Are they worth it?
03-29-02, 07:33 PM
#1
Are they worth it?
Ive been reading theses posts..and it doesnt seem to me, that these cars are really worth all the money and trouble. But, to clarify myself, I woiuld like to gather some opinions..please tell me if, gas expenses, engine problems, body problems, and other stuff on he car that costs money is really worth to have for a first car.
Thanks, i know im asking a lot of questions lately
you guys rock
PLEASE GIVE EXAMPLES ON WHY/WHY NOT!
Thanks, i know im asking a lot of questions lately
you guys rockPLEASE GIVE EXAMPLES ON WHY/WHY NOT!
Last edited by j a r o d; 03-29-02 at 07:43 PM.
03-29-02, 07:50 PM
#6
Rotary Father
Gee, is it worth the extra cost to have one of the few cars on the road with a rotary engine?
RX-7s are rolling works of art, the engineering which gave rise to these cars is beyond the grasp of most people. They are like an abstact or impressionistic painting....only a select few will understand the simply beauty and the beautiful simplicity of our cars. I say, one should not take cost into consideration in matters of the RX-7. Time devoted to the upkeep of such a vehicle is very well spent, as is the money involved.
The Rotary engine demands attention and respect. If you so much as think you don't have the devotion which is called for, you would be better off not bothering with a 7. But if you want to help preserve a fine and soon to be historic vehicle, and you have the dedication....you will be very pleased with your choice to adopt one of these fine machines.
You will get out of your car, exactly what you put into it.
(sorry if I sounded a little queer)
RX-7s are rolling works of art, the engineering which gave rise to these cars is beyond the grasp of most people. They are like an abstact or impressionistic painting....only a select few will understand the simply beauty and the beautiful simplicity of our cars. I say, one should not take cost into consideration in matters of the RX-7. Time devoted to the upkeep of such a vehicle is very well spent, as is the money involved.
The Rotary engine demands attention and respect. If you so much as think you don't have the devotion which is called for, you would be better off not bothering with a 7. But if you want to help preserve a fine and soon to be historic vehicle, and you have the dedication....you will be very pleased with your choice to adopt one of these fine machines.
You will get out of your car, exactly what you put into it.
(sorry if I sounded a little queer)
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03-29-02, 08:03 PM
#9
Rotary Father
Look, just pretend it's a female. Don't expect any problems, but always be ready to accept a setback and take it in-stride. Don't let the little things bother you. And most importantly..........PREVENTATIVE MANTAINENCE. A few extra bux here and there will save you from a major problem in the long run. Always plan ahead, and when you go to sleep at night, thank God you don't have a valve-train.
03-29-02, 09:07 PM
#10
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You're not going to find a high performance vehicle that is not high maintenance. But as for regard to demands and rewards, it could go like this:
You could pick up a Chevy Camaro and then have simple things go wrong, fix them easy, and have a car that takes ten seconds to get to sixty on a good day and tops out at 115.
You could pick up a Z8 BMW, new, and pay an assload for it, and an assload for things that aren't on warrenty.
You could pick up a used Corvette, and have very expensive things go wrong with it from time to time. You could also pay 25K + for a used Chevy Corv in "good" condition that expects a lot out of you.
Or you could buy this snooty little sports car for 3K that goes almost as fast as most Corvettes, but has high amounts of maintenance. Chances are, the things that will go wrong will need cheap replacements and then not have to be fixed again. The engine can be replaced, through the right channels, for the same price as a good condition V8, cheaper than a new V8. It's not harder to do than any other engine, and the rest of the car demands as much as any other car. Meanwhile, you have something that is an engineering/manuevering miracle that can do amazing things right out of the box, and then takes even more mods than this following comparison:
An Eclipse--good first time for a sports car, right? Not really. A "new", cheap Eclipse, this thing is pricey. (My friend bought the lowest model avaliable, used, for fourteen K) A basic model is not a sportscar, either. It's an inline four, it is heavy as a third gen Camaro, performs like a Ford Escort, and is a lot more uncomfortable than the RX-7's cockpit. Pop the hood and you find the engine management of a minivan, and post warrenty fixes are designed to only be handled by the dealer, and are very very very expensive. If you buy a turboed fourbanger, high end Eclipse, it's going to cost you, it will still have to fight like hell to ward off a very very basic RX-7, and it will manuever like a Ford Escort in a hurricane.
And a good example of why *we* don't drive Eclipses is because our cars have all the *good* Mistubishi parts (alternator, etc).
Hard to get parts for this car? Not really. But that doesn't make it any less rare, anything else like a collectable. There is only one rotary powered sports car, and it performs like a steroid Porsche.
