z-nigma

Now that I've found a potential buyer for my car, I've been giving more and more thought to picking up a FD... but I wondered, what made 7 owners love their 7? What makes you guys continue building these cars despite their reliability issues?

Everyone and their mother (including ex-FD owners) tells me that I don't really want an FD, but for some reason I can't break the attachment I have to the car. The smart choice would be to buy myself a nice, reliable 300ZXTT, but for some reason I can't stop looking at the FD... I can't stop wanting it... I try to convince myself that the car I'm looking at is reliable and that it will last me a little while before blowing on me (It has intake, CB, DP, ecu, radiator, silicone vac hoses, AST, and all the gauges), but I have to admit that I'm scared of buying a car that will pop quickly on me, despite all the reliability mods.

I can't decide what I should really do... for some reason I can't just turn my back on the FD, even though I know the "smarter" choice would be going to a 300ZXTT (I'm selling my 300ZX NA)... I was hoping you nice guys (and gals ) here at rx7club would have an opinion on that... and to give me an insight of what I'd really be getting myself into if I bought a FD.

So anyways, I just wanted to hear what made you FD guys play with fire like you do.

zmarko

The 300Z TT isn't leaps and bounds more reliable than an FD. It is slightly more reliable, but nothing too too crazy.

Have you ever driven an FD? That's all you'd need to be a believer. I've owned a 300ZTT. I've owned 2 FD's. The FD is so much more fun to drive than the Z was (I was pushing roughly 400 hp in the Z). The FD handles an indescribable ammount better than the Z does.


Just drive one. You'll see.

Maul

i was at the point u were, but a little different, i owend an 89 turbo. loved it! but i hated it for the non RELIABILITY so i was gona buy a Eclipse GSX, cause after you have a turbo car, u cant go N/A but , my brother owned a 93 R1 package and was selling for 16,000 i told him i would get it for 13,000 and he said okay, but i wasnt too sure about it until i drove it and the handling of the car was awesome, your gonna love the compliments you get while driving the car and the fun you will have with the foot on the gas...... trust me, the Z might be a tiny bit more reliable but its not a FD =)

z-nigma

See, that's the thing guys... you say the Z isn't much more reliable, but I have a feeling I won't pop a motor just driving down the street in 5th @ 2500 rpms. (which is precisely what a guy I know did. A guy who told me not to buy an RX-7. He had all the reliability mods done and still blew the motor...)

My bro (who drives a ~400 HP 300ZXTT) is almost to the point where he's pissed off about listening to me talk about wanting an RX-7. He says I'm stupid and that I'll blow my motor before I know it and that I just need to buy a 300ZX... That's pretty much what EVERYONE says.

Now it all comes down to this... is it (it being the motor-going-boom often) just a rumor and a lie (granted I take good care of the car.. w/proper fluid checks, changes, cool downs and warm ups, etc), or is this something I'll REALLY have to worry about? It's like I said.. I don't want to buy a car and blow the motor 20k miles later.

littlemilla3

iTrader: (1)

You see, there's the problem, so many people are spreading rumors that FD's are the most unreliable car on the planet. They say that the engines will last no longer than 50k miles. The truth is: The FD can be extremely reliable if you mantain it correctly, just like any car. Treat it badly, and it will break on you. If you change oil, filters, fluids, etc. on a normal basis and always let your car fully warm up before driving boosting, it will last a long time.

With reliability mods and non-sequential, it makes the car a whole lot easier to work on and pinpoint any problems you might have. 99% of the reliability issues you hear about FD's have to do with the sequential turbo system or the engine. The turbos can be converted to run in parallel, which makes them as reliable as any other turbo on any other car. The engine will last a very long time as long as your car is tuned well and you don't let it overheat. Upgrade your ECU either to a chipped one or to a Power FC and have a professional tuner tune it if you don't know how to do it yourself.

