Ok To start out, i am 14 going on 15 and a new member to this site, yes i have read the newbie faq and gone through the sites listed and they were extremely helpful.

So heres the deal, my family (Dad, and two eldest brothers (28 and 38)) and I are all car enthusiasts (dad had an old alfa and did every imaginable thing to it include replacing the transmision by hand, my 28 year old brother is a racing instructor at speed trial USA and so is my eldest, the ayslo have a full out race car they work on) and in my search for a car to get i came down to none other than the FD. Cheap fast and plenty of parts.

Which is where the question arises, how good of Quality Rx7 would i look for (what year, certain packages, price range etc.) if i were going to put a good amount of serious well done work into it. Although i personally have never worked on a car the members of my family have extensively and would help me in every way. Im not a "ricer" and plan to make my car as well put together and immaculate as possible!

Thanks for the help i hope you can understand all that babble!

 

FD and cheap? you need to keep searching

might i suggest a 240sx

 

Start off with an n/a 2nd gen. It's more than enough car for a beginning driver and is far simpler to work on than an FD.

 

Read this, Junior. http://www.scuderiaciriani.com/rx7/FAQ.html

 

Read this, Junior. http://www.scuderiaciriani.com/rx7/FAQ.html

 

Ok by cheap i mean around 11 grand im not talking 15 or twenty here.

 

FD's are not cheap by any stretch of the imagination. I have 23k in mine and it's still not running perfectly.

 

I have to agree with 93BlackFD cheap and FD does not belong together. Buying a 240sx is probably your best option. I bought my FD a few years ago and last summer found myself replacing the engine, lucky for me there was warranty still on the car, if not I would be out a few $.

I also have a 92 240sx, which I have owned since new. I have to say I may never part with this car. The FD is a blast to drive and is quite the attention grabber but is by no way my daily driver.

I may take some flack for this but I actually in some ways prefer driving my 240sx. It is definitely not as fast, but with the HICAS option it handles noticeably better that the FD, which in my opinion increases the fun value of the drive. Also I don't know what Mazda was thinking when they put all that cheap thin plastic in the interior of the FD but there is definitely not this problem in my 240sx.

Don't get me wrong I love my FD, but cheap to own it is not. The 240sx is an excellent car, especially as a first car.

 

triple post, damn forum....

 

Well, I hate to say it I dont think any kid should start out with an FD or a sports car for that matter.. Life is to valuble @ such a young age to take the risk of having a Sports car that even the most hand fisted drive cant control some times.. The car is super light super fast and not what a 16 year old needs to learn how to drive in.

Thats my 2 cents..

By the way cheap and plenty of parts???????? Umm lets see here 13k for a 11 year old car cheap umm not realy.. plenty of parts.. Sure when your replacing everything that will just go back to ^ above statement

these cars arent cheap when you're a 16 year old and breaking stuff cause you have now clue what you're doing.

Once again my 4 cents..

Good luck buy a beige volvo

 

you will need to spend at least 18k on a well sorted FD.

 

....

 

I have to agree with 93BlackFD, cheap and FD does not belong together. Buying a 240sx is probably your best option. I bought my FD a few years ago and last summer found myself replacing the engine, lucky for me there was warranty still on the car, if not I would be out a few $.

I also have a 92 240sx, which I have owned since new. I have to say I may never part with this car. The FD is a blast to drive and is quite the attention grabber but is by no way my daily driver.

I may take some flack for this but I actually in some ways prefer driving my 240sx. It is definitely not as fast, but with the HICAS option it handles noticeably better that the FD, which in my opinion increases the fun value of the drive. Also I don't know what Mazda was thinking when they put all that cheap thin plastic in the interior of the FD but there is definitely not this problem in my 240sx.

Don't get me wrong I love my FD, but cheap to own it is not. The 240sx is an excellent car, especially as a first car.

 

You probably won't find a good one for that amount. These cars aren't cheap by any means. I don't mean to jade your image of them but they just aren't the kind of car most people can deal with.

 

Let's do a reality check here:

14 years old, eh? Do you even have a driver's license?
Have you priced insurance for someone your age?
Do you have *any* idea what it costs to maintain a car like this, less the mods?

If you can't answer, "Yes" to any of the questions above, and I doubt you can, quit dreaming and forget about buying an FD, it's WAY above your head.

And BTW, if $11K is all you got, you just don't have enough, son.

 

That kinda blows, being the only car i actually like the looks of (not to mention no one at my school has 1) for under 20 grand but i guess...

 

What if i said that i was going to (hopefully) be sent to a racing/driving school so i know how not to die?

Something like skip barber is what i mean.

 

What if i said that i was going to (hopefully) be sent to a racing/driving school so i know how not to die?

Something like skip barber is what i mean.

And another thing money isnt really an issue (please dont make rude comments)

 

labelchild... as much as i HATE to say this, i've been in your situation. i wanted an FD so badly when i was 16 (they were relatively new then so money was an issue too, but the performance isn't a good thing to learn on). if you want a fun car that handles nice and has "decent" response, i HIGHLY suggest looking at the 85+ Porsche 944 4 cylinders. i had one a few years back. the insurance isn't bad at all but more importantly, the car handles like a dream (very good balance). my first car was a 1974 triumph spitfire 1500. also fun, not very fast, decent handling, but VERY VERY cheap to maintain and repair.

take it for what its worth, but i whole heartedly agree with these guys. get a few years under your belt THEN get the FD

 

I bought my FD 9 months ago at the age of 23 and although it's a 2000 model with only 33000km on the original engine and problems hasn't started yet, the maintenance costs are taking my salary away. I cannot imagine about an 11 year old FD with so many problems to fix. Why don't you buy a honda like i did at your age till you know cars a little better and get a job in order to handle the costs of an FD?

 

My honest opinion. Since you probably got a year or two to drive. Get something a little older that might not have as high of an initial cost and not as high of a maintance issue. Maybe something with a low initial cost that can be made to perform/handle fairly well so that you can start to track it when you're 16? You'll save yourself in the long run, keep you busy/learning how to work on it til you're 16, probably have more fun with it because you'll have more money free for performance parts to do what you want to it and still end up with a cool car that probably nobody at your school has.

 

Wow honestly i just looked at the Porsche 944's and that is definately a second choice for me, looks great i mean its a porsche, its fast wow, thanks for the advice man!

 

with the 944s, just make sure to get an 85.5 or older... otherwise the interior looks like sh*t. if you have any questions about them, feel free to PM me. like i said, been there, done that

 

I honestly (start opinion) do not think this is the kind of car that a 16 year old should have. (end opinion)

You have a couple of questions to honestly answer before you buy.

1. Am I responsible enough to keep my foot off the throttle, ALL THE TIME?

2. Can I afford an insurance payment that is = to a car payment (250-350 a month)?

3. On top of buying the car, and modifiying the car, do I have the extra funds necessary to keep it maintained and running (bout 1K to 2K more than economy cars....If the engine does not blow )

I have said this a hundred times, and I will say it again. No one can decide for you. You have to way the odds, and determine if this is something you are ready to deal with.

Good luck, and if you do buy one, please be careful, and do not become another statistic.

 

About the rx-7 insurance our insurance guy says we have to insure me under all our cars (whos to say i wont drive one) and we have a 2002 911 a 200 SL 600 a lotus elise on order and a BMW 528 and a Landrover so the Rx-7 insurance wont be higher than the lotus or the 911 and thats what i gotta be insured for.