For a basic, basic car that performs like a modded out, high end Eclipse? Take the RX-7... mod it out, get it up to 160. Kiss those fourth generation Camaros goodbye, drag the Beemers, and watch those smoozing Corvette drivers struggle with their cellphones and sun glasses as they try to figure out just what the hell you're driving.
You could pick up a Chevy Camaro and then have simple things go wrong, fix them easy, and have a car that takes ten seconds to get to sixty on a good day and tops out at 115.
You could pick up a Z8 BMW, new, and pay an assload for it, and an assload for things that aren't on warrenty.
You could pick up a used Corvette, and have very expensive things go wrong with it from time to time. You could also pay 25K + for a used Chevy Corv in "good" condition that expects a lot out of you.
Or you could buy this snooty little sports car for 3K that goes almost as fast as most Corvettes, but has high amounts of maintenance. Chances are, the things that will go wrong will need cheap replacements and then not have to be fixed again. The engine can be replaced, through the right channels, for the same price as a good condition V8, cheaper than a new V8. It's not harder to do than any other engine, and the rest of the car demands as much as any other car. Meanwhile, you have something that is an engineering/manuevering miracle that can do amazing things right out of the box, and then takes even more mods than this following comparison:
An Eclipse--good first time for a sports car, right? Not really. A "new", cheap Eclipse, this thing is pricey. (My friend bought the lowest model avaliable, used, for fourteen K) A basic model is not a sportscar, either. It's an inline four, it is heavy as a third gen Camaro, performs like a Ford Escort, and is a lot more uncomfortable than the RX-7's cockpit. Pop the hood and you find the engine management of a minivan, and post warrenty fixes are designed to only be handled by the dealer, and are very very very expensive. If you buy a turboed fourbanger, high end Eclipse, it's going to cost you, it will still have to fight like hell to ward off a very very basic RX-7, and it will manuever like a Ford Escort in a hurricane.
And a good example of why *we* don't drive Eclipses is because our cars have all the *good* Mistubishi parts (alternator, etc).
Hard to get parts for this car? Not really. But that doesn't make it any less rare, anything else like a collectable. There is only one rotary powered sports car, and it performs like a steroid Porsche.
For a basic, basic car that performs like a modded out, high end Eclipse? Take the RX-7... mod it out, get it up to 160. Kiss those fourth generation Camaros goodbye, drag the Beemers, and watch those smoozing Corvette drivers struggle with their cellphones and sun glasses as they try to figure out just what the hell you're driving.
03-29-02, 09:18 PM
#11
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Oh wait, I have a few more considerations.
What about other comparisons? Those original competitors that were up against this car when it was new:
De Lorean. Sweet if you've got one, I wish I did. But this thing *is* impossible to fix up, mod, or get above 140, or under $15K
Datsun 280/300zx. Fastest one is as fast as us, but can't handle the corners. Basic 280 ZXs will handle like a Jeep and accelerate like a minivan. Maintenance is a nightmare on any Nissan.
Porsches from the past: Pricey. And as foriegn as your car is. Furthermore, a fair amount of past Porsche buyers are wooed to the darkest of the dark by the (914, 944?) that has the Volkswagen engine that is only so so for Porches anyway.
Dodge Stealth: It will put up a fight, but not always win.
Dodge Datoyna: Pff.
Ford Thunderbird: Ha.
What about other comparisons? Those original competitors that were up against this car when it was new:
De Lorean. Sweet if you've got one, I wish I did. But this thing *is* impossible to fix up, mod, or get above 140, or under $15K
Datsun 280/300zx. Fastest one is as fast as us, but can't handle the corners. Basic 280 ZXs will handle like a Jeep and accelerate like a minivan. Maintenance is a nightmare on any Nissan.
Porsches from the past: Pricey. And as foriegn as your car is. Furthermore, a fair amount of past Porsche buyers are wooed to the darkest of the dark by the (914, 944?) that has the Volkswagen engine that is only so so for Porches anyway.
Dodge Stealth: It will put up a fight, but not always win.
Dodge Datoyna: Pff.
Ford Thunderbird: Ha.
03-29-02, 09:46 PM
#12
JumpyRoo,
You have been the most helpful on my questions I have asked. However, this on comment bothered me some;
My brother, moderator @ www.freshalloy.com has an '84 Nissan 300zx (base model I think)
I think it depends on who has had the car that decides the amount of maintenance. Though it has 165k, my brother hasn't had to do a thing to it, and it runs like a new car. Solid, powerful and sleek. Now I wonder if I can trust all of your other answers. I hope I can. They are very convincing
You have been the most helpful on my questions I have asked. However, this on comment bothered me some;
Maintenance is a nightmare on any Nissan
I think it depends on who has had the car that decides the amount of maintenance. Though it has 165k, my brother hasn't had to do a thing to it, and it runs like a new car. Solid, powerful and sleek. Now I wonder if I can trust all of your other answers. I hope I can. They are very convincing
03-29-02, 10:18 PM
#13
Rattle can retard
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It's worth it to me just because when I explained what a rotory engine was to the guys at work they were totaly incapable of grasping the concept. And now my supervisor always asks me how my triangles are doing. I laugh at that poor bastard every time too.
