Aghh, trying to decide whether to go with a RX-7 or another car as a daily driver.

I've been looking around to find a fine example of a car with reciepts. I just don't know where to go from here. I really need a daily driver for a school, work, and pleasure. Not many miles depending on school, but you never know.

Only problem is you hear about the bad side of rotaries all the time. I need something thats pretty reliable. I'm not saying bulletproof, but reliable enough where I don't have to worry about it for months, here and there w/o major work.

I owned a TII before this, and the gas mileage was ok, I paided about $15 for super every 2-3 days. It wasn't a reliable car until I dropped over 4-5k into it, and it still had some small issues.

I don't mind putting some money into the car, but I don't want to drop a engine in yearly, and I don't want to go through major work every year even though I have the money, its just the issue of spending the money.

What do you guys think?

How would a high modified? Decently moddified? and a stock compare as a daily driver?

Does the engine usually blow to bad tuning, or the design mazda implemeted? Engines usually go, but usually when you see a RX-7 for sale it has gone through a rebuild.

 

If you need bulletproof reliabilty...find something else.

All of your questions have been answered, and literally hundreds of topics have been created exactly like this.

https://www.rx7club.com/showthread.p...threadid=68640

 

I know you're not technially a newbie, I see you've got quite a few posts, but there have been a lot of threads on this exact topic. The short answer IMHO is no, don't use it as a daily driver, however it is possible if you are religious in your maintainence and do all the reliability mods. I myself waited to get my FD until I was in a position to add it as a 3rd car, just for fun. It usually only comes out on the weekends.

The engines in the FDs usually go due to ignorant modifcation. You can't simply throw an intake and exhaust and DP on the car because the stock ECU doesn't know how to handle the added air, and then you run lean and detonate. Unfortunately, those are the first things people do when they start modding the car for power.

Check out the stickies in this section, and do some searches, you'll find a lot of info.

 

Sure, Why not. Mine is my Daily Driver during the summer and Winter (when I am home), with my convertible serving as DD spring and fall. Both are slightly modified.

The only difference for me is that I do sometimes leave both cars sitting for months at a time while driving in another town (work)

 

If I was looking for a bulletproof car I would get a honda or toyota, but I'm not looking for the car to be able to run perfect forever.

Of course I understand it will need to be maintained, and taken care of, but I'm not looking for something that will be in the shop every weekend.

Everyone I talked to has said they are not known for their reliablity but which turbo car do you know is reliable? Not many.

With reliability mods how reliable is this?

 

If you are looking for something that's going to be reliable, it ain't a sports car.

Basically, if you have to ask "is this car right for me", then the answer is "no". This is the type of car you just have to "want", no questions asked.

 

I'm w/ what Mahjik said. But also, RX7s as a fun car are VERY expensive. Now imagine if it was your daily driver, meaning if something broke, you'd need to have it fixed here and now, no delays, no time to let it sit while you save up, etc.

So in short, FD as a daily driver? I don't think so...

 

Usually people buy cars based on questions and information. Buying a car out of "impulse" or "want" is retarded. It's like saying I'm going to buy a car just on its looks, and not asking questions about its overall performance and issues.

I'm asking questions for a reason, I don't want to jump into anything without knowing a thing.

Is it me or people really just reading the title, and not the entire thread?

 

fg0d, I read your posts.

All I'm saying is, w/ an FD, EXPECT to drop a chunk of change very couple of months. Lots of people are lucky and don't have to...but *most probably* you will.

Why? It's an old car. It's used. You're using it practically every day, so you'll wear it out faster. Plus, you'll be tempted to push it hard. And you will. And it'll break on you. Many times lol.

And it's not just that...but it's the whole "oh crap I'm late," you rush to do everything you've gotta do to get to school or work, and guess what? The car won't start. Something snaps, etc etc. It happens. And at the "best" times lol. And *many* times haha. If it's not one thing, it's another.

Stock FDs, with reliability mods, and nothing more, are pretty reliable actually. That's the ONLY way I'd drive an FD daily. Otherwise, I just wouldn't do it.

That's my $0.02. Hope it helps some.

 

I've written a review of the car, and you should find it helpful.

http://www.epinions.com/content_92709097092

Sorry, the regulars here get the 'is the FD a good daily driver' question about daily. But nobody's taken the time to make a readable FAQ for it. Don't worry, it's not so bad finding good info here once you've spent plenty of time searching the archives and getting to know about the basic topics.

 

It really depends what you consider a daily driver. I drive my FD everyday but I only go to work and home so I don't cover much distance. If you want a car that looks good and goes fast the FD is you car! If you want it for like you say school and fun and stuff maybe it will do but it all depends. In short there are MUCH BETTER daily drivers. No matter what mods you do it still is an old car, nearly a decade if not more so wear and tear is inevitable. So you may have to fix up some loose ends but if you don't go overboard with the mods it should "suffice" as a daily driver

 

Retarted?

If everyone were to go into "everything" that could/would possibly break or malfunction on the car, no one would ever want an FD3S unless it was a "I gotta have it" type purchase.

Can you daily drive the car? Yes. Will it break down on you? Who knows!

