Airman

Hello

I've been doing research about the Rx-7 FD for a good while now, because I'm planning on getting it in the future. I know it's pretty hard to maintain a car in Canada, specially in Quebec (where I live). I also know that the FD demands a lot of maintenance to keep it healthy. I didn't find any post saying how much it costs to maintain a FD in Canada. That's why, can someone tell me how much it costs to maintain a FD in Canada? I would also appreciate tips for owning a FD in Canada.

Thanks,

SonicFD

iTrader: (17)

My FD the past 3 years required new suspension, catalytic converter, catback exhaust, fuel pump, radiator fans, master cylinder, ignitor and other small things. I likely spent $2000 a year to drive on weekends for 5 months of the year. That doesn't include gas and insurance.
The car has low mileage (under 5000km per year) but that is over 25 years of driving. Parts are failing from old age and those expenses are normal.

Neo

iTrader: (3)

It's going to be alot more difficult to maintain up in Quebec. Since you guys have winter much longer than the rest of us (Alberta not withstanding.. lol )

Alot of it depends on how hard you drive the vehicle as well. I know the roads out in Quebec are not the friendliest. They're pretty brutal on normal soft suspension. On the FD, it'll be murder. So prepare to shell out big bucks for suspension components as well as wheels and tires.

Really hard to gauge the typical expense because it depends on the FD you're able to obtain. If you're going to attempt to find a project FD, you'll be spending big bucks to get it to a reasonable level where you're able to enjoy it without having to worry about it breaking.

Which leaves doors open to slightly more modern vehicles such as the RX8 and ND Miata. They'll be cheaper to obtain and operate simply because they're less extreme than the FD. Easier to find parts for too.

Right now the biggest hurdle is attempting to find OEM parts. The car is about to enter its 30th decade and the heritage parts counter hasn't gone up yet. So who knows when they'll be able to offer you all the parts the car used to come with. Even then, obtaining such parts is going to cost you an arm and a leg.

Airman

Thanks a lot for the information. By the way, a good part of Quebec road can basically be compared to a rally map... So the suspension will be a big problem. Even if there's a lot of problem, that won't stop me from getting a FD . For now, I'm just gonna try to get as much experience on cars and do my research on the FD,

Redbul

iTrader: (26)

I budget 5~7,000 per year for any car I own. In early years your have depreciation expense, in later years you have repair expense. In between you have both.

If you can budget for that, then you will be prepared to spend money when you need to.

The FD is switching over to being a collector car and prices have risen accordingly (appreciation).

Therefore, I feel more comfortable staying on top of the maintenance requirements.

Identify early which parts you are likely going to need, and watch out for them, even if you do not need right away.

Participate in part outs. Buying several pieces at once you can negotiate discounts.

Look to switch in better condition parts and sell your damaged ones.

yurcivicsux

2k a year average plus gas and insurance. Very comparable to a Porsche 991 964 of the same year/ trim they are expensive and very exclusive to own/ maintain.

Airman

Thanks a lot everyone! I got a good idea of what I should keep an eye on.

the_saint

I am working on getting my FD back on the road and am expecting to average $1500-2000 in disposables and maintenance to keep it running each year. As others have mentioned I am planning on this car being the most expensive to maintain and keep on the road mainly due to its age.

Annual Disposable Items/Costs
1-2 oil changes per year ($100-150 and time)
Brake fluid every other year ($ brake fluid and time)
Tires ($800-1500/set, how often depends on use.) I can usually get 2 seasons out of the rears, and 4 out of the fronts if just daily driving.
Spark plugs
Insurance
Gas. Driving in the summer is split between several vehicles, so the RX-7 will likely see less than 2-3000km per season tops.

THUS far to get the car going, or in the process of going to pull it out of storage I have spent $1440 in tires / battery / fluids / fluid related items.
Michelin Pilot Sport AS4 (225/50/16) $900
Battery $200
3 Litres of ATE brake fluid (buying for the future) $100
Motive Power Bleeder $100
Gear oil (diff and transmission) $100
Siphon (to get rid of old gas) $20
Pump to get gear oil into the diff/transmission $20

Have a 4 post lift coming to store the car in the garage to avoid having the wife's car sit outside. $6500 <--- only necessary to keep my wife happy. Actually she would be happier to see the RX-7 go,

Need to see if I can get the surface rust off the rotors (mostly gone), otherwise new pads and rotors (stock size). Currently have Hawk HPS and KVR rotors, and would use again.
Rotors & pads $500???

