I tihnk owning my car is worth it, I have still not invested as much as any decent new car would cost. and I can say i spend a lot more time driving my car the working on it.

maybe having a singleturbo fd has less to go wrong, but its been great for the past year of daily driving. Unlike others I really enjoy working on my car when I need to, but most the time its normal oil changes, plugs or other small upgrades. Maybe I am lucky and have a good car.

It really does not matter what car I own, it would be modified and made better to suit myself. I have to say my fd has been the most fun to drive out of my other cars I have owned.

 

I've had more things break in my FD in the two days I've had it, and it hasn't even been on the road, than I've had in my FC in the two years I've had it on the road.

 

I have a '95 R Pkg (Bilsteins, Torsen LSD, no power accessories/AC, thicker sway bars, stiffer springs, air dam, rear skirt, and spoiler) Miata with the FM Turbo Kit running 12 PSI of boost. Car weighs 2300 lbs. and puts out about 240 hp at the crank and will do 0-60 in the 5 sec. range and run mid to high 13s in the 1/4 mile, which is similar in performance to a stock FD. Miata engines are based on the factory turboed 323GTX block and are overbuilt so they take to forced induction without any problems. I've had zero issues in 3 years of owning this car and get 20+ mpg and a nice insurance rate to boot.

 

You need to change the plugs when they foul. How quickly that occurs depends on your setup and how you drive the car. The easiest way to get to the spark plugs if from under the car on the driver's side. If you remove the intake elbow, you can get to them (or if you have REALLY skinny arms I suppose you can get them without removing the elbow).

Check this page about maintenance:

http://www.rx-7.com/tech/fd-maintenance.html

I don't put 15,000 miles on my car per year (not even close) so I change mine once a year after winter storage. If I can hit a track event or two during the year, I'll change them twice a year.


I'm a realist.

Honestly, it's not a good thing that we should expect to work on our cars (or find a good mechanic). However, it's a fact. If money weren't an issue, my car would be gone. But right now it is an issue for me and my daily beater needs to be replaced before my FD.

Mazda tried to give the public an affordable race car. Hell, the car would have been just like the NSX (a lot of money for not much power) if it could have come stock with half the aftermarket "reliable" parts that we use these days. Mazda did a darn good job for what they had at the time, IMO.

I don't hate my car, however, if given the chance I would do an even up trade for a C5, NSX or something like that. I would give up every bit of extra HP my car has over any of those for their reliability.

Owning an FD is definitely an aquired taste. You either love it or hate it. Nothing in between. Most people start out loving it until problems arise then they quickly move back to hating it. Once the problem is fixed, they are back to the loving it side. However, how long does it take bouncing back and forth for most people to get tired of it?

The FD is the right car if people love "tinkering". It is definitely not the right car for people who "just like to drive".

 

I'm very happy I bought and own it. I don't abuse it but it is not a garage queen either. I drive it every day and it makes each day a little better.

 

Mine has totally not been worth it as of yet. It has been a POS for three years.
However, when it has run right, it has been ungodly. I'm making one more push to to get things right, and if it still doesn't become halfway decent, and or semi unbreakable, i'm unloading it. I am truly worn out.
Half the problem was that I didn't get good advice about how these cars really are, and/or what's needed to keep them going. If I had realistic advice, I would not have gotten it, or at least be buying it right now with a blown motor, and doing things my way from the very beginning. Bottom line is, I would never have bought a car that I could never drive, for the price I paid for it.
Whatever, it's going to paid off tomorrow, and it's all water under the bridge at this point.
I look forward to putting the single turbo in, and getting the car together in general. I know what this car's capable of, and that's what keeps me going.
If it doesn't work, i'll sell it, and buy a Saleen, or a 93 Cobra 5.0 or something like that.

 

Haven't sunk gobs of money into it yet, so yeah

 

Here's praying that you wont...

 

I'll second that one.

 

i love my FD, i have owned it for 5 months and have put over 2 grand into repairs and another 3 grand in mods (and i am a poor 19 year old college student who pays for everything himself, working at a pizza shop). My credit card has another 1600 dollars before its paid off (due to repairs) and i dont even care. I am rewarded everytime i drive the car, infact i just got back for a nice pieceful ride around town by myself. This car is worth every penny that goes into it.

 

I love my car, going on 2 years now. I've had a ton of problems (blow engine once, bad turbo rebuilds 4 times), but every time I take it out, all is forgotten. It is such a blast to drive. I get atleast 3 people a day asking me all kinds of questions about it. As far as oil and spark plugs go, they are no biggy. The oil filter is right under the intake elbow, you don't even need to take the elbow off to get it. It drains into the engine also, so it doesn't spill everywhere. Plugs are down below that, a little harder to get to than most, but still not a problem. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

 

My car's at Ricks Rotary for a rebuild and a MAJOR upgrade to prevent future rebuilds. All in all, im spending over $8000. Its a bit intimidating to put myself in perpetual debt for several months but I enjoyed every second in the driver seat and cant wait to get the car back. For the money it is, HANDS DOWN, the fastest, best looking, best handling sports car on the market.....and all this was done ten years ago. Im a 22 year old college student and hope to own this car for a LONG time, finances permitting.

