive maintenance bills. on all of my cars, i just changed the oil regularly and that was basically it. again, i know it is contrary to what most people believe but the air cooled 911's were really a solid car (that were the product of 20+ years of development) and you can probably find a good one for right around $14k.