Abaddon

Hi there, I'm thinking about buying an Rx7 (FD3), I've read a few buyer's guides however I have a few questions before I make my decision.

1) On average how many miles do you get on a full tank?

2) Some guy told me that the Rx7 needs to be services every 1000 miles, is this true? If not, how regularly does it need to be serviced?

3) How much does it cost to service?

4) How much do you spend per year maintaining the car?

5) People have told me that if the car isn't maintained well then it will cause a lot of problems, however if it is maintained well then it will hardly cause problems. What does 'maintained well' mean?

6) In terms of maintenance, is it much different from an Rx8?

7) I plan on using it as my daily drive, is this wise? (around 8000 miles a year).

Thanks in advance for all answers especially from UK owners as I live in the UK myself. This is a car which I've loved since I first heard of and saw it. It's between the FD3S, Impreza P1 and Evo 6 TME, having a real hard time deciding.

Thanks again

dgeesaman

iTrader: (7)

My stock car gets about 16mpg and the tank is about 15 gallons. So you're looking at 225-260miles per tank. Well-tuned cars with aftermarket ECUs can get a few more mpg if driven appropriately.

No, not that bad. But oil changes in many cases barely reach 3000 miles. I change oil every 2-3k and do it myself.

It all depends what work needs done. Oil changes, spark plugs, fuel filter, coolant changes don't tend to cost much more than a normal car. Parts are expensive. Diagnostics for some problems can get very expensive. Major engine repairs are expensive.

Do you have a good rotary shop in your part of England?

I drive mine about 3k per year and I spend only a few hundred bucks. If you drive one daily you should expect to spend more. It helps a lot to do work on the car yourself, as long as you invest a little in quality tools and consumables and do your homework so ensure it's done correctly.

The car is somewhat complicated and the extremely hot engine condition means that more parts than usual fail within the life of the car. Things like radiators, hoses, wiring harnesses, solenoids, relays, exhaust components, etc wear out more quickly than in other cars. Likewise the chassis and suspension are built very lightweight so things like bushings, engine mounts, bearings, etc also don't last the life of the car.

Finally, Mazda's service recommendations and some of the factory design settings do not promote the longest life of the car. Reduced service intervals of parts like spark plugs, fuel filter, coolant hoses, will help the engine last longer. There are a few parts that can fail and cause major engine damage, so there are so-called "reliability mods" that are intended to prevent the big problems from happening.

All that said, these cars are typically driven hard. Most FD3 engines last less than 100k miles and in many cases much less than that. Blown engines often lead to the sale of the car. If you're shopping for an FD you must watch out very carefully for this.

I don't know much about RX-8s but compared to other cars I'd say the two are more similar than different.

I don't daily drive mine. I suppose I could do it except for snowy weather but I don't see the point in it. I greatly enjoy having 3 vehicles: an economical daily driver, a pickup truck, and the RX-7. Each has it's purpose and having the cheap daily means the truck and the RX-7 don't give up their life to meaningless commuter miles. But then again my ego doesn't sting if I'm not always being seen in my pretty car.

The FD3S is probably the least reliable and practical of the cars. I'd go for one of the other two if it would be my daily driver.

David

Snitchy

My last car i owned before my RX7 was a Subaru v7 STI WRX, my best mate owns a TME Evo 6.5 - By far my favourite of all of these is the RX7! Yes they are expensive to own in comparison... especially with the rising fuel costs here but its worth it!

Very impractical for carrying passengers but everyone wants to go in it! So much nicer to drive, comfort, style and not to mention... rotary.

I look forward to driving it everyday!!

I also use mine as a daily driver... very costly but i will be getting a work van soon so i dont need to worry. But so far ive only had minor troubles, just got to keep up the regular servicing.


Good luck!

Dan (NZ)






P.S. Buy the RX7!! and RX8's are chicks cars