Im wondering if im crazy..... Anyone on here ever sold their FB to buy and FD and then later wish they had kept the FB? I have had alot of FB and FCs but have always prefered the FBs for some reason. Now that i have a FD i still find myself missing the FB. Maybe its just nostalgic?

 

I have heard this lament from multiple serial RX7 owners. There is nothing as visceral or as exciting as driving a 1st gen, period. Sure FCs handle better but they were EFI and had a dampened road feel. The FDs are very powerful and twin turbo with a very sexy body but the dependability suffered and its a bit heavier than a 1st gen. Each generation has its fans bit almost all of those fans will at some point want/miss a 1st gen.

 

yeap i bought a FD and it was my daily but my fav is a FB GSLSE so after 2 years i bought another FB GSLSE and it's my daily

 

 

I went from my 94 mod 626 to a 94 mod FD, and i kinda miss the 626. Though i still have her, she falls between the daily driver and the sunshine car =(
Must be nostalgia for sure x)

 

I have owned and driven all three generations of the Rx7 as well as old Rx2's. For me, only counting Rx7s. 1st gen is the coolest to own. 2nd gen is the best to build and drive. 3rd gen, best for weekend car or something to look at.

 

I think with the FB i felt like i could have more fun and enjoy it, With the FD im more worried because i feel like its way more valuable and I dont want to mess it up/devalue it. i treat it more like a museum and the FB i feel like i just had fun.

Maybe too ive idolized the FD for so long (since i was 15) so ive built up alot of expectations. (im 29 now)

 

i love your SE btw guerrero

 

. thanks

 

I've heard people discuss this phenomenon. Got an FD, wanted to go back to a FB.

I had a handful of cars past my FBs. I haven't owned a FB in a number of years now, but a little while ago I got a chance to drive a FB, and it made me realize a few things.

I do miss owning a FB. I don't miss the steering one bit.

Owning a RX-8 in particular showed how far we had come. Amazing chassis. Incredible steering. A 13B that starts every time, runs without issues, and doesn't need constant tinkering, and yet made more power than most existing n/a setups while passing emissions.

However, the FB in particular I felt so much better about driving the living snot out of it. If a really clean FB came across my path I wouldn't hesitate to get it. Don't get me wrong I drove both cars hard, but the FB could take punishment and it did it extremely well. It LIKED the punishment.

I suspect that when eventually one day I end up buying a FD, there's no way I'll feel ok driving it the way I drove the FB. I'd be to afraid of ******* it up, and that enlies the biggest problem. I will always miss the FB for that reason. I was an awesome car. Simple, easy to work on and reliable. Logically thought out. It felt raw when you drove it, like a giant go kart.

 

FD was my first rotary car. Still have it and love it. Bought a low mileage SA three years ago because I thought the early styling was cool, and I wanted the FIRST RX-7 and LAST RX-7 production models. Both have unique quirky differences, but both are incredible to drive!

 

Shawn (Turblown Sales Manager) and I talk about this all the time. He's since sold his FD and picked up an FB and Rx8 (I deem it as the best suspension to ever be on a RWD Mazda)... Not going to say it was because of my build, but I'm sure that helped.

 

I bought a GSL-SE 3 years ago and an FD this past summer. I was planning to sell the FB but so far I haven't been able to do it... the FB is just too much fun to drive around town, to work, and to the mountains on the weekends. Plus, it's reliable. At this point I think I'll have to keep both because I know I'll regret selling the FB too much

 

Reliable. key word.

I went from an FB to an FC to an FD and the one I miss the most is the FC. I used to drive it 5 hours to Buttonwillow racetrack, flog the crap out of it all weekend, drive it home, then use to to get to work the next week. Ride 'er hard and put er away wet.
No cutting out for no apparent reason (main wiring harness), no leaving me stranded (Buttonwillow + august = 100+ temps. ), no following a tow truck home. The FD has done all three of those to me and not on the same day.
It gets way more head turns and thumbs up, but at what cost?

As for the FB I was pretty young/broke and mine was a beater.

