Ruston

Hey Guys thinking about buying a 1993 Rx7 Twin Turbo

and was wondering if it was a good choice for someone without an endless amount of money for a Daily driver.

I would Only be running stock psi but of course i would like to drive it hard everyonce in awhile.

pauli311

iTrader: (2)

Endless amount of money? Only if you have a private rotary mechanic

Ruston

Sorry I guess I don't quite understand.

Do you mean I'll need an endless amount if I have a private rotary mechanic or Ill need it if I dont

Dream Theater

Basically what he's saying is that these cars require alot of attention... and usually Attention = Money.

Ruston

Well, by requiring alot of attention do you mean stuff is constantly breaking? I plan to take care of it with 2000 miles oil changes, keeping an eye on temperatures, seals, etc.

Basically what im saying is I dont mind minor mainteinace costs, I'm asking If I take proper care of it will it still be a big hassle?

userjh5174

Hey bud, If you do your regular maintance (Oil change, Fuel filter change and pay attention to the coolant and engine temp), you will be fine. Try and find a mechanic in your area that is familliar with the rotary engine.

Ruston

Thank you userjh, anyone else that would like to chime in?

Tom93R1

iTrader: (2)

I daily drove mine for about 5 years. Looking back I realize how I was constantly working on something and sinking tons of $ into it. I wouldn't do it again, you can easily buy a beater daily driver car with the $ you will save by keeping the 3rd gen as a weekend fun car for a couple years.

TimeMachine

iTrader: (10)

^^^I agree 100%. I daily drove mine for about 1.5 years before an apex seal blew. Everything was perfectly fine, no engine problems whatsoever, then... like flipping a switch, one of the rotors blew an apex seal and it was sucked through the turbos and most of the motor was toast.

Oh, also, the trunk isn't much bigger than a shoebox. It just isn't practical in day-to-day living.

It's possible to daily drive for years, but it is costly to do so re: maintanence. I agree with Tom93R1, get a beater for the daily grind.

djseven

iTrader: (56)

Buy a fd, install new wiring harness, new injectors, new fuel rail insulators, new coolant lines, new fuel lines, new fuel pulsation dampner, new vacuum lines, aluminum radiator, FC thermoswitch, install a downpipe and drive the wheels off the thing. Keep in mind most of these cars were daily driven for the first 4-6 years of their life. After about 60-70k miles is when a lot of the problems started arising.

These cars can make great daily drivers if you are willing to put about $3k of maintenance items into them.

janrx7

i use mine mostly for weekends but i buy and sell used cars and some times the only car left is my rx7. i have been using it for a daily driver for a month. i don't know about the states but here in the dominican republic it is a pain in the ***. the large pot holes, alot of motorcycle, public transportation is caos.

my rx7 is low to ground so i have to repaint my front bumper like every month. they consume alot of gas, they are not practical. plus remember these are old cars mine is a 93. so 15yrs and alot of thing start breaking. i recommend you to buy a used beater that gets lots of mileage. then you can mantain your rx7 in pristine condition

Captain_Panic

iTrader: (15)

+1

If you really want an FD (like I did) save a little extra money and buy a car you can use as a DD. Save the FD for weekends and good weather days. My '01 Maxima has been a phenominal DD for the last 2 years, and it makes me enjoy the FD that much more when I drive it.

TimeMachine

iTrader: (10)

That is a great point.

rotarymandan

iTrader: (15)

I have daily driven mine for two years now, with no major problems. I take it out of state to school, and drive to work everyday. I did take the time however to go through and replace a lot of things as preventative maintenance though. But I would suggest, if you have the money you should get a different DD.

userjh5174

I drive a 1992 Toyota Corolla as a daily driver. Never had any problems with that car, just cahange the oil and drive everyday to work (50Km one way).

My 7 is a car that I take out on the weekends for some spirited drives on the country roads for just the pride and pure enjoyment of driving it.

In conclusion, make the 7 a special car that brings out the best in you, a car that you just want to jump in and drive after watching the 24 Heurs Du lemans. Have something in your life that is special and traet yourself to that thing- The 7 should be that thing.

Captain_Panic

iTrader: (15)

+1

Ruston

with a rebuilt motor (less than 3k on it ) Frequent oil change etc. will it be reliable enough for a daily driver?

TimeMachine

iTrader: (10)

It may very well be... but the motor's reliability isn't the only issue to consider.

Ruston

What are the other main factors?

Captain_Panic

iTrader: (15)

Ah hell, just buy it and roll the dice.

If for some reason yo do not stay on top of the maintenance, make sure you post the "worst day of an FD owners life" thread when the engine goes kaboom, or the turbos need rebuilding, etc

TimeMachine

iTrader: (10)

Speaking from experience:

It's very low, so you have to watch it every time you approach/depart any kind of ramp, speed bump, etc.

The trunk is roughly the size of a shoebox. If you buy virtually anything, it will be riding home with you in the passenger seat. Anything larger, e.g. luggage, tv, square box, lots of groceries, etc, simply won't fit in the car. Moving? Forget about it. Two people headed to the airport with luggage? Better pack light, real light.

It burns a lot of gas, and prices will eventually go back up. Rotaries are not as fuel efficient as a DD.

Only two seats, and small ones at that, I.e. your large uncle (read: my large uncle) won't be able to go for a ride.

Etc, etc, etc....

All the things you use a DD for that don't involve going fast aren't going to happen in an RX. It's cautionary, I know, but take it from me, having an RX-7 as your only car is a royal PITA.

Ruston

Oh haha, I have a mx6 which does have 4 seats but the back two are only for looks, unless your a child dont bother and the trunk is also a joke. Not to fuel efficent either. However it is in need of about 3500 dollars of repair which is more than I paid for it lol so no dice there.


But we do have a 2000 Suburban and a 94 4 runner I could use for larger purchases :P

djseven

iTrader: (56)

In all honesty it is rarely the engine you have to worry about. Electrical issues, coolant leaks, fuel leaks, fuel injector issues, searching idle, bad oil leaks, leaking turbos, grinding transmission, failing coil packs, vacuum leak, etc

Dream Theater

I had an Mx6 LS with a ZE in it. Man I loved that car but it sucked it was FF... Anyway... Speaking from experience... My car is only at 115K and its been sitting in my driveway for about 6 months now due to 1 thing or another. I kept it in pristine when i bought it. Changed this and that, and made sure not to forget anything. Unfortunately one day I was driving home from work and all of a sudden smoke out the back of the car like a ****...Blown Turbos... Granted its not a big deal but now its like do i just buy some used turbos that may fail or do I kick out 2-3,000 for some BNR's or do i hold off and spend close to 10K to upgrade and go single.

Basically what we are all saying is that there are many things that can possibly go wrong at any given time on these cars. Ask around... I bet no one on this forum can honestly say they've NEVER had a problem with their FD.

Food for though...You do the dishes.

pauli311

iTrader: (2)

The only thing I could say as a pro to a daily is if you can keep yourself disciplined enough to stay out of boost. This will prolong engine life and keep your overall temps down and therefore keep wear and tear to a minimum. You will still probably get a funky issue from time to time, so just get two.