par0thead151

ok, here is the deal, i have the best opportunity to go looking for a 3rd gen RX-7(R2 hopefully) but the thing is my parents(who are going to lend me the money) want me to buy new because of the warranty and guarantees.
I am knowledgeable enough to be able to fix just about any problem that my car would encounter. The problem is in convincing them that a used car is not as bad as manny make it out to be. please don't post just saying, "yeah i have a used car and it runs fine"
what would be some key benefits of used other than the depreciation factor is gone and it is a hell o lot cheaper?

par0thead151

http://www.rx7turboturbo.com/robrobinette/buyaused.htm
what is everyones experience with used 3rd gens?
are they as tempermental as this page makes them out to be?
say more so than a mitsubishi 3000GT VR-4?
my buddy has one of those and has had problems with everything.(he bought used)

ttb

how much are you planning on spending for your 7? unless u have a lot of money or a second car do not get one as a daily driver.

mazdaspeed00

iTrader: (6)

if you buy a used rx-7 you will encounter problems. if your parents want you to get a reliable car then do not get a rx-7 despite what people will tell you on this forum about how reliable a FD can be its pretty much safe to say that and FD is not going to be as reliable as a honda or any other japanese import sports car within in its price range in stock form

mightyslash

Then you're all set.

Zoomspeed

You'll still need money for parts. Say your engine goes. Will you have the money for a new one? If you have to borrw the cost of the car from your parents, probably not (no offense)

mightyslash

If you can fix your own car, that will save you hell of a lot of $$$.

rxshun7

If your parents are concerned with warranties, I think there is an aftermarket warranty company that will offer warranty plans for used cars. I remember a few people on this board have it and have mentioned it in the past. Can anyone provide a link?

par0thead151

i have enough to buy a descent 7. however, what would be the most likely thing to go on a used 3rd gen with say 40-60K original miles, and a brand new engine in it?
also what are some things to look for when buying a new one?

is a rx-7 truly a horrible day to day use car?
how badly does it handel in a little snow?
my friend has a 1st and sec gen and he uses them every day, without a problem. is a 3rd gen different?

par0thead151

what are the differnet types of 3rd gens?
such as R1 and R2 or gsx gsl os whatnot?

Import Convert

Where in WI are you? Do NOT drive one in the snow. They also should not be driven daily up here. I would reccomend garaging it all winter. If you end up buying one and need some help with it I might be able to give you a hand if you live near Wausau.

Also, if you are serious about this you should check out the link in my sig. I'll be there along with a ton of other RX-7 owners.

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

Sounds like you need to do a little more research before you look to purchase an FD. You can find out information on the variations of the FD here:

http://rx7.voodoobox.net/infofaq/bguide3g/bguide3g.html

How old are you?

I would suggest, that if you cannot afford to purchase the car yourself, don't get the car. As soon as something goes wrong that is going to cost a lot of money, your parents will probably to force you to get rid of it. Not that every FD owner spends all their money keeping their cars running, but the FD does have the possibility of being an expensive car to maintain.

par0thead151

i can afford the car....
i am one of the lucky few who is well off and paying for the car will not be a problem.
the deal is that i would have to spend my own money on performance parts and probably normal wear and tare....

around how much per month do you spend on up keep on a 3rd gen?

also, is it possible or a good idea to swap out a auto transmission with a manual one on a 3rd gen?
there is a 94 with 64K miles for 20K$ at a local dealer, the body is in good condition, and the engine is brand new. i will offer them 15 for it because it ha been thee for a long time. how much would this car be worth?

also i am located in Brookfield Wisconsin (20 min from Madison)

par0thead151

what octane gas do you use in your 3rd gens?

Import Convert

Always use Premium gasoline. The auto to manual swap can be done but it is a major pain in the *** to do yourself. There is a shop in PA www.sevenspeed.com that does the swap, but I am sure it isn't very cheap. I know which car you are talking about at that dealer. He will never sell that car for $20K. It's been advertised online for about 5 or 6 months now.

par0thead151

why wont he sell it for under 20K i will pay in full and cars like the one has has on line are usually 4-3 G less than what he is asking.

BrianK

you don't want the car to be a daily driver for several reasons...

The 13-BREW (the engine in the FD) is based on the very simple rotary design (a simplified explanation would say there are only three moving parts- two rotars and an eccentric shaft), but in order to squeeze 255 hp out of it, Mazda made it SUPER complex - there are a LOT of parts making this engine run and a large portion of them are essential - if any of them go, the repair cost will range from a simple replacement of the part to a replacement of the entire engine (for just one broken part).

If you drive the car every day, you're more than likely going to be driving in traffic or at low rpm, making short trips, etc... none of which is good for the turbo rotary.
For example: driving in (stop & go) traffic is running the engine without getting much air through the radiator... if you've done any research, you would find that Mazda didn't do the best job when the designed our cooling system so you would have no idea that you're car is about to overheat until it has actually gotten into the range where it's doing damage.
another example: without getting too technical, the engine management is based on hard-coded maps that Mazda made (that are actually done pretty well for the stock 7)... If you've done your research, you know that the FD likes a lot of gas - running it lean will blow the motor. Well, the stock maps run pretty lean in the lower rpm range... running the car at low rpm with any sort of mods, then spanking the gas without a downshift can cause detonation.... detonation can cause an apex or corner sel to fracture which will lead to engine failure (usually instantly) and the need for a rebuild.
another example: traffic jams will heat up the engine bay (especially if it's stock) a TON. Much of the very complex sequential turbo system is made of plastic and/or rubber which doesn't like getting hot & cooling down... lots of heat cycling will lead to their getting brittle and needing replacement.

