Hi guys, new member here and i\'d just like to say to you all that it seems like a good place to be, and i\'ve a serious amount of respect for you guys who went ahead and bought the RX as opposed to most people i know who say, "ooh i\'d love to own one but..."
Anyway, i\'m here on an information gathering mission before I decide which rx7 to buy. I know I want the third generation and have a pretty good budget but I feel it\'d be suicide to go into the world of the RX7 blind as a bat!
I\'ve read posts from all walks of life (including the fifteen year old lad who wants an rx as his first car) which has been a great help. I\'ve only held a full licence for a year, in which time i\'ve owned an e36 beemer - ****e - a Honda CRX, a Pajero, and i\'m on a VW Corrado g60 at the minute. I passed my bike test in 2006 and had four bikes since, Kawasakis mainly; zed thou, ZX6r and my last bike which was a ZX12r so I know what it\'s like to open the gas and have a mile of tarmac pass by in a few seconds. That\'s the main reason i want the RX7, besides the beauty, and the \'involving\' nature of owning said machine.
I\'d like to ask a few questions though, am I looking at a toy or a good day to day runner as well? I ran my ZX12r like a madman every day and it was also my main means of transport even through winter, and had around the same fuel consumption as the rx judging by what i\'ve read on here.
I\'m looking at purchasing a showroom example with 55,000 on the clock, engine rebuilt 5,000 miles ago with no performance mods whatsoever but even now some people are telling me that there will be reliability issues. now I like to make my own mind up as i\'m not a sheep, and i\'m starting to doubt that the nay-sayers are slightly full of the proverbial poop? But are there people here who\'ve had problems post-rebuild for no apparent reason?
And finally, (Test drive not booked yet) exactly how involving is the ride? I always said it\'s the only car i\'d ever put a motorbike on the back burner for so if anyone else here has had big bikes then let me know how it compares, or if i\'m being mad in thinking a car can touch a 185bhp bike for thrills per mile.
Cheers in advance for any help and/or answers, I hope to have some pics of my new baby up on here in the next few months when i\'ve whittled it down to the one I think suits me.& handed over the readies!
Hi, i was in the same situation a couple of months ago having wanted a gen 3 rx for a while after a mate got one (nitronige). I sort of rushed in and bought the first one I saw but I have not regretted it, they accelerate/handle/look great! Although I want another 100bhp!
I used mine every day, even in the snow(!) and i have had no problems bar a blowing old exhaust, the fuel consumption isnt that bad imo for the performance. The servicing costs are no different to most high powered jap stuff but need carried out every 3000 miles. Worth checking the oil and water level every week.
Ill let someone else tell you more about the cars as i still dont know that much about them, hope get one though:)
mate I\'m pretty new myself only having owned mine since November so I shall answer the only one of your questions I am qualified to answer:
You asked: "And finally, (Test drive not booked yet) exactly how involving is the ride?"
I\'m not a biker so I won\'t comment on part two of your question but.
Before the Rex I owned a Nissan 200SX. It was very heavily modified. The suspension system was competely replaced, coilovers uprated ARB\'s, Strut braces front and back. I had a full big brake kit. The car was tuned but not that heavily as I was more interested in handling than I was in huge power. That car was great I thought it was a really involving sports car, it went where I put it and felt really solid.
And then I test drove My Rx-7 the only mods are ordinairy coilovers, a pfc, exhaust and wheels. That\'s it.
I was blown away!
I had spent £9k modifying my 200SX and a near enough standard RX-7 made my 200 feel like a repmobile. I\'m serious, even driving the Rex to the shops requires a level of commitment.
Taking the Rx-7 on a spirited drive across Reading in this weather requires absolute concentration, I lapsed once and nearly needed a change of underwear.
Now I\'m not a great driver, I\'ve driven castle combe once in a Ford Focus so I\'m not going to pretend I\'m Tiff Needel but I have driven a few cars in my time and I\'ve never felt more like a racing car driver than I do in my Rx-7.
I can\'t comment on reliabilty yet but given your car history I think you will feel like you have stepped up a few dozen notches when you get behind the wheel of an FD.
