overseas

im new to the rx-7 world, but ive always like the 3rd gen car for a long time. i hoping i can get ahold of a new rx-7 twin turbo for my first car, but there are a few things which i need to know. (by the way, my dad would by the car, i would have to do everything else. my budget will be around $4k-$6k)

1. To keep the price down, would it be best if i bought the car with more miles (60,000-100,000) and to buy... lets say SR Motorsports 13B TT engine? (does this engine come with the turbos?) if so, do any of you know who/where i can get a rx7?

-or-

2. Should i just go for a lower mileage car and try and get some seals fixed, engine worked on, etc..?

-or-

3. Should i consider entering the market for rx7's at all?


Thanks in advance, please be as thorough as possible. I really want this car, but I dont want to spend more money than i have.

salamander

You will not get a drivable 3 gen for $4K-6K. Expect to pay a minimum of $12K and then expect to be repairing the turbos and turbocharger control system soon.

neofreak

if thats all the money you have, 3.

12k won't get you a nice one in CA. (unless you're extremely lucky)

overseas

my dad would pay up to 15k, that was our agreement. anything thereafter would be pulled from my 4k-6k.

Sphinx

I say get a NA FC, get used to RWD and how to drive. Maybe even a T2. Just my O.
Sphinx.

dclin

iTrader: (4)

An FD is not a car you can really budget for. If you (or your Dad, heaven help him) are capable of doing automotive repair work beyond simple maintenance (like removing peripheral parts, turbos, etc) then owning an FD is not too bad on the wallet.

If the above does not apply to your situation and you intend it to be your sole mode of transportation, look at something a little less involved. A NA 300zx would be nice for someone starting out. Still relatively cool, but generally reliable and not needy.

Best of luck.

RedX7

If your Dad is gonna pay for it, and put you under his insurance, I'd say go for it. Just make sure you have a lot of patience. Work on bulet-proofing it before you start to do all kinds of performance mods. These are very finnicky (sp) cars. One problem often snowballs into a lot. Good luck though.

JONSKI

My father bought me my FD for $8000. He got exactly what he paid for (i.e. the car was in sorry shape). He took the car to a Mazda dealer for $4500 worth of repairs. Since then EVERYTHING Mazda repaired has since broken again with the exception of the driver's side window switch. I'm now in charge of maintaining the car, so I'm in the process of learning how to work on it myself. I HAVE ABSOLUTULY NO PRIOR AUTOMOTIVE MECHANICAL EXPERIENCE, and I find that working on this car takes only time, money, a willingness to learn, and most importantly: *****. Don't be afraid of the car. You'll find that the more you work on it, the more you will enjoy it.

overseas

i have changed a radiator once . i really want to learn to work with cars, but since i dont have one, i cant say im good at anything really right now. one really good thing is that i have a brother who works full time for an aftermarket ford focus company. changing parts on cars, modding, fixing, etc... is what he does, so if the car is drivable, i would be able to drive to his place, then we could fix, and replenish the car. im not gonna really be into making more power for the car, at least not at first. ide rather do what RedX7 said, and make it bulletproof, just so i know its mine and its gonna be mine for a while and it aint goin nowhere.

so... the big question would be if this is possible within my price parameters. [ide prob. get a job too] i need more opinions!

thanks

overseas

oh yeah and what is FD?? im a noob


and jonski, is yours twin turbo? <- haha scratch that, just read your sig.

Crashunit

Good lord, go buy a Supra.....

JONSKI

C'mon, Crashunit, we were all newbies once.

overseas, my advice would be to stick around the forum, because you will learn about the car very quickly this way. An FD is a 3rd generation RX-7. ALL 3rd gen RX-7 are originally equipped with twin sequentially operated Hitachi HT-12 turbochargers (aka "stock twins").

LAracer

Yeah, what JONSKI said. Hang around, learn some stuff, read the newbie links. See if you're still into the car. You want to make sure you have access to another car (even if its your parent's). Parts seem to take a while to get, so an RX-7 could be out of commission for weeks at a time. My advice is to get a car with lower miles, but just make sure you do compression and boost tests (and all the other stuff listed in some of the newbie links). Chances are the first car you see *won't* be the right one.

cabaynes

iTrader: (4)

my thoughts EXACTLY... but owell, we can't save them all

anyway, i'll try and help:

FIRST --

Learn to use the SEARCH function on the forums, instead of posting a question, chances are it has already been answered, so why sit and wait for replies to your thread when you can find all the info you need in less than 5 minutes? The SEARCH button is in the top right of the screen, here is a link to the search engine: CLICK HERE

SECOND --

There are TONS of good websites out on the web about RX7s, and will cover anything you want to know without having to ask here on the forums... First, go read this thread, it's a sticky at the top of the 3rd Gen Section, you should have clicked here first. But if not, CLICK HERE and it will take you to it. It has great links to awesome websites about RX7s with tons of useful info. here are the links that all future RX7 owners should check out before considering buying an RX7:
http://www.rx7turboturbo.com/robrobinette/
http://www.scuderiaciriani.com/rx7/index.html

Kahren

iTrader: (13)

u shoudl not buy a car that has less then 10 pounds per HP as your first car.

overseas

true kahren, but if i didnt get this fd, then ide drive an 01 vw gti, and if i got that, ide do a stage 3 kit, which in the end would bring the hp to roughly 270-280 and the weight of that car i think is roughly 2800 lbs (for the 1.8 turbo engine) so in the end it would be similar.


how much would the repair of the turbos and turbo control system cost?