Looking at a rebuild (for hard starts and piece of mind) and a tune.
Tein Flex Z coilovers to replace the OEM struts. The OEM struts look to be in great shape and seem to be working, but I suspect they are approaching end of life. (95 k km and 28 years old). Thank you DaleClark.
Hoping to keep these 2 items to under well under $10k CAD.
Quiet cat back $600-1200

Rest of the car is in solid shape.
Clutch/flywheel is newer.
Everything else has been maintained until parked.
Expect to replace the coolant hoses, but they are in decent shape for now.
Replace things as they break/wear out.

I expect between all of the vehicles we drive it averages out to $6000/year in maintenance/tires etc. Bought 3 sets of tires (2 sets of all-seasons and 1 set of winter tires) last 12 months.

As for where do I expect to go with the RX-7 it is a project car.
1. Running reliably with a proper tune and rebuild is the first goal.
2. Refinish the Volk TE-37s and put new rubber on
3. New front bumper (victim of somebody backing into the corner, and have a hairline crack in it. Leaning towards a FEED bumper
4. LED retrofit into the standard pop ups and replace the Knightsport pop ups. (They look awesome but less than impressed with the lighting, and room to upgrade that lighting is tight).
5. The paint is OEM MB, and in good shape, but needs a correction, but leaning towards doing that and then wrapping it.
6. Would like either a FEED spoiler / or an obnoxious wing.
7. Looking are various side skirts, but then would like to do front quarter panels to something more extreme.
8. Skip #2 and go to a square set up instead of staggered (currently staggered on my Volks).

the_saint

Don't forget a battery tender if storing the car. A car cover to keep the dust off the car in storage.

If driving year round then winter tires / 2nd set of wheels. The OEM size (225/50/16) will suffice. Or if you can avoid the snow an all-season such as the Michelin Pilot AS4.

As mentioned taking the car out of storage knowing I needed to replace the tires on my Volks (probably 15 yrs old) I bought all seasons for my OEM 16 inch rims, so I could drive the car earlier in the year, or later approaching winter if I wanted to do so. Also I wanted to try out the Michelin Pilot All Season 4 tires which I am debating putting on my other vehicles. I prefer winter tires for the winter, and if taking a car to the track prefer a track tire. Currently have P Zero on 2 vehicles, and they are NOT meant for the shoulder season, and I have been caught in the snow a few times which was very unsafe even with AWD. For a car that will never see the track, a high performance all-season and a winter tire combo would be ideal.

Airman

Thanks a lot for the detailed explanation. I got a question. Is it normal to have this much stuff to buy to keep the car up and running? Once again, even if this looks expensive, I'm still planning on getting a FD before 2030 (because law will make it impossible for me). Thanks!

the_saint

Airman

I think if the car has always had good care/maintenance and kept up with replacing what is broken than the costs are MUCH cheaper. I have had my car since 99, and kept up with replacing things as they wore out.

Looking forward these are the Annual Disposable Items/Costs I am planning for once running the way I want:
1-2 oil changes per year ($100-150 and time)
Brake fluid every other year ($ brake fluid and time)
Tires ($800-1500/set, how often depends on use.) I can usually get 2 seasons out of the rears, and 4 out of the fronts if just daily driving.
Spark plugs
Insurance
Gas. Driving in the summer is split between several vehicles, so the RX-7 will likely see less than 2-3000km per season tops.

The list is for all the vehicles I have on the road
Brake fluid is a every other year recommendation, but I know that people will go a decade (and some never) between changes.

The harder you drive it the more you will be putting things at risk of wearing out / breaking. This applies to any vehicle.

And remember, don't be surprised if things wear out sooner if you are making more power than stock! <-- I think this is often overlooked. People wonder why they are replacing more parts when making almost double the power the vehicle was designed to make.

The car was designed as a 255 hp sports car. This will be reflected in the rate at which you go through tires / brake rotors and pads / clutch / suspension parts (bushings/mounts etc).
I am on my 3rd power plant frame, cracked 2 with a wheel hop and more power than stock. Cracked a motor mount, probably again a result of driving it hard,

My desire to replace the stock struts (and my awesome Racing Beat springs) is probably not necessary, but I am hoping to start autocross again Taking a stock car to the track or autocross is a great idea as it is better to learn to drive the vehicle before adding power / tires (or grip), but you will be spending more on maintenance.

As this is truly a project, if it sits for a year being worked on, I don't care. The problem is there is more than one vehicle I want to spend $$ on.

Good luck getting your FD, do your research and enjoy!!!! I am looking forward to driving the FD more every day that passes.