Hi, my name is Alex and i'm 17. Ive always wanted to get a s5 fc but the thing is i dont really know what i'm getting into. Ive done a bit of research over the years, and i'm planning to even become a mechanic. But anyways my question is how much would it cost to buy and maintain a s5 fc in ontario? Its gonna be my first car and i just wanted to know the price for one and if i should worry about getting a rotary powered car. I mean i don't have much knowledge about cars yet, like ive done a couple of projects with friends on things like suspension and ive worked in toyota for my co-op, but honestly i have never touched a rotary engine before. And please dont tell me to get a civic like everyone else lol... all of my friends are getting civics and honestly i just tell em to f off LOL. ROTARY FOR LIFEEE! Anyways any help would be awesome! Thanks.

 

hi,

welcome to the club.

civics are amazing cars, please don't knock what you don't know.

fc's are expensive to maintain not bc they're rotary, but bc they're 20 yrs old. They're also terrible on gas.

Plan to spend around 2000$ on maintenance the first year you have it, or spend more $ upfront on one that's in better condition and save yourself the headaches. Do not buy a NA and plan to go turbo, if you want a turbo, buy a turbo. If you buy an NA, do the suspension work and be happy with it....get used to losing to everythin in a straight line, but make up for it at track days.

My personal advice is for you to answer this question to yourself:
what do you want out of the car?

Then, buy a car that suits thoe requirements.

Don't buy an rx7 solely because it's NOT a civic, that's stupid.

 

FC's upkeep will definitely be much (and i emphasize the MUCH) more expensive than a civic. Like 2Fierce has mentioned, keep in mind not only does it have a rotary engine, the car has twenty years under its belt.

Knowing cars is not a prerequisite in owning a rotary car, when I first owned my Turbo II I didn't know much about cars, and till this day I am still no car guru, but you learn along the way. What is most important is that you know how to maintain (and to some extent, baby) these rotaries and own them right. Treat any car like trash and it will give up on you. Age is not a huge concern; I know some "adults" that drive like idiots, as long as you're sensible then all is well.

My one advice with you would be (when buying any old / used vehicle) to allow yourself a generous budget when finding / buying a car. You will find the experience MUCH more rewarding if you buy a good, well maintained vehicle, versus cheaping out on a beat up car only to be hassled every month with new problems popping up to annoy you. Take your time to find the right one. I always look for clean, low mileage, original condition ones. Get to know the owner, see what kind of person he / she is and get a feel as to how the car has been treated.

Finally, I would hope that you have another car to drive in the winter. You can still drive the FC, but if you are not an experienced driver, RWD vehicles with no traction control can prove to be tricky, even with good winter tires. Also, I'm sure a lot of rotary owners here would hate to see a 7 get molested by the salty slush we get here.

Good luck with whatever you choose to get.

By the way, are you looking for a Turbo II or NA? The Turbo II is a bag of fun *hint hint*

 

Hey,
My first car is the FC and I still drive it today. I don't regret buying it and making it my first car.
Like the guys above said, Maintanence is a bitch, and gas as well.

I love driving it, though it's stock everything, it just feels different from driving a civic or jetta.
I too am hopefully gona become a mechanic, and I've driven customer's cars and the only difference would be gas. That's just coming from me.

Just, try and test drive one and feel it for yourself, I can't say you'll love it, because some people might be different than others.

Just thought I'd let you know, so far I spent quite close to what 2Fierce said, and I've owned the car for a year now, I'm gona try my hardest to keep it and turn it into a real beast :P

I hope you make the right decision.

-Kevin

Oh and also, if you got alot of buddies a 2-seater ain't so great... (I'm turning 20 and go out quite often)
Unless you get the optional seats in the rear...

 

lol @ 2fierce, i wasnt trying to knock on civics, i know that a ek with a k20 can smoke a na fc, but i'm just saying that its so common to have a civic at my age that i actually began to hate the thought of getting a civic. And also losing in a straight? I always thought fc's would be better on straights against a civic rather than on the tracks... But anyways, i just really wanted to know how much a s5 fc goes for, turbo or non turbo. Thanks for the help!

