Hey guys, I'm new to the forums so HI ALL. I am seriously considering buying a black 93 rx7 but a lot of people are telling me not to because they are high maintenence and unless you are a qualified mazda mechanic the car will give you hell . I just want a nice quick car that is fun to drive but I'm not sure if the maintenence it requires is worth it, thoughts?

 

Hi Champ.

The golden rule of this forum is don't ask questions that have been asked before. There is so much info on this topic it's just a click away

Personally, IMO, hell yeah they are worth it. Get a nice stock/relatively unmodded car, treat it right and you won't have too much to worry about except the price of gas.

 

oh, sorry about not using search , but thank you for the reply

 

FD's rule. don't listen to the masses. if you are worried about owning a sports car that does not break down then you souldn't own one.

welcome to the forum............................ search

 

Hey no worries mate.

Should keep you quiet for a while!!


Haha.

No seriously I was concerned about the same thing back last October when I bought mine. Only major drama I've had was a shot intake gasket. Had it replaced at a rotary shop near where I live, but they had to remove the turbos to get down to it, so it ended up costing a fair bit in labour. If you can work on the car yourself (ie: its not a daily driver and can sit and wait for you to work on it) then you can save a packet by doing most of the work yourself.

 

overall the 13b in an FD is relativly reliable , its when you start doing the extreme modifications that reliability becomes an issue.

The great thing about an FD is you will fall in love with the performance enough to maintain it. Well at least I did.

Should you get one? I say yes. You obviously enjoy performance vehicles and therefore I think you should get one for a few years , at least, to experience and enjoy an awesome rotary car.

 

Mine was down two weeks after I bought it with a fuel leak. It took me 3 weeks or so to correctly diagnose and fix the problem, but it was worth it.

 

EVERY car has it's weak points, but what's the FD's? Reliability as you modify it, and perhaps a sub-par brake system.

But tell me this, WHAT ELSE can you buy with your $12-15k? What else will have a competitive stake in any type of performance from auto-xing, track racing, or drag racing if you have some homosexual tendencies :P

You've peaked an interest in the FD (If you're anything like me) because it's uncompromising. The weight, the power, the balance..it's all there. Not-to-mention rare and beautiful too.

Having to do oil changes, coolant flushes, fuel filter changes, etc. comes with the package for any REAL sports car.

It comes with the compromise. If you want robust reliability, pay the extra $10k for a Supra, but you'll be compromising a ton of cash, plus some added weight, worse steering response, etc.

For the dollar, there's nothing better.

Buyers-Advice: Buy once, buy right. The more stock the better, the more receipts and compression info the better...etc. Get the best condition car (best running) in your price range...you're most important *preference* to hold...

 

The only thing i'll add, is that it depends on what life/financial situation you are in.
If you are a student, or live pretty close to your financial limit..........really think about it before you jump.
When I got mine, I had no idea of what I was getting into, and it's been the most irresponsible decision I have made to date.
It's never stranded me. It has been the best thing ever when it ran right. But, if I had thrown the amount of money i've thrown into my 7 into a relationship, i'd be probably be dating Catherine Belle.
Search. Hear both sides.
One of the best cars ever made. Period. But, think very hard before you start dating this crack *****.

 

They are awesome cars but be prepared to cough up the money if something goes wrong. My car was abused by the prior two owners and they didn't know how to take care of the car. I started out just fixing a small thing here and there but the engine ended up going out and I decided to do a complete overhaul of the car to get it extremely healthy. You name it, new motor, new electical harnesses, new coils, plugs and wires, Vmount Intercooler and radiator, GT35R single turbo, etc. I think I will be quite pleased with the car once it is running again. (Been down almost 6 months now and I can't stand waiting much longer.)

-Rob

 

Sorry to sound like a pessimist but I don't know why people create this threads. People will only listen if you tell them what they want to hear.


This is the bottom line of owning an FD:

1) Affording an FD is not the buying the price, it's the cost of fixing it when it breaks. Parts are EXPENSIVE. For example new turbos can cost more than an engine.

2) If you own an FD long enough you will endup having to put an engine in.

3) If you own an FD long enough you will end up having to rebuild your turbos; or worse get new ones.

4) Your average mechanic may spend days trying to fix a problem and still come up empty handed; while a rotary mechanic will get the problem fixed in 2 hours. Which means YOU need an FD especialist near by.

5) It's no myth that you need a daily driver; the more you drive your FD the more wear it goes through = more $$$ you have to spend maitaining just to daily drive it. Have a commuter car and only drive your FD to enjoy it. Not driving everyday reminds you of why you own one. Hence every time you get in it you appreciate it more.

 

anyone know where I can find a listing of local rotary mechanics near by. I live in NJ on the east coast, bergen county to be exact bordering on Pearl River on the upper east side of bergen county. If anyone knows of a local rotary mechanic or a website that lists them, thatd be great. I want a nice quick performance car that I can call my "pride and joy". I think that repairing and working on a car makes the experience that much more personal and that much more worth it

 

Check in the regional forums.

 

https://www.rx7club.com/ne-rx-7-forum-30/list-all-mechanics-ne-area-137694/

 

most "qualified" mazda mechanics are not really qualified when it comes to this car.

Even if you are a qualified mazda mechanic it will STILL give you hell.

This car is a money pit. I think I spend more on maintenance than people spend on upgrading other cars. Example, I change oil every 2k miles. Mobil 1 costs ~$22 + oil filter $8 = $150 every 10k miles just for oil

If all you want is a fast car, fun to drive, theres plenty of other low/medium mainetenance cars. IMO you should buy a FD only if you love FDS, the way they look, and their specific performance attributes, etc.