I've been going through analyzing the costs and pros/cons of each option for a complete suspension refresh on an FD and thought I'd share my research and get everyone's feedback:

Option 1: Buy all OEM bushings and replace everything
pros: OEM, NVH is lowest, keep the 1980s era mechanical stability control design (could be a con)
cons: EXPENSIVE, high labor costs, still needs new front arms due to the unserviceable ball-joints, rear bushings will still bind
Costs: ~$3k for all OEM bushings + $1200 for front lower control arms (or more, but currently they're about $600/each) + labor (~$2kish)
Total: $6k-ish




Option 2: Buy SuperPro Polyurethane Bushings and replace everything
(Why SuperPro vs others: )
pros: much cheaper bushing cost, lasts longer than OEM, easier to install
cons: removing old bushings still sucks, increased NVH (apparently mild), still need to replace front arms. Some extra complexity if you get the eccentric bushings.
Cost: $670 for a kit from SuperPro + $1200 for front arms + labor ($2kish or less)
Total: $4k-ish

Option 3: Buy replacement suspension arms with pre-fit bushings (typically pillowball) / Hybrid approach (use bushings for the front and some of the rear)
pros: better performance in the rear, removal of mechanical traction control system (could be a con)
cons: aftermarket, increased NVH (note: I would recommend poly or OEM diff bushings due to extreme NVH from solid mounts), if you buy cheaper heim jointed arms they'll rust out in ~2-3 years
Cost: $300 - $670 for diff bushings & partial front/rear bushings where you don't replace arms + $1200 for OEM front lower control arms + labor (let's say $1k due to time saved) + $1750 arm cost (SuperNow for reference)
Note: You can save ~30% by going with the cheapo 2 piece heim joints / ebay arms that won't last as long
Rear toe control upper arms: $450 (set)
Rear toe control lower arms: $300 (set)
Rear lower long arms: $1000 (set)
Front Bushings + Rear upper arm bushings: ~$670 for the same SuperPro kit, but you only use half + diff bushings
Parts Shop Max has front control arms, but they're kind of involved with the installation and cost quite a bit more, so I'm skipping them for now.
Total: $4620 or so (maybe you could vary it by ~$300 if you buy only the necessary SuperPro bushings individually / resell unused ones).

There's also cheaper new/old-stock SuperPro kits direct from Australia for around $450 shipped internationally, so for Options 2 and 3 you could reduce the cost by a further $200 if you choose those (https://tinyurl.com/4msus8tc)

Overall I might be overstating the labor savings on option #3 since you're only saving time on 3 sets of arms, but I guess if you were able to find OEM arms for reasonable prices and replace everything then it could be ~$1k cheaper than a bushing job.

What do you guys think? Getting new arms in the rear is less expensive than I thought, and if I can buy just the bushings individually that I need and save potentially 50% vs a full kit, I think that might push me over the edge in deciding for option #3. Option #1, pure OEM, just seems way too expensive and with too many drawbacks.

 

I went for OEM.
For poly you should really have a bearing sleeve to avoid creaking.

 

Poly bushings are not a wise street-car choice
Stock bushings rarely fail
$2K for like new arms REAR CONTROL ARMS with NEW Pillows - RX7Club.com - Mazda RX7 Forum