1. rotaries do not lack for reliability. I have had several (n/a) cars that have exceeded 250,000 miles. My current affliction is an'83 FB with a 13b and some bolt on mods that has over 400k on the engine and I belive the chassis is around the 300k mark and it still outruns most anything I care to chase, though the chassis is in dire need of a complete rework.

2. The Rx-7 badge has won more races than just about any other, if I remember my history correctly. We have a lot to be proud of, in my mind anyway.

3. Yes the Rx will out handle most anything on the road, especially the FC and FD cars (2nd and 3rd gens.) I believe it was motor trend that did a comparison several years ago and of 50 or so cars listed only the Enzo Ferrari and the current Vette out handled the Rx, and the Vette only pulled a couple of tenths on the Rx-7's .87 G's (though the Enzo pulled a very impressive 1.44 G's)

4. Yes the rotary will compete with a V8 but they are more in the V6 range.


WARNING! I feel obliged to mention that rotaries are highly addictive! Consider yourself warned

Oh and just to give you an idea; I spent a little under 3k on my current Rx and I believe it would run a 12 or 13 in the quarter and will smoke just about anything on the open highway, but i should mention that the car was built with high speed cruising in mind NOT 1/4 mile times!

I definitely agree with Another7driver about waiting to buy one till you get to cali. For starters a 3k roadtrip requires a car you know well and have had plenty of time to crawl all over and thoroughly check out! I can't stress this enough, especially considering that you can't just pick up many of the parts that can fail under that kind of stress at your local autozone. You REALLY need to prep a car for that kind of drive, and not just oil, plugs, wires, filters, etc. Besides all that, central and southern cali are really good places to find well preserved cars!

Just my 2 cents ( or maybe 10 but you get the idea)

 

Yes.

The suspension geometry is built exactly like a racecar, which of course are optimized for handling over comfort. The negative camber gain in bump is most notable. The FD suspension is also highly adjustable through a full range useful settings, unlike a lot of other cars that need camber bolts or camber plates just to restore some camber after a slight drop. It also tolerates fairly wide tires (up to 9.5 and 10" wide) without a widebody. With the right sticky tires and a lowered optimized suspension can achieve some great lateral g's.

The FD chassis is also very well balanced, light weight, and has a low CG. About the only thing it doesn't have is the overall stiffness of some later cars.

Dave

 

Handling. well... my experience is limited to Gen 1's; but compared to muscle cars, any any other similar and reasonably higher price ranged sports car, I would venture to say the cornering and handling of an RX7 is exceedingly competitive, at least in my experience.

It's the best I have ever experienced.

 

drool..... (in amazement)

dood I go on ebay, craigstlist, etc everyday looking at the models that are on sale. (When I'm bored). Such nice cars. Ahhhhhhh

I need to get myself one xD

 

Get a good one
look after it and it will look after you
but get a second job to pay for the gas milage haha

i love mine, but man she's thirsty

 

When comparing reliability, think of it in terms of horsepower/displacement. My 350 made 350 horsepower or 1hp/cubic inch, it wasn't reliable, and it got 12 miles to the gallon. My stock rotary makes 1.5hp/cubic inch, gets 24 miles to the gallon, and is reliable. V8's are not rock solid reliable at 1.5 horsepower/cubic inch, and the mileage is bad due to excessive weight.

 

Chevy 350 V8 for clarification. I tore through two camshafts every year. it only revved to 5500 rpm before losing the cam/lifters. Higher rpm would have cost a lot more $ for a roller cam. My rotary was a good deal, and it can cruise the interstate without problems.

 

bump. i have a n/a 13b and its kinda runnin strong at 138k. it all depends on how u drive it . and whats funny bout that is the fc is my very first car. its very unique and recommend it. atkins rotaries are good for your diet! xD

 

after your first year of having one, put all your receipts together. i bet you it will look like donald trumps account !XD

 

+1 still in the early times of buyin mine. jsut got it maybe a month ago and hell i cant keep my foot outta the gas. gettin 17 mpg city is a lot! lmao. i