KHowe

I'm sorry if this is in the wrong place, or that I shouldn't be asking this, but I did search alot. I really want an FC, I've wanted one for a while, but now that I have the money, a quite knowledgable friend of mine has talked me out of it. His brother has a 10th AE that has run 2 months out of the 3 years he has owned it, and is going on his 3rd engine [First blew up, second was from Japan and didn't work], and that I will be getting involved in a moneypit. Since then I have been looking into a 240sx w/ SR20DET swap. I was just wondering if anyone can tell me that the FC isn't THAT bad before I go ahead and make a purchase. I just don't want to regret not buying the FC, but I also don't want a car that won't run right [ or not run at all ] most of the time! Thanks in advance, sorry for the newb question, but I DID search.

SonicRaT

iTrader: (6)

It all depends on what you know, and what the person you buy it from knows. If the previous owner is an asshat and doesn't know ****, obviously the poor car isn't going to be treated very well. If it's properly kept-up and has it's tune-ups/etc, the FC's are pretty reliable. If it's abused/ignored, well, then you are in for a hell of a time. And tell the person with the AE to do it right the first time, and you wouldn't go through 3 engines.

mwpayne

Well, the FC is a reliable car, assuming the one you buy had been well taken care of. Personally, I don't believe anyone should buy an RX-7 unless you enjoy tinkering, they do need maintenance and TLC. But, most of the folks on the forum will tell you that's half the fun of owning one. I've never enjoyed working on my vehicles until I bought a seven. Now, we've had as many as 5 in the family. They're not that hard to service, and you'll get all the help you need right here.
Do a search using the word 'reliable', or reliability', you'll get more info.

KHowe

Okay, thanks alot. I haven't found any in GREAT condition, so if I put a new motor in, I'd assume that would help alot as far as reliabilty/maintanace goes? Thanks again for the help and not flaming!

Imischeifin

Yesah, I would buy another one... I've got two, and next I'm gonna get a first gen. If you decide to get an FC, as if you were gonna buy any car, look it over real good. and take it to the dealer and get an inspection.

You can base the price you are going to pay on the problems, and the things you will have to replace soon... The suspension will most likely be going out (if it hasn't been replaced), paint, interior, Idle, bushings, clutch, if it is a turbo-mileage (Some last longer, but a rebuild will be in order for most turbo engines over 120-140K)

These may seem like a reason not to buy one, but any car in the 1986-91 range will need these things replaced shortly.

another thing to look for, (big problem in my head) S4(1986-1988) or S5(1989-1992). the Series 5 has a mouse belt system, which I hate, I think the S5 looks better, but the mouse belts would **** me off. I've got 'em in my 91 protege, and hit my head and choke myself all the time.

How much are you looking to spend, and what kind of options are you looking for?

Imischeifin

You probably won't find a new motor, There are many people who rebuild them. And with the help of this website (you won't find one as good for any other car) you can usually locate a good rebuilder in your area. There are also people that take NA shells (drivetrain can be good/bad, but a core will be needed) and change everything to a turbo model for relatively cheap. rebuilt TII motor, rebuilt TII tranny, TII rear end, TII differential.

There are a lot of knoweledgable people on this site and any problems you have, you will probably find that someone has asked it before, and there is already a good answer posted.

ImranQ

Hey there guys, I'm in a similar situation as the thread starter here. I am looking into purchasing a 1991 Mazda RX-7 here in SoCal. The car has 97k miles, auto, power everything. I read the "manual on purchasing an FC" but since I don't have much(any?) knowledge about the rotary engine I figured I would see if someone on here could help me out a bit before I make this investment. I did get him to do a compression check for me and the results were this: "compression check - 1=180; 2=175; 3=155; 4=160." Now, I have NO idea what that means. I am assuming he was using a standard gauge, correct? The guy who is selling the car isn't a street racer or anything, and in fact, he doesn't even know whether his car is a turbo or non-turbo. I am not purchasing the car for race purposes either, just as a solid daily driver. Exterior wise and interior wise the car looks to be in very good condition, especially for a 13 year old car, but none of that will matter if the engine is going to start acting up. Also, I am hoping that it is a non-turbo because I assume that like other car models that have a turbo/non-turbo like the MK3 Supra, a non-turbo will give me far less problems than a turbo. I am going to check out the car tommorow and then I will see if it's a turbo or not after I look under the hood.

