fc3s

thinking about buying a 89 or 90 model fc, but dont know anything about them so what i need is non-bias people to give me the lowdown on the car. pros, cons, mechanincal, electrical problems, how hard it is to work on a rotory. you know all that good stuff. i've always heard they were good cars but i also heard pigs could fly. get my drift

Well, I came from a Mitsubishi background, and it's not too hard when you break it down to it's parts. It's like learning to drive a car, and several years later, you decide to get a sports bike or something. It's not so bad. My RX-7 has been really good to me, even if it has really low mileage. I use it as a track car and it's all ways been in tip top shape. One thing that I've seen locally on RX-7's is the muffler tips rust off pretty badly. Soon afterwards, expect to possibly blow a muffler or two off (see the link in my sig for reference haha):) Mechanically, I find the engines to be really good and ready for a beating, but accessability to various parts to the car itself is quite the bitch if you plan on going that route ie. headlights, bumper removal, FTP lens removal, etc. I find them to be really good cars, but the owner of my RX-7 before me was a rotary enthusiast, so I lucked out. Other FC's around here just look and feel like plain shit because people don't know what they're doing, so that's another thing to look for.

All in all, I think they're really fun cars to drive. The only things I have to replace currently is the clutch and exhaust and that's it. Major thing is to check the apex seals... if they go, your motor goes :) Good luck!

yeah dont be gay and take out the ftp's

when you check the car see if you smell gas underhood while its running, thats not a good sign (or its a good sign to talk the guy down a bit)

yeah dont be gay and take out the ftp's


Apparently you're gay if you don't agree with him lol jk.

I meant replace them with JDM lenses.. man all those lights, make me go JDM craaaaazy. Not really.. but I think they personally look more complete if there really was a light behind the FTP lens.

but I think they personally look more complete if there really was a light behind the FTP lens.

its called the headlight kekeke

I'm just being an elitist dickhead, as usual. I don't know what the JDM lenses even look like

They are ultimately the same.. except it has a bulb in the lens that I believe come on with the ambers, but also to your highbeams or some crazy shit like that. All I know is that you can have the headlights up and have light coming from the FTP lens at the same time :licka:

http://corksport.com/store/image/a5b3/2rx-exterior_misc_/J-SPEC_Flash_to_pass_lamps.jpg

...and no, the driver is not in the driver's seat holding in the highbeam switch :icon16:

one of my friends use to say that an rx-7 was a costly car to own.... saying that after so many miles the motor gives out... somthin like 110k or somthin.... lol how ever he also thinks his gt eclipse runs a 14.9 with an exhuast and a short throw. but after doing my home work i found out that they are one of the ideal drift cars in the japan. and it has a very reasonable 1/4 mile time 14.9 i think is what i saw. so now i wonder witch turbo would be better to run on a mazda t60-1 or a t-70. i think i heard that with a rotory the bigger the better. i just miss rear-wheel drive really bad and i want somthing that can handel. ya know.

well, making sure the car runs well first takes priority over choosing a turbo.

the stock turbo is good to 270hp then you'll want larger, depending oon your power goals. And a 14.9 sounds right for a stock TII with a below average driver

oh definitely.. i was just saying for a later upgrade. lol i still have to get the car first. i plan to buy an ae-86 this weekend and sell my stealth either on ebay or local, dunno yet, and with the money from the stealth and whit what i have saved up buy a fc but i just have to see how it works out.

I hear the wiring on the 89/90 is a nightmare. I have no personal experinece, but talk to people who have. they always say have plenty of extra cash, because repairs sneek up on you, and that if you buy one used make sure that it was taken care of. Thats what i always hear, and that goes w/ any car of corse.

The only thing really costly that I've found so far is the gas...

I see people rebuilding their cars whenever they think their car is going to give out -- even if it's working fine. My step brother's old TII was pushing about 125,xxx miles with no rebuild. He only sold it because it didn't have a sunroof and he wanted an S5.

As much as I'd love to have another rotary owner, I think that stepping into an unfamiliar world without a backup vehicle might be an issue. I heard a lot of unreliability issues regarding the DSM's and crankwalk, but I have yet to experience it with mine. Then I heard reliability issues with the rotaries, but I have yet to see a problem, but then again, it hasn't even seen more than 100,000 km.. I honestly would not have picked up these cars if I didn't have my truck.

umm well i want to find one adult owned and there seem to be a few that pop up on ebay everyonce in a while. like i just missed this awsome deal it was a white 88 fc stock adult owned 88k miles no mods at all. the inside clean no cracks or anything very nice. but missed out out on it the buy it now was like 4200 i think. but i found a website that sells the whole swap for 950, thats new engine, tranny, harness,ecu, everything so thats the plan try to find one in the 4-4500 price range. a good car with simi high miles and then swap it to jdm, but thats the plan fingures crossed xxxxxxxx

damn when did Fc's get so expensive

my black car was a 91 with 75k on it, bought for 3k.

i guess people see turbo and go hmmmm means performance sell high ya know

RX-7's are appreciating in value if I'm not mistaken.

RX-7's are appreciating in value if I'm not mistaken.

but I bought that car this year!

But I'm glad that they are appreciating, for whatever reason.

They are ultimately the same.. except it has a bulb in the lens that I believe come on with the ambers, but also to your highbeams or some crazy shit like that. All I know is that you can have the headlights up and have light coming from the FTP lens at the same time :licka:

http://corksport.com/store/image/a5b3/2rx-exterior_misc_/J-SPEC_Flash_to_pass_lamps.jpg

...and no, the driver is not in the driver's seat holding in the highbeam switch :icon16:

I went to a car show yesterday and a guy there had the JDM ftp's in. I want some too.

so has any of you heard of a major problem other than wiring like seals going out. like i guess what i'm sayn is do they have a problem like with the mitsu 3000 and ecu problems or lifter tick (i know rotors have no cams just given exzamples)

sometimes the solder points in the ecu get brittle so you may have to resolder them

Mmmm... just be sure to keep the carbon buildup in the engine to minimum, or you can kiss your sweet engine good bye! I think in the manual it says to go into or a little bit passed redline to blow out the carbon.

http://corksport.com/store/image/a5b3/2rx-exterior_misc_/J-SPEC_Flash_to_pass_lamps.jpg

That is one sexy FC!!!

RX-7's are appreciating in value if I'm not mistaken.

A few of the Turbo ones MAYBE. But in general, no. Most FCs have hit bottom and will stay there unless rebuilt, and FDs are still slowly dropping.

Mmmm... just be sure to keep the carbon buildup in the engine to minimum, or you can kiss your sweet engine good bye! I think in the manual it says to go into or a little bit passed redline to blow out the carbon.

It says take it TO redline.

No manual would ask the owner to take the engine past it.

A few of the Turbo ones MAYBE. But in general, no. Most FCs have hit bottom and will stay there unless rebuilt, and FDs are still slowly dropping.

The price of FD's have gone up $5000 in the last 2-3 years according to the information I read at RX-7 Owner's Club.