If you REALLY want to be able to drive an FD, Then I suggest you go to a local arcade With Ferarri F355 Challenge, and play it alot, or get dreamcast with a wheel. See if you can place first on any tracks aside from the oval. If you can, without smashing into other cars the whole time, then I would say go ahead and get one. you can probably handle the power . being 16 with my FD.... I probably would have been alright, but had more speeding tickets and blown the engine. ... Maybe I put too much faith in video games, but they taught me what to do when the car breaks loose, and saved me from a crash 3 times that I can clearly remember, my passenger was like "how did you get otu of that" my reply, plenty of need for speed, Gran turismo, and now Ferrari F355.

 

hahah naww, play daytona usa.....yes, the old school arcade game.

 

Ok, NOW I'm officially scared to venture out onto the public road system.

 

Why? I learned to drive on Atari's Night Driver.

 

Hey I spent hours honing my driving skills on that game and one called POLE POSITION - Much better than the dumb simulators they had in High School Drivers Ed.

 

Pole Position rocked.

 

I think it's time to crack out the old Atari 2600 and have some fun

 

Pole posistion was the best!!! That and asteroids ( but I realize that's a little off the subject

 

Good. It's about time we stopped talking about inexperienced drivers trying to get a car that is more than a handful for them.

 

I'm 17 and I got my 94 about 2 month's ago. But it is my fourth car. I'd be a dork to get an FD for my first car. I bought it with my own money, too. People take better care of their car's when they buy a car themselves. And remember, that insurance and maintnance is going to be quite a big chunk every month. And they are a bumpy and loud ride also. They also don't get the best gas mileage either. Especially when you have to put high octane in it as well as octane booster if you want it to run good. And don't get an automatic!!! These things are slow enough off the line. My car's in the shop right now getting a 5 speed put in. But if you think you're ready for a daily driver like this, go ahead. They're still a fun car.

Nick

 

I fully agree with most of these posts. The temptation, especially young is driver above your limits.

I tottalled my first car, a Toyota Corolla. Tottally my fault, driving too fast for conditions.

If you love the idea of a rotary, get a 2nd gen RX-7. Even the non-turbo is 160hp and I still think they are pretty fast.

Even better find a nice 2nd Gen convertible.

 

last night I had some pretty bad luck. first of all i have a s-10 truck with about 130hp. when I go to shift for 3rd i notice the revs don't drop when i put the clutch in. when i figured out that the throttle stuck i was about 10 feet from a red light so i turn off the engine and stomp on the brakes. well power brakes don't exactly work when the engine isn't running. luckily the car finaly stops a few feet from the car going accross the intersection that just stopped in front of me

well basicly the same thing hapened to my aunt a while back and she just tried to keep the car on the road and ended up rolling

so what is the moral of this story just because we are young doesn't mean we can drive. my aunt had over 10 years of driving experience i had 7 months. also neither one of these were fast cars

I don't think i could have done anything better without blowing up my engine.

now back to the point we would like some help buying one of these

 

Fact... its not the car, its the driver's attitude.

You cant argue the facts. If you could then they would be theories.

 

Hi i am from the UK and i dont understand how come you guy s are quite young and talking about buyin rx7s?? Your insurance out there must be soo cheap ! my insurace on a 7 will be bout £ 3,000 which i think is about $ 4,000 i think?
I am 19 and am just reading up about 7 just so i can get to know the specs and stuff i am planing to but 1 late next year when i am 20

 

Drive one of your parent's cars all the time for a year before purchasing a car. I drove my dad's TL and it is a blast.

 

Ok, I'm a relative newbie here, and I don't have a post count because you don't get one if you only post in the Lounge (I don't have an RX-7 yet and don't feel qualified to post anywhere else), but I do have some feelings about this subject.

Jimlab, as always, makes some very good points. A few others had some good things to say as well.

I'm 27 (ancient!), so I agree with a lot of the "old guys" here who say an FD isn't really a good choice for a first car. Not safe and all that. Yes, I agree. I'm not going to argue that point. If you really want one, you're going to buy one anyway. Of course YOU think you're responsible and respectful of your car. I've never met anyone who thought they were an unsafe driver, but I see them on the road everyday.

