hey wassup RX-7 people. i am thinking about trading in my 98' integra gsr with 72,000 miles for a 93' 94' RX-7. i found a few for sale with around 80,000 miles for all around 12,000 to 13,000. that is the same value my car is at. so not being biased, is this a good idea or bad idea. i mean i do want speed and looks of this car but i have been researching ALOT about the relaibilty issues from this forum. if you were me, would you just keep the VERY reliable integra that has no problems or trade it in a get a REAL sports car that will eat out your minimum wage, part time workers wallet.

i just have a few questions about the RX-7

1. is it very likely that i will have to repalce the motor or do a major job on it very soon after i purchase a used RX-7 if it is in fair condition?

2. is it true that the life span of a RX-7 is around 100-150 thousand miles?

3. if i do buy a RX-7 in fair condition, how much money am i going to expect spending just on maintenance (estimate)

4. is there anyone here running a RX-7 fine over 100,000 miles?

5. are most of you guys, on a regular basis, paying for repair fees and maintenace fees.

THANK YOU !

 

No it's not VERY likely.

No it's not VERY likely.

put it this way - Virtually nobody buys an FD to get down to the shops a bit quicker. They're too bumpy for posers.

Because of that the only people that drive them are going to be very harsh on them. The majority of FD's are bought because the buyer wanted to get into motorsports or at least was serious about their street racing. Ask around the 3rd gen forum - people beat their cars so regularly that they generally know the moment a boost problem arises and shred through brakes/tyres/clutches about 3-5 times faster than normal cars. Because of this, combined with an engine that doesnt take to detonation you're going to have a low life expectancy of the motor. Most people didnt get to 100k on their 1st motor.

I've spent nothing except for oil, filters and tyres in the last 12 months. But then I can tear down my turbo control system and rebuild it in an afternoon

If there was they'd be ashamed to admit it Seriously there are some. Mine was pushing 110k when it was wiped out by swallowing a bolt. The surviving rotor still had near-new compression. It was gagging to be ported anyway.

No you eventually break it enough you learn to do it yourself Honestly, just drive one and then decide. Having said that I always hate to see people go from FWD to high power RWD. It always ends in tears.

-pete

 

thanks for you input, and what do you mean by "it always ends in tears"?

anyone else care to give me their opinions?

 

I will tell you that a 3rd gen rx7 is a whole different animal from a GSR, both in performance and maintance. Budget alot of money for maintance and "just in case" money as well. Also there are lots with over 100k miles. Mine was at 109k when the motor went. It probably wouldn't have went if I wasn't on a quest for speed but who isn't. As for it only lasting 100-150k, how long do you expect a forced induction turbo sports car to last? If you get 150k out of the original motor consider yourself extremely lucky.

When you go to buy take the car either to the dealer or to a rotary specific mechanic in the area and have him check it out and see if it's running 100% potential. Also if at all possible you may want to consider seeking a good aftermarket warranty, most will cover the car until 100k but make sure they cover apex and coolant seals, some don't.

Please do lots and lots of research on the car and see the newbie links at the top of the 3rd gen section. Also don't get into the car just because it's a "Twin Turbo rx7" get into it because you love the car, and would love to have one. If you don't have a love for the car, you will lose your patience with it as I will tell you it's sure to break sometime and parts ain't cheap. When it breaks you'll be pissed as hell at it and when it's fixed you'll love it to death and never want to give it up.

 

As for my experience.
After test driving a few FDs.
I was hooked. After that I hated driving my 97 eclipse around. So 2 years passed and I'm not looking back.

I think rpm is saying fwd and rwd handles differently.
And it takes a little getting use to when you switch over.
Definitely more fun.

If you are on minimum wage?? and have no support (parents)
I would not be considering this car.
High performance+High maintenance= $$$$
It will suck your wallet right out of your back pocket and a big chunk from your ***.

good luck with your decision

 

i have gone from a 94 touring to a 95 GSR back to a 93 R1. so i was in the same situation as you. if you are going to use a 80k+ rx7 as your daily driver then i would not trade the gsr in for one. the integra is 200% more reliable then the rx7. however performance wise the teg cant even touch the 7. also if you going to pay 13k for a 7 expect to put some money into it because there will be issues that come up you will need to address. if you maintain the rx7 and not drive it hard everwhere you go it can be a depenable driver however a honda will always be less money to maintain and you will encounder less headaches and thats a fact.

 

1. hard to answer - maybe... you should be prepared for the worst.

3. impossible to say - see #1.

5. depends on how much you drive the car, how modded it is, and how much you can do yourself. There was a time when I was doing maintenence on my car every weekend (flushing radiator, aluminum ast, replacing pads, etc)... If you're comfortable doing the minor things, you'll spend a lot less on maintenence.

Like everyone else has said, an FD is no Honda - it takes what it gives, and it gives a lot. It may be very difficult to pay for the car, the insurance, the maintenence/parts, and pay for all the extra *premium* gas on minimum wage.

I'd recommend staying with the Honda until you're making a bit more dough - no reason to cause extra stress in your life.

 

I wasn't prepared to dump $5700 in parts on a seemingly flawless FD, within 2 months. I don't wanna scare you, but lets just say an extensive, heavily recorded service history doesn't mean jack schitt.

