should i buy my 16 year old kid a 1986 mazda rx-7?

Hi,
I was wondering if it is a good idea to but my 16 year old son a 1986 Mazda RX-7 for his first car. It's a used car and it's being sold for $1300. Is this a good idea and is it a good price?
Thank You

is it n/a or turbo?

cause if it is n/a i dont see a problem with it
im sorry i cant help you on the price thing, not really priced a rx7

but if it is an n/a i think it wont be bad for your 16 year old
my first car when i was 16 was faster then a n/a rx7 and im still living lol

sorry i wasnt much help

i don't think it's a turbo, how much speed does a turbo add to a car?

Originally posted by darthlinux42
i don't think it's a turbo, how much speed does a turbo add to a car?

im not an expert, but it will be a big difference
and from the expericence of driving my friends dodge daytona turbo, it really isnt the speed, turbos like to pull when shifting and punching the gas and if you cant control this or not expecting it, it could cause an accident

Well, if you are buying a 1986 RX-7 for you kid for a first car for 1300 and expecting it to be reliable, that's def. not a good idea. When I was 16 I bought a 1988 RX-7 n/a for $2300 and I put 3 engines in it within one year. If you buy an RX-7 and want it to be reliable, either find one with a rebuilt engine, rebuild the one that is in the car, or buy a rebuilt engine for the car if you want it to be reliable. I was on a tight budget and had to keep buying used RX-7 engines.

Anyway, as far as the turbo part goes. The n/a RX-7's of that year had 160 hp I believe. The Turbo II's have 200 hp. If you are worried about the naturally aspirated car being too fast, the only thing you need to look out for is the top end, I got my 88 up to 135 once on the highway, but as far as acceleration, it is just a little bit faster than a 95 Honda Accord. The car weighs about 3500 lbs. if it is a n/a car, so it is very heavy in my mind. Anyway, I would assume that the Turbo II Rx-7 is probably around the same speed as a 99 Honda Prelude. The turbo would have much more potential for hp gains, I don't know if you are buying the car to mod it, or if you are buying it just to be a safe, reliable, first car. Anyway, the n/a's are pretty safe, they aren't that fast unless you are just trying to drive around 130 mph.

Anyway, as far as the turbo part goes. The n/a RX-7's of that year had 160 hp I believe. The Turbo II's have 200 hp. If you are worried about the naturally aspirated car being too fast, the only thing you need to look out for is the top end, I got my 88 up to 135 once on the highway, but as far as acceleration, it is just a little bit faster than a 95 Honda Accord. The car weighs about 3500 lbs. if it is a n/a car, so it is very heavy in my mind.

The '86 N/As had 143 hp, and the Turbo II of '87-89 (no '86 Turbos in the US) had 185 hp. IN '89, both got upgrades. 160 hp in the N/A cars, and 200 in the Turbos, but they also got heavier.

In '86, the base model (and Sport) weighed in at 2600 or so before options. The SEs were a tiny bit heavier, and the GLX was about 2800. The Turbo II came in at 2800 depending on options (though the usual Turbo was available with all the options and tipped teh scales at around 2900 lbs). When the convertables arrived, they weighed over 3000 lbs, and were pretty porky.

My '86 Sport with no luxury options (no A/C, no power accessories, no sunroof) had an aluminum hood and an aluminum jack, and weighed in just under 2600 lbs, stock, so it was pretty light. It ran the quarter in about 15 and a half seconds, which was about a second quicker than the RX7 GTU, and only a second or slower than an RX7 Turbo.

RX7s arent reliable because people cut corners and do crap like buy used parts. 90% of the FCs out there have well over 100,000 miles on them. Most cars start to have problems around then and the problem is even worse in a car thats had the piss driven out of it its whole life. I wouldnt buy a Turbo rx7 for a new driver but maybe an N/A. Proper maintanance and common sense will do a lot for an rx-7

117,000 and still going strong!

and 3500 pounds is total crap unless its filled with fat people and a big dog.

Anyhoo, the n/a's are good for first drivers, they have a really falt torque curve and the power is really predictable. I think they're actaully a bit underpowered for their handling capability. But the TII you should keep away from new drivers. Last thing you need is a kid getting caught off guard in a corner when that turbo spools up on a RWD sportscar.

I don't really think its too great of a car to pick up for your boy, there. I mean it IS a great car. Did your son happen to request the car, cause if he did, then maybe he's done his homework and knows the faults and strongpoints of this turbo rotary engine powered rear wheel drive sports car. If he diddn't do the homework, or you diddnt ,in case you're plannign on surprizing him, theres 4 things wrong with the car for your particular application in the sentince before this one.