With that said, I say go for it, it's the most fun car I have ever driven.

z-nigma

For the record, the car I'm looking at is, in fact, non-seq. With the aftermarket radiator, I would hope that it wouldn't overheat on me (although I'd always keep an eye on the gauge)... and the ECU on it is's a PFS purple box.. which I have no idea how to tune.

littlemilla3

iTrader: (1)

It has an aftermarket temp gauge right, the stock one doesn't start moving up until your engine is already toast.

Rx-7Addict

iTrader: (2)

A properly maintained RX-7 can be reliable.... Its the ones that arent tuned well or dont have enough fuel or inadequate cooling systems that lead to problems

not trying to say theyre reliable.. just that many of the bad rep is from careless owners

z-nigma

As far as reliability mods... it has :

Boost, Water temp, Oil temp, Oil pressure gauges
Fluidyne radiator
Silicone vac hoses
Pettit AST
Apex'i turbo timer

Fatman0203

Your 18 years old, which isnt exactly young but have you had any other driving experience before? Do you consider yourself responsible? Have you gotten in an accident? Im not trying to be a dick or anything but It hurts to much when I see FD totaled *usually white ones dam it*, because someones lack of common sense. I got my FD for my graduation *yes 18* I didnt floor it until 2 weeks after I got it, I was that scared no joke. Anyways, I adapted and ever since have just done reliability mods. The motor will not pop driving 2500 on 5th gear unless you have no oil and/or other things. The car just hit a new record with me 5 months with no problems. The new problem is a coolant leak on one of the hoses, if this is "unreliable" for a 10 year old car, then look elsewhere. No MAJOR problem has happened to me since Ive owned the car.

I forgot to mention the car made the trip from North Carolina (where i bought it) to South Florida where I live with no problens, a consistant 80 to 120 mph and stopping only for gas. (btw i did the trip with my dad).

spoolin93r1

i love everything about my car and wouldn't trade it for any other vehicle.

you have to modify it to make it more reliable than factory, but still, any modified car's life expectancy is less than a typical stock one. other than regular maintenance and random stuff breaking, my car hasn't had any major problems since i replaced the original motor at 99,134 miles. that was my fault as well, it still had some life in it. don't let the rumors get to ya. keep some spare change back in case you have motor problems and enjoy it!

z-nigma

I've been driving my NA 300ZX for 3 years now, and I've autocrossed it and what not... so I've got a little "performance driving" experience under my belt. And yes, I'm a very responsible person for my age... I've got the same healthy dose of fear that you had when you bought your FD.. flooring it in my brother's 300ZXTT (~400HP) scares the crap out of me. I've yet to do it.. I barely spool the turbos and that's enough for me. And I've been in one accident, but it was a minor fender bender when I was a 15 year old kid who didn't know how to drive.

Basically, I think I have the mindset to own the car. I definately won't abuse it--I'll probably baby the hell out if (Rainy days? Hell no. I don't think I'd take the car out if someone so much as farted outside. ), and I'm smart enough to know what I'd have and not tear it up doing something stupid.

KaiFD3S

iTrader: (37)

I love my FD because of the way it looks, I believe it is the most sexiest car out there, I fell in love with it the very first time I saw it at the mazda dealership.
I love the way it looks
I love the way it handles
I love how fast it goes
I just straight love it

About reliabilty, it really depends on the owner, if you take care of your car and don't abuse it it will last you a long time..

Fatman0203

Thats great. Well just take your time, thats probably the 2nd most important thing I can tell you. I took 6 months to find mine, and I still beleive I got a bad deal, but my dad wasnt even looking for one and found one for an AMAZING deal (93 touring 55k original miles, for 9k ) so take your time, do compresion check to check the motor before you buy it. Borrow a pressure testing kit from auto-zone or something to check the coolant system. From those 2 things you should be ok. Non-seq is ok too btw.

Savington

I always tell people: if you're considering other cars, then you're not ready for an FD. But it seems that you've already got your mind made up. That car with those mods seems like a pretty good deal; it's already got the good reliability mods, and the start to adding power. If you have some cash, I'd do the suspension and tires next, and as always, be careful and have fun.

