Any 3rd gen RX-7 owners here?

[Desslok]

I am looking at maybe getting one. Any advice or good sites telling the pros and cons of these beautiful cars?

Thanks

 

[notfred]

The engines are weird.

 

[amnesiac]

My friend has had one for a few years. Got a great deal on a 1993.

Pros:

- Fast
- Awesome Rotary engine
- Easy to work on
- Huge aftermarket parts market
- Many, many RX-7 clubs and groups nationwide

Cons:

- Twin turbos + rotary = unreliable engine
- Life expectancy of stock engine = 80,000 miles or so
- Turbos need tuning to eliminate major lag
- Poor visibility while driving

 

[Fausto]

Also....sit in one before making a purchase. They're a pretty tight fit if you're even reasonably tall/heavy.

 

[johneetrash]

Originally posted by: amnesiac 2.0

Cons:

- Twin turbos + rotary = unreliable engine
- Life expectancy of stock engine = 80,000 miles or so

i think if the previous owner(s) took care of it and didnt totally abuse it, the engine would last a lot longer than that...

but... who's not gonna abuse the twin turbos?

 

[Desslok]

Originally posted by: amnesiac 2.0
My friend has had one for a few years. Got a great deal on a 1993. Pros: - Fast - Awesome Rotary engine - Easy to work on - Huge aftermarket parts market - Many, many RX-7 clubs and groups nationwide Cons: - Twin turbos + rotary = unreliable engine - Life expectancy of stock engine = 80,000 miles or so - Turbos need tuning to eliminate major lag - Poor visibility while driving

Thanks for the input guys. So look for a a 7 that is not turbo'd would be the best bet?

Edit: Is being 6'4" to tall for these cars?

 

[BoberFett]

I have one... as my desktop wallpaper.

The RX7 has always been one of my favorite cars. From what I've read, check the oil constantly, and change it every 1000 miles and you'll get a long life out of your rotary. Apparently they're designed to burn some oil and most people don't change it or top it off often enough.

And I could be wrong, but I think only the 2nd gen had turbo as an option. I think all 3rd gen are twin turbo.

 

[atom]

All 3rd gen. RX-7's are twin turboed. If it it did come N/A, why would you want it? That's like buying a V6 Mustang.

If you wanna play you gotta pay. Be prepared to rebuild. Even if it wasn't abused, if you plan on driving it fairly hard its a good bet to get the engine rebuilt (apex seals) considering how old RX-7's are now.

 

[Desslok]

Originally posted by: atom
All 3rd gen. RX-7's are twin turboed. If it it did come N/A, why would you want it? That's like buying a V6 Mustang. If you wanna play you gotta pay. Be prepared to rebuild. Even if it wasn't abused, if you plan on driving it fairly hard its a good bet to get the engine rebuilt (apex seals) considering how old RX-7's are now.

I heard the same thing from the 993 owners Now I just need to find out if there is a rotary fanatic around ABQ, I have heard horrow stories about 7's that were taken to a Mazda dealers.

 

[Spac3d]

Saw 3 3rd gens race last nite when they hit the highway. I know the first one, he has a t72 turbo (I beleive, it was a couple years ago) on his RX7. I drove for another minute and when I got out of my car I could still hear em.... mmm.. so sexy and I have verified that his car does do 150mph+

 

[Desslok]

Has anyone rebuilt the 7's engine? What are the ball park est's?

 

[isekii]

Originally posted by: Desslok
Has anyone rebuilt the 7's engine? What are the ball park est's?

hehe the extended warranty would surely come in handy right about now

cars like that need extended warranty that would cover everything

 

[boyRacer]

Originally posted by: Desslok
Has anyone rebuilt the 7's engine? What are the ball park est's?

Around $2-3K i think... if you don't port it... but you might as well since its already open. You could buy Mazda remans from RX7 stores online also. Good luck finding one... there's one for sale with 10,000k+ miles... but they want $20k for a 10 year old car... plus KBB has it for $16k in good condition i think. you're not gonna find that many in good condition... those rotaries need more TLC than piston engines.

EDIT: Go to RX7Club.com for more info...

<--- FD fan

 

[beer]

If you have to ask about costs, it will cost too much.

When I lived in Dallas, I knew three teenage guys that had RX-7s. Two of them were R1s and the third was a touring. They're incredibly fast, nimble, fun cars. They have more pussy power than just about anything in the sub-$30K market. But they are always breaking down. If it wasn't the engine, it was the intercooler, the fuel pump, etc etc. They are *very* expensive cars to maintain, plus parts for them are expensive (remember the 7 was a $40K car when it came out).

