thatoneguy

I got my bonestock FD when I was 19, almost 3 years ago w/ 43k on the clock. I maintained it better most FDs out on the road. I modded it, trapped 111mph 1/4 miles(low 12s if I had a better clutch and tires) at the drag strip, and daily drove it since it was my only car. I never crashed it or got into an accident.

I sold it w/ 69k miles and it looked and ran better than almost every FD forsale I checked out. I bought it for $17,900 and sold it for $17,500. It was in so much better condition than when I bought it.

Back on topic, for all you young kids out there who want an FD, I say go for it.

I've actually been on this board for a while. Long before the 2/2001 server crash. Remember Mr. Akimoto? But after I sell all my parts, I'll be leaving. Thanks to all who gave helpful info.

man_of_steel

the issue is not that the young cant drive or appreciate the FD in a blanket statement, its that most cant. Sorry, true. The FD is a powerful sportscar that honestly needs more attention than most new drivers are willing to provide. I am 24 and just got mine, and can honestly say that I didnt deserve it at a younger age. Now is when I am ready for it. My first car at 16 was a 1970 Boss 302 Mustang that I got on a great deal. It didnt last long because I didnt know how to deal with it. Yes, there are exceptions to every rule, but I have to agree for the most part that young/new drivers do not need the FD. Spend some time behind another wheel, and when you are ready for it, get one.

93TTRX7

I'm 19, I drove a Ford Exploder for my first car...I know what unreliable and fix or repair daily is all about

jmo87

iTrader: (2)

I got mine when I was 17. I drove a civic first. Props to the young people who CAN take care of their FD.

JConn2299

So, that one guy, why did you sell your car?

JONSKI

^--- It was Montego Blue .

Red Rotary Rocket

Thatoneguy, Here is my take on what really is the problem: It's not so much that these young guys aren't maintaining the car, it's that many youngsters don't have a lot of money, so they are buying the higher mileage FDs. The non-maintainance items on our cars have a short lifetime and begin breaking when the car gets older, so these young guys are the ones that end up dealing with the problems, or selling the car because they can't afford all the repairs. Meanwhile, those of us mature folks with low mileage cars sit back and say' "Well, mine is not breaking, so you kiddies must not be taking very good care of your car." You sold your car with only 69K...I believe you when you say you were able to drive it daily, but I don't think it is because you maintained it well....I believe that it's because it had low miles.

I bought my FD with 60K miles 3.5 years ago from a friend. My friend owned the car from 40K to 60K miles and he never had one problem with it. Then I got it at 60K, and soon things started breaking. Thngs like: clunking suspension from worn out bushings, failed EGR, split radiator, leaking injectors, clogged cats, failed solenoids, etc. etc. etc.

No ammount of maintainance will prevent these failures. Flush your coolant system all you want, but you won't keep your radiator from splitting. Change your fuel filter religously at 10,000 mile increments, but it won't stop your injector from springing a leak. Get your alignment done every 15,000 miles, but it still won't stop those bushings from wearing out. To own a low mileage FD and drive it daily is a piece of cake. To own a high mileage FD and drive it daily takes a very large bankroll and a lot of responsibility.

The point of this post is that the young guys should not just "go for it" as you are suggesting. If they have the money to buy a good condition low miles car, then they should consider the FD, but if all they can afford is one with higher miles, then they should stay away, because in the end, the higher miles FD will actually be far more expensive. If they can't afford the money up front, then they can't afford the repairs that they are going to need really soon.

EricM

Red Rotary Rocket, your words are like gold. I couldn't agree more.

I'm 24 and I owned an FC, an old Corvette, and the new Celica before I got the FD. These cars are nothing compared to the FD in terms of performance. I almost wrecked the FD once driving in the rain.
It's just that you do crazy things when you're young and bad things happen. NOt that you shouldn't have high performnace car at a young age (hell most Ferrari owners are 40+ who drives their cars at 10% the potential), it's just that as Spiderman says : "With great power, comes great responsibility"
If you're young, makes decent money, and reasonably mature I say get the FD. Otherwise, please don't.

importadrenelin

Ya i'm 17 just got my FD it's a 1993 Touring with 70K on it and it came with a Blown engine and defintly needed some TLC, actaully some MAD TLC!!!
Anyways I already spent an arm and a leg on a new engine with 3mm apex seals, port and polish, new turbo's, fluidyne radiator, greddy gauges etc etc..
Anyways I already own a 1999 Integra Type R which isn't much compared to the RX-7, but I would agree that MOST young drivers do not have the money or the brains to maintain a FD.
I'd like to think of myself as the small percentage of young drivers who do derserve the car, I paid for everything with my own Money including my Integra Type R and I do not EVER ask my parents to help me out on paying for ANYTHING, because they won't basically..
Just drive safely and keep it to the tracks and always listen to what the FD has to tell you and you should be ok, well thats what I going with and hopefully it will work for me

meddle

I got My 93 when I was 18 and had reasearched on them for a year or so before even searching for one. Then I looked another 3 months for the one I wanted. I have had It two years and drove It a couple times a week and It has 58000 on it and I have not had a single problem.

