I was thinking about buying a RX7 but i heard that you need to have a engine rebuild every 1 to 2 years is this correct?
Also can someone tell me how reliable they are and will i be paying alot of money on repairs and spares.
I was thinking about a 1994 to 1998 with less than 30,000miles and importing it from japan.
any suggestions would be hepful.
also can you suggest some good importers.
thxs
Good thought! ;)
If it\'s been treated well (which is often hard to determine) engines normally last for about 50-70k Miles. Some will go less of course but I guess you can buy a lemon in any car.
You\'ll need to keep great care of it if you want it to last, properly warm it up, chage oil / filter every 3k miles etc etc. I\'ve found mine to be quite expensive so far, but definitly worth it. Depends how much you want one I guess
I got mine through Newera imports (//www.neweraimports.com) who I found to be very good and helpful. There\'s a few retailers here as well Linney (//www.linney.org) for example and a few others.
Work out how much you want to spend, not forgetting it\'s a group 20 car to insure to and most insurance companies are funny about imports, so you don\'t have the MOST choice.
Have you ever driven one at all?
I\'m also looking into getting an RX7 and the only thing I am unsure of so far is the insurance, i\'m 25 and have full no claims, just need to have a good look round I rekcon.
Warming and cooling is second nature to me and I often find my slef doing it if I drive another NA car :)
Like Andy has said 50 - 70 K seems the norm for rebuilds but a compression test should be able to tell you a little about engine condition and hows its been treated in the past :)
Dave
bah wish i was 25, you\'d be fine mate (well as fine goes for insurance) i\'m 23 with full protected nc\'s and i\'m paying £1500 fully comp
Insurance may not be as much as you\'re worried about. I\'ve owned an Impreza, Evo 6, and Legacy GTB, and the last two have both been over £1000. My initial quote on 94 RX7 Type R from Tesco was £650. Adding the modifications on to that quote pushed it up to £850, but still cheaper than other supposed "group 20" cars.
Try getting an online quote from Tesco (who are quite ok with imports). You may be pleasantly surprised.
Andrew
I have had a quote of FC on a 93 type RB import from Tesco and thats £1348? I might just give them a ring and see what they quote over the phone.
They don\'t list all the models on the site? only about three?
Dave :)
insurance wise if u fit the bill, ie 25+ & have a 2nd car to run as well & performance car history, then try the deal this site has with AON as i got a quote of £780 as a 26 year old & as they call it a "classic" policy even thou i was getting quote on a circa 1995 car it doesn\'t use any of me no claims so i get to use that on 2nd car. Which is nice but strange when i\'m quoted £440 on a carp mondeo with 4 years NCB & £780 without NCB on a modified group 20 car worth 5 times as much :eek: still good stuff thou init :D
I\'m just waiting for newera to work their magic for me now.................
Si
Sureterm direct are good. As soon as I turn 21, they\'ll insure me for £1120 FC, with 3 years no claims, 3 points and all mods declared.
I\'m 20 now and i\'m paying £1380 TPFT as not many places will touch me FC for the next two months
RX-7\'s are pretty tunable cars - probably the most easily tunable of all Jap sports cars (No Cams, no pistons, no conrods, etc!).
3rd Gen. is agruably the most beautiful of all Japanese Sports Cars ever made. They turn more heads than a Ferrari and can be tuned to fry Ferrari\'s with less effort than you\'d think.
They can be very quick. Power isn\'t everything, balance and lightweight are important too.
RX-7\'s are junior supercars as standard and with a bit of tuning will just beat some pretty exotic stuff - forget Evo\'s Scoobies, etc. and the like, if standard, they\'re a bit slow in comparison.
Not idle claims. I think there are still some downloads of my 7 playing with tuned R32 GTR\'s and Evo 7\'s etc. in Tsukuba:
http://www.mazdarotaryclub.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1272
I absolutely adore them - not bad considering I could drive any Japanese Sports car I like in my line of work...I always come back to the rex. Nothing else gives the same refinement, balance of handling, character and sheer ability to be very naughty when you want to - or to just cruise in traffic sit back & relax, listen to the hifi and forget it\'s a total rocket.
Fuel bills aren\'t low, but then again, what else can give you hours of a (Healthy) adrenalin rush / euphoria - without resorting to drugs.
The RX-7 can....
RX-7\'s are No. 1 for fun
Miguel.
:cool :D
well said, now get to work setting up our "Jap girls imports" business :D
i\'ll have to right some of these peeps you mention, so far my currant insurance wants £2100 for fully comp and i\'m 24 with 3 points for an SP30 and ive been driving for 6 years.
Had my currant pug 106 gti for over 4 years and love it to death but im desperate for some jap powa! insurance is turing me off atm..
