djantlive

I was wondering if there are any original FD owners on this forum. If so, can you tell us why you bought the car back then (looks, acceleration, rotary, handling, etc.). Also, what has kept you from selling it and what kind of miles do you have on yours. If you've changed motors or turbo, please comment on reason and your choice of reman/rebuilt.

I've noticed that during the 1.5 yrs that I've owned mine, a number of people have sold or crashed their FD. I think it's a great thing that people hold on to what they love.

Johnny

Had a demostrator 93 r1...but I wrecked it...then got a 94 PEG...second hand ofcourse

stupid

yup have had car since sept/oct of '92 base modle silver
# 3073

Leadfoot

Original owner red '93 touring with r1 springs

bought it because of everything you mentioned: performance, handling, looks, size, ect.

Kept it because I love it so much, so much fun to drive, nothing out there compared to it.

changed engine and turbos at 91,000 due to overheat caused by thermostat going south (very common with these cars I understand). Still lasted 18 months before I had to do engine. motor was rebuilt with street port, turbos rebuilt with wastegate ported.

If i hadn't thought it would be OK to get it the two blocks to my house once it went to red, it would still be going strong. Now I don't even look at the stock temp gauge, I use the one on the PFC instead.

Eventually these cars are going to be collectors items My previous sports car was a 260Z that I had for 18 years before I sold it. Once I get blood, sweat, and foul language into a car, it is not hard to keep it, you know what it has, what's in it, what the history is, and if you really love the car, hang on to it. I will keep the FD until something better comes along like it did, but that may be many years away, so in the meantime, I am in for the long haul (as usual). Sports cars require a certain amount of committment (maintanence, knowledge, etc). If you stick with it and ride out the rough spots, then it is definitely worth it.

And this car is definitely worth it!

JConn2299

Bought my '95 new. It's still in museum condition. In the simplest
terms, I bought it because it was the fastest I could go for the money at that time. Of course, there were other factors, previous RX-7 ownership experience among them. If the C-5 Corvette was out at that time, I might have gone for that.

The other car I seriously considered at the time was the BMW M3.
I already owned a 3 series BMW, so to have two of them in the garage would have been kind of weird, and I thought I should go all the way and get a real sportscar. The Supra was also out, but I thought it looked ugly, and it wasn't a two seat sportscar. It looked big and heavy.

I think most enthusiasts make their purchasing decision on a dollar / speed kind of basis with looks also thrown into the mix.
Some older guys also have wives bitching at them about practicality which is one of the reasons why sport sedans are so popular and two seat sportscars can sometimes be a tough sell.

Tad

how much did you all pay for them back then?

R1 POWR

i bought my 93 R1 in nov 93. its got about 89k miles now on the original engine, which was primarily stock up until about a year ago -- see sig below, but still pretty much stock.

i considered the corvette, 300 twin turbo, supra twin turbo, mr2 turbo, and the RX-7. my main criteria was looks, speed, & it had to be under $30k. $$$ knocked out the corvette, supra, and 300. not to mention that the ******* at the nissan dealership wouldn't let me test drive the only 300 he had on the lot (and it wasn't even a twin turbo) -- i guess he really didn't think i was serious about buying (...granted, i was only 23, just graduated college, and hadn't even started working yet -- although, i did have a job, but just hadn't started working yet ....but nonetheless, the guy was still an *******) the local toyota place didn't have a MR2 turbo on the lot to test drive, so that really only left the RX-7, of which both local dealerships had several on their lots ready to go. the mazda sales lady was real nice & let me drive one. that was on a sunday. on monday (the next day after work ) i went back there and bought it it met all of my criteria -- it looks awesome; it's fast as hell; and i got it for under $30k.

eight yrs later, it still runs like a champ & still looks awesome(although it could probably use a paint job). it was my very FIRST car, and i just can't seem to part with it (although, if someone wanted to trade me for an NSX or offer me some serious $$$$, i would seriously consider it )

cewrx7r1

iTrader: (2)

Bought my R1 in July 1992. Of course it looks fantastic and still does, but my main reason was due to the fact that it was the first stock RX-7 that could beat my modified 83.

I still have it and it has been a dayly driver
since day one. Now it is very modified.

88and93

Bought mine in June 93, been in love ever since. I will have my FD as long as I have breath.