 

well like you at your age i bought a rotary, and loved it... Like the guys mentioned....their much fun but a pain in the *** when it comes to maintaining them...for example i was wanting a rotary again, bought a s5 vert for 1200 thinking that all it needed is a vacuum hose fixed, so when it really came down to it, it needed an oil pump and ecu there i spent 450...then i did a tune-up,front and rear brakes and oil, about another 300 bucks... bought a bbs rim and tire....well you get the idea...they can become a money pit...now it sits in my garage refusing to turn on.....so now i have to get an engine or get this one rebuilt...lol......Rotary you really have to love them!!!!
NEVER HAD A TURBO 2 BUT GET IT, SPANK YOUR FRIENDS CIVICS WITH IT, IN THE TRACK OF COURSE!!!!

 

From a Guy who has been around he block a bit.
Start off with FIVE Grand.
get the car,Put insurance on it,and enjoy it...after THAT DAY Is over,Start Modifying the **** out of it!..hahahaa!!!!
Ok.,.but seriously..about 5 G's is not really a Crazy Idea.
Once you have the car,it will require some maintenance,and you know that you want GOOD Tires/wheels,Brakes,a fancy Steering wheel,and a Japanese Shift ****(JDM yo!).Gauges and other Bling.
I have yet to see someone who just gets the car and Drives it.,and No Offence being 17 you will want to impress your Friends..so take it from Me,( I was around when the made DIRT!),If you have a Little cash put aside(besides the amount that you are gonna spend for an S5,which you can get for about 3500.a decent one).You should be OK.
I will tell you right now though,it is Like CRACK..the car is Very addictive!.BUT at least possession of an RX7 is LEGAL,so Enjoy it!
.....OH..and It BEING a TWO SEATER is EXCELLENT!..Why>?Because you never have to take The girl's "FAT Friend" along(you know that there always is a fat friend **** blockin! ..haha!)..there is Simply no Room for her!!..So This car can get you LAID too!..
with that Good luck!.Cheers STYX!~

 

For a first car i would not recommend an RX7 unless you have a realllllly good job or your parents are loaded. lol
in my opinion you want something small and simple.
the newer the better.
not to kill your dream about owning an FC but its not really a practical ride for a new driver.
but hey, thats just my opinion. i say get a daily driver. then get your toy.

 

an ek with a k20 will smoke most turbo fcs.

 

but when that EK goes to make a turn it will go straight into a pole, haha
while on the other hand the FC will grip it and rip it!

 

you guys shouldve came to cscs...turtles integra was crackin teck everywhere!! lmao

 

Owning an FC is only as expensive as you make it. If your goal is to just drive it and make necessary repairs, it isn't that bad. Parts can be bought cheap, and the work is easy to do yourself. The real cost comes when you begin to modify the car. Once you're into the community, you can meet some great people that are extremely helpfull and are more than willing to give you a hand with the car.

 

I am on my 7th FC in the last 15 yrs or so.... Some are better than some but it all boils down to how the car was maintained. Turbo FC`s are loads of fun and can be made pretty quick if done right, with that being said you will get what you pay for.
At the this point in time 9 out of 10 would have been painted or had the 13b replaced at some point. When you are checking out the car, you need to ask the right questions, if the owners knows nothing about the history dig deeper to find out as much as possible.
Get one that is close to stock as possible, I prefer original paint with little to no rust, most people cover up rust and problems with the body with paint.
If you want to spend a little and get away with it your barking up the wrong tree, it pays to spend a little more to get a well kept original car from an owner who knows everything about the car.
Good hunting, there are lots of them to choose from but I would walk away from most of them until I find a nice clean one.
NOTE: Ontario cars exposed to salt rust pretty badly and rust at the base of the A & B pillars behind the fenders where you can`t see them. Rocker panels rust away pretty quick and not to mention bolts that seize with the salt on old cars.

Hit me a PM if you need help.

 

hey hey hey, i bought a clunker and i love it to death and would never let it go :P its a little bit rough , but its the color i love ( dark gray ) and its perfect for me :P i paid a 5th of the 5 grand mark for mine , but then again look at where my seven is now

 

Honestly a rx7 would beat a civic on tracks? like shannon ville or something? I was always told by people that civics are alot better handling than rx7's though... and at pnoy, lol i'm not sure where your seven is right now, i thought you sold it?

 

LOL. Yeah some civics can be made to handle really well.....especially 1988-2000 models....but that requires aftermarket parts to make them compete with a factory rx7. No way in hell anyone should compare a civic to an rx7 in the handling department (stock for stock)

FC's, and FD's handle really well.....that is one of the great things about the rotary. An engine small enough to sit behind the front wheels, and sit very low, offers a perfect weight distribution, and low center of gravity.