Rx-7Addict

iTrader: (2)

If the only thing you care about when you are looking for a car is 'fun to drive' then I'd say the FD is for you. Its all about the driveeeeeee

Fatman0203

Ya you get obsessed at carving the apex at every turn, and check your throttle inputs, usually your pasenger is taking a dump at this time, especially if I lean toward oversteer =P

Rx-7Addict

iTrader: (2)

Oversteer is when the passenger is scared
Understeer is when the driver is scared

z-nigma

Oh so true.

HKS SpiritR

I bought an R1 once in 93 while studying in Boston, 9 years later I bought a JDM Spirit R (no 239/1500). It is the only one in Jakarta. Damn it looks good, handles good, love the lightweight concept of the design and the sound of that screaming rotary with open exhaust. For the price NOTHING comes close and considering this car was designed back in the early 90s. When modified, very few cars can match its power to weight ratio. This car I will NEVER EVER sell or trade unless Mazda makes the next RX-7 with the same concept as the FD.

Raziel

iTrader: (1)

Its diffrent. Plus i love how it handles.

zmarko

Ha ha!

RX 4 Speed

okay, thought I'd give my 2 cents. I've been eyeing my new 7 for 4 years before I bought it. One owner good friend of mine. He cared for it really well, and I do probably twicefold. It's as reliable as you make it, pretty much. But why do I love it????

1) The looks... what other car has people craning their necks as drive by? What other car prompts you to get "stopped" or flagged down by a group of people and ooohs and ahhhhs and drool all over your car??? I can't recall. Not just the younger folks but even the older folks... they come over and ask "Is that a Ferrari?" That's the funniest one I heard. I was insulted!

2) The drive... ahh yes... the drive. Like the previous replies above... just drive one, and you'll see.

3) The family... mostly all RX7 owners are very friendly and helpful... like a small family, even if in separate corners of the world. We help each other and give advice... I see you're from MO? Wait till Mahjik sees this... Mahjik, will you help convince him???

Good luck... and hope you buy the 7...

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

I'm a little different from most regular posters here because I don't have a heavily modded car. I really enjoy working on the car to make it what I think the stock car should be. I take pride in knowing I'm making it as reliable as possible with the stock turbos/rats next/etc. I love knowing that I'm learning and taking care of this car, and just taking care of it is a project in itself. I want to fix all the little things the previous owners didn't. In 30 years I will probably still have it, and the work I'm doing today will ensure it's one of the nicest examples around that runs right. That's what the mechanic in me feels.

This car isn't my daily driver. I value it too much to drive it so hard there will be nothing left within 4 years. A couple times a week, a couple hard runs.

But I love walking out and getting a good look at it before taking it for a drive. It gets looks, it gets respect. I have an R2, and think it looks better than any other sports car in the US. (With close nods to the 911s, old Jaguar roadsters, and a few others). I don't get the body kits and such - it's such an elegant and sexy car you're messing with perfection. VERY FEW body mods ever look as good as stock, IMO.

I'm also interested in taking it to the track, but until I have more free money I'm happy driving it on the street and not pushing the limits. Eventually I'll be satisfied the car is 100% ready for a good thrashing and I'll buy a helmet and go, but I'm a perfectionist so who knows when that'll be. Hopefully I'll have enough money to get a track-only car that can be thrashed and modded and stripped so I can keep this FD for street driving.

Mahjik

iTrader: (1)

z-nigma,

Well, I'll sum it for ya: if replacing the engine is something that scares you, don't go for the FD.

Granted, you've already heard that from me before.

If you get an FD with all the reliability mods done, will it last? Who knows! While there is always a cause for an engine losing a seal or overheating, sometimes the symptoms arise faster than you can detour the problem. Other times the problems are hidden (poor workmanship when assembling the motor) which you'll never know until it causes the engine to fail.

I'm not suggesting you don't get one, but you should be prepared to deal with a problem such as replacing the engine even if you think everything is fine. This way you don't get caught with a car that ends up being a garage ornament.