One thing your should strongly consider, though, is total cost of ownership. Go peruse the 3rd-gen forum section. These frigging cars break down on what seems to be a daily basis! Engines blow at 100k, every day a different hose is leaking, your turbos overheat, your cats get clogged, your apex seals give out. God, these cars are a potential nightmare for someone who can't afford to keep them running. I've always wanted an FD, and almost bought one about a year ago, but I decided to save up my money for an "RX-7 Upkeep Fund" before I jumped in. If you're going to be paying for repairs for your car on your own, and I assume you're not a rich man at age 16, you're asking for trouble. I used to own an older Porsche 911. Great car. Lots of fun to drive, looked great, it was "rare", like the FD. All of my friends were very impressed. And a relative bargain, at only $15k! I loved it, for a short time. And now it's gone. Know why? Because the damn thing cost me $5000 in repairs in the first year of ownership. It seems as if an RX-7 could (and likely will) create a similar situation. Any of the veterans on this forum can tell you how most former owners of FDs didn't do proper maintenance on them, that Mazda techs don't know how to work on them, etc. Hell, go look at one at a used auto store and most of the time the dealer will tell you that the car has a V6! So obviously THEY'RE going to be selling you a well-maintained auto. I speak from personal experience here. I can -promise- you that if the car you own is eating up every one of your dollars just to keep it running, you're going to HATE that car. I give you my personal guarantee on this. You'd be doing yourself a favor by picking up a nice, reliable Camry or something, and then saving your money to the point where you can not only afford to BUY an FD3S, you can also afford to OWN an FD3S. You'll sleep much more soundly if you follow that route.

 

i'm 20, i work in an insurance brokerage, and i want an fd. am i getting it? no, i realize that to fully maintain it and keep it in pristine running condition, i should start out with at least 20k... i'm not there yet, and if i were, i still wouldn't get it yet. i'm going to get a n/a fc so i can learn the ins and outs of the rotary so i know how to maintain virtually everything myself. so right now, i'm driving my parent's car, hopefully soon to be a winter beater... it's a 88 mercedes 560 sel... and that thing pulls for a big *** sedan... i can relate to you, JoeD, except i didn't do that in a busy intersection... i did it turning out of a residential street (onto another residential street) on a wet day... the back wheels started spinning, the car fishtailed, and i was facing the way i started. scared the **** out of me. I realized then that powerful cars mean you have to be a lot more careful (the benz has some 240hp, 287lb/ft of torque). I would like to think that i'm a more responsible driver now, with 4 years under my belt, but i know that that's only slightly true. Driving is a BIG responsibility... your life and others around you.

Also, working at an insurance agency, i know that the insurance on an fd is much more than an fc, AND i see a LOT of traffic accident pictures and reports. It's like a wakeup call to realize it's not just about how well you can drive on your own, it's also about how the people who are around you at the time drive. you have to be a defensive driver ALWAYS, then when everything is safe, maybe you can go have a little fun, just don't go overboard, and always be safe.

for the teen drivers it doesn't really matter what car you get, just be careful, and realize that a car is NOT a toy.

just my .02

 

In my opinion an FD at such a young age is not a good idea. I have been into Rx7's for about 6 years. When I was your age I wasn't even thinking of an FD. I'm not coming down on anyone but I have noticed that when most young people talk about getting a Rex it's an FD. You know they did make 13 years of RX7's before the FD even came out. To me having a 1st gen. with about 350hp is way more unique and cooler then any FD. But people tend to buy things that are flashy and get the most attention. And as far as rotarys go, the FD setup is by far the most unreliable. The REW itself isn't a bad motor but much of what surrounds it is what affects it's reliability. FD's are nice but if you arn't rich their hardly worth it.

 

dude im not saying ignore what they all said but im about to turn 18 and i had my rx for just shy of a year now. accident/ticket free. its cool to speed, i dont think thereis a driver in this forum who obides by the speed limit 24/7 but do what i do. dont race with someone else in the car, hell try not to race at all and save the stupid stuff for empty roads no residential/traffic stupidity lol. and as the guy i got my car from said, "You make it through the first 6 months, ur in good shape"

go for the car man, good luck

 

go 4 it