Looking to get into RX7s

[firefly948]

Hey guys, I'm looking to buy an RX7, but I'm going to college next year, and I have serious doubts about it's reliability. I am currently driving a Mazda MX3 gs, and I love it, but it's not as powerful as I want it to be. And also, I'm sad that I'm saying this, but, it looks like alot of other cars on the road. I've been looking into an RX7, or a Supra, and have done lots of research on the Supra, and have found it extremely tempting. But I'd like to stay within the Mazda family.

How reliable is the 3rd gen RX7 really? How cheap can I get one and how much would it cost to maintain properly? I just need some help deciding. Thanks guys!

[MBTN]

Stay away.

[drftk1d]

Unless youre rich, keep the mx-3. 3rd gens need alot of upkeep. Oh and by the way supras are quite expensive (especially the MkIVs).

[Soyo]

I wouldn't totally urge against FD's... I'd just say learn your stuff on, know what to look for when you buy, ask a lot of questions on rx7club.com and take your time when buying and dont just snatch the first one you see... oh and pay a higher price for a better car rather than something that will give you trouble that is cheap... thats not what you wanna do when buying an FD

but you will deffinately want a decent amount of money at hand at random times with an FD

[D3rELiC]

like said above, stay away
those cars cost alot to maintain, to repair and to insure.

[firefly948]

So the 2nd gen RX7s are more reliable then the 3rd?

I've done a little research and I know about the problem with the intake and exhaust ports being too close. I also know about the problem with the seals that seal the rotor to the housing, (not sure what you guys call them). But if I get one in good condition with low miles, will it really require that much maintenance? I figured as long as I didn't mod it too heavily it would be ok. What kind of maintenance are you talking about when you say it costs alot?

As far as the Supra mkIV, they're expensive,(although not much more than a fd) but they last forever. Those engines are bulletproof. But like I said, I'd like to stay in the Mazda Family because I'm really pleased with their cars so far.

[89tracerman]

i got my 2nd gen 5 weeks ago and i have all ready spent over $1000 when you fix one problem another seems to come out of no where.

[Soyo]

I've had my FC almost a year now and all I've had to fix was the clutch(which is very normal), then I had to get a new seal for my oil pan(not too expensive), and just 2 weeks ago I had to get the exhaust fixed because it came apart from the muffler(87 bucks)

so they are very affordable to maintain...

[mrb455]

I have a 88 n/a auto w/108k on it and other than the mods I have spent about $100.00 on it. If you take care of one it will last you a long time. I know guys that have over 200k on the same engine but they are not turbos. Turbos are expensive.

[firefly948]

i want a turbo...It is a requirement for my next car. There's a lady down the street who owns two fds. She said that if you do a list of reliablility mods to the car before anything else, then it is like driving any other mazda, hard to break. I don't know how accurate this is, but she got the car in jan. and did all the reliability mods and has yet to do anything but change the oil and she drives it every day.

[jmrev]

rotary engines tend to overheat

[drftk1d]

No they don't.

the thing that people dont understand is that rotarites are not regular engines so they have to be treated differently.

[Great-King-Rat]

from what Ive heard, 3rd generations require the most upkeep. 2nd generations as well. If i was just starting to get into RX-7's I would start out with a first generation. An '86 wouldnt be a bad start.

[drftk1d]

86 is second generation.

[Soyo]

1st gens are harder to maintain than FC's as far as I know