Fantastic info there Miguel, nice one, Can\'t wait to get my motor :)
Welsh Dan, A PM for you matey :)
Dave
hmm my insurance is due in April, might go up I think
PS. Andy , I\'m 23 now, no NCB, and paid £1049 last year when I was 22, just to piss you off :))
lol
Dave
yeah but i heard you live here so it\'s not quite a fair comparison:
(http://www.myimager.com/uploads/VW_195152234242_61898.JPG) lol
Si
Hey I can get to 70 before the shoreline!!!
can\'t stop though
:)
Dave
LOL, nice one. I bet you must almost get out of 1st :) :rollin :rollin
Shut it Frith, you big crimmy you! :D
Was just wondering where you were today and look, you reappear... you see I thought the worst could have happened and you fell off your BMX and grazed your knee ehhe
Who you get that quote with? thats shocking. I tried Sureterm and they went silent for a long time and decided that they couldn\'t beat mr flux by a long shot and elephant were turd for me this year too :(
I thought you got ya misses to get yours? ahh I see... she\'s not impressed with the stunt pegs? :D
I\'ll stop being nasty if you tell me where ya got that quote :)
A
BMX !? you been following me ??
mines still through my missus!
or rather my ex-missus! :)
Dave
eee! she\'s brave, mind you, you\'re not reckless are ya come to think of it ;)
How long to go now bud before we see her again? Someone else will buy a knightsports before long and take ya place at this rate :D
but will they get naked chicks all over it ?
Dave
possibly if they think it\'s u! :eek:
Just gave that Sureterm direct a call and provided i get access to another vehicle they\'ll insure me for £987 :D :D :D (http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/happy/biggrina.gif) . Some kind of classic car policy, which i though was a bit odd for a car thats only 11 years old.
What milage does the policy cover for mate?
Dave
Dave,
did you use to go on the saxosportsclub forum?? when i had my saxo(i know!) i used to browse the forums, i sware i have seen your user name on there ????
I am prob thinking of someone else.....
Shaq
LOL no but I know who it was, its a friend who also has a GT turbo, I realised after I registered that I used his usual name :)
LOL ! :)
So you thinkin of buying a rx7??? they are good cars but thing is everyone gets put of with the maintenance costs but I don’t think its that bad I was expecting a lot worse.
you will love it when you get one, only thing i dont like is the attention! :p
you comin down on the 12th??
Shaq
Maintenance doesn\'t worry me, I love all things engine related and after haveing a Renault 5 GTT for 3 years, maintenance costs are something I just accept now :)
Really looking forward to owning one :)
QuoteOriginally posted by Davegtt
What milage does the policy cover for mate?
Dave
Only 6000 miles, but i\'ve only done 20000 in my 106 gti in almost 4 years so it shouldnt be a problem.
That quote was also with bigger alloys. but i need to be insured on another vehicle as a second driver, dont even have to drive the other car but it\'s part of the classic car thing, didnt even need any no claims.
Hoping to go look at a black 1992 Effini tomorrow if it\'s still available!. (working at the moment.)
Edit: Anythingi should be looking out for?
Here\'s a cut & pasted e-mail I sent to a customer earlier. Hopefully it\'s useful info for anyone wanting an RX-7 or owning one already:
You will probably find that the people who warn you about Rotary Engines, are those who have actually never owned a good RX-7.
Opinions can come from what people heard over many years, based on the first NSU RO80\'s and such like. If in doubt, ask on forums such as these, where people with good examples will testify they\'re still going strong.
In importing these over the last 4 years, Newera Imports has become a very well known and (If I may be so bold!) most often recommended supplier of these cars - and we\'ve only had 2 engines give trouble so far (Water Seal Failure) in 5 years. Having also supplied a lot of these to Trade Customers in the UK, this is a very small proportion. We find it really pays to pick the best examples, which have been cherished & well looked after.
Sourcing through Newera, A warranty is available to cover these rotary engines if you want such. It costs approx £350 Per Annum.
This company has paid out for an engine failure on a rotary, so we know it\'s worth the paper it\'s written on.
We have supplied RX-7\'s which are now nearing 70,000 original miles. They don\'t need regular rebuilds. Also worth noting that a well tuned Boinger can sometimes need rebuilding before 70,000 miles.
Rotaries should never be run on a lean mixture (In the UK an Apexi Power FC ECU is the safest with standard injectors & turbos). Rotaries should never be overheated (Rotor housings will warp if they do), they should never allowed to pink/pre-ignite (Weak misture / poor fuel would cause this). In any case, if you run the car on 97 RON Octane, as sensible boost depending on your mods, you will be fine.
