so im looking into buying a 1993 rx7 with only about 14k on it. its selling for 13k. i find the price to be outstanding for the mileage and the car is in excellent shape, brand new. is there anything i should really know before buying this car except for the fact that its engine is very delicate? i was also interested in a supra, but damn there ****** expenssive, not wirth it. i used to be die hard fan of supras until i learned about the rx7 and it quickly grew on me, the power, looks, handling, everything! and supposedly they consider it a better car than the supra and is more respected in japan. my plans for this car is to keep it mainly stock, i love the look of it already so no body kits for me, plus the veilside fortune kit costs almost as much as the car lol. Anyways, does this car stack up well against most cars in terms of performance? because i already know it outhandles many cars.

 

14k miles for $13k ?? it's a good deal.

 

The engine is not delicate. Take care of it and you'll be surprised just how strong and reliable the engine can be.

And good luck with the car, thats a great deal you got on it.

 

thouroughly check mileage history.. dmv.. carfax etc.. anyone can swap in a low mileage instrument cluster..

 

yeah it sounded like an awesome deal, the engine is perfect, looks brand new so i doubt its a new intrumental cluster. cars in awesome condition.

 

Always check Carfax on these things, you never know. The engine is not delicate, especially in an un-modified form, but it's everything else that is. And, they are a constant source of problems and maintenance issues. If you're a guy who doesn't want to get his hands dirty and spend some time under the car and under the hood, not the car for you.

Performance wise: in it's day it was pretty hot, but you can get more horsepower than a stock FD has in a new Camry or Accord now. You can run with any of its peers (mid to late 90's cars) but the new hot GTs will leave you in the dust (Z06's, Porsches, M3's, etc.) If you take into consideration that it's a soon to be 17 year old car, it has pretty good performance.

 

Echoing what others have said. Do the basic 'reliability mods' detailed in this forum and just go have some fun with a unique and pretty rare car. Remember there were only about 15,000 of these cars imported into North America in the 3 year run they had.
Now think that Honda sells approximately 400,000 Civics alone, every year.

 

In my book that would be a steal, assuming it's all as good you say it is. According to USAA my 93 touring with 40k miles is worth 14k in my local market. I hope it all works out for you but like everybody says do plenty of research. I would get a compression check done, if he's got nothing to hide than the seller probably won't have a problem with it. Low miles are great but lots of sitting isn't good either.

 

how does the rx7 compare to supras,mustangs,evo's,sti's,skylines,m3's,corvette s etc etc? in all aspects

 

That is way too broad of a question, frankly. During the years the FD was imported, only the turbocharged Supra topped the FD in overall performance (but think 9.7 vs. 10.0 in this). The 300ZX twin turbo and the Mitsubishi 3000 GT VR-4 were close in some aspects, there are dozens of comparisons out there if you search a bit.
'Vettes and Mustangs of the time were a joke, no comparison. Same for the current crop of 'rally inspired' cars like the Evo and WRX. However, ALL of these cars have had nearly two decades of development now, and most of them are equal to or superior to the FD in acceleration and handling. BMW's M3 is, in my opinion, not directly comparable, it was (and IS) a fantastic luxury sports SEDAN. Even so, it had similar if not superior 0 - 60 and quarter mile times, and showed well on the track.

The point is, a stock FD is at the very best at least 14 - 15 years old. All cars have come a long way since then. As others have stated, basic grocery-getters offered by everyone from Ford to VW can boast similar straight-line performance.

None of these cars has ONE thing that sets the FD apart: That is the overall mystique, the "wow! what is THAT car!" response that the last gen RX-7 still gives to this day (provided of course it isn't some riced out, stripped down shell of its former self). The FD set the automotive world on its collective ear in '93....no one could believe what Mazda had offered.

 

Sounds like you got this information from a reliable source.
Good job!

 

Are you sure that the 14k mileage isn't on a rebuilt engine?Most of the time sellers will list the mileage on a rebuilt engine rather than the chassis itself.

 

thanks for a great response. i like the the 93 mostly because of looks, of how it looks like its a car that has not been made yet, even thought its years old. I just see so many videos of rx7's, even the 2nd gen beating almost anthing it races so it kind of got me wondering how superior the car is, maybe not stock but atleast modified. is getting power out of this car difficult? im not looking for 1000, just a solid 350 or so. how well do they respond to mods, without greatly affecting engine life?

