Ok ok OK

I have done all my research, have been reading up on the FD for almost a year, done the lemon site, all the Faqs, all the horror storys.

I have looked at all the parts, dont eveything in my power, been reading this site forever. so I read the relability mods and so fourth. I think im about ready to get me a rx7, I have always done my own work and I am not affraid to work on anything (after you have swapped a few mr2 engines you get pretty brave ...

I just want to hear from rx7 owners that it will be ok... haha Im not going to be driving down the street and it just blows up on me. (new motor cause i blew it up? acceptable, new motor cause the other one is just old and other owner didnt take care of it? acceptable) thats all to be expected, but saying i get me a new motor (or rebuild it myself) do the basic MP, DP, exuast, yada yada
power FC or another stand alone fuel managment system. and I should be set and good to go? install all the necasary guages....

I love my mr2 but I want somthing with a more controllable back end and just dont want to make a mistake and being stuck at the side of the freeway all the time...

once i do all of the things that everyone recomends do I get to drive it hard ?

thanx for any replys guys....

 

Sounds like you're ready. If you can be patient, and put in as much time in finding one that you did in reaserching the car, you will find the one that has been taken care of and IS reliable.

I've had 4 other RX-7's; they are great cars for what you get and what you put into it. (Lots of upkeep for the 3rd gen)! But it's worth it.

Mine now has 93K on it and still runs strong with 13 psi of boost. I will be the first to tell you that they are very tempermental, but since you said you can work on the cars, it will be worthwhile.

Good luck.

 

"get" to drive it hard? you HAVE to, the car loves the rpms.
when you think reliability think cooling and fuel. big rad, nice IC, injectors, fuel pump, computer with good tuning and you're set for big performance.
go for it!

 

what do you mean by swap, have you ever put an mr2 engine in something else than an mr2?

 

LethaL LeO,

I've had my RX-7 for about 4 years now. The original owner didn't take care of the car and overheated it. I didn't know anything about FD's at the time, so I bought it. After trying to figure out why the coolant light/alarm keep going off after I got the car, I was purchasing a new engine.

Since the new engine, I've had a few other things that have needed to be replaced (like worn out hoses, or an O2 senser) but 90% of my problems have been Mazda Dealership mechanic mistakes.

I have not, as you put it, "been driving down the road and just blown the engine". Just about all of the problems I've had with my car are due to untrained mechanics that go to fix something simple like some worn out hoses and end up breaking other things.

If you can find yourself a good rotary mechanic or do the work yourself, you'll be just fine. Just make sure to check the car before you buy it.

 

... but I don't know about setting you straight, that seems like a personal choice Not that there is anything wrong with that.

In 3 years my FD has never stranded me. Sure, I've had problems since I have high miles (over 100k) but could always get it to a shop to have them addressed.

I further second having a specialist check it out first. I took mine to Pettit and he recommeded buying it (even with the high miles) because it ran really strong. Pettit's owner, Cam Worth, even said it was one of the faster stock FDs hed had ever driven. I bought it that day.

That being said - be prepared to spend some bank on maintenance. Look at things breaking as an opportunity to urpgrade the parts and you will never be dissappointed. Every time my car goes to the shop it comes out faster than it was before

Scott

 

Get the FD.
A lot of the reliability issues are NOT issues with a properly maintained car. And a stock FD is pretty damned reliable, really. It is not like they just blow up without the least provocation! It is when one starts making modifications that the potential for problems increases, especially if they are not done properly.
Take the time to find a good, unthrashed model. Be patient, they are out there.
Remember that most Mazda dealers were/are a FD's worst enemy, due to apathy and lack of training. So it is a good thing that you are mechanically inclined.
Obviously you have found this forum, and there is a wealth of info from the people here. Use it to your advantage.

There really is something special about owning a 3rd gen RX-7, I just re-fall in love with mine everytime I see it!

 

It is a realible car- watch for overheating- BUT THE BIGGEST FACTOR is you will HATE HATE HATE the car on your first boost problem....most have them sooner or later....and it will cost $$ to fix it so be prepared...

 

Lethal- I've had four RX-7s since buying my first new one in 1985. Problem is, now you are going to have to buy a *used* FD..... and that is a major problem. You have no idea how the previous owner(s) maintained the car or if they abused it, left it overheat, etc. You will need to have someone who knows what to look for check out the major components for you to check for things such as bad turbos, bad compression, coolent leaks, etc. Don't count on the Mazda dealer having a trained 3rd gen mechanic. Only a handful of mechanics attended the factory training program for 3rd gen RX-7s before Mazda discontinued it. Most of these guys have started their own specialty repair/modification shops. If you can find a car with a solid body and an interior that has not been destroyed by someone's careless cigarettes, then check out the engine and transmission. Bolt-on stuff like brakes and suspension components can be fixed, but you don't want to buy your car and not be aware that it may need $5-10K of major engine or transmission work. I would still keep $2-4K in your budget in reserve, just in case. Plus, you will probably want to do the reliability mods after you get the car- AST, DP, etc. This all being said, if you are willing to spend the time to properly maintain a car with some complex systems on it, you will have a blast. Like the commercial says: zoom, zoom!

 

Well after reading all of these, talking with some MANY people I have decided to go ahead and get me a 7...My mr2 will be sold in a few weeks and I will go out and find me a 7...they are all over the place and have a Rx7 owner who will come with me to check out the 7's when i go see them. So wish me luck...

Relabitly mods will be done I promise hahah

thanx everyone

 

Good Luck dude......and welcome to the family :p

 

TO be REALLY on the safe side, see if you can get a compression test on the FD that interests you the most. Also, don't get impatient and jump on the first one you see. Well, if the first one you see IS in perfect condition, then get it :p

It took some of us 6 months and some of us even longer than that to find the FD we wanted. It took me about 6 months. I specifically wanted a Silver Touring with the black leather. I kept bumping into all the other colors and silver ones with the red leather interior. I finally found my first silver on black and it had low miles.

Don't be scared of modded FDs. If modded properly, it will not harm it at all. Don't expect to buy an FD with a downpipe, midpipe, exhaust, an aftermarket intercooler still running the stock ECU and expect it to last much longer. We have had guys here with mildly modded FDs still run past 100k miles. The biggest thing to look out for is unmaintaned abuse. I abuse my car, but at least I keep up with it. Abuse from people that don't care otherwise is NOT a person to buy an FD from.

Good luck!