 

the FD is really cool in a lot of ways, but i just don't like driving it. its kind of a one trick pony, the way the sequential turbos deliver power is completely unique, but thats all the car does. had one from 99-2002, i was bored of it, and i'm still bored of it.

the FC has aged really well, it used to be a 944 derivative (its actually more like the Alfa Romeo Carabo), but in 2018 it really stands out, and just looks great. a stock one is really numb, its nice to drive, but you're not connected as a driver. i've had a bunch of FC's, but none have really been DD's

the 1st gen is just one of the best cars Mazda has ever made. the driver is connected to the car, which is the hallmark of all really great sports cars. it looks good, its reliable, practical, and for the most part its really simple. i used one as a DD from 1994-2007, and i miss it.

honorably mention is the Rx8, its like the 1st gen, but everything is better, stereo is better, ride is better, handling is better, but it still feels connected in the same way as the 1st gen. its simple (mostly built like a lego, early CAD), its practical, but less obviously so than the Rx7's. reliability isn't as good, and gas mileage is an issue. its too bad its 3000lbs instead of the 2400lbs it could have been, 2400lbs would have made it life changing, instead of meh. Ford insisted on meh, its what they do. i drove one from 2012-2016, don't miss it yet.

honorable mention #2, the NA miata. perhaps the spiritual successor to the 1st gen, indeed it borrows a few parts, its connected, reliable (in a piston engine car way, ie you have to rebuild half the car every 60k miles). its "simple", i find it as hard to work on as the FC, but there is less of it. gas mileage is great, practicality is not. parts are cheap, but you need all of them. overall its popular because its fundamentally good, and its easy.

 

Gordon, it was a pleasure chatting with you today. I look forward to working with you on this beautiful FB of yours and hopefully bringing your dreams to fruition.

Cheers,
Ryan (Gizmo)

 

I briefly had an FD and it was awesome, but something about the FB is just pure driving. Maybe the lack of driving assists or the fact that it feels like the car kind of wants to kill you if you **** up at the limit.

 

I first cut my teeth on an FB and then graduated to an FC. I got my FD in 2004 as a weekend car while I dailied my FC. During that time, I began to miss my FB and eventually got one in 2006; a GSLSE. So, for a few years, I owned all 3 generations. It was fun driving the FB around and it was easy to work on too. Sometimes, I would alternate 1 car per week. Despite all the fun I had with the FB, I had to sell it because of a cross-country move. Perhaps the rose colored glasses of nostalgia wore off and the $4/gal gas prices didn't help (around 2007/2008). In 2008, I lost my 1st FC after the hood kissed the roof. Boy, do I miss that car! I literally drove her from sea to shining sea. The FD is a thousand smiles per minute to drive but devilishly difficult to work on. Out of the 3 generations of RX-7, I prefer the FC as a daily driver. It has greater comfort for my passengers and a bit more interior room than the FB. I got my 2nd FC (vert) in 2012 and she is still in my stable. When I want to turn the amplifier up to 11, I then break out the FD!

Thanks to the OP for asking the question! And to Guerro, you have a well maintained FB & FD! I dig the Efini steering wheel on the FB. Thanks for sharing those photos!

Cheers,
George

 

My driving impression-

FB tries to kill you
FC tries to save you
FD tries to do what you input
FE tries to do what you want

 

I like your driving impression. Although some may argue that the FD tries to kill you...faster!

As a side note, is there a reason why the RX-8 is frequently referred as the SE3P and not FE from the VIN code? Could this be a carry over from the JDM chassis code?

Cheers,
George

 

 

lmao, that is a nice way to put it, i will add examples, ok?

FB, it does feel like that, but the last two cars i've built look like it, but actually understeer mildly. its surprising when you're P Port car doesn't brap, and then handles nicely, its less fun. the last GSL-SE i had was kind of a handful though, and you had to dance with it. i never spun it, but sideways was a regular occurrence. you'd turn in, and then turn out, knowing that it was going to try to come around. not the fastest way, but it was FUN.

FC; the FC always feel secure and planted, this is due to the remote feeling and TONS of rear toe in. this one night in my old T2 i did something stupid in a turn, and wound up spinning backwards into the bushes, it felt completely fine, there was no difference between taking a residential corner at 20mph, and spinning out...

FD: mine always felt like it was going to fall off the road, the FC feels numb, but the FD feels frantic (imo).

SE3P/FE: my first drive with an Rx8 was on the racetrack, and you can be totally ham fisted behind the wheel and the most that it does is pause, as if to say, did you really do that? and then it just does it. its amazing. the bridgestones it came on would get greasy after a lap or two, so it was fast and then you'd run out of grip, and then run out of track. backseat was filled with grass