As far as an rx7 for a first car....I've owned several FB's, and also a Turbo FC, and they have all been very reliable cars. Yeah they cost more for gas, and you gotta really watch the oil level, and temperature all the time...but if you know the basics and end up with a non-lemon car, it can be a decent first car.

My only suggestion is get an experienced rx7 guy to look at the car you want to buy, and then invest in a cheap civic or whatever for winter time.

My first car was an rx7, and my 2nd, and 3rd car....they were all great cars.

 

I should also mention that my girlfriend back in the day loved my rx7's so much, she bought her own....She added boost control, and Racing Beat exhaust when she bought it (with the original engine at 180,000kms) and drove the **** out of it....believe me she was hard on the car, and it still ran great until 260,000kms. It basically had to be retired because of rust, not the engine.

Just find the right car

 

I spent 3 years looking for a car, and I am very happy that I took the time to get it. My car is relatively low mileage (113xxx), and I thought everything was perfect, (until i realized the temp guage was suppose to be 1/4 of the way up, not 1/2 on an s4 not s5) and now I've been doing repair after repair each weekend! SUCH GOOD FUN!. My suggestion is to let someone who knows what they are talking about come with you to see the car. And I agree with anyone that has mentioned our roads. Garage the car in the winter, it won't make you happy, but it'll make your *baby girl* happy as in the car. Gas stations are about 15 minute stops, tons of my friends hate going to the station with me.
My official opinion though, is get a good reliable daily driver, and then worry about the toy. I'm not a honda fan either, but if you get a great deal, you get a great deal!
As far as price goes, I've seen s5's from 1400 to 10 000. I thought 10k was a bit steep, but never saw the car.
justin

 

No doubt spoken by 17-year old Civic owner, from his vast well of experience, that also tells him putting heavy 17" rims and tires on a car with 100whp and 5 ft/lbs of torque makes it fast, instead of dead slow (he's sure the fact that he can't even chirp the tires with a 6500rpm clutch dump means he's putting down mad powah direct to the pavement) lol. 89-00 Civics handle quite well - for FWD. So does my Passat, and so did my '87 GLI (relentlessly unreliable, like most VW's, despite myths to the contrary about VW and German cars generally, which just goes to show popular perception is just that - perception). But while much more fuel and space efficient, and more comfortable for a daily commute, those cars have never made me smile as consistently and widely as being behind the wheel of my 7.

A well-cared for FC can be quite reliable, although as has been said, thirsty. But they are 20 years and up now, so comparing it to any new, or near-new car isn't going to be apples to apples (20 year old Civics are mostly rusty pieces of $#!7, probably more so, being relatively pedestrian, use 'em and forget 'em cars). Pricing on cars this old is also anyone's guess - you might find a very nice n/a for $2,000 - or a similar car might be asking 5. A really clean S5 TII might run as high as 9, but most go for less, often much less.

Original paint is nice in terms of better seeing the condition of the body, but realistically, Mazda used non-clearcoat paint that could be charitably called mediocre, so many well-cared for cars are likely to have been repainted. Like most used cars, carefully checking the condition of the underbody, wheel-wells, and fender lips/bottoms will give you the best measure of body condition. Avoid heavily modded cars, especially turbos - both because it's hard to assess how well done it might be, and that will determine whether it's reliable, or a rotary bomb waiting to go off, and spit out apex seal and turbine blades, and consume prodigious quantities of cash to rehabilitate (giving you the opportunity to repeat the PO's mistakes yourself and repeat the cycle). Read Lemon-Aide Used Car Guide and Consumer Reports annual auto issue for tips on inspecting and test driving used cars generally.

That said, having it inspected by a knowledgeable rotary shop (or boning up on some of the issues) can help alleviate some of those rotary-specific worries, but for the most part you need to inspect potential purchases much like any used car - check out the 2nd gen FAQ's for tips on what to look for, and aaroncake's forum has posts from TeamFC3s about why you might consider a FC RX-7 http://aaroncake.net/RX-7/why.htm. Avoid hard-to-start or poorly idling 7's. While the fix might be as simple as a leaking vacuum hose or bad solenoid, it's quite possibly a sign of an engine with poor compression or other serious issues.

And you can always find yourself a reasonably reliable, efficient, and mildly fun FWD car for $1500-$2500, so you can pay for the 2nd car with fuel savings from driving the 7 less and saving it from the drudgery of the commute, so you can beat on it more at track days and auto-crosses But maybe that's just me.

 

yes. what he said