Fc or Fd for first car?
 

Alright so ive seen a lot of threads like this but hear me out. I want a fd and is it good as a "First" car. Yall probably say its heavy on maintenance and i get that but i dont know any car that i would wanna drive other than a fd or fc. If u think it might be too fast well the first car i learned on and driving right now is my old mans 350z and its around 390 horses give or take and i dont think a fd with a turbo (dont really want n/a) will be more than that. Aight so throw it at me if a fd or fc would be a good "first" car or it aint. Just based ur answer on my situation. Money wise about the maintenance ill be going to the army so all my expenses will mostly go to the fd (dont reall gotta pay rent).

I'm biased and like the FC platform for it's simplicity to either keep the rotary or go to another power plant.
The chassis and parts are easy to work with and frankly the look never gets old!..sort of Like me...I need a good wrinkle cream..lol!
My car was 1986 FC N/A and I built it(sort of overbuilt and changed my mind along the way) But I ended up with a Conservative 357 at the wheels and it could have been tuned for more.
That car was flat out Nuts!

First car = Honda Civic. Then get an RX-7 later in life when you can afford to have a toy.

+1

Pretty ambitious for a first car...not to mention a headache.

I don't think you're really looking for an answer. Go join the Army. Mature to a point that you don't need to ask a bunch of strangers to justify your wants.

Here is some perspective for you. I'm an old fart. My son is 16 and wanted an Rx7 for his first car. I bought him a 1990 GXL rolling shell and we put the car back to stock together. He gets to watch me drive it until he brings home a report card with nothing less than a C.

I did things this way because:

1. I love him and I don't want him to die. I wasn't responsible enough to own an FD or turbo FC (Or any RWD sports car with more than 200HP) at his age and you are not either, there are no exceptions to this rule. When you're older, hindsight is 20/20.

2. It was something we got to do together, something that we'll both cherish forever.

3. He needed incentive to do better in school.

If your old man loves you, he will at least steer you into a non-turbo car. Also 'dat E-1 Pay ain't gonna pay for shit on an FD. Make better financial decisions, go to college, get a commission as an officer.

/\..If my Dad was Clint Eastwood I would bring home an "A"..lol!

On a more serious note it confuses me when they say that the Army will make a man out of you but you will,with no problem, spend your pay like a child..(no offense).

Get what you can afford and not what you think other people think you 'should have" as it is not their financial means that they are playing with..only yours.
And IF others are the main factor and are misleading you to spend your OWN money then the Army really hasn't taught you anything about responsibility...only it pays enough that you can spend the money irresponsibly that they gave you for serving the country.
Personally I would be looking at a place of residence first...Get your own little piece of paradise and then "fill it"..IF you served your country you will love it enough to make it a home and live within it.

I know you were asking about which car you should get,I was looking at the technical and budgetary side of things.
But if you start off "blind" you will get led to the hall of razorblades.
Don't base your life on "he who has the most toys"..

Sorry to sound like a Dad..But Hey..you asked..and good luck!..cheers man.

I remember when I went to the army and i was 22 . I loved the fd since I saw it in person, but I got an automatic Nissan sentra instead. The fact that you drove 350+ hp car doesn't mean anything. I learned to be responsible financially and as a man. My driving record has been inpecable for 16 year, thank God too. Iam 36 now and two kids, But it takes a lot responsability no to pay attention to kids with Hondas that wants you to race them on a street at that age.
If you get the fd and if needs work, you will be asking for a ride to PT and formation. Gather more knowledge about the car, it's not a new car.
In the army there was a saying "if you doubt, don't do it".
Be safe out there...

:icon_tup::icon_tup: I agree

My first car was (still is) an 86 N/A. I am 18 years old. I drive it daily and I winter drive it.

I can tell you that it is not hard to start, drive, or handle even in the frigid Canadian winter, and it is mechanically simple enough for you to perform basic maintenance with relative ease. It is surprisingly cheap to insure, and even though it is just a Naturally Aspirated 7, and everyone thinks it's slow, it is still loads of fun. You won't feel slow behind the wheel.

That being said, you clearly want an FD. So if buying an FC would not satisfy you, go ahead and get one. Keep in mind it is significantly more expensive to buy, significantly more expensive to insure, significantly harder to handle in the snow or rain (or so I am told, I have no experience here), and significantly more complicated under the hood. Also, if your FD rusts out, blows a seal, gets stolen, is vandalized (which has happened to me already in just the past few months), or you roll it into a ditch, it will hurt your wallet to replace it a lot more than it would hurt mine to replace my N/A FC.

Also, echoing what everyone else has said, treat the car with some respect on the road. No matter which you choose to buy, it is a RWD sportscar without traction control. Drive with care. Not only for safety, but because insurance will murder you. A friend of mine has a speeding ticket and a low-speed collision on her driving record, and she pays $370 a month to insure her small car (a Honda Civic, or something like it. Too boring to tell.)

Just my $0.02

I'm going to give you the answer that's on every other forum, buy a Miata.
They are cheaper than Fd's , newer than FC's, they are fun to drive, cheap to insure, and there are plenty of parts to mod one to make it quicker if you so choose.

For your first car... honestly neither. Get a reliable and cheap maintenance car like a Honda or Nissan. Then for your toy car, you can get a FD.