 

the supra is awesome, no doubt. but theyre overrated now and sell for way too much. how many drag queen supras do you see out there? i have yet to see a supra beat a car with the exact same HP as the supra, ive only seen modified supras beat cars with like 200 HP less and not by much. theyre overweight cars, thats what i dislike most about them.

 

350 rwhp is totally feasible with a mild/moderate street port, downpipe and aftermarket cat-back exhaust, modified intake, larger intercooler, and aftermarket ECU that allows 12 psi boost.
And the car will be rock solid reliable and the engine should last ~60K miles.

 

60k? hmm..would it need an entire rebuild after that? how far can you push these engines in terms of hp?

 

Sir please stay away from the FD. You will end up selling in 1-2 years. It is not the car for you.

 

I have to agree, if you don't know what the car is going into the purchase, then it isn't for you. These things are not for the posers, or the dilettantes, or the folks who've seen The Fast and the Furious and want to join the scene. They require a lot, and I mean a whole lot, of attention, maintence, care and feeding. And, of course, money.

 

Don't do it. You most likely won't be able to afford all the things you want to get done to it. It will suck the money right out of you. Then you will be sad that you can't do those things. Then you will wish you spent the money on something that required less money/time/maintenance.

 

That is a good price for a car with low mileage - assuming that is actual mileage and a clean (non salvage) title.

Go to the FAQ thread stickied in this forum and read the buyer's guides and the mods/HP potential.

They are great cars but they are 15 years old so lots of small stuff unexpected things can brake or just require replacement due to age. Drive it and make sure you like the driving experience. Just going on looks isn't a good approach on this car. It requires commitment.

 

60K would be conservative, and frankly with the 'reliability mods' (downpipe especially) done, it is entirely possible to get 90,000 miles out of the engine, or more. What 'killed' most stock FD engines is heat related problems that eventually led to coolant 'O'ring (internal seals) failure.

As for what you can push for hp....there are some 600+ hp single turbo monsters out there, but....the longevity of the engine falls off logarithmically proportional to the output. Engines running relatively stock (sequential factory twin turbos, stock I/C (or aftermarket stock mount), OEM radiator, stock injectors, etc) can safely push 300 - 350 hp using an aftermarket ECU or at least a boost controller set to 12 psi max.
Next up are the aftermarket twins like BNRs, larger I/C, larger aluminum radiator, modified intake, larger injectors - that will net you 330 - 400+.
After that you pretty much have to get into big single turbos where nothing remotely resembles the factory setup any longer. Everyday driveability becomes an issue, most of these cars are best suited for the drag strip.

Fellow Forum members....I say we give this guy a break. At least he is asking questions and trying to figure some things out...which is a lot more than some people do.

 

do you have about three thousand dollars a year to maintain the car? It may not be three thousand the first year. It may be 100 the first year and 5900 the next.

There is a sort of Darwinian culling of FD owners. A lot of new owners give up after a year or two because they don't have the money and patience for the car.

 

thanks, bajaman, for all the good advice. dudes, im just asking questions i dont see the reason to get upset. im just asking basic questions, im not trying to buy a 7 and rice it out as if i wanted it to be featured in a F&F movie. I just really like the car, and have questions that im sure most of you did when you were first getting interested in them. you act like i dont know that these cars need a lot of maintanance. I just wanted to know how these cars respond to mods and how they perform against other cars. didnt know that was a sin and i should not buy an FD just because i had those questions. I see a lot of videos of rx7's beating pretty much anything so it had me curious.

 

Hey, I"m not upset, I'm just giving you the exact same advise I gave my son when he wanted to buy my 93. If you're up for the work, worries, expense, and frustration that comes with owning one of these, go for it. I just wouldn't want anyone to get into one without hearing all sides of the arguement, sort to speak.

But, to speak to the performance aspect, unless you dump a ton of money into it, you're going to be dissappointed in the stop-light grand prix scene. They look much faster than they are against the modern cars. Don't pull up to anything newer than about 1999, and you'll be okay.

 

I appreciate the response, man. Im not rushing into buying one of these, so im just here trying to get as much info as possible, thats all. I guess videos can be misleading, its just i rarely see a 7 lose. but in all honesty, im not looking for a car to race on the street, or even race period. It was just out of curiosity. My goal was to buy a 7, just because of how awesome they look. Make some decent power out of it, and have an awesome looking and handling car that can hold its own.