RX7 owners, how did you choose which gen?
 

I really like the FD's styling, however, I also find the FC to be fairly nice in its own way. Out of curiosity, how did ya'll go about choosing which one you wanted to own? I have the option of choosing either, but I hear the FC's had some troubles that the FD's did not (still researching that by the way, there's a lot of data here that I'm slowly sifting through)

I would love an fd but the s5 turbo is a solid second for me when taking cost into consideration. With fd prices going like they are the fc starts to look appealing in comparison. I would recommend going after the one you want most. The fb has charm similar to a miata in my mind.

You will get the good and the bad of the rotary experience with any of them.

I picked an FD for the 'obvious' reasons: Styling and Speed. The style really worked for me, though it is personal. (and my wife liked it too!) It is the fastest of the RX7's, also the most complicated. If starting fresh, I would look for a model without a sunroof for more headroom without a helmet.

Style was a major factor, not just exterior but interior. I just knew that if i went with an FC and went ahead with my plans I wouldve regretted not waiting to get a FD, so I waited and finally found one in my price that I could build.

I just wanted a car that looked like a Porsche, why else?

Nah, I knew the FC was inexpensive, good looking, and could be had turbocharged- so I grabbed one.

FC Turbo if you can't afford an FD. FB if you're old and your friend's dad had one in high school. Also FB if you only have $1,000 and want something that'll actually get decent fuel mileage (compared to the others) and remain reliable and simple.

you heard An FD has no troubles ?..
you need your ears tested..lol!

I find the FD parts are more expensive then FC stuff,so I keep my sights within the FC realm.
I mean it's nice if you can get a running FD and put minimal finances into it,but then again you gotta realize that these cars are not exactly the "car of the year" and dependable is Just another word for Grandma's flexable diaper..(wait for it....hahahaha!)

Fc's are easy to work with in my opinion and you can swap some funky engines into them if you get bore with the taco powerplant.
FD's seem to have some weird wiring stuff going on with the dash/speedo/tach and that sort of scares me into having to deal with it IF I ever got one.

You'll get 6 of one and half a dozen opinions on what to get but only YOU can decide.

I chose the FD over the FC due to the speed and quite honestly I stumbled onto the deal of a lifetime when I got my car. Friend of a friend originally wanted 16k then 6 months later he took 8500 :) still want an FC but with a LS1 as a daily. For me it came down to speed and price but the styling is a huge plus!

I think you misread what I typed. I said the FC had some problems the FD did not, not that the FD had no problems at all. I know they have issues, plenty in fact.

That said, I appreciate you posting your thoughts.

I would easily take a TII FC or an FD. I chose the FD because where I live, England, finding an FC is damn near impossible. Plus I've wanted an FD since I was a kid and drove one in Gran Turismo :)
But, as everyone else has said, it's all up to personal preference. Go with what gives you that kid in a candy store feeling.

That would likely be the FD then, I just love the lines on the FD, but the FC seems to be easier to find where I'm at. It'll be another year though I think before I can build up the $$$'s to even afford one though.

About the FB thing, if you want the lightest car to make an easy racecar, but one. Got passed numerous times by an FB at the track back in October.

In my opinion, and I want stress this is my opinion, I'm not trying to state it as fact...

To me, there is zero discussion. Budget aside, (and he says he can afford either so you have to assume budget isn't an issue) you cannot even compare the FD and the FC.

Think of absolutely any measurable or subjective aspect of the car; styling, handing, power, prestige - the FD will come out ahead every single time.

The true question is what's the most important thing to you?

If you want the fastest thing you can possibly own, then get a 1st gen and do a V8 swap, or a 13-B swap. That's the lightest and simplest and thus probably the easiest to make the fastest.

If you desire the best "all-rounder" than to me, you can't possibly overlook the FD. It is head and shoulders the best RX-7 ever created.

/thread ;)

Nick

i love the first gen. love the style. quick and nimble.

the fd is newer and also the sequential twin turbo system and also the styling, not as "boxy".

I "chose" the FC first because of budget, spent a bunch of money on it and then later also got an FD as well.

Then I got an FE (RX-8) as well because it was so damn cheap!

Check out the RX-8s. They are FC TII price and their parts are pretty cheap/plentiful too, but they are a newer Mazda with a brilliant chassis and very practical.

I didn't like RX-8s at all until I got one; now I think they are great. Just needs more power and better gas mileage (but what stock rotary doesn't).

