What does thi hive think of the last generation RX7?
I have a soft spot in my heart for these, they were my first automotive lust. I thought it was so many light years ahead of the vettes and vipers when they came out.
How much work does it take to keep one of these things as a weekend/autocross/track toy? Can they even be mildly reliable, or will it be one continuous string of headaches? If you are looking for one, what are things to look for or avoid?
I think they are achingly beautiful, but equally unreliable. Stock, the motor might last 65K miles. Build it and you might get 50% of that. The interior materials are VERY cheap and EXPENSIVE! My buddy kept singing the praises of the rotary, but he had three different ones leave him stranded 4 different times on his way to the Tail of the Dragon. We swapped in an LS3 and he's been motoring trouble free for years.
But, FD owners seem to be an obnoxious bunch, almost as much as EVO fanbois.
They were a giant lust of mine that morphed into a LSx converted FD lust that still nags at me. I think the LSx version is a beautiful bonified supercar crusher that can be a fairly reliable DD. Now I wonder if they are reaching too much of a potential collector car to bother building anything but a rotary version.
I was under the impression that a single turbo rotary build limited to 300ish whp and supported with the proper support mods could be reliable, but that may just be left over fantasy talking.
For whatever reason, the FD has had a value of about $15k since I started paying attention 15 years ago or so.
I would love to own one. Rotary or ls.
Best bet would be to find a clean roller for a reasonable price(have cash in hand and watch the forums, they always pop up in TN) and then add a reliably modified engine in. I personally dislike LSX swaps in them(if you wanted a corvette, buy a corvette)
You buy an LS RX7 when you want a Corvette with 500 less pounds. 
Appleseed wrote: You buy an LS RX7 when you want a Corvette with 500 less pounds.
And better looks.
And less GM-ness.
They are easy to work on. And any mechanically inclined person can rebuild the engine. There are many great videos out there which walk you through the process.
In reply to icaneat50eggs: good to see you moving forward man. How's the recovery going?
One issue with the FD, mazda worked so hard to make everything light (hollow carpet fibers, seriously?) I don't believe they are particularly "sturdy" in an accident.
Such pretty cars though......
In 2015? Do not touch. Everything out there has either been modded all to heck and therefore you're buying someone else's nightmares, or is a 100% stock unicorn and the people who own them, IF they want to sell, know what they have and ask accordingly.
Very cool cars, but LS swaps kind of make me sad on these. The rotary is a large part of what makes an RX-7 an RX-7 and when you take that out.... I don't know, just my opinion. (Strangely I have no qualms about V8 swaps in FB RX-7s though). I have heard that the interiors are ridiculously tiny on them though.
Absolutely brilliant chassis, equally fragile driveline. Typical mazda. I want.
The drivetrain is pretty stout, and the engine is the beefiest one Mazda made (such a shame they put sequential twins on it so people could have 10psi boost at 2000rpm or something equally dumb) but the REST of the car...!!!
Don't scrub too hard when washing the fenders, you'll dent them. And the interior plastic is the same level of quality you'd expect from a contemporary Probe, meaning lots of fading and peeling laminate and cracking.
Buy a nice one, enjoy it responsibly, sell it for a profit. What's not to like?
KyAllroad wrote: In reply to icaneat50eggs: good to see you moving forward man. How's the recovery going? One issue with the FD, mazda worked so hard to make everything light (hollow carpet fibers, seriously?) I don't believe they are particularly "sturdy" in an accident. Such pretty cars though......
This might be what kills it. I'm still slightly gun shy, and my wife is insanely paranoid right now about having something that does well in crashes.
NC Miata or S2000 may be your answer now. Both have a decade of advancement in safety over the beautiful and delicate FD.
Absolutely sublime to drive. The stock plumbing associated with the turbos was too complicated for Mazda service people in the 90's, so even more so for most owners. Best reliability is with those converted to big single turbo and a reasonable level of boost. Difficult if not impossible to find in good original condition. Totally not daily driver material, but I'd own one if I had the cash on hand and a place to keep it.
I was recently surprised to discover that I've owned my FD for 10 years now. Wow, does time fly. I'll mirror the sentiment that the plastic interior bits don't age particularly well and are expensive to replace. The ergonomics can be tricky, especially on sunroof cars with a helmet on. You already know they're higher maintenance than most. The good news is that every issue you will ever run into has already been documented and there's nothing you can't do yourself to keep it running perfectly, even with stock sequential twins. There is still strong aftermarket support for the car, but finding a local tuner/builder can be a challenge if you opt to go that route. Owning one is a labor of love, but after a decade of wrenching on the thing, it's still completely worth it whenever I hit the track, autox or exit ramp.
Find yourself a well-sorted and cared-for example and give it a test drive. You just won't know if it's for you until you try.
I love the look of them. I remember a friend had a new one back in 1997 in red and it was so gorgeous in person.
Love the look of them. So many of the different colors look great. I would take mine in red or silver I think.
KyAllroad wrote: NC Miata or S2000 may be your answer now. Both have a decade of advancement in safety over the beautiful and delicate FD.
Those were the two I cross shopped when I ditched my Coyote mustang.
Ultimately went with the NC since at the time a 2006+ S2000 (in similar condition as an NC1) was about $7-8k more, if you could actually find a nice one.
NC + 2.5 swap with suspension/wheels/tires would be awesome car to daily.
My opinion is that if you find a nice low-mile, stock R1 (especially in competition yellow) you should definitely pass on it and send me the contact info. :)
This one has been rebuilt/upgraded/replaced and worked on. All at less than 90,000 miles. Check out the plumbing under the hood!
The last Stock FD I saw in person was a 1992 green with a tan interior for $14,400 at a dealership in 2003. I passed and have been kicking myself in the tush ever since. The CHEAPEST I can find any FD on craigslist now is $14,000, and they're not flawless stock examples like the one I passed on was.
Rotarys aren't the finicky mechanical nightmare they're made out to be. They've a reputation for low torque, but never in my rotary owning life has that ever bothered me one bit. Want a torque-centric 1/4 mile racer, get a chevelle. Wanna zippy, forgiving, fun stinking car that goes like the dickens through the twisties and makes you scream "yes yes yes, oh god yes!!!", then buy an RX-7. They love love love being "driven" and RPMs don't hurt the guts one bit. The rebuild is cake to the point it's almost zen-like. Never have I been so relaxed while rebuilding an engine (I think it's because of the hand grinding on the side seals) I believe the FD's mostly benefit from reliability mods (like cooling) and they go like stink.
Did I mention they're peppy little beasts?
I would not hesitate the least to buy an FD if I could swing it. Now that I think of it, you need to go buy JamesMcD's RX-7. Right stinking now. You will never find an example that clean for that price. Whatever it takes to ship it to where you live will still be worth it. In fact, I'll fly and drive. No charge.
go on, I'll wait.
I've owned one in the UK about 10 years ago and it was mostly problem free, but I bought it like I bought most of my rotaries - with a fresh rebuild from a specialist. Very basic mods, still running the stock twins, but with a PowerFC and a decent map. Pushed out about 270-280bhp.
Not exactly the most practical car in the world, but great to drive. Main problem is ham-fisted previous owners. Also make sure that you actually fit it, the cabin is pretty small and I'm pretty sure I wouldn't fit in one with a helmet on. Wouldn't mind another one, but I'd either get one with a duff engine and rebuild it, or a very well looked after one. The middle ground can quickly get as expensive as my 996.
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