03-29-02, 10:34 PM
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First of all, it's just a bad idea to pick and choose advice, especially based on whether or not I insulted the manufactures of your brother's car. Openly questioning my "trust" is a little unnessecary.
I have worked on two, not just one, 280 ZX's *extensively* and they are obtusely complicated. Based on the fact that your brother's car has not *needed* maintenance, and based on the fact that he nor you has *done* maintenance on it, it's reasonable to assume that you don't have much experience on the maintenance itself. I don't mean to sound rude, but just because a car runs well doesn't mean that working on it when it *isn't* running well is easy. In fact, the complications in Datsuns/Nissans are partially responsible for them working as well as other Japanese cars.
But in a car as techno-obsessed as an early eighties Z car, you're going to find things like massive chipboards, ridiculous amounts of bulky wiring harnesses, a cluttered engine compartment, etc. Granted, my friend's turbo ran great until he ran it into a van, and now it's a maze of primative circuitry that looks like it was old sixties technology shined up and crammed into an early eighties car and called cutting edge. I mean, it's cool that Datsun offered a "digital dash" that you can basically plug into the wiring harnesses instead of having to buy a whole new dash, but yeah, the bracketing and wiring and stuff in that car, just so much more complicated than a Rex.
Meanwhile, I stick my hand inside the dashboard of various RX-7s and find lots of open space.
I have worked on two, not just one, 280 ZX's *extensively* and they are obtusely complicated. Based on the fact that your brother's car has not *needed* maintenance, and based on the fact that he nor you has *done* maintenance on it, it's reasonable to assume that you don't have much experience on the maintenance itself. I don't mean to sound rude, but just because a car runs well doesn't mean that working on it when it *isn't* running well is easy. In fact, the complications in Datsuns/Nissans are partially responsible for them working as well as other Japanese cars.
But in a car as techno-obsessed as an early eighties Z car, you're going to find things like massive chipboards, ridiculous amounts of bulky wiring harnesses, a cluttered engine compartment, etc. Granted, my friend's turbo ran great until he ran it into a van, and now it's a maze of primative circuitry that looks like it was old sixties technology shined up and crammed into an early eighties car and called cutting edge. I mean, it's cool that Datsun offered a "digital dash" that you can basically plug into the wiring harnesses instead of having to buy a whole new dash, but yeah, the bracketing and wiring and stuff in that car, just so much more complicated than a Rex.
Meanwhile, I stick my hand inside the dashboard of various RX-7s and find lots of open space.
03-29-02, 10:36 PM
#17
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The triangles are called rotors, and the seals at the tips of each triangle are called apex seals, since that point is called the apex.
But there's a mod company out there called Apexi. Don't know much about them, though.
But there's a mod company out there called Apexi. Don't know much about them, though.
03-29-02, 10:36 PM
#19
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I like the comment "If it wasn't worth it, would I be here?"
that goes for all of us.
General maintenance is no more than your average 14 year old sports car. Just fewer people know about this particular powerplant so the fun and enticing challenge is to learn about it yourself. That's who we are here, and what we do. And there are experts and beyond who are very active members of this community. There are a few very active yahoo email groups (fc3s_org and RXTech come to mind). The help and knowledge is here.
Do you want to go fast in a straight line?
Do you want to go fast around turns?
Do you want to look good doing both?
Are you going to change the oil every 3000-5000 miles?
If you want to modify your car:
Can you go without a running vehicle for a week? Two weeks? A month?
Are you afraid of lifting the hood and finding out what the hell all those spinning things and tubes are?
This car can be super reliable if you are a reliable owner. It's cheaper than most sports cars of it's age, way higher performance than anything close to it's price range.
Lastly... the sound. NOTHING comes close to the sound of a rotary winding out except maybe an 88 BMW M6 but thats a different matter altogether.
What other cars are you considering? That would help us do a comparison.
that goes for all of us.
General maintenance is no more than your average 14 year old sports car. Just fewer people know about this particular powerplant so the fun and enticing challenge is to learn about it yourself. That's who we are here, and what we do. And there are experts and beyond who are very active members of this community. There are a few very active yahoo email groups (fc3s_org and RXTech come to mind). The help and knowledge is here.
Do you want to go fast in a straight line?
Do you want to go fast around turns?
Do you want to look good doing both?