If you have lots of money, but choose to tinker witih a 7 instead, they're good buys. If you are trying to buy a sports car for cheap....they're not. Simple as that.

 

[isekii]

Originally posted by: boyRacer

Originally posted by: Desslok
Has anyone rebuilt the 7's engine? What are the ball park est's?

Around $2-3K i think... if you don't port it... but you might as well since its already open. You could buy Mazda remans from RX7 stores online also. Good luck finding one... there's one for sale with 10,000k+ miles... but they want $20k for a 10 year old car... plus KBB has it for $16k in good condition i think. you're not gonna find that many in good condition... those rotaries need more TLC than piston engines.

EDIT: Go to RX7Club.com for more info...

<--- FD fan

I wouldn't have a problem giving the RX-7 TLC
It would be pretty enjoyable if you ask me..

 

[XMan]

I'm 6'5", and my head literally stuck out of my friend's sunroof in his RX-7. I wouldn't buy it if you're a tall guy.

 

[Desslok]

Originally posted by: boyRacer

Originally posted by: Desslok Has anyone rebuilt the 7's engine? What are the ball park est's?

Around $2-3K i think... if you don't port it... but you might as well since its already open. You could buy Mazda remans from RX7 stores online also. Good luck finding one... there's one for sale with 10,000k+ miles... but they want $20k for a 10 year old car... plus KBB has it for $16k in good condition i think. you're not gonna find that many in good condition... those rotaries need more TLC than piston engines.

Thanks for the info Racer, The WRX STi is loooking better and better. Just something about the 3rd gen's body style is just very appealing to me.

So if I get one for around 16 then another 3k for a rebuilt engine. So I am looking at 19-20k and the Sti will hopefully be around 30k. Hmmmm

 

[gregshin]

Originally posted by: amnesiac 2.0
My friend has had one for a few years. Got a great deal on a 1993.

Pros:

- Fast
- Awesome Rotary engine
- Easy to work on
- Huge aftermarket parts market
- Many, many RX-7 clubs and groups nationwide

Cons:

- Twin turbos + rotary = unreliable engine
- Life expectancy of stock engine = 80,000 miles or so
- Turbos need tuning to eliminate major lag
- Poor visibility while driving

Amnesiac is on the ball...he left out how well is handles tho

 

[psteng19]

Just wait for slikmunks to get in here to spew all kinds of RX-7 info.

I think he has a 2nd gen

The last gen was one of the hottest looking bodies!

 

[Ns1]

Prepare to replace your "check engine light" with a "change engine light"

Replace tach with" GoGoGoGoFUCT"


seriously, prepare to baby that engine, and prepare to rebuild and rebuild often

 

[gregshin]

Originally posted by: NeuroSynapsis
Prepare to replace your "check engine light" with a "change engine light"

Replace tach with" GoGoGoGoFUCT"


seriously, prepare to baby that engine, and prepare to rebuild and rebuild often

ROFL...serisouly tho...my friend went thru 2 3rd gen RX-7's....both died....the last one had a engine fire in that one. it was crazy. He sold the car to another friend...and it was running a sick 400hp +...but guess what...it broke again.

 

[Eli]

Generally, The more power a given engine design develops.. the faster it wears out.

Apex seals being the main wear component in a rotary.

They're very reliable when they aren't pumping massive HP out.

 

[amnesiac]

Originally posted by: gregshin

Amnesiac is on the ball...he left out how well is handles tho

Well that's 'cos I've never driven one. My friend wouldn't let me touch his RX-7.

Anyway his engine blew out almost exactly at 80,000 miles. Engine cost between $3000-5000 to fix (more reliable estimate)

If you want a good street racer or a car you can eventually put on the track, this is one for you. If you want to drive around and look cool, find something else because this is a racecar and it deserves to be treated like one.

As for being 6'+ and driving this thing, good luck because I'm 5'10" and I had to shoehorn my fat ass in and out of the car. That's partially due to the Sparco racing seats but even at stock it was a tight fit.

If you want a fast car as a daily driver and don't want to give TONS of TLC to the engine, look somewhere else. This is a hobbyists ride, pretty much.

 

[KokomoGST]

Let's see... unmentioned problems are _extreme_ sensitivity to heat and detonation (you knock and your apex seals fscked!)

