I been looking at online reviews of the car and the general consensus is that its an amazing car.... buuuuuut its very high maintenance. i dont mind working on the car on my own but i wanted to know HOW MUCH money (annually) it costs yall to maintain it. i understand if you keep it in good health and do your job as a owner to maintain its health itll be good but even if you do do that it still comes with a cost and that is what i wanted to know it doesnt have to be exact just a rough estimate.

another question i got is financially in the long run would it be better to just get an ls swapped rx7 or is the maintenance low enough cost that that wouldnt matter

 

It's a terrible decision, financially to own an rx7. That's just plain and simple.

You have to ask yourself what the reason for you wanting to own one is. If you're already asking yourself if buying an LS swapped car is better/lower maintenance than a rotary car I think you need to reflect what you're really after.

At this point, ownership of these aging cars is more about passion and less about being logical.

 

I really just prefer the body of it and would want to cosmetically change it a bit. when it comes to the internal i could care less of if its a rotary or not. I would PREFER a LS but if the maintainence of a rotary is low enough i wouldnt mind throwing away time and money to repair or maintain it. which is why i would like just a rough number of what it would cost for a rx7 with fair engine health.

 

Unless you get one that's been regularly maintained, driven, and updated by a resourceful and meticulous owner, you're not going to find yourself in a 'maintain it at regular intervals and enjoy it' situation. And getting a car like that obviously costs a premium.

Then there's the more likely scenario - taking an FD that's seemingly in fine condition because it sat for a long time or was hardly driven. That car is guaranteed to end up needing all kinds of work once it starts getting driven regularly but no one can tell you when or how much it's going to be. Various seals, hoses, bushings, lines, plastic, electrical gremlins from corrosion or capacitors leaking are all going to rear their heads and there won't be any cadence or predictability about it. And almost none of it is cheap. Taking one of these cars from a sedentary existence to an active one is very expensive and unpredictable. No getting around it.

Asking this question suggests some things about your situation so strictly going off that I'd recommend pursuing the LS route if you're committed to this, as anyone who's gone through the trouble of swapping the engine has more than likely been forced to deal with other common issues related to age, so the car overall is likely to be in a condition that throws you fewer surprises. (this assumes they actually cared for the car and it wasn't simply a hack job)

 

I've had these cars for years. If you drive and take care of the car, along with the basic reliability mods, you will be perfectly fine. I'm in AZ and you are welcome to chat anytime.

 

thank you. I believe i made up my mind and i believe im gonna do it. ive got the money i just need one to appear within a reasonable price and distance

 

Something not asked... are you planning on daily driving it? Are you going to track it? If so/not, what kind of annual mileage are you looking at? I spend basically nothing maintaining mine annually, but i also have only put 3000 miles in 4.5 years...

 

+1, maintenance on mine has been really cheap, but i only drive it ~1000miles a year or so. we're talking like 2-3 oil changes, and and air filter. $100.
ok, in 2023 i did the clutch hydraulics, fuel filter, and the shifter bushings, and boots. also a FEED exhaust for like $1000 and an Re-Amemyia wing $450
in 2024 i did engine and trans mounts, and a set of really great endless brake pads, like $500. also an HKS turbo for $520

so i've spent a lot, but most of it was on silly stuff i wanted when i was a kid

 

@luroah what did you get and how's it going?

 

I now spend $100 a year on my rx7, oops sorry I forgot about the $130 for registration. I spend way more on my daily driver. Change the oil and let it sit in the garage. Drive it around every couple of weeks. Take it to the drift track a few times a year.

Thats after rebuilding a t2 engine, replacing the drivetrain with a t2, new suspension, new brakes, rebuilt wiper switch, rewiring the entire car from a donor car with 80k. Add all the other performance stuff. I joke with my wife thinking the only parts I haven’t changed are the headlight motor, sunroof, doors, passenger seat & wiper motor. It’s an old car, not sure what else to expect.

 

It's been low cost for my car for the last 10 years until 2 months ago I popped my engine on the track. I average about 3k miles a year and I do 1 track day a year. I recently blew the engine and it was my fault(low fuel slush). Feel free to check videos of the car on Arrivendrive You tube channel. Feel free to ask me any questions

 

Y'all need to drive your cars more.

 

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