 

i have a stessful job and all is forgotten once i fire her up on the way home. took an 8 day vacation & all i thought was about her worth every dime and more. Can't wait till i have a single turbo or the stage III. It's also good to your hands greasy once in a while too. k

 

i'm going through a time right now where i just don't know. probably because i need to come up with cash for an ECU and then an IC, plus my bushings are ****, i mean, reallly bad, they clunk at some speeds just going in a straight line on a smooth road. my car has been recked and therefor my hood sit is more off than normal. then i just dropped 5.3k on a rebuild/port/3mm/rad/act extreem clutch/motor mount/fuel fiter/injector clean -which is just as i expected, but it sure feels different after you spend it and still can't run the car because you need an ECU and alot still needs to be righted in the car.

i don't like working on cars outside of a AC'd garage -which i do not have, or any garage for that matter.

i'm getting depressed again about driving. which is, i wish i was a badass road racer/drifter (lol), but it aint in the cards because there just is nowhere to drive in central florida that wont put me in jail. and i hate drag racing, and local (hour away, 2-3 times a year) autoX sucks too. so why have the 7 then?

why not a tt supra or maybe 80's turbo 911. both probably have more room for me seat wise, still perform more decently than i'll likely every need at this rate. and both are probably easier to deal with. (not that i know much about the 80's era turbo 911's).

trying times.

 

The minor maintance isn't that big of a deal. But realizing you have a problem and spending hours/days/weeks trying to solve and and coming up short is hard on the moral. But when I get in my car and go for a drive and see people from 5 to 50 rubber necking when I drive by it helps. The car is the most pure sports car I've ever driven, (beats the crap out of the 1996 Turbo 911 for sure) it NEVER looks old or outdated. As long as you live within your means it's isn't so bad. I've thought of other cars, but none make me feel the same when I'm behind the wheel or under the hood.

 

Is owning my car worth it? Hell Yes. My RX-7 is still cheeper then my last car (BMW M), It performs better, and it is a lot sexier. I get people stairing at me in my red 93 just because it looks good. I get thumbs up from people on the freeways all the time and I have had more then one woman want to give me there phone number just because of what I drive (you have got to love Texas). It looks new, no one else has one, and it looks as if I payed more for it then what I did. A good day for me is any day that I can get out and drive my car. This car is not a car, it is a lifestyle.

 

man, i own a first gen. (85 GSL-SE) i had to get something more reliable and bigger for work (carry people and computer equipment around). but i still kept the RX-7. I've thought of selling it 4 times this year and drove it each time, then decided f**k it i'm going to keep it, it's too much fun. even though i have to keep putting money into it.

now, with that being said....... I WOULD KILL TO OWN AN FD!!!! even the worst POS of the bunch. It just ain't gonna happen. I could buy one, but no cash or time to keep it on the road. i'm happy that i figured that out early instead of killing myself to own one. i consider anyone that owns one to be one lucky SOB. unless you're blowing apex seals once a month stop yer complainin' and go for a drive!! you lucky bastards :P

 

yep

Tim

 

I have had to incur some repairs on my FD but find it a blast to drive. I haven't had any BAD experiences with it so to me it's been more than worth it.

Victor

 

All in all the speedy trips to anywhere and the pure enjoyment of seeing the looks on peoples faces is enough to give its worth. We only tend to dwell on the bad things when we arent in the cars.

 

"...This car is not a car, it is a lifestyle."

 

Don't even think about a older 911 turbo haha. The repair cost is way more than any RX7. And the reliablity is not there. Also the 80's cars have a crappy torsion bar suspension. They are more of a handful to drive then they are fun. If you don't like the problems with the FD stay away from porsche haha. I work at a bmw/porsche shop BTW.

 

Everytime I start thinking about fixing it and selling it I fix it and drive it again. Then I'm way satisfied. It costs a lot of money but is worth it in my book. It is a timeless car and there are fewer of them every day. It serves the driver like no other car I've driven.

 

Hmm...had the car less than a week and my motor just blew. Ill repost once I actually get to DRIVE the ******* thing!!!

 

To answer the oil changes and spark plugs and little things breaking. Yes and no its worth it. Those are little things and you have to remember that these cars are 8 to 10 years old so little things are going to break. But it is one of the most unique cars to come on to our shores in the recent past. I for one love my car and would only trade it for a few others (skyline). It is a great car to own the envy of alot of people. The rotary in itself being so unique and powerful is awesome. Its totally different from any other car in the world. Truly one of the greatest cars ever built. Sure stuff breaks but we all went into buying these cars knowing that that was bound to happen. But weve fixed the problems and they wont occur again. Its the greatest car I have ever driven. Not much can match this car for the price you pay. Those are my two cents on the subject but get one and you will understand the bond that is formed.