Question about 3rd Gen!
 

Hi, I have a few questions about RX-7's. I am only 17 and my first car was and still is a 1995 Ford Mustang GT. I always wanted a Mustang because I have been around them since I could remember so I finally got mine. I like cars a lot and I have always liked RX-7's. I have had my Mustang for a while now and I am kind of tired of it and bored with it, they are all over the place and they aren't the quickest things in the world. I am very interested in purchasing a 1993 RX-7 TT. I came accross the site today and I have been reading different posts and this is a great site. I am wondering if I bought one of these cars, how much of a risk they are? Generally they are dependable cars granted they are taken care of? I know my insurance would be going up also if I bought one of these, which isn't too much of a problem because my parents help me out with that but I also give a good amount of money towards it. I see some RX's for sale in the $10,000-12,000 range and if I sold my car I would be looking in this range to purchase an RX. I obviously can't afford an immaculate car but would buying an RX in this range be bad? Ia mainly worreid about how dependable the car would be, if somethig breaks, parts are generally expensive? I would appreciate any info anyone could provide me with about these cars. I am not into imports that much, like civics or integras or anything like that, I'd rather just keep my Mustang, to me RX's are in their own class. Thanks for your time and your help.:confused:

Go to
www.robrobinette.com
www.scuderiaciriani.com

and search the forum for purchasing 3rd gens. I love mine, have had no problems, and i'm 20. But be prepared to LEARN EVERYTHING about your car, and you CANNOT CANNOT CANNOT be afraid to take things apart.
~Tom

Third gens can be tough to own, or they can be easy to own.

Some guys seem to get 3rd gens that never break, other guys (like me) seem to get 3rd gens that ALWAYS break.

I bought my FD almost 3 years ago. Over the past three years, my cost of ownership has been around $1,000 a month. This includes gas, car payment, insurance, repairs, and mods, but most of it is the payment and the repairs. My car is still pretty close to stock, and my insurance is $1000/year.

There are other guys who have owned their cars longer than I have who probably don't spend nearly this much on their cars.

And there are guys out ther who spend waaayyy more :)

While I think it would be incredibly cool to have a 3rd gen at 17 years old (I'm 25, by the way), you really should know that there is a major financial burden that can come along with the ownership of one of these cars. I would be especially concerned about this if you are looking at the $10,000 to $12,000 FDs. Cars in this price range are generally high mileage cars or problem cars. You should be aware that it is very common to have to replace the engine and/or turbos well before 100,000 miles. An engine replacement costs $3,000 to $7,000 depending on a whole lot of factors, and the turbos cost anywhere from $1,000 to $3,000 to replace. These cars can get really expensive really fast.

Despite costing so much money, you don't see me rushing out to sell mine....why? Because they really are great performers. They are a whole lot of fun to drive, and as you pointed out, they are very unique.

My point (you were probably wondering if I have one) is that if you can afford one, get one. You'll be very happy that you did. Just be aware that the relatively cheap $10,000 price tag can be very deceptive, and remember that being able to afford the purchase price does not mean that you can afford the car.

If you don't have rich parents, or you aren't making a good living on your own, then this is not the car for you.

If you do have rich parents, or your own income is healthy, then go get one and join the club!

Its not a 17 year olds car!
I know.. I am 17 and I own one...
On the scale of mistakes in my life.. This is pretty high.. probably the top....

Keep the ford...!

why was buying an rx-7 a big mistake? cause i'm lookin into them myself...any info would be of great help thx!

Don't buy an rx-7 if....


1) You only have enough money to buy a 93 with 100k miles on it
2) You're not mechanically inclined _OR_ don't live near a REPUTABLE rotary mechanic/shop.
3) You do not have steady income (student)
4) You flog the shit out of your car at every stoplight
5) You do not have the means to immediately replace a blown engine (if that happens) with money you have saved up
6) You care only about drag racing (go buy a Supra or Camaro)
7) You're bothered by the fact that it has no cup holders or back seats

I don't mean to sound snobby but I see SO MANY people with these cars who have no business owning one. THey trash the crap out of them then dump them back on the used car market for less money, devaluing MY car as well as every other 3rd gen out there.

This is a sports car, pure and simple. If you want to reap the benefits of its design you must pour a little love into it.

Excellent list DefBringer. I agree with every point except 4 & 6.

Depending on your definition of "flog" I may or may not agree with 4. My FD is my daily driver and my only car. It sees at least one 8,000 RPM WOT blast every day, although I try to get several in on my way to and from work :) Granted it's not "every" stop light, but it is every day. Maybe that's why I have so many more problems with my car? I dunno, but I'm of the opinion that it's pointless to drive an FD unless you are going to enjoy driving it.

Although I see where you are coming from with 6, I don't think a person who meets the criteria of the other list numbers should dismiss the FD because their primary interest is drag racing. Granted, you and I would feel like we are wasting the FD's potential by not taking it to a road course, but if someone else wants to drag race, I think that's OK, as long as they are taking good care of the car.

Otherwise, your points are right on. It takes money, expertise, and a little bit of love to successfully own an FD.

okay...i am 20 and i got mine when i was 18. since then all my car has done is "broke." but not "broke" to where i can't drive it...just to where it isn't an rx-7. it has ALWAYS worked...i just always run into problems like the turbos not working, needing new parts, and , with the 93, the ecu driving me CRAZY! but when i have had to go somewhere it has always worked. i am a college student and drive the heck out of it everyday! i replaced a ton of crap, but that was because i wanted speed...but i think my car has only been a rx-7 (EVERYTHING working) once...and that was right after i bought it :( but if you do get the car...like somebody said earlier...DONT BE AFRAID TO TOUCH IT...IT WILL BREAK!!!!!!!!! get messy and fix it! after a couple of months owning it and a couple of months on the forum you will know everything you need to know...plus you kind of get a new family by having to come here all the time and ask what the heck is wrong with it now ;)

:) I want to thank everyone who responded to my post, you guys helped me out here. I am not sure what I will do in the end, I'd love to own one, it just seems its basically now I either take a chance and just get one or just stay with my car that I have now. :sad: I just gotta sit and think about it and make a decision I guess. It seems that from what I am reading about these cars is that some seem to be great and others seem to be problems. But thats like any other car I guess, some good some bad, you never know. I am by no means rich or have rich parents haha, sometimes when it comes to things like this I wish money was no object but I don't get things handed to me! One thing is that even the Mustang, I don't beat it or run the hell out of it, which might be hard to believe since I am 17 but my car gets all the regular maintenance and I try to keep it clean as best I can so trust me, if I bought an RX-7 I would probly be too afraid to do anything with it for a long time, I realize the value of things and why would you want to destroy a good car anyway? I don't have a problem with putting money into a car, if something breaks it has to get fixed the worst thing is is how much $$$ something would be. I have a job and I mean I made some good money working over the summer so I have some saved (which the Mustang took a nice bite out of cause it broke!:mad: ) but what can you do? But we'll see what happens here and thanks again! :bigthumb:

somethings never change...

Why do I always read through the whole thread before I notice the timestamp? :(