I have been looking at the 3rd Gen RX7 for two years now. And I have fallen in love with its style, permormance and price. But I need some real advice.

I am not the greatest mechanic. I do all the normal stuff for my current car (Oil changes, belt replacement, etc.). But I haven't rebuilt an engine or even replaced the transmission fluid. I always take it to a professional.

I take care of my cars but I am not a mechanic. Am I the right kind of owner for the RX7? I am willing to learn but I want to make sure I am not getting in over my head.

I am a 24 year old married programmer with no kids. I wanted a sports car all my life. I just want to make sure I pick the right one. Thanks.

 

As long as you love it and are willing to give it the TLC it deserves - its the car for you - IMHO the fd is among the 10 greatest sports cars ever built.

 

anyone can own an rx7. as long as you possess the patience and understanding that upon modifying the car, you WILL run into technical difficulties. Do not let tham get you down, or you'll have a very costly piece of yard atr, and an ill distemper for the rotory engine. all of us look at these cars like a lover. at least i do. i want no other car now, having owned rx7's for quite some time now, i mean.

if you respect the car, keep it well maintained, and do not sell the car short when modifying, if that is indeed an intention, you will be more than satisfied.

we all have different conceptual ideas of how an rx7 is perfect for us, you have one as well.

if you are expecting a new car longevity from an rx7, do not get it. cause it will have its downtime. bottom line, you are setting yourself up for major dissappointment.

however, if you are patient, knowledgeable, and have a love for the car and its inherent performance, you'll fit right in. I am not amechanic either, but having th efactory shop manual and the backbone of the forum for technical support, i do fine, and let the big boys do the motor swaps and stuff.



i do not know if that made any sense, hope that this helps
the bottom line is that i would not trade my rx7 for anything. except a winning lottery ticket.

 

I think a very important thing is to have someone you trust, or a shop, who is knowledgeable about the car. For those who aren't mechanically inclined, this car can be a real nightmare! And a 3rd Gen is definately not a car to try and learn on.

 

You sound like you're well equipped to handle the routine maintenance. The routine maintenance isn't hard, it's just that you have to do it on time. Waiting too long to change a fuel filter, coolant, or oil can be dangerous.

The other thing is you should have reasonable access to an FD / rotary specialist for the bigger things. I know there are some in the Los Angeles area. I don't know if that's too far for you, or if there are other shops closer to your home. I wouldn't want to live in Montana and own one of these cars.

 

If you know how to do routine things, you can work yourself up to more complex things.

The more complex things require more tools and time.
They really are not that difficult do.

For instance, to change all the vacuum hoses(something like 73), it just requires patience and time.

I just pulled the motor and the tranny out of my car. I surprised myself in doing so(only because I have never seen anybody do it before and it sounds like a really big job). But it really wasn't that difficult.

I would not let myself decide against ownership of one of the most affordable sportscars just because I considered myself not very mechanically inclined. If I did, I would regret that decision for the rest of my life.

Ed

 

You are a programmer with no kids...you'll do just fine =)

If you need anybody to teach you how to quick shift that bitch let me know

 

The RX-7's are no less reliable than any top-end sports car.
Porsches, Ferraris, Lambo's all have their quirks and weak points, and are generally MUCH more expensive to maintain than an FD.
If you've been reading here for a couple of years, and still want to get into an FD, then you'll be fine.
Remember, hardly anyone here posts when their car is running OK, you only hear the horror stories
I've owned (almost) every model RX-7 made, and have had fantastic reliability from them by maintaining them properly, and driving them hard!

Good luck finding your new love

 

fd's are great cars and they are relativly cheap too, if you think about it, if you have to buy a new engine from where ever and have to pay to have it installed, it should last you at least 30-50k miles if you don't abuse it too much with the boost. also the cost of doing so will be only 4k and with a 12-13k base fd, it is not that expensive if you consider a new civic will run you about 16-18k bone stock. i dont see why everyone says it cost so much, with 1 BMW you could buy a hand full of fd's. I guess it does get pricy if you don't got a job but you actually have a job as programer with no kids so you should be fine!

BTW: You must drive it hard every so often which is actually a blessing I think. Also, changing out the oil every 500 miles does not hurt, its pretty easy to do so anyways.

Step 1: drain oil
Step 2: refill oil

thats it lol

 

Hey Skunks, dont forget to change the filter

 

yeah i knew i forgot something, change the oilfilter about every 1000 miles or so.

 

I know about as much about cars as you do. I have owned my FD for about a year and it is the BEST car I have ever owned! I do the oil changes religuously and try to keep on eye on every fluid level all the time. It is fun to tinker with too. I will say Be Careful in the eingine bay, things get really really really HOT, and it is really tight in there.
You can find answers to almost any questions you have here at the forum (I do lots of searches) and if you can't find there is about 1000 people who have already had the same problem you have.
GET THE CAR!!!!

 

I am so ready to get one now. You have really boosted my confidence. Now the search begins.

 

PunkRawk..

The 3rd Gen FD3S = Best looking car on the ROAD, Not including high end Ferrari's, Lamborghini's, Mazerati's, Mclaren F1's and etc.

My car is a 93, almost 10 years old..

I still have people asking " Is that a 2002"
and people breaking their necks to look at the car.
People always complimenting and asking
questions about the car..
Oh yea always hearing " is that a viper".

Hmm let me think about it..
All the attention is kinda Annoying at times..

Great car get it. and btw women love em..