Oil should always be NON SYNTHETIC. In other words, use Mineral oil. 10W40 is best. Most people in the UK use Castrol GTX, some use Royal Purple, or "76 Oil". Ask //www.wgtautodevelopments.co.uk if they can supply, or ask on club forums where people get their oil.
Change Oil & Filter every 3,000km. This is what they do here in Japan for cars they care about, and as a result cars last well. In UK people are lazier about this. I recommend you keep changing oil. It\'s not expensive, so there\'s no excuse! Change Spark plugs every 6,000 miles also, plus check the air filters, wash if necessary, etc.
Remember that on a rotary, oil is burnt as part of combustion, so the harder you drive, the more oil it will use. Therefore, it\'s important to check oil regularly. Don\'t wait for the oil warning light to come on. Check it each week, or every 300 miles. Always carry a can of your chosen oil with you.
Warm the engine up and allow the oil to reach normal temp before driving hard. Always drive slowly for 5 minutes without using boost, before switching off the engine. If you do this, it negates the need to have a turbo timer.
Rev your car to beyond 5,000 RPM at full throttle each time you drive it. This helps clean the rotor tips of oil residue. It also sounds and feels great!
Become a member of Rotary clubs.
Ask if you don\'t know and people will usually supply you with the info you\'re after. There\'s a good community in the UK for RX-7\'s. RX Motors in Dorset and WGT Auto Developments in Cheshire are probably the two best RX-7 specialists. There\'s also Geff at RE WORX based somewhere in Greater London, who some people speak highly of - there are others also.
Of course, I also own an RX-7 myself which I continuously improve as time passes, to make it faster yet retain refinement.
This has taught me a lot about these cars. Whenever I drive it - I always drive it Fast. In 2 years of use, I\'ve had very little trouble from it. It\'s a car that is always an event to drive, even if it\'s just to go to the shops. After a long night\'s Tokyo street racing in mine, I am always impressed at the integrity of these cars. Provided you care for them, whatever you throw at \'em, they just come back for more.
Once you understand a rotary it makes so much sense! Why run around with a heavy lump of metal in the front of your car, when you can have a miniscule rotary that weighs so little, yet gives such awesome power. Tell people you car\'s only 1,308cc....because this is the truth!
You\'ll probably become an RX-7 and rotary enthusiast for life if you get a good one, so hunt around and make sure you get the best you can afford.
You\'ll be rewarded with one of the best handling, most entertaining cars ever built. Probably the sexiest car to come out of Japan, ever.
:wave
Ts for that i had no idea about using non-synthetic oil....or alot of stuff on that list.
I remember the first time I bought an rx7 some 8 years ago. I heard so much horror stories about what can go wrong and costs of engine rebuilds etc. I was paranoid for about the first 3 months. Anytime the temp gauge moved my heart would skip a beat etc. Then after a few months I decided to actually enjoy my rather than being a paranoid wreck at the time. I think alot of people say stuff and people are so nervy of their car going wrong they don\'t really enjoy it the way they should. This I find is usually caused as Miguel stated by people who have never owned or driven a rotary engine car before. After I learned to enjoy my car I had taken it to france on 4,000 mile trip of thrashing the nuts off it for atleast 3,800 of those miles and never had a hiccup and have never looked back. When one of my previous rx7\'s did blow it\'s engine it was even kind enough to do so on my driveway:D
rgds
I am v intrested in the 3rd gen rx 7, all this info is great help to a rotary novice! like me! i am reading brian longs book on the 7 im not much of a reader but so far it is most interesting and informative. today i went to Keighley car center in w yorkshire and was very dissapointed in the quality of the 7\'s and was wondering just how hard it will be to find a good car:confused:
Chris, welcome on board.
There are a couple of people/suppliers on here that I would happily recommend getting a car from, as they have very good sources in Japan, one even lives out there.
Dan
Chris YHM.
Cheers m8, had to re think my plans dont think i want a £5k car will wait a little while longer to save more pennys!!!! the only thing is the more time i spend on this site the more i want one:yes supose i can wait
tell me about it, and i keep looking at bna ellis\' and linney.org\'s site and when i see those cars it makes me want to throw caution to the wind and just buy one. getting more and more difficult to resist :( just can\'t wait until i do get one!!:D
If the cars at keighley are anything to go by dont give in to the temptation !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! they were all BAD! they must sell for peanuts in japan. i made the mistake of buying my last car with my heart not my head, big mistake never again i\'ll wait as long as i have to
Well i got royally stiched today, went to see an rx7 Efini (leather, sunroof etc) was promised to be the first person to see it the day before, drive 70 miles to ring him so he can direct me in and then tells me he sold it last night, This is after telling me id be the first to see it...F*****.
Was very p****d off to say the least, 140mile round trip for nothing.
Then got home to find there was another 1 same price in red only 5 miles further up the road...GaH! :reallymad :(