trigeek37

I really think the type of family you grow up in makes a ton of difference. My dad is a huge car guy, as are many of my relitives. There were performance cars around most of the time, and ALL the maintaince is done at home. I grew up respecting cars, and before I got my license I knew a lot about cars, a lot more then I wanted to know at the time... (I was the designated lamp holder & wrench hander for much of my childhood) But, I learned a great deal about cars, both in maintaince, and how to drive - not to get behind the wheel of a small bus, but to actually drive. I think there are plenty of younger drivers out there that are plenty capable of driving an FD or any other performance car, but most aren't . But then again, most "older" drivers should not be driving at all, let alone driving a high performance car. It all depends on who teaches you to drive, and how much you actually pay attention. I think it is sorta a shame that a younger would be given a car like a FD. this has little to do with driving though, more to do with the younger driver learning to appreciate "stuff".

Silex

It's great to hear how well you teens and young adults are doing. Hell I'm 18 (no FD yet) and don't plan on getting one until Summer 2003 prolly. I've gotten some books on the rotary and have so many sites bookmarked that it's not even funny, but to say the least, I can't wait until I get a job to fuel the income to buy myself one on my own. I'm getting all giddy just htinking about it! I don't know why, but I want to test drive an FD and pay in cash knowing that all that money I made on my own. Of course, lol, I'll need to keep a job during the school year too in order to pay for maintenance, but hey it's part of the gig right ?


I could't agree more. Lol, but my dad is kinda weird like that. He was actually on the damn waiting list when the FB came out in '79 when he bought his silver on black leather. I grew up most of my lfe riding in that car and have grown to respect and love rotaries because of my expereince. Now that he has grown alot more (and sold it I might add about 6 years ago) I now want to continue the tradition that he left behind and get an RX-7 myself. Too bad he isnt the 'work on his own car' type, but that I have leaned on my own time. He just gave me a push in the right direction .

wonder1and

Right... I've worked my *** off for 4 years or so now to have my FD and have mods on it... Most have heard of the trouble that I have gone through for some unknown reasons because of so many different variables that can make the car break. I have learned alot from just sitting around and reading and from seeing what other people have done that works. Yea, I've had a scary moment or two in the FD learning to respect 400 horses at the touch of a pedal and now I'm back down to 3??hp which is far less dangerous in N. Texas showers and such. Still can spin that rubber though... I'm about to pick up some new shocks to make those damn wheels from jumping like rabbits. I think that you only deserve this kind of car if your going to make damn sure that its well maintained and well... runs I have learned one thing from watching some of my friends that have FD's... don't let your friends drive it.
Take it easy... And come to the Texas Rx7 meet June 29th if you can take the heat!
Ryker <~~18
P.S. this is what I have on my car - the T04S kit

importadrenelin

"I think it is sorta a shame that a younger would be given a car like a FD. this has little to do with driving though, more to do with the younger driver learning to appreciate "stuff"."

I agree with you and yes my first car was a older Honda Civic so you have you start out like most teens do, and I was more then HAPPY with a Civic as a first car. But since I eat and sleep the Import Scene I quickly learned the Civic was a little to slow and easily outhandled, so I bought the Integra Type R 1 year ago and just got my FD about two weeks ago and there both great cars but the Type R will have to go, the FD i love and I need a nice luxury daily driver that doesn't have the loud exhaust etc etc because it gets to be too much after a while... so I like the looks of an new IS300 anyways just my .02 on kids and cars

wonder1and

I started out on a 95 celica gt... it had a little more pep then most hondas... that is untill that damn Trans/am pulled out infront of me and totaled it and screwed up my back. Then on to a kinda beatup 3kgt w/ knocking valves and bad c/v joints.... but I kept her as clean as possible... I hate people that don't take care of cars that would catch my attention if they were clean...

Spiritmonger

How many miles is considered low mileage for an FD?

dubcaps

For the most part im going to have to agree that the RX-7 is not for your average teenage driver. But, with many other things there are exceptions. I would like to think of myself of one of those. I'm a 16 year old sophmore in highschool, and unlike most of my friends I have respect for what my car can do. Sure, it would be easy for me to join the bandwagon, speed like there is no tomarrow, drag race at stop lights, and drive recklessly. To say my car is capable would be a definate understatement, but still i chose not to. Having talked to various people i've gotten a pretty good understanding as to where recklessness can get you: the hospital, court, or stuck at home forever. Because none of these three things appeal to me, i chose to drive like a responsible adult. If teens ever want to be treated with respect, we have to show respect ourselves. Since I got my car the only time I have broken the speed limit is for passing slow cars on the highway, and even then it wasn't by much In fact, I often find myself being passed by senior citizens in their minivan's and station wagons. I guess they pull up behind me thinking "hey teenage guy in a sports car, he's bound to speed" only to realize that not all teenagers are the same. Teens today really get a bad rap for the way they drive, their morals, and how they carry themselves. I feel that if we are ever going to get past the stereotype we have to show others that we are beyond that and are actually capable of being responsible. Prior to the purchase of my car, i researched common problems with the cars and the expenses associated with them, talked to owners (past and present) and found insurence rates. after about 6 months of research i learned quite a bit and was able to make a much more informed decision with my parents. To this day I have not gotten in one wreck or gotten one ticket, i know i havn't been drving long, but im off to a good start. I hope this post sheds a little light onto the situation. Thanks for taking the time to listen.

