cant decide...
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Junior Member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 5
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From: Seattle
cant decide...
Hey, I'm going to buy my third car soon, and i cant really decide, so I have come to the rotary masters (you guys), to shed some light onto life's difficult dilemmas... Which car to get?
I had been looking at the FD for a long while and had always wanted one since i saw one, (seems that the FD has that effect on people). The exterior of the car is a little to curvy for my taste, the more i look at it the more it grows off of me, but makes me want it more (if that makes any dam sense). The thing that i love the most about the FD is the interior, and how the center console is driver oriented, and how it makes the driver feel cozy and low to the ground. Another down side would be the rotary engines, is it really that unreliable? I plan on using this as my DD for a little while.
The other car i had in mind was a e46 M3. I know, i know they have almost a 10 year gap in them. The exterior of this car just grabs me, and has that aggressive look in it. I like the exterior of the e46 more than the FD. But it's the interior, I'm not sure if im correct or not (never actually sat in one) but the driver seat seems a little high off the ground, not that sports car seating but rather luxury car, and the "cockpit/cabin" seems really roomy, personally i dont like the roomyness feeling i like it small and cozy. The center console also is a driver oriented style, just not as dramatic. I like this kind of interior because it makes me feel that it is "MY" car, not someones chauffeur.
I would like to know your opinions on what i should get, positives and negatives about both cars, possibly a supporting reason. A suggestion on another car i should look into. I know both cars will be pricey to maintain. also which one would be a quick little runner on a track. I am hopping to get some light shed on this, for the reason that it has caused my many sleepless moons. If some that has owned both cars or drove both cars, your opinion would be greatly appreciated. I'm looking for a "drivers" car. one that will allow me to feel the road. (a little corny... couldn't think of another way to say it)
Oh and the cars i have previously owned is a 1990 4WS Prelude Si (first car) and a
2003 TL type S. Thanks! =]
I had been looking at the FD for a long while and had always wanted one since i saw one, (seems that the FD has that effect on people). The exterior of the car is a little to curvy for my taste, the more i look at it the more it grows off of me, but makes me want it more (if that makes any dam sense). The thing that i love the most about the FD is the interior, and how the center console is driver oriented, and how it makes the driver feel cozy and low to the ground. Another down side would be the rotary engines, is it really that unreliable? I plan on using this as my DD for a little while.
The other car i had in mind was a e46 M3. I know, i know they have almost a 10 year gap in them. The exterior of this car just grabs me, and has that aggressive look in it. I like the exterior of the e46 more than the FD. But it's the interior, I'm not sure if im correct or not (never actually sat in one) but the driver seat seems a little high off the ground, not that sports car seating but rather luxury car, and the "cockpit/cabin" seems really roomy, personally i dont like the roomyness feeling i like it small and cozy. The center console also is a driver oriented style, just not as dramatic. I like this kind of interior because it makes me feel that it is "MY" car, not someones chauffeur.
I would like to know your opinions on what i should get, positives and negatives about both cars, possibly a supporting reason. A suggestion on another car i should look into. I know both cars will be pricey to maintain. also which one would be a quick little runner on a track. I am hopping to get some light shed on this, for the reason that it has caused my many sleepless moons. If some that has owned both cars or drove both cars, your opinion would be greatly appreciated. I'm looking for a "drivers" car. one that will allow me to feel the road. (a little corny... couldn't think of another way to say it)
Oh and the cars i have previously owned is a 1990 4WS Prelude Si (first car) and a
2003 TL type S. Thanks! =]
Not up on the BMWs, but the FD is a much bigger attention grabber, much of that comes from it's 'curvy' style and being a rotary. Side by side, the M3 looks boring. As far as being a DD and a track car, it does both well. Of course I'm rotary prejudiced, 
Cockpit feel adds a good deal to the driving experience, that may end being the decision tipping point.
The early rotary got a bad rep, which carries on, unjustly, to this day. 1st gens have been known to clock 300k w/o a rebuild. Sadly, the FD with the twin turbos and underhood heat they produce reduce engine longevity to an 80-120k average. There are mods that can extend engine life by reducing heat and the amount of control systems in the engine bay.
Biggest downside on maintinance is lack of support/knowledge from the Mazda dealers on anything but the RX8, that's where this forum steps in. It definitely helps if you're mechanically inclined and willing to get your hands dirty.
Cockpit feel adds a good deal to the driving experience, that may end being the decision tipping point.The early rotary got a bad rep, which carries on, unjustly, to this day. 1st gens have been known to clock 300k w/o a rebuild. Sadly, the FD with the twin turbos and underhood heat they produce reduce engine longevity to an 80-120k average. There are mods that can extend engine life by reducing heat and the amount of control systems in the engine bay.
Biggest downside on maintinance is lack of support/knowledge from the Mazda dealers on anything but the RX8, that's where this forum steps in. It definitely helps if you're mechanically inclined and willing to get your hands dirty.
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 5
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From: Seattle
Not up on the BMWs, but the FD is a much bigger attention grabber, much of that comes from it's 'curvy' style and being a rotary. Side by side, the M3 looks boring. As far as being a DD and a track car, it does both well. Of course I'm rotary prejudiced, Cockpit feel adds a good deal to the driving experience, that may end being the decision tipping point.
The early rotary got a bad rep, which carries on, unjustly, to this day. 1st gens have been known to clock 300k w/o a rebuild. Sadly, the FD with the twin turbos and underhood heat they produce reduce engine longevity to an 80-120k average. There are mods that can extend engine life by reducing heat and the amount of control systems in the engine bay.
Biggest downside on maintinance is lack of support/knowledge from the Mazda dealers on anything but the RX8, that's where this forum steps in. It definitely helps if you're mechanically inclined and willing to get your hands dirty.
Cockpit feel adds a good deal to the driving experience, that may end being the decision tipping point.The early rotary got a bad rep, which carries on, unjustly, to this day. 1st gens have been known to clock 300k w/o a rebuild. Sadly, the FD with the twin turbos and underhood heat they produce reduce engine longevity to an 80-120k average. There are mods that can extend engine life by reducing heat and the amount of control systems in the engine bay.
Biggest downside on maintinance is lack of support/knowledge from the Mazda dealers on anything but the RX8, that's where this forum steps in. It definitely helps if you're mechanically inclined and willing to get your hands dirty.
With the over heating, you can get the reliability mods like AST removal and all that stuff right? So i would be able to drive the FD daily and still have it run the tracks on the weekends no problems? im pretty inclined with my mechanical side. so i think i would be able to do most of the maintenance work myself, as long as there are well written out DIYs, which you guys do have (was looking around and your guys DIYs are very easy to follow).
The Fd would be a better buy depending on your cash flow.
Be prepared to buy a new engine harness(900$) aluminum radiator(250$)
Silicone vacuum hose(100$) upgraded AST(150-400$) countless coolant/ fuel hose, miscellaneous o rings gaskets things of that nature. Basically a few thousand to make it reliable and not a headache. Still way better then the bmw
Be prepared to buy a new engine harness(900$) aluminum radiator(250$)
Silicone vacuum hose(100$) upgraded AST(150-400$) countless coolant/ fuel hose, miscellaneous o rings gaskets things of that nature. Basically a few thousand to make it reliable and not a headache. Still way better then the bmw
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