For every person on this forum that has had zero/less problems, there is someone that has had every problem under the sun. I daily drove mine for years while it was stock. Never tracked/dragged the car at that time; stuff still broke.

This car isn't the type of car that if something "isn't working right", you can just keep driving it until you get around to fixing it. Doing that will definitely put a dent into your pocket.

So, is this the car for you? You need to ask yourself some things:

1. Can you do your own work on the car?

2. If something breaks and you need to order parts, how will you get around until it's fixed?

3. Do I want to buy a car where things like a single gasket can cost upwards of $30-80?

4. What will you drive in bad weather (i.e. snow/ice)?

5. Do you have a good place to park it so it won't get stolen, dinged, egged or just torn up from the weather?

If you can answer those questions to yourself, you'll know if you want this car or not.

 

dgeesaman, great review of the car, i just read it.

FDNewbie, well I usually expect to drop some money on cars for maintence, but not every week though.

Mahjik, appreciate it, I'll review the questions and take a look at my options.

 

You guys make it sound like owning an FD and not driving it is like a badge of honor or something. Maybe back in 93-95, there wasn't enough knowledge about the 13BEWs to properly maintain them or diagnose problems, but we're now in 2004. A lot of info has been collected and disseminated.

So long as the appropriate reliability mods are installed and its proplerly taken care of, there's no reason FDs can't be make as reliable as say a Honda.

Just don't follow Mazda's recommended maintenance schedule and you'll be all set. Obviously change the oil every 2-3k. Flush/change coolant every year, spark plugs every 15k, and fuel filter every 20k. I believe that this is about 1/2 of what Mazda recommends. This and checking the coolant hoses yearly is about all it takes to keep the 13BEW happy.

I've owned FDs for a little over 6 years now. In the past 3 years, I've put about 26,000 miles (including a 6 months stint of driving it to a consulting gig 30 miles away) on my current 93. I use the car as my "daily driver" spring/summer/fall. I actually hate putting the car away for the winter.

 

Reliable as a Honda? You are totally smoking some crap.

Mazda simply doesn't take the time or cost necessary to engineer parts as reliable or sturdy as Toyota and Honda, and that's simply a fact. If anything, they've gotten better w/ time, and so the FD definitely isn't a prime example of their worksmanship.

Also, I'm curious what kind of mods you have. Most ppl have reliability issues because the car is modified. That adds lots of stress on an already old car, and something is bound to give, sooner or later.

Even stock, the sequential twins, all the vaccuum hoses, etc...there's more than enough there to give you issues if you actually go above 55 and boost once in a blue moon. So your mods and your driving style has a LOT to do w/ it.

Lets face it, most people who buy an FD don't buy it to sit at the light and look pretty. They buy it to come off the line like crazy and plow right into the twisties...

EDIT: Mahjik, you beat me to it. I had the same observation regarding the mileage...

 

I wouldn't necessarily call that a lot of miles. The "accepted" yearly average mileage is 15,000 miles on a car. 26k in 3 years is just barely above the limit given to a car that's listed as a "pleasure car" to insurance companies (cars that aren't daily driven).

 

Mahjik, I live in the northeast which means that my RX-7 is not driven from November to March (instead I drive my Mustang GT equipped with snow tires ). Through simple extrapolation you'll see that if I did drive year round, I'd be putting about 14-15k miles a year on the car.

 

...But your not... Sooo...it's still pampered lol. I put 25K miles on my Maxima in it's first year. THAT'S a daily driven car.

 

Simple fact (truth), things wear out. The quicker miles are put on, the quicker things wear out. If you are putting 13-15k miles on a car a year, you are more likely to have things wear out faster than putting 6-8k miles on it. Been there, done that.

I'm not saying the FD cannot be a daily driver at all. I'm just saying that it's not built to be "reliable" like a 4-door sedan. It's built to be a sports car, nothing more nothing less.

 

I'm reading your write-up right now...not done yet, but it's right on so far. Just one quick comment. You say "Gas mileage ranges from 12-20mpg over a 15g tank." The FDs have a 20.1 gallon tank...

 

FD's are reliable, cheap to own and great daily drivers. Get one and go home happy.

 

Thanks. I will change that. Any other suggestions, too. I spent a lot of time on it, and I'd like to see it become something useful.

Dave

 

LMAO....I concour, the FD is right up there with Jags, mid 90's mustangs, and my self esteem.

 

This is the absolute most awsome daily driver, style, fast, and keeps you guessing. Actually I never had a major problem with any of my fds until phoenix.. This car has kept me bewildered.. lol

 

NP. It's an excellent write-up. I just finished reading it. Good stuff.

Since your up for suggesstions, I'd like to see the timing changed to 0-60 in 4.9 seconds, 1/4 mile in 13.9 seconds, and top speed 159 haha. The numbers are legit, and they make a huge diff when talkin about 4 or 5 seconds, 13 or 14 second car, etc.

Other than that, it's right on the money. Too bad I didn't give any of that stuff a read before I bought my FD.

Scratch that, I'm glad I didn't because if i knew I couldn't afford it from the begining, I would have never bought the car of my dreams...and despite all the problems I've had, I wouldn't have it any other way