 

if you dont have a lot of money, to an extent where you wont be able to maintain the rx7, then i strongly suggest that you wait for a better time.

it sucks out a lot of money out of your pocket, especially when your a new owner. if something goes wrong with it and you dont address the problem quickly enough then you engine definitely wont last you long. and in the long-run you will have lost big time.

get an rx7 only when you have money set aside for emergencies.

but i can guaranttee you this much: even if you decide to buy an rx7 and later on you run into money issues, you will still love it. and you will be unfair to the peopne around you that depend on you because you will almost always put the rx7 before them (its scary but it happens).

 

Keep the GSR! These RX-7's are 8-9 years old and you will have more problems then just engine. If something was to break down, you would have to take a months salary just to fix it. Parts are expensive for this car. Your insurance will atleast double. You have an awesome car right now, there is no reason to get rid of it.

 

Keep your Integra for your daily driver.......get a 7 for your real driving! If you have 2 cars and only one driver, you can insure the 7 as a pleaseure vehicle and save some $$$.

I alternate between my 93 RX-7 and my 90 Miata.
That way, I keep the miles down on my 7 yet still have fun driving.

 

cool, thanks for the advice guys. maybe im not ready to get a RX-7 just yet. you guys might have saved me from alot of headache and problems. in 2 years when i graduate and start making serious money im for sure going to have a RX-7 as a secondary car and a project car! keep up with the good work with your cars because i might be buying it later!

 

to say thanks heres a really kool drift racing video from japan with a nice RX-7 in it. enjoy!

http://www.77ch.com/yokohama/2002d1_b.asx

 

LOL I made the exact same move! 98' GSR to a 93 touring

 

I know I'm a lil late but, eh. I first started off w/ a dsm and found myself in love w/ FD's. Basically, dedication is key to this car. I was a member here for a couple of months before I even owned an FD. And did some heavy research. It'd be nice to have a beater, but to each his own. I remember someone saying why would Mazda make a car that couldnt be daily driven. Exactly. No shame in making a FD hit the daily commute.

Ok ok, so the rx7 isnt as reliable as a Integ. But I daily drive mine and I baby the heck out of it. It's got 80k miles and I've accepted the fact that sooner or later (hopefully later) that this engine will go. I have about 2k now that I was about to use for bpu's but now is going to be used for that "time". Plus what someone a top said having a good job and parents backing also helps. I'm not rich but I make 12/hr w/ parents help. My dad knows about rotaries, my mom thinks I drive a special edition miata.

I've decided to leave my FD bone stock w/ R. mods only. Its come this far stock, why hurt it by modding it now. The members who've hit 100+k give me hope .

If yer havin' doubts, no problemo. If you still want it, go for it, and just give her a lil more TLC then yer average car. Laters.

 

so whats your opinion on this ThirdGenRX7? are you paying alot for maintenance on your car? do you sometimes regret switching. you should give me the most advice since your in the exact same situation haha. BTW your integra looked very nice! how long did you have it.

off topic: haha i posted the same topic on www.team-integra.net (click here to see the post) and someone said mazda should change there slogan to "ZOOM-ZOOM-BOOM" i thought that was so funny... do alot of people say this to you guys?

 

Heh, I'm sure I've heard that one before on here. I bet JoeD posted it .

 

I say go for it man. I bought mine for really cheap $9,500 with 104,000 miles with no boost at all. I was one of those people who saw somthing they liked and just bought it, without knowing nothing about it. I fixed the boost problem myself and now the clock is at 123,000 miles with perfect boost pattern. Recent compression test was 100 psi on both rotors. Damn am I just lucky or is it because I'm 100% stock. Oh yeah my rear bushings are shot, but all and all its gonna hit 150,000 miles. Go for it man.

 

 

got ant more cool vids? and can you save the one from above?

 

Minumum wage, part time? Forget it. You're gonna spend more time looking at your baby and wondering how the hell you can shell out $$ for parts that cost easily twice as much as any honda part. Even just maintneance is expensive. And for me, hard to work on. Like i have spent 3 hours right now trying to get my O2 sensor out. I have swapped turbos in DSM's faster than it takes to do this

I wouldnt do it. If my RX7 were my daily driver/only car, i would never make it anywhere.

 

do I ever miss my integra? well every once in awhile... but do I regret the switch? HELL NO!! maintenance? hell yeah sooo much... right now it's got a blown motor and hasn't moved in 4 months. but after I get it back this time it should be fine my theory about it is you have to spend like 5-15k if you buy a stock car fixing the design flaws mazda blessed us with. i didn't read your situation about money or anything, but if you EVER find yourself strapped for cash you don't want this car...

 

Mine is my daily driver, but I don't drive it while I'm at school (because if I bring it to school it will get vandalized). I'm planning on getting a beater, though, and I already have money set aside for a rebuilt engine.

 

Look for a turbo 2 with a recently rebuilt engine? Not quite an fd but... at least its a 7

 

The choice is all up to u. I bought my almost a year ago to the day, it was compeltey stock when I bought it. This forum has helped me out soooooooooo much. Whenever I had a boost issue or something there were always there to try and help. Although I went all out and am still trying to mod everything you could definetly get by with just a few upgrades. Dont leave it completly stock because Mazda screwed up on some of their designs. Get a DP, new intake, efini Y pipe ( eliminates lots o boost headaches ) and maybe a new ECU. But trust me once you see what real speed feels like you'll want more and sooner or later you will be modding the hell out of it like me but I dont even have close to what some people have done to their car. I cant wait till i go single