The engine is very prone to overheat mainly due to the twin turbo design, that's why Peter Farrell and other Mazda tuners all suggested going to a less cramped and less scrunched single turbo config. NA rotaries didn't have nearly as much problem with grenading themselves...

You can prolly pick one up for around 17k if you do some shopping Desslok. They handle AWESOME and make a great weekend car. As a daily driver if you decide to mod it, it prolly wouldn't last as long as a comparably modded Evo/STi. Every single person I know that has owned a FD3S RX7 has blown their apex seals at one time. Most of them know their $h1t, but big booty boost + rotaries are hard to keep reliable.

 

[slikmunks]

Originally posted by: amnesiac 2.0
My friend has had one for a few years. Got a great deal on a 1993.

Pros:

- Fast
- Awesome Rotary engine
- Easy to work on
- Huge aftermarket parts market
- Many, many RX-7 clubs and groups nationwide

Cons:

- Twin turbos + rotary = unreliable engine
- Life expectancy of stock engine = 80,000 miles or so
- Turbos need tuning to eliminate major lag
- Poor visibility while driving

been through this sooooo many times... it's not just twin turbos + rotary = unreliable... it's twin turbos + high sensitivity to upgrading and turning up boost + not tuning = unreliable... *sigh* if you take care of everything like you're supposed to, it'll act like almost any other boosted vehicle... what makes it an "unreliable" engine is that it's very succeptible to knock... you have to make sure you don't get detonation, detonation = death... k? and for the pros... how about being able to hit 400+hp on stock internals with stock turbos on a 2800lb car? what about the excellent handling due to the low center of gravity of the engine, and the light weight of the car? as for ur cons... turbos are sequential, designed to not have that much lag... if you have major lag, it's cuz you've gone single turbo... but if you go single turbo, you do that to go hella fast, and if you do that, why would you be in the low rpm's where your turbos haven't spooled up yet...? but in general, yes, there's a lot of maintenance to be done...

Originally posted by: Desslok
I am looking at maybe getting one. Any advice or good sites telling the pros and cons of these beautiful cars?

Thanks

they're great cars, and boyracre is right... rx7club.com forums is a good place to start, although there is a lot of flaming and stuff that goes on there... a LOT more flaming and neffing than here sometimes... but there are a LOT of poeple there who know their stuff... from fb's, fc's and fd's... and 6'4 might be a little cramped, but i know a guy who's 6'6 and has an fd...

Boberfett: yes, 2nd gens are the only ones that came with the turbo as an option... 1st gens didn't have turbos, 3rd gens all had... except in japan, where all 2nd gens had turbos... but oil does not need to be changed ever 1000 miles... just chekced... change about every 2500, and yes, the engine is designed to burn oil, unless you get really deep into modifications and stuff, and you run premix and get rid of your OMP (oil metering pump)

Spac3d: you haven't seen an rx7 go until you've seen a 3 rotor with a t78!! :Q:Q:Q... and stock top speed on fd's (assuming in good running condition) is 167mph iirc

psteng: sorry, i couldn't help it... too tempting! and yes, i do drive a 2nd gen... i'm so touched you remember!! *tear* hehehe

in general, desslok, if you want to pick up a 3rd gen... i would suggest (this is what i'd have done if i had enough money and i wasn't in college) is to buy an fd with a blown motor, look around, they can be had for anywhere from 7-9k... doesn't have to be dead, but maybe low compression, oil or coolant leak, make sure everything else works fine... and get the engine rebuilt right away... and ported of course... should cost around 4-5k, depending on where you go... 2-3k is a really good price on a rebuild... a REALLY good price... that way, you know everything is working well, and you know what kind of engine you're dealing with right off the bat. Then, immediately replace all the hoses with silicon hoses (high engine temps cook rubber hoses, causing them to crack and leak, causing you more headaches) and get a dp (will reduce engine bay temps by a lot)... replace the plastic AST with an aluminum one, and.... (trying to think of more reliability mods) that's 'bout all i can think of for now

and if you don't want one that needs a rebuild to begin with... make sure you get a compression check first... you should get 110 or so psi out of each chamber in the front and rear rotors... drive it hard into 5th, the synchro tends to be a little iffy... make sure no rust, car doesn't smoke... if it smokes dark blue, it's oil, i believe, if it's white, it's coolant... either is bad... means seals are gone.... meaning new engine soon... anyways, any other q's lemme have 'em... i'll try to answer....