Are you going to change the oil every 3000-5000 miles?
If you want to modify your car:
Can you go without a running vehicle for a week? Two weeks? A month?
Are you afraid of lifting the hood and finding out what the hell all those spinning things and tubes are?
This car can be super reliable if you are a reliable owner. It's cheaper than most sports cars of it's age, way higher performance than anything close to it's price range.
Lastly... the sound. NOTHING comes close to the sound of a rotary winding out except maybe an 88 BMW M6 but thats a different matter altogether.
What other cars are you considering? That would help us do a comparison.
03-29-02, 10:44 PM
#20
WEll, none accually..thats why i want you guys to keep saying posative things about them, or ill just get a ford pick up..something i dont want..but can get..
honda-sucks
nissan-bro has one, he doesnt like me to copy him
toyota- never really liked these folks
kia-HHAHAHAHAHHA
hyundai-wtf
yugo-maybe
volvo-i only like to say the name real retarded-like
subaru-too expensive
not much for american cars..too expensive..
honda-sucks
nissan-bro has one, he doesnt like me to copy him
toyota- never really liked these folks
kia-HHAHAHAHAHHA
hyundai-wtf
yugo-maybe
volvo-i only like to say the name real retarded-like
subaru-too expensive
not much for american cars..too expensive..
03-29-02, 10:47 PM
#21
You guys have to understand this
"im not the average punk kid that walks in here with the name "Pimpsta"
I'm not buying this car to impress anyone but myself. I have been a car enthusiast for many a year, and im not about to stop..my passion for driving started at age 3 when i made motor sounds and drove my hotwheels around my house..and now, that passion is at its peak..
so dont look at me like a "Pimpsta"
-thanks, im not implying anything there, just didnt want you to think anything like that bout me
"im not the average punk kid that walks in here with the name "Pimpsta"
I'm not buying this car to impress anyone but myself. I have been a car enthusiast for many a year, and im not about to stop..my passion for driving started at age 3 when i made motor sounds and drove my hotwheels around my house..and now, that passion is at its peak..
so dont look at me like a "Pimpsta"
-thanks, im not implying anything there, just didnt want you to think anything like that bout me
03-29-02, 11:19 PM
#22
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Well, Nissan makes some good cars. All the Nissans I've known have needed a good bashing (like my friend's aforementioned Turbo ZX) to get them down. I want the 350ZX, and I am all for the late model 300ZX. I'd just rather have a third gen RX-7 before either. I think I would pick the 350ZX over the RX-8, though. But I'll be nuetered and spayed for saying that. (On paper, BTW, they perform the same, even though the RX-8 is bigger and heavier. So kudos to Mazda once again.)
I've always had a soft spot for Honda, though. Such a sensible little company. I wouldn't want my sister driving anything other than her Accord (Definitely don't want anyone I care about driving an RX-7 around twists and turns at 130!), and my very mild mannered cousin drives the same car.
I think this is pretty funny: My cousin dug this up on the Internet while fishing for a second Accord. It's paraphased: "Those who wanted a rough riding sedan that you could feel went for the Toyota Camry. Those who wanted a poor man's BMW chose the Honda Accord."
The idea of my cousin--derby, spectacles, suede jacket and all--desperately looking for a "Poor man's BMW" amuses me greatly. "What other cars can I consider as a cheap alternative to BMW!?!" I haven't seen that thread in this forum yet.
By the way, glad to see you're not getting a Prelude :P
I've always had a soft spot for Honda, though. Such a sensible little company. I wouldn't want my sister driving anything other than her Accord (Definitely don't want anyone I care about driving an RX-7 around twists and turns at 130!), and my very mild mannered cousin drives the same car.
I think this is pretty funny: My cousin dug this up on the Internet while fishing for a second Accord. It's paraphased: "Those who wanted a rough riding sedan that you could feel went for the Toyota Camry. Those who wanted a poor man's BMW chose the Honda Accord."
The idea of my cousin--derby, spectacles, suede jacket and all--desperately looking for a "Poor man's BMW" amuses me greatly. "What other cars can I consider as a cheap alternative to BMW!?!" I haven't seen that thread in this forum yet.
By the way, glad to see you're not getting a Prelude :P
03-29-02, 11:57 PM
#24
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The only other car i would think of getting is a old BMW M3... not the E36 chassis the one before that... I don't knwo the designation, the cars like rx7s and old datsun's a little before my time. I'm 20 now and i didn't start to get interested in cars till like 88 when i first saw a picture of a Ferrari F40.
I think the old M3s are cool. They dominitated the touring series and all. I think Nick Lada drove in one, one time.
I think the old M3s are cool. They dominitated the touring series and all. I think Nick Lada drove in one, one time.