I took a 3 year rotary hiatus and am looking to come back! Scanning through the Canadian forum, there doesn’t seem to be too much activity, so maybe this can spark some discussion.

My big decision is FC, FD, or Rx8….

I have had 2 FC’s and loved them. First was a 87 n/a that was in rough shape but I babied it and loved it! …It was my first car. Second one I had was a 90 turbo. I bought it and did lots of work to it with plans for it to be a time attack car. I had a lot of fun building the car and learned so much but I never drove it except around the block a few times.
So I have a soft spot in my heart for the FC and it’s the car I know the most about.

FD…. Do even need to explain why its on my list… who hasn’t dreamed of owning one?

Rx8- I know lots of people have their reservations about the “gutless let down successor to the FD”. In my opinion it’s a totally different car and I personally really like them. My brother has a stock one and it’s a blast to drive. They also have a whole bunch of benefits… there are lots out there that are unmolested and not rotting, inexpensive, they are a modern car with modern features, and they have fantastic handling.

My goal is to have a fun street car that I will tinker with and might occasionally track. So I don’t want it obnoxiously loud, it has to pass emissions, and I don’t want to smell like exhaust after driving (my experience with my FC’s).

What do you all think? Who has owned two or all three of these? And how far can you build a FC or FD before emission testing becomes an issue?

 

pass emissions..Not if the car you get is an 87 or 86..(that is why I stick in those years..no cat,no test to worry about)

 

i have owned my RX-8 for 9+ years and i can speak from experience it is a very fun and well built car. i'm very particular and always look after my cars, so other's experiences may differ with an 8. it is a fun car that doesn't need much, the down side is the support ie parts and options, renny engine for power mods and its bad rep. but a solid car for sure, find a an R3 with low mileage and it's a win! or buy mine.... look up autotrader its a Black 05 turbo
the years i have owned my RX-8 for me it was always in the shadow of an RX-7 but as stated it is a different car (league)

i also own an FD and the only draw back which i found was the condition, cost and rarity of them out there. i searched for a long time and finally found a mint condition one in my price range. i'm still new to an FD so i'm not sure exactly what to expect.

i have always thought a clean FC non turbo would be a lot of fun also if i couldn't get my hands on a turbo 2.

of course its all about how much you have and what you're looking for in terms of fun, style and reliability. in the 6 weeks i have had my FD it has been a dream come true. i also thought about other RX-7 cars but ultimately decided it was FD or bust.

 

I am going to pretend the answer isn't obvious - why not FB? Super cheap, and the platform is there for any fast setup..

 

before buying my FD i almost bought an 85 FB for those reasons above, very good looking and the best bang for the buck when it come to an 80's sports car.

 

FD.
I had 3 x FC before I got my FD.

My FD also passes emissions legally.

If it'll be your DD, then RX8
If it's your side car, then FD.

 

Thank you for this great insight. I think I have knocked off the FC now and am down to FD or RX8. If I went RX8 I would probably do handling and reliability mods and nothing power until the engine was due for some work and then do a big build with some sort of rotary swap. I know this isn't cheap and I would have to first do some research on what is all involved, but that idea has been in the back of my mind for a few years now.
Interesting the part about living in the shadow of the RX7 because that has been the a big reason I have been holding back on the RX8. I got into rotories because my first cars were RX7's and i feel like if I went RX8 I would always be wanting the 7 at the end of the day.
I know I could do some reading on the RX8club but, out of curiosity, what kind of power did your turbo set up make? And was it a big job to do or was it bolt on? My basic understanding is that the renisis is hard to turbo because of high compression and side exhaust ports and maybe being a more modern ecu it's harder to change from stock? So if there are bolt on kits, why don't we see them more often?

Up until about a year ago I didn't like SA/FB's at all. They have grown on me a lot and I really like the their styling with a bit of tasteful mods but just isn't what I am looking for at this point.
It will be my side/fun car. I don't want it to be a classic car that only gets driven to meets and on Sundays but it wont be my DD. I have a work truck and my wife's car to DD and I have my own DD but I only put on about 20km a week so I would maybe get rid of it.

What sort of set up do you have on your FD? Do they have to be pretty stock to pass or can they pass when they are built up?

 

"out of curiosity, what kind of power did your turbo set up make? And was it a big job to do or was it bolt on? My basic understanding is that the renisis is hard to turbo because of high compression and side exhaust ports and maybe being a more modern ecu it's harder to change from stock? So if there are bolt on kits, why don't we see them more often? "

it was/ is a Greddy kit with extras and is a bolt-on set up. you don't see them cause they're expensive vs. the outcome. it was a total PITA and i don't every recommend it to anyone. keep it NA on coilovers and wheels. the Renny engine is a smooth N/A motor for a reason.. it made 290rwhp and like 270ish tq on rolling road. fun numbers but not compared to the cost effort an result.