Like others have said, buy a daily driver, civic, sentra, cruze, etc. Save money and buy a rx7 as a toy. This is not something you want to daily. IMO. My first car from my parents was a $1000.00 1985 Nissan 300zx slowmatic. It did have the digital dash and would talk to you. Got in an accident and totaled it. Then found a 1988 rx7 that a guy bought brand new, I bought it from him in 1999. I knew absolutely nothing about a rotary then. I got lucky with mine as the previous owner took very well care of it, It still had the plastic on the seats and floor from the dealer, and a 3 inch binder full of every maint record. Mine was a great car but I had some friends that bought them because they thought mine was cool and did not have the same luck I had. One friend bought a turbo ii that needed an engine, had it rebuilt and blew it withing 3 months, another friend had a 89 na and the water pump locked up and over heated, engine gone <--- he owned the car 4 days and this happened. My point in all this is, It needs to be your toy, rx7 is a Labor of love and I want you to love your car, all the people above had horrible experiences with their rx7 and now would never own another one,,, I had a great experience and have owned a few over the years, good and bad. I want you to enjoy and not hate it. So I would not buy one as a first car, buy one as a first toy.

Don't buy a car right now. If you do, it will just sit and rust during Basic Training, it will mostly sit and rust during AIT, and if you get Korea or some other unaccompanied tour as your first assignment then it will sit and rust for 1 to 2 more years after that... all the while you will be paying for insurance, taxes, and storage. Not smart. Until you get to your first duty assignment, the military is obligated to provide all of your transportation, and usually requires that you use their transportation even if you have a car. It's not like you can say, "Hey Drill Sergeant, I will just drive my RX-7 to the bayonet range rather than walk with you guys!", lol.

Once you are established in your first CONUS assignment then you can make a decision on which car to buy. Besides, by that time you will hopefully have saved a lot of your pay during training up to that point. In my first year I saved $10K because I didn't need to pay for much of anything but shoe polish, laundry, and hair cuts, and nowadays I think you don't even need shoe polish.

Two things to keep in mind:
1) Most military posts require your car to pass a 'safety' inspection in order to be able to drive on base or drive your car when on leave or pass during a holiday. The inspection typically includes turn signals, horn, lights, etc. Make sure the car can pass inspection if you intend to drive it.
2) Check to see if your first duty station has what is called an 'Automotive Skills Center' where you can work on your car and rent tools for cheap. They usually also have an ASE mechanic on staff who can help answer your questions or guide you in the right direction.

Also, try to set up your 'home of record' and 'state of legal residence' in a state that doesn't have income tax. Nevada will work great if you are currently a resident.

And most importantly.... Are you enlisting in the new program that allows you to get matching contributions for your TSP? If you don't know, ask your recruiter. This is a huge advantage if you qualify for matching contributions.

If you are wondering why I am discussing finance in an internet thread about owning an FD, you will soon find out why. ;)

He is joining the Army, not the Navy.

Evil Aviator speaks the truth. Follow that to the letter, then buy a reliable parts car to haul your engine to the shop and you to formation.

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.rx7...fb7a2ef532.jpg

He is joining the Army, not the Navy.[/QUOTE]

Haha I was expecting that!
But I own an SA, and a NB (99 sport pkg). I use to own a FC(88gtu) fully caged itc car. I use my Miata for my DD and autoxcar it runs in the E street class. The GTU is now a friends car that is his track day car. And the SA is my track day/cars& coffee car. I love my RX-7s but they are getting to a point that parts are harder to find and that makes them a bad DD. if the OP is looking for a fun and reliable DD that takes power mods well then the Miata is a nice option over a Sentra or Civic.

Nice answers people, so ill probably get a reliable DD instead or a miata like some people on this thread said. Shout out to the person who mentioned PT made me realize that rx7s does broke down and need maintenance lmao dont want that to cause trouble.

I aint gonna ask if i dont need an answer i aint trying to play no games and beside these "strangers" changed my mind and made me realize that a FD aint a toy that should be played on the first time so my bad if i aint mature enough that i have to ask strangers to justify my wants

/\..
just read a bit and you'll figure out if any rotary platform is good for you.
Honestly for first car though,I would sway towards something really easy to maintain or even "care free" because if you get a RX it may convince you that cars are just Money pits..!
That is why sometimes I call mine "..ARRR....EX...!(wife)

My first car was a vette. Although most people frown when they found out it was a chavette. Lol. Do your research the fd is a great car but it does require great attention and some times money. 3rd financial disaster. I love mine thoigh.

RX-7s are actually very reliable with respect to other cars, and RX-7s had most of their racing success in endurance racing events. The vast amount of RX-7s on the road today is testament to their solid design. The problem is that any car over 20 years old is going to have reliability issues unless you really keep up on the maintenance. I think the FC RX-7 would be a good first car if you have the time to keep it in good shape. The FD is really more of a second car in my opinion, not just because of the extra cost and maintenance, but also because it doesn't have the trunk space that the FC does. If maintenance is going to be a problem for you, then you may want to just get a new car with a warranty.

Just for clarification, you may be paying rent. At your first duty station (this means the first assignment you get after completing AIT) you will most likely be living in barracks resembling a dorm room, usually with 1-2 roommates and a community bathroom, and the Army would provide for this for free. If barracks are not available, then you would need to rent a house or apartment and the Army would give you some money for rent, which may or may not cover the actual cost of the rent. The same goes for food, as some posts have a free chow hall, while others do not and you would then receive some money to buy your own food. In a similar sense, you may or may not be able to drive a car, and you may or may not have a place to work on your car. This is why I recommend that you do not buy a car until you know your situation. Also, you should really discuss this with your NCOIC when you get to your first duty station, as he/she will be able to help determine what is practical and affordable for your particular situation. However, I think it is a good idea that you are looking at your options right now.

I didn't want to miss a chance to rag on the Navy. Besides, the OP should be aware that the Miata is often associated with alternate-lifestyle folks.

Great Parenting!! :icon_tup:

I'd get a FC first since it's cheaper.