https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...hreadid=303212

I Just sold my modded 1992 3000gt Vr-4, I'm in my second year of college and Looking for another car. I have the cash in-hand to go purchase the car linked above today. But to be honest, the first people who tell me not to buy this car are 3rd Gen owners themselves.

I just need some opinions, it looks like this car has had all the reliability mods done, except I see no fuel control? I definately don't like the stock look of a rx, so the exterior mods is the only reason I am considering this one. Does the red leather look that good in person? How bad is the 5th gear grind?

With those mods , is this a 12 sec car? I really want to replace the 3k, Budget is 20k so supra is out of the question, and 300zx nuff said. I located in Ohio and Almost ready to go pick this car up today, I've narrowed it down between rx-7 and ford lightning .....

Any thoughts/help/opinions appreciated ....

 

in all seriousness, wait untill you are out of collage to buy it. That's a very nice car and to keep that nice will take a lot of time and money... things that collage kids don't have.

 

Well I picked up my Vr-4 with 48k Original miles on the clock, and put only 10k on it in two years, this will be a daily driver, but also my hobby. I understand the maint. behind turbocharged vehicles as I did most and all the mods on my 3k. I am not going to abuse the car, but it will be driven, With those mods and only 10k on the motor, honestly how reliable do you think it will be ? I probably only looking to get 20-30k miles out of the car before I move on, I really want to own my 2nd Japanese Super car before I am 19.

It seems like the car should have had either a reprogrammed ECU or a fuel controller with those mods? Does anyone know this member? I'd hate to drive three hours and be disappointed with the car. If you see any other cars in my budget please recommend them, I just don't see how you can compare to a Stock Rx-7 to my old ride....

 

I'd wait until after college.

 

Totally different ball game

 

Please get another car, the FD takes a serious committment to own and maintain.

 

If the exterior mods are the only reason you would consider this car then you really don't understand what a RX-7 is about. I would wait.

 

Well it obviously has all the reliability mods, I just wanted a non-bias opinion on the life-span left in this car?

 

The Up-Keep isn't going to be a problem to me, it just seems like even with the right treatment people have issues, do you see anything done/not done to this car that would cause it to have issues in the future? And what about the 5th gear synchro problem, can you just live with it?

 

Looks sharp.

 

Rotaries can pop at any given moment. some go early and some seem to last forever. it is hard to predict how long the engine is going to last. the thing you want to consider is what is the worst case scenario? that is the engine and turbos go soon after you buy it and are stuck with easily $3000 in repairs if you do it yourself and being out of a car until you get it done. or a stack of $$$$ to have some1 do it quickly, and hope they do it right. it is not good a good car as a daily driver. Personally I would have stuck with my 3000 it is a great performer.

 

Make sure you have a backup car. They can be unpredictable and even with the "right" treatment can break seemingly at any time. In addition to reources to keep it running, and another car to drive while it isn't, you need to REALLY like RX-7's. Otherwise the car will suffer and so will you.

 

WTF kind of BS post is this? Seriously, you are one big ignoramus. Do you even own a 3rd gen. RX-7?

 

There is no guarantee that any car will be stone-dead reliable for a given period of time, even with the "right treatment" and the "proper upgrades" done to it. As some have said, it can pop on you the minute you get on the throttle hard, or it will last seemingly forever.

What many are trying to tell you is that with your limited funds (well, at least most college kids...YMMV I guess) and time, you probably won't be able to give a 3rd-gen RX-7 the maintenance and care it deserves. Remember, this is a 10-year-old sports car with giant-killer performance for its time we're talking about here, and inevitably stuff wears out (besides the engine). I'm not saying that you slot into this description, but too many kids get all frothy at the mouth at the 3rd-gen because of its looks, then they listen to all the rumors and hearsay about its reliability reputation, without doing any real research into the subject and coming to their own decision after careful consideration of all the facts. They think that asking "the car has this and this, how long will it last?" on an internet forum will get them the gospel on the car, without thinking about all the different responses from people that will appear in answer to that question. Again, not trying to pigeonhole you or anything, just stating facts.

If you're still serious about this, I would suggest reading the newbie stickie that has a link to Steve Ciriani's site regarding what to look for in a 3rd gen, and seeing if the car meets the criteria. Then do more research on your financial and commitment situations, and see if you'll be able to meet those criteria as well.

 

You seem to feel strongly about something although it is not clear what. RX-7? No never tried one. Seriously, thank you for the kind words. Your eloquent post speaks volumes about you personally, albeit little about the thread subject. Perhaps this will help...

 

Life span? heh thats almost impossible to tell. Depends on the driver and who maintains the car and how serious you are about your car.. 5k-120k more miles... My boy had a 94 FD, and the motor lasted over 100k then he went with a street port..

 

a wise man once told me a rotary is like a light bulb. Burns bright while it does, but burns out in a second.