Can any of you rotary/FC experts help me out on what I should be looking for to make sure this engine is in solid shape? Is purchasing an auto, non-turbo FC with 97k miles a solid investment for a student looking for a daily driver? Thanks for any help guys, I appreciate it. Oh yes, and sorry for "thread-jacking" you here bro, but hopefully both of us end up getting an FC!

drft_180sx

I was in the same position as you imranQ and the original poster. Firstly, look until you find one that you feel is in proper shape and proper trim (manual tranny, NA or turbo).

A car with problems when you buy it probably has more problems than you orginally thought. Look for one that was well maintained. I suck at english lol.

I was gonna buy a 240sx myself, but thank god the car died on my when i test drove it. One day out of curiousity i checked craigslist and found what is my car today, a 1988 GXL (NA). The 240sx is nice but with prices on that car skyrocketing like it did at the time, the rx7 offered more rarity and nicer lines (my opinion, anyway).

The thing was that , the previous owner told me the brakes were performing poorly and that was the reason for selling it. I bought it for 1500 dollars. Since then I had to put in both front rebuilt calipers/pads. The rear calipers are stuck as well (on one side). The exhuast had a leak, wheel bearings, tires, various tune up items. In the end I spend about 2700 dollars for a daily driven (about 70miles each way). I guess the point of the story is, i guess there is no point, but since i wrote so much i don't plan on deleting it now.

Just make sure that you save some money to fix stuff, cause youll have to, that's the way with all old cars. Look until you find what satisfies you. BTW the 2nd Gen RX7 has a great interior and exterior look, IMHO.

KHowe

Thanks again for the help guys, I got what I was hoping for, positive answers to persuade me towards an FC. Thanks a million.

inflatablepets

First thing, I wouldn't consider getting an auto trans in the car.
Those compression numbers are way off. Someone os feeding you a line of BS or they have no clue on how to check the compression. Do a search on checking the compression and print that out. Take it to the owner of the car and check the compression with him(her). It sounds like the owner is not knowlegable about RX-7 s either. I really don't think that you want an N/A auto car. If this is going to be your daily driver and main transportation then I'd look for some other car. Not an RX-7. Mine has been very reliable since the engine swap, but think of how old the car is and just know this. Cars break, especially older ones.

ImranQ

Thanks for the response inflatablepets. Yeah, I think he didn't know how to check the compression. When I said "daily driver" I was losing the term "loosely." Daily driving for me is like 20-30 miles TOTAL. I know when most people say daily driver they mean they travel 70-100 miles a day, but I won't get anywhere near there. I understand that old cars are more prone to need fixing, but I'm hoping I can find a older car that won't require work every other week. I don't mind occassional problems and what not, but I just don't want to buy the car and then 2 weeks later find out I have to rebuild the engine.

I do have to ask why you don't think I should purchase an N/A auto RX-7? From everything I have heard/been told, buying an N/A auto RX-7 is a MUCH better idea than purchasing a turbo auto/manual. Generally, don't the N/A's require less "fixing up" than the turbo? Wouldn't there be less chances of the engine giving me problems if it was an N/A turbo? And since the car "only" has 97k miles, I'm hoping that as long as I don't run it hard(which I don't plan on doing), it should last me awhile before needing any serious work. Am I hoping for something totally unrealistic when it comes to the FC RX-7's? Also, the Carfax report I got on the car looked very good. Thanks for your help so far guys, any other opinions would be appreciated also.