REAR WHEEL DRIVE: When traction is lost on a rear wheel drive car, the power wheels, or rear wheels will easily begin to spinout, since they have no weight major weight over them, and will most likely cause the rear of yhte car to spin around in front of it, or the rear to slide out (fishtail). turbo models will make this much easier to happen much faster.

TURBO: at certain RPMs, this device will force extra air to creat more power, and unfourtunately it can be somewhat uppredicable for new drivers and can cause spinouts because it can suddenly make too much power for you (like on jughandles, offramps, or turns)

ROTARY ENGINES: These are engines that do not use pistons or cams like normal cars, they use rotars in a chamber, that spin irregularly against the walls to compress, intake and all the normal things an engine does. You can see how they work as opposed to normal engines at "HowThingsWork.com"..Do a search there on "Wankel engines", named after the inventor of the rotary engine, (for some reson im recalling hi first name being felix?) Wankel.

SPORTS CAR: This one's self explanitory. I don't think a sports car is all THAT much of a great idea for a young guy, first car, first time driver. Maybe you have the confidence in him and he has the skill, so great for him. Personally i think maybe a sport compact would be a better choice, but then again, hey... Maybe he did his homework, maybe he wants this car for other purposes too like drifting, a special driving style/skill fad going around with young poeple everywhere. If he is going for this, maybe he'd like to look at 240sx's and stuff, too.

he said its a 1986 model. NONE of the '86 RX-7s are turbocharged because the turbo II was introduced as a 1987 model. And the 86-88 Non-turbos has 146hp, the 89-91s had 160

double post

well i'm 17 and i've been driving my 89 3L toyota supra turbo for abt 1 an ahalf yr nows and i haven't even scratched it...
lot's of my family didn't like the idea but of me drivin it as my 1st car but nows i made them eat their words! Onli my dad aproved of it bc he knew i wouldn't do anything stupid....
If u can trust ur son to take it easy and drive safe then y not!
that just my opinion!

i'm getting a 91 rx7 turbo 2 at the end ob this yr woo hoo can't wait!!!

it all depends on if you can trust your 16 year old son with the car. when i turned 16 my parents gave me a 13 year old piece of shit, which i still drive, but i got to drive my parent's cars quite a bit. my dad had a brand new audi a6, and i got to drive it by myself right after i got my license, and have taken it on many road trips. it all depends on whether or not your son is trustworthy.

i trust my son. what i want to know is it a car he can fix if something breaks or will we have to take it to a show. also is it a good price?

most shops dont know rotary engines well, but its easy to learn to work on yourself

there is LOTS of support on the internet. Factory service manuals, how tos, etc. Fixing it should be easier than most other cars in my opinion. There are also a ton in the junk yards too.

My first car... ah I beat the piss out of it :) 88 Turbo MX6 GT ended up running a 12 in the 1/4 before some old woman slammed it :(

I'm 16 and I own two 86 rx7s there fast but not dangerously fast there good realiable cars I bring mine to 7k every day and its still running strong and I've had it for about a year now so yeah I think its a good choice

Yeah. And make sure that should he get the car, don't baby the damn thing. It's made to go up in the RPM band, and is actually detrimental to the health of the car if it isnt revved reglarly. Just make sure not to do it on a cold engine ;)

Be warned though. These cars do have their share of problems. And they eat gas like popcorn. And oil too. But not like popcorn, more like... ice cream cake.:cool:

yeah the rotaries actually have oil pumped into the combustion chamber w/ the fuel. it has to be checked fairly often because it goes through it much quicker then a piston motor. when the car is started you shoudl dlet it warm up for a bit before reving, and they are made to rev out. they are very good in their upper rpms. also, don't ever start the car up, move it like 10 feet and shut it off. this is like cruel and unusual punishment for a rotary motor. if you have to move it a short way, let it keep running or drive it aorund the block few times before shutting it off. otherwise the cars are reliable head turners. i have an 87 gxl. i love the car, although i am selling to get a third gen rx-7. i would say go for it.

wtf.... if you notice oil consumption your engine or turbo seals are damaged. With good oil control rings and no leaks you shouldnt notice a significant amount of oil loss. No engine is "supposed" to use a lot of oil.

A good shape rx should use 1quart of oil about every 1600 to 1800 miles, if it losses more than 1quart of oil every 800 or less then it is considered that you have worne seals in the engine., hopes this helps in your decision


.........chad

i didn't say use a lot, jsut significantly more then a piston motor. my rebuilt 13 b uses a quart every 1500 miles is more then a piston motor uses, my firebird goes for 3000 at a time with a 1/4 quart of oil loss.