I should have listened :P

 

exactly

these cars can go any time, they can run ultimately great one day and the next day you try to start it, a problem occurs, you fix that and something else goes wrong.. its a never ending battle.. some cars tend to hold a straight line of errors, some cars just have good luck..you never know what you're gonna get.

im with everyone and say wait til after college, you're prob not gonna have time or money for this car now anyway right? there is no need to rush, alot of homework is needed before purchasing a car like this anyway.. id say start now, then by the time you're out of school, you will know at least the basics of owning an fd.

and if the reason why you want this car cause of cosmetics, then id def say, get another car, dont put the car or yourself through hell..

 

Since you like my tone, how about some more?

I get tired of jackasses like you who don't own the car and keep perpetuating the bad rap that RX-7s have. And BTW, in your profile, why does it say that you're an owner? FYI, I'm on my third RX-7. I formerly owned an '83, and an '87 TII. Both were well cared for and were sold w/ over 120K on the motors and they were running just fine when they went on to their new owners. I have a friend w/ a '93 Touring w/ 150K original miles and he had his engine compression tested several months ago, and guess what, his engine was still running strong. His car is bone stock, and he takes good care of it. Now what do you have to say about, "They can be unpredictable and even with the "right" treatment can break seemingly at any time."? You just read all the hard luck stories and blindly repeat them without any consideration of the context of the given car (level of modification, level of abuse, etc., etc.). *This* is truly a disservice to someone considering an RX-7 and it is based on nothing more than your ignorance. And for you, perhaps this will help...

 

werd! having lots of stress fixing my cousin FD now. feel like beating up the car to pieces!

the damn manual is useless too!

 

well, it really depends on the individual though how they take care of the RX's. i own my FC for the past 2 years, until right now everything is running fine, have a power FC and running a 15 PSI boost of turbo. BAsically those people that are bitching about the FD's or FC's are those people that does not really take care of tehir car properly or the car is not tune properly. Remember owning a car is like owning a wife, if u treat ur car badly ur car will do the same by givings tons of problem.

 

Also on a semi related note the car in question does have fuel management through the pfs "purple" box aka the pfs pmc. Please research everything. I almost regret buying my fd. I've had to rebuild the engine, replace turbos, fixed body work, have a silicon hoses put on, and now much tranny needs to be replaced. With the money I've spent in repairs for the last six months I could have payed off my car and one of my wifes smaller student loans. The kicker is that I'm in Korea right now so I haven't even driven it in 9 months!!!!!

 

Since you seem to enjoy yourself so much, go ahead... Your first post was so lucid and informative that we eagerly await your nuggets of wisdom: "WTF kind of BS post is this? Seriously, you are one big ignoramus. Do you even own a 3rd gen. RX-7?" Being that several other people expressed essentially the same sentiments as myself, should I feel privileged by your individualized sociopathic raving?I apologise if you misunderstood my reply "never tried one." It is a concept called "sarcasm," and the reality is quite the opposite. The "rap" exists for a variety of reasons, and my comments--which included qualifiers--will not perpetuate them. Likewise, juvenile name-calling and rudeness to fellow owners will not change the reputation of the car.I can't imagine... (sorry again for the sarcasm). Answer: Because I am.That is nice. Glad to hear you have had good experiences. Presumably the new owners never had a breakdown either.First of all, "can" is not the same as "will." In fact, "can be.." does not necessarily imply even a majority of the time. My statement was in relation to the subjective experience, and I stand by it. Of course mechanical failures are not totally random and do have real causes. However the warnings, if they exist, may be so subtle as to be ignored by someone not familiar with them. Mazda replaced my 93 engine at 13,000 miles. It had been given good care. Did I miss anything? I have my suspicions but no one knows for sure (or will admit it). First hand, I've seen some people with better experiences and some with a lot worse. Unfortunately I never personally encountered your "friend" with 150,000 miles on the original engine (original turbos too?). No to disagree, but let me get this straight: You are saying that a "bone stock" 93 RX-7 should be expected to last over 150,000 trouble-free miles in all cases, if not abused and given good care. Is that correct? (again, not disagreeing)You are correct that the context of the car (modifications, abuse, maintenance, etc) is extremely important. That almost goes without saying and perhaps I should have pointed it out as well. Nonetheless, the hard luck stories do exist. Ignoring them would be a disservice. Furthermore it is nearly impossible to know a used car's type of use and level of maintenance with 100% accuracy.And the collective ignorance of other owners as seen in automobile industry suvey data, mailing lists, and forums; owners not so fortunate as your "friend."Thanks for the sentiments; you seem to be familiar with that concept. You are a real credit to Mazda owners and those who raised you.

 

Damn Lunar position!!

 

Goddamn this guy is so full of ****! I actually started to pick apart his posts to expose all the holes in each one, but this would easily become a pissing contest, and a personal airing of dirty laundry and waste forum space that I won't even bother. Mr. Ignoramus aka "cosmicbang", you want to fight, we do it via PM or e-mail.