-stephen

Import Convert

I think you are absolutly right. My dad and I are both huge car guys, and having our own shop by the house helps out a lot with modding and maintaining cars. I'm 20 right now and I believe that I can take as good of care as anyone. My car gets nothing but the best of treatment.

However, there are also ricer punks who got their parents to buy their car and they run it into a tree. Live and learn.........

thatoneguy

Well, I grew up without any knowledge about cars except that they needed their oil changed once in a while. My first car was a used Camry which was well taken care of but still had problems. When I got my 7, I did all maintanence and modifications myself.

I disagree that the youngsters can't afford to maintain them. If they can afford the car, pay insurance, then they must have some sort of financial support. I got to school full time and work 20 hours a week to pay my bills.

As for cars with higher mileage people are buying. Who do you think owned them before? I doubt more than a handful of FDs were purchased brand new by 16 years. There were purchased by adults who could afford to pay $30-40k on a car. I've seen so many POS FDs out there that were owned by adults who were affluent and who could afford to make repairs, but didn't. I think a lot of youngsters put effort into their car as much or even more than most adults do.

elizer

im 16 years old. I have so much respect for the car. I realize that this car has soo much power and it needs to be cared for. i drive responsibly and follow all signs and try to go the posted speed limit. sounds like bull ****, but its true, everytime i sit in the car i realize that this isn't just any car its MY CAR and i want to keep it nice and clean
but i've only had the car for 3 days now =), and the exhaust over heat light is on thers smoke coming form the passenger side engine (not continously but smells like burnign oil or rubber). it has 60k miles, just about time for the engine to go. my parents and grandparents both helped to pay the 13,000 dollars it costs for the car. Thought i don't have to pay them back for that, i will have to work for the money to fix the car (with a litlte aid from the parental units)
taking it to the shop saturdayyyyy but its not ognna be driving until then

SpeedRacer55

I am 16 an I think an RX-7 would be a bad choice for my first car. I live in chicago, RWD + rotary power + Chicago weather = Accident waiting to happen

I think RX7s would be good for a non-daily driver and for the expereinced driver. Most young people need daily drivers. the older probably have a car or don't drive as much as us youngins.

RedFD

Im only 18 and i drive slower in my fd than I have in any of my other cars. But Its hard to hold back all that power... especially when your modded. I dont put other people at danger... i only let her loose when the road is wide open. This thing is a cop magnet though!! Ive already been pulled over twice for no front tag (no way im drilling into this thing) and I have only had the car for a couple months.

Red Rotary Rocket

Believe me, you were lucky because you had a low mileage car. When things start aging and breaking, the FD gets VERY expensive. Repairs on this car can cost a lot more than what a person pays for insurance, gas, and the car payment. My first year of ownership, I did not replace the engine or turbos, and I did not mod the car, but the sum of my repair bills still came to about $7500. Add to that the car payment, gas, and insurance, and you have a very hefty financial burden. I was making $40K per year at the time, and I had to go into credit card debt to keep the car. The second and third years of ownership haven't gotten any cheaper...luckily I'm making more money these days or I would have had to sell the 7 a couple of years ago. These cars will break and cost a ton of money as they get up in the miles. And unless I'm mistaken about what teenagers are making in part time jobs these days, then I'm very confident that they aren't ready to support the potential financial pitfalls of owning this car.

Please don't get me wrong, I really love to see younger people driving RX-7s. I wish I could have had such a cool car when I was a teenager. If someone has the financial support to own one, be it self supported or from wealthy parents, then I say go for it. The problem is (correct me if I'm wrong) very few teenagers have the $10,000 plus per year disposible income to spend on an aging RX-7.

I just don't want to see some poor guy and/or his parents get caught in serious financial troubles because people blindly told them "Sure, go get an RX-7. It's not going to break." If you have read the "Unreliability jokes" thread and still think that RX-7 don't break if they are well maintianed, then you are in denial.

Oh, and thatoneguy, I don't mean to pick on you personally, your quote was just conveinient for my point. No flames intended.

thatoneguy

Sorry to hear about your experiences. I guess I was lucky and picked up a good 7 #1802 and was responsible enough to maintain it. I never paid that much money for repairs in the whole 3 years I owned it. I spent around $2000 in 3 years on maintanence cause the clutch needed to be replaced and other basic stuff like fluid and hoses changes, etc.

Red Rotary Rocket

No need to feel sorry for me...after all, I bought the car and I have chosen to keep it. Any pain I suffer, I inflict on myself Seriously though, I love the car, plain and simple. If I didn't, I wouldn't put up with it.

The problem with FDs is you just don't know if your going to get one that will be trouble free, or one that will be nothing but trouble. Mileage plays a big role in that gamble, but you still just never know. I don't want to see an unsuspecting teenager take that gamble and lose.