RX7's, regardless of year always seemed to be on the tasteful leading edge of styling. I bought a new FB in 1981. There was nothing else like it on the road...and I'm not just talking about the engine. It was light and quicker than the 280ZX, TR8's and 914s of the day...so I chose it.
Never owned an FC, but it wasn't because I didn't want one. Just had a new wife, new mortgage and doing what I needed to do...which included telling myself no from time to time.
Eventually bought the FD for the EXACT same reasons as the FB, unique but beautiful styling and performance. What else is there?

make a list of the characteristics or you're looking for and pit the FC vs. the FD on paper, then see which one hits more marks for you. since you said you can afford either one, then it can be that simple.

for me, when i think Rx-7, it's a no-brainer ... the one that comes to mind is the FB. there was never really a decision to be made. the SAs and FBs were all over the streets (and local races), so even though the FCs did exist (and i probably couldn't afford one at the time), it didn't matter. i didn't want them. the FD did not yet exist at the time, so it was never a factor.

When it's not on stands in the garage broken, then sure.

Also important to remember that the FD is possibly the most unreliable car ever made.

Ridiculous turbo system, inadequate cooling system, EFI system that can't deal with any increase in airflow, ASTs that crack, cats up in the engine bay that bake everything, plastic intercooler piping that inflates and cracks, intercooler end tanks that crack, rads that crack, multiple cooling fan recalls.

LOL - yeah but we got all that figured out now man! Look every FD owner wants their car to be as reliable as a Honda Civic but let's face it -- if you want high performance, it comes at a price.

Having said that, I understand that you can find similar performance with more reliability in some other cars. But, again there's something very special about owning these cars, we all know it.

This discussion is about which generation RX-7 to buy, so of the three, the FD is still the clear winner, to me.

Nick

I don't have a rx 7 right now, but I do own another of mazda's masterpieces, the CX 7. In 2006 I bought one of the first AWD GT's one the east coast. I've gotten nearly 100,000 miles without a major failure only because of religious maintenance and blackstone labs oil analysis.
Turbo failures, timing chains, accessory drive failures, and D.I. carbon build problems have reduced this cars reputation and resale to garbage.
But when its running its a fantastic experience, the awd system and transmission are head and shoulders above my other car a '12 acura TSX, a car that should benefit from six years of advances in technology .
If the fd was available new today, I would consider one, but it seems a poor choice as a used vehicle at the prices that are being asked. Unless purchased from a knowledgeable enthusiast who had a substantial budget its probably going to end up as an expensive lesson without a running car at the end.

I also wouldn't say it was the "best" RX7 either. There's too much subjectivity in that and I loved my FB.
But raising the BS flag on most unreliable. That term brings visions of British and Italian cars of the same era...even some Porsches.
All of the issues you cited for the FD can be eliminated or modified (which nearly all RX7 owners do anyway regardless of generation) to get reliability on par with previous gens... and way more reliable than factory. Then you end up with a car that far out performs the others and without the need to increase air flow. And if market valuations are any indication... is also far more sought after. After 13 years and ~ 80k miles mine has never left me on the side of the road.

Of course, when one fixes all the problems that make a car unreliable, then it is no longer unreliable.

It's a bit like old school V8 owners saying how much power their big block makes, and how the Chevy big block it is such a superior platform encompassing budget, reliability, and power. Then they rattle off the build sheet which includes aftermarket block, aftermarket pistons, rods, crank, valves, cam, lifters, bearings, timing chain, oil pump, etc....So, uh, how is the Chevy big block all those points? Looks to me like this engine is made entirely of aftermarket parts that happen to share Chevy bolt patterns. ;)

The FD, as it comes from the factory, defines "unreliable".

Does that make it a bad car? Not to the enthusiast population.

But is it the "best" RX-7...That's subjective. Personally I've never purchased an FD as I much prefer FCs and SAs. I looked at one this past summer at a dealer lot but he would not budge from the $25K he was asking for a '93 automatic, bone stock, with 80K on the clock. At 80K I'd be looking at the highly likely possibility of replacing turbos, vacuum hoses, solenoids, plumbing, rad, AST, interior plastic, deity knows what else.

And when one fixes the lack of performance in the FC, it performs. ;)
It's all where you choose to spend the time I guess.

In 1988 I bought a new FC because..., well, it was the only new RX-7 at the time.

Later on I bought a used FB so that I could practice racing. It was a LOT of fun to drive, although the steering was a little mushy. I ended up selling it later when I moved because parts were getting hard to find and it would have been extremely difficult for it to pass emissions testing in my new location.

I bought a used FC convertible in 2008 because I wanted the wheels for my other FC. Since it worked just fine and it was pretty fun to drive I decided to just drive it until the engine blew. The darn thing still works, and I have driven it round-trip half way across the country 7 times now. Best $1,000 that I ever spent. The only bad thing is that I still need new wheels for my other FC, lol.

My brother bought an FD back in the 1990s because it looked neat, which it certainly did. It hurt his back and was always in the shop getting fixed, and that was when it was only a few years old. I can only imagine how unreliable it would be 20 years later. I am not ever buying one of those.

The FC has some problems that the FD does not, but the FD has many more problems. Therefore, if you like problems, then the FD is your best choice by far.