Originally posted by illest7
wtf.... if you notice oil consumption your engine or turbo seals are damaged. With good oil control rings and no leaks you shouldnt notice a significant amount of oil loss. No engine is "supposed" to use a lot of oil.

What he SAID was that rotaries have oil injected into the combustion chamber with the fuel. There is a small oil pump, and oil delivery lines to the intake (pumped right into the carburator on early rotary cars). So yes, in a way, these cars ARE supposed to burn oil, just like a 2 stroke does (and like a 2 stroke, if you don't run oil into the combustion chamber with the stock oil pump, you have to add it to the fuel like pre-mix).

Yes, even a good running rotary will use quite a bit more oil than a normal piston engine will. And it's one of the reasons you're really not supposed to run synthetic oil, as it won't burn off in the combustion chamber like normal oil will, leading to buildup and hot spots in the combustion chamber. Hot spots lead to detonation, and detonation leads to destroyed Apex seals.

it has to be checked fairly often because it goes through it much quicker then a piston motor.

I think everyone knows about the omp. He said it "goes through" oil quicker.... Ive never had to add oil before its time to change the oil and my omps have always been up to spec. Oil loss from injection is almost not noticeable. I dont think any manufacturer would sell a car that you had to check the oil in every time you filled up the gas which is what "checked fairly often" means to me.

I didn't mean every time you filled with gas, i meant more then a piston motor. thats all. god damn.

Originally posted by Rx7kid
I didn't mean every time you filled with gas, i meant more then a piston motor. thats all. god damn. :werd:

Originally posted by Jetts
is it n/a or turbo?

cause if it is n/a i dont see a problem with it
im sorry i cant help you on the price thing, not really priced a rx7

but if it is an n/a i think it wont be bad for your 16 year old
my first car when i was 16 was faster then a n/a rx7 and im still living lol

sorry i wasnt much help

They didn't sell Turbo's in 1986 in the states.

And no.. don't get him a sports car for his first car.

I feel that the price is a decent one. But the main question still exists, what type of conditon is it in. Also, if your wondering what a good price is i would recmoomend going to www.kbb.com or www.nada.com and do some price checks. Oh yeah, Rx-7's are the shiz.

ok, well about the trust, even so Id take him to a big parking lot and siot in it with him and tell him to hos it just so he sees what can happen and knows what to expect and you can see how he handles it. first day i got my license, I drove a 72 superbeetle, the least powerful car known to man just about.

when i learned to drive it was a FWD legacy wiht my mo saying slow down, or in a old truck with dad saying slow down. got my license, came home, hopped in the bug and wen out for a drive and 5 minutes later, fishtailed around a corner(1/2 my fualt for speeding already, 1/2 natures fault for mud being on the road) and then corrected it but by the time i had control io ws in the wrong lane looking at a nissan p/u. next day on the way to school fishtailed around another corner and went back and forth 3 or 4 times but managed to stay in my lane(probably all my crazy go kart driving experiences). but after those 2 times I never came close to an accident in a bug and owned bugs for over a year. so I reccomend teaching him how to control it at speeds or if something goes wrong like fishtailing, cuz even if you trust him, hes gonna speed, I mean every guy has the instinct to go fast. on the other hand I dont know if my dad had taught me to drive aggressively, I may have just driven even more aggressively and still had bad experiences.

The rx7 is a decent first car, sporty and fun and not overly fast. They are quick enough to merge into traffic with out being run over. The rotory engine is a unique beast though, and if your ignorant about maintaining it will simply just die on you and become a money pit. But if you do the research then you will find it will be a good car.

I owned an 87NA and Im seriously thinking about another.

My first car was an '88 RX7 (not a turbo). I got it with 100,000 miles and it lasted until about 170,000 with no engine work. It actually still ran, but had some problems and I was ready to replace it.

It was a fun first car. It's not particularly powerful, so I wouldn't worry about that. The traction could have been better though. It wasn't too hard to make the car spin if accelerating too fast around a turn (at a stop light for instance). Might have been poor tires though - I didn't have any problems after I had the tires replaced, but I was also more careful when accelerating.

From what I've read, RX7's require lots of maintanance to keep them running, but this wasn't my experience. My car might have been the exception to the rule though.

My son is only 9 but I would concider a Non turbo Rx7 for him to drive.

The traction could have been better though. It wasn't too hard to make the car spin if accelerating too fast around a turn (at a stop light for instance). Might have been poor tires though - I didn't have any problems after I had the tires replaced, but I was also more careful when accelerating.

I just got an 87 n/a and was sitting at a light the other night in the left turn lane. Guy next to me revved his SUV :nono: . Light went green and I went flying out. Next thing I knew my back end slipped out. Rock on drifting! Once I realized that I was in the RX-7 and not my old Accord it helped a lot.

