My name is Mike and I'm owned by a vintage red '95 RX-7.

I'm a bit fickle when it comes to cars, so I've never owned one much over three years with the exception of my RX-7. It was the first new car that I ever purchased, and I've never considered letting go of it.

I bought it new in August of 1996! It had been in the showroom of a Mazda dealership in San Antonio, Texas but had never sold. The window sticker (which I have laminated in the RX-7 folder of my file cabinet) shows a total vehicle price of $40,230. I managed to talk them down to $28,500. As I was a surgical resident at the time, it was driven only from my garage at home to the parking garage at work (I paid extra for covered parking) for the next several years. By the time I changed specialties to anesthesia and finished that residency, it was 2001. I had come to the realization by then just how few 95's were produced and decided to take it out of daily driver use. It now has just under 31,000 miles.

I've since moved to the mountains of western North Carolina. I had a trusted friend drive my RX-7 from the garage of my old home in Texas to the garage of my new home here once I had enough boxes unpacked to make room for it. I've kept it garaged since I bought it, even at the expense of leaving new cars out in the weather. My first wife pushed me hard to sell it... that's just one of many reasons that I can now refer to her as my first wife. My new wife has a greater appreciation for this "pre-existing condition", and didn't even raise an eyebrow when I converted our two-car garage to the three car variety in our recent remodeling project.

I found rx7club.com through a google search, as I need some help finding someone to work on my RX-7 around here. We're two hours from Atlanta, Asheville, Chattanooga, and Knoxville. There was a local shop here in town that employed a mechanic who used to be on the MazdaSpeed team, but he's since left. I'd greatly appreciate any input from someone in a nearby area.

Regardless, I'm happy to be part of "the club" and look forward to meeting some fellow rotary owners in the future.

 

Welcome aboard good choice on keeping the car and getting rid of the woman. I had the same dilemma. I got rid of the car only to get another one. I am in South Charlotte and know of two rotary shops. I have had work done @ both locations and found them to be professional, reputable, and reliable. Bryan and Ernst are both stand-up guys and great engine builders.

Rotorsports Racing
465 Russell Farm Rd.
Kannapolis, NC
www.rotorsportsracing.com
Bryan-Owner
4-Hour drive from Hayesville, NC

RX7World Inc.
3163 Celanese Rd
Rock Hill SC 29732
NOTE-ERNST WORKS OUT OF HIS SHOP IN KINGS MOUNTAIN
www.rx7world.com
Ernst-Owner
3-Hour drive from Hayesville, NC

 

I appreciate the contact info for the two shops you recommended.

I've got a coolant leak at the fill reservoir and am anxious about getting stranded while driving over the mountains from Hayesville to Asheville en route to either of those shops.

I'm debating having someone local (read non-rotary savvy) address the coolant issue well enough to drive it to a more experienced rx7 mechanic.

I may also see how much AAA will contribute towards putting it on the back of a truck and delivering it to an rx7 mechanic... Atlanta/Marietta may be a better option if that's a possibility.

Let me know of any rx7/rotary events in the Charlotte area. I'd be happy to make a road trip to get together with some other owners.

 

I have learned my lesson with shops that do not specialize in rotary repair, DO NOT DO IT! What I did was sign up for AAA Premier, which allows you one 200-mile tow per year.
http://www.aaacarolinas.com/premier/?zip=28173

The local Charlotte/Statesville meet is this coming up Sunday June 13. I think they meet every second Sunday of the month.
https://www.rx7club.com/se-rx-7-forum-35/i77-i40-crossroads-rotary-meet-618153/

If you have a simple coolant leak do some research on the forum and I am positive you will find an answer and fix to your leak. EVERY Rx7 topic has been covered on the forum; you just have to do a search for it. SEARCH BEFORE YOU POST!

 

Welcome to the club MIKE! Good luck with everything!

 

After researching coolant leaks on the forum I've concluded that I need to have the car checked for bigger problems. If I understand what I've read on the forum correctly, coolant should not spill out from the (low pressure) reservoir unless there is a leak elsewhere. I think I'll check with AAA about getting the car transported to a specialist.

 

Pm sent

 

Got my FD back from rx7world last week. Turns out that one of the battery box rods had come loose and dropped down into the fan housing, stopping the fan from turning and causing the car to overheat. I was fortunate that it never caught on fire. The overheating caused the leak in the cooling system and burned out the ECU. Ernst replaced the fan, the air separator tank, and the ECU, along with some hoses and other miscellaneous items. The car is driving strong again and I feel like I've dodged a bullet. I highly recommend Ernst Borchert at rx7world for anyone in the Charlotte, NC area (it was worth the three hour drive for me from western North Carolina).

 

I'd email Ernst via his website (www.rx7world.com) to see if he has one. He had a large number of parts cars on the premises.

 

That is great to hear that you got her fixed. It is amazing how such a simple thing can cause such a huge problem in the long run.

-Ryan