So those are just a few examples... there's lots more. That said, there are a few people that are driving their FDs every day without much problem, but I don't think they are doing a lot of stop & go - these cars have no problem with lots of highway driving.

I'd say the best way to think about this car is if it were a $100K+ car... treat it will the same respect you would a Ferrari and it will work out for you. In the same sense, would you drive a Ferrari to work/school every day? I doubt it.

Zoomspeed

If you mean new as in brand new, then you can't get thme anymore. If you want a 7 it has to be used.

I dont' think its really as bad as people say for a daily driver. Mine has been for almost 2 years now.

The 7 dos nto like snow. I don't drive mine in snow unless its an emergency of some sort. If I need to get to work or school and its snowing, then I call up a friend or I borrow one of my parrents cars.

Just make sure you have friends that can drive you to school and work if anything should go wrong with the 7.

Yes the 3rd gen is very differnt. Much more complex and finiky then the FC. There is a huge jump between the FC and FD. IMO a 2nd gen NA would make a great daily driver. Probably almost as reliable as a civic.

For just regualr maintence I spend not much more then one SHOULD ona regular car. Oil change ever 2k, coolant 2x a year, fuel filter every 10k, etc. Really done't ad up to too much.

Its starts costing when stuff goes wrong. If you can do all your own work it shouldn't be to bad. But remember, and FD aint no chevy. Firsst time I looked under my hood and through my service manual it scared the **** out of me.

Maybe, I dont' know for sure. But I can garentee it'll be a major headache and probably not worth it unless you've already dumped major $$ into your car. If would be mroe cost effective and less of a pain if you just get a 5-speed.

I thnk 20k is to much for what it is. I got my 93 5-speed w/ 49k miles and a brand new engine for 16k. and it was in perfect condition except for one fo the seats had signs of ware.

It sounds like you really want a 5-speed, so If I were you I would just hold out for a 5-speed, and not settle for an auto.

hope that helped some.

cabaynes

iTrader: (4)

thats a very good way of putting it... im only 18 and i dont own and FD... yet but i do know 2 people that do. they wouldnt think about driving them everyday, and while the one guy has little to no problems with his stock engine at around 88,XXX miles, the other friend with about 74,XXX miles and a few bolt-ons has problems just about every other week, and he is considering getting rid of it...

im not trying to be critcal, because im not very old myself, but the way youre talking you sound like a 16-18 year old who wants a really fast first car... maybe you are well-off as you say, but even I, and especially you have no idea of how much care one has to put into these cars... dont just lie to everyone and say "oh yea i have plenty of money" because there is a good chance you dont... i know i dont! be honest with yourself... and again, not being critical of you, but i dont know about your knowledge of the FD's rotary engine, i have been reading up about them and researching here for months now and i still dont really have the whole thing quite figured out... i wouldnt reccomend getting one if you really dont know much about how they work, you could cost yourself a lot of money in the long run...

just if you are going to get one, be serious and read up, and make sure to post here cause the guys here are great... good luck

Quik 93 FD

the different models of 3rd gen Rx-7's are Base which lacks a sun roof and leather sometimes. Touring which has a sunroof, leather, bose sound system usually, cd/tape/am fm radio. Then the R1/R2 which have upgraded suspension, front and rear spoiler, twin oil coolers, strut tower bars from the factory, and suade-leather seats. GXL and the other models are from the earlier generations. Keep looking. Dont jump on the first Rx that you see. Usually to find the right Rx-7 for each person takes 6 months to a year. It took me about 9 months to find mine. Just keep on looking, check the autotrader, look online, check ebay. The right rx7 will turn up eventually. Be patient. While your waiting, read up on the 7. http://www.rx7guru.com/rx7fd3s.htm and Rob Robinette's site (http://www.rx7turboturbo.com/robrobinette/ )have soo much information. Good luck!

par0thead151

well, to regard the money issue, i have enough, but that does not mean i want to **** it all away.
al the post have been extremely helpful, and yeah i also was in shock when reading through the online engine manuals....

i am now seriously reconsidering this car just because it can not handel the type of driving i want it to(basically what a college student would need it for like going to class and such)

the reason i wanted a 7 so bad was because
1.) it is rare
2.) it is damn sexy looking when washed and waxed
3.) it is a sports car
4.) it is a fast car to begin with and requires not to manny mods that will shorten the life of the car.

maybe i will just have to wait till i get a real job and then get my sports car...
to bad i despise hondas... they are to overrated in my mind(not saying they cant be fast and reliable, its just a personal opinion)

and yeah i am just beginning to learn about rotary engines (how did you guess i have a GM truck right now lol)

anyway thanks for all the help, maybe in a couple years i will return as the proud owner of a 3rd gen 7


maybe i will look at acuras rsx type S
what would be a alternative to a 7 that could handel day to day driving? and maybe a lil snow(i am goling to CSU in colorado ft collins)...

ttb

yea, that was my problem, i had no patience and jumped on the first decent fd i found.

mjw

iTrader: (1)

Oh man, get a WRX! That thing is MADE for snow and it has potential to be fast, pretty good looking as well.

Matt
93 SSM

Import Convert

WRX has my vote! Good luck with whatever you decide on.

elizer

THERE IS NO ALTERNATIVE TO A 7. My parents were the same way, at first they wanted to buy me a brand new car, from a 20k-29k price range, rather than buy me a used car for 16k. but after a while of convincing my mom withdrew 17k cash today. All i have to do now is FIND A CAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Hold out on the rsx, if you watn an rsx im pretty sure the TYpe R is coming out. Or just wait for the rx-8, WRX-STI is coming out to, there are a shitload of cars coming out, but they still wont compare to the 7.
believe me, when i first started learning about the rx7 i had so many doubts and fears and started to shy away from getting one, but then when you start to think about the car every day thers nothign you can do but buy the car.