My first car was a 92 accord 4 dr pos. As much as your son would LOVE an RX-7 (because they rule just that much) I think it would be better to spend some time in a sedan or some family-type car. Speeding tickets are a real pain in the butt... especially if you're under 18. At least with me the temptation is often too much to ease the pedal down. If the power is there he'll use it, voice of experience. Losing the car b/c of street racing or doing 120 in a 65 just ain't worth it :crying: . Don't even get me started on insurance.

Rock on drifting!

So to drift all i have to do is get a little sideways? Cool! Sorry man I don't think that could be called a drift. Nice try though.

and 3500 pounds is total crap unless its filled with fat people and a big dog.



The 88 weighs 3003 lbs.

The 88 weighs 3003 lbs.

convertible, yes, N/A coupes for 86-88 were ~2700.

Well,it only took me around 3 months to exceed my parents and friends parents driving skills by far,but it depends on the person,their is a 16 year old in a D1 invitation,some people learn really really fast.
A turbo would take more skill to learn,but if your son really loves cars,then learning probably won't be an issue.It is just when you first start out,getting use to the throttle,brake,how fast a car turns,the characteristics,merging,knowing when to speed up or fall back etc.It might seem hard at first in an Rx-7,especially turbo.If you have another car to start him,then I would do it.Then after he can handle that car well,give him the Rx-7,then he will be able to handle,then in a few months he weill probably be able to handle it better than you.Just make sure the Rx-7 you get is a manual.

Hi,
I was wondering if it is a good idea to but my 16 year old son a 1986 Mazda RX-7 for his first car. It's a used car and it's being sold for $1300. Is this a good idea and is it a good price?
Thank You

I'm jealous. I had to buy my first car, an '83 RX-7. I'm can't say if your boy is up for driving a sports car. Here's points:


Get the thing checked out. About a month after I got my car, I was in a minor accident. I locked the fronts up in the wet, and while I got them rolling again quickly, I just couldn't get the car to stop, despite traveling at a low speed and having good distance. Everyone chalked it up to inexperience, but I drove it like a school bus after that. A few months later I needed brake work. What did they find? Both rear brake cylinders were frozen. I had no rear brakes!
Next, new tires. Most people these days are used to front drive sedans. They have a modest amount of power, automatic transmissons and a lot of weight over the front wheels. Your boy wants a car that has lots of power coming out of wheels that have little weight over them. The car is light overall. It's more prone to oversteer, but is balanced enough to understeer as well. Each behavior is distinct, and requires different technique. The car really requires more of its driver than, say, a Honda Civic. On the other hand, you can get much more out of it.
Consider a driver training course. It may be required to get a license in your state. Even if it isn't, send your boy to the best course you can afford, preferably to a school that will teach him, at least partly, in his own car. Also consider, after a few months of driving (it varies by school, but is usually a six month minimum) consider a performance driving school. There, your son can learn how to handle the cars eccentricities in a safe, consequence-managed environment.
Turbo cars have a peaky powerband, which can upset the car's balance, and can fight a new driver's attempts to say, handle a winding interstate onramp in the wet. Since the 1986 is a NA car, you'll be rewarded with a very linear powerband. Resist requests for a turbo kit, and think long and hard should you find yourself looking at a turbo equipped factory vehicle in your shopping. Aftermarket turbos tend to be more peaky than the systems fitted by warranty-savvy, liability-driven OEMs. On that car, if more power becomes a goal, do it with sense. Start performance upgrades with the driver, followed by tires, suspension and brakes, then consider an exhaust and intake.
Consider a rewards system. Perhaps a SCCA membership, helmet and set of auto-x tires for a clean six month record. An on-track driving school will help both of you. Really, I had little desire to drive fast on the street. When I became more comfortable with the car, I took corners faster than most drivers, but really, there have been few reasons in the time I've been driving for me to have gotten a ticket. Aside from the little wreck above, I've never even been pulled over, much less ticketed. If you can keep him responsible, and get him through a bit of driving in all conditions, I'm sure he can handle most second-gen RX-7 models.


The RX-7 can be a very safe car, in the hands of a capable driver. It's light and nimble. It has good power and great brakes. If the driver knows how to handle the car and is alert, these things are better than front and side airbags, crumple zones, anti-submarining seatbelts and seatrails. You have a car that can simply avoid an accident that many lesser cars could not.
Good luck to you and your child.
-mike

yeah, waht he said

Just make sure your reminding him aobut being careful in the rain. It almost kicked my ass a few times. These cars like to hydroplane, and quick corners can get hairy. X2 with a TurboII. Just some frinedly advice :)