I\'ve been around Rx\'s for a number of years now and to be quite honest i thing Grant sums it up quite well, Simply there is no other car out there that will put a smile on your face quite like an Fd when its on top form but getting the right one is important.
i think you want to be expecting the worsted on the fuel front though :), I have had this Chat with a few mates with supras and Skybuses etc and if you compare Hp per Ton the Fuel they use looks good but don\'t for a minute think they are good on Fuel, i have had low teens on the work run (they don\'t like lots of short trips or they start Flooding and using lots of fuel) even though i love driving it i have a second car as i work 5 miles away and it was Ruining my car so i bought a cheap Shagger to do the work run (£30 a month in fuel and £200 to insure so it pays for its self)
Bit of advise though if you are thinking of buying an Fd do allot of reading up then when you think you know what your talking about do some more :)
My advice, is get one. Simple.:god
Just don\'t rush in and buy the first one that \'looks\' good. I did ...£12k later im almost happy with it now, but I nearly threw in the towel on a fair few occasions.
Dont expect it to be trouble free motoring though, FDs are the most rewarding cars you could ever drive and treated well they will last as long as any Jap car of its era, just be prepared to get your mits manky.
You have done the right thing by coming on here though, plenty of advice and very helpful people. If it wasnt for this club Id probably be driving a Skyline or some other uninvolving pile of turd on wheels! Join up as soon as you get your Rex..its more than worth it!
Hope all goes well mate and see you on here soon!
Your answers are cementing my preconceptions somewhat (i\'m creaming my shorts at the thought of driving one). I\'m not bothered about servicing costs really, i\'m sure one doesn\'t just \'own\' an rx. The ownership side of things rings a similar bell to my Corrado, ok so the G60 isn\'t a patch on the Mazda muscle, but with regards to lifting the hood once every two days to keep a steady eye on fluid levels etc, lifting the plugs out every fortnight for tell tale signs of evil in the pots, belt adjustment and compression testing every month and an oil change every 2000 miles (because I respect the car, not because I have to).
Ideally i\'m after a car I can be proud of, something which, like a bike, stirs the soul, and i\'m pretty sure i\'ve made the right decision. Even the interior reeks of control, looks like the kind of place I could see myself getting very comfortable! ;)
And yeah, my car history is a touch tainted, shameful but I always had a £1000 banger on the drive and a £9000 beauty in the garage sitting pretty on two wheels. Time for me to sample the world of the big bhp rotary though methinx.
Oh, small question again, how much for a set of carbon rotor tips ?
Out of interest, Where about are you (it just says "The north" kind of a bit random :))
There are quite a few round here, if you are local it may be worth your while taking a trip up to the Mascrat Meet, you can sit and chat face to face with Fd owners and pick up allot more Info.
(acquired from Grinder (Stu) Post ;))
This meet is for all Japanese performance vehicles and is held every second Monday of the month at The Mascrat Manor, J21 of the M6.
If going north on the M6 - turn right at the island after exiting the M6 and cross the motorway. Pub is then first exit off the next island.
If going south, Pub is last exit off island after you exit the M6.
It\'s quite an informal gathering and we tend to get there around 7.30pm
come on guys - i have seen loads of posts from people up-north - so where are you all ???
Thanks Craig, looking forward to being a member! ( fights off the urge to buy the nearest rex ) *twitch* I\'m not letting shiny car syndrome play a part in buying something so exotic, I made the same mistake when buying 2 cars and a bike in the past. I\'m taking my time, and going through everything with a fine tooth comb, even rx7guru\'s - rx7guru.com -checklist will be printed out and taken on a test drive.
Grizzly: Sorry, I originate from the Lake District but i\'m living in Hampshire for the next two months. However I don\'t mind travelling, even for the right car, i\'ll get a train to John o Groats if need be. Where is this Mascrat meet? And forgive my ignorance, I haven\'t had time to check the website yet because of work getting in the way of my free time, are there meets posted on the board somewhere? Cheers. Pete
Quote from: LawlerOh, small question again, how much for a set of carbon rotor tips ?
There you go, a good example of why you should do some more reading up :)
Carbon tips are really for high rpm race work, they are not much use on the road as they have a short life span.
the funny thing is allot of people like to stay with Mazda 2pc Apex\'s because they are tried and tested, for engine rebuilds etc your best chap to talk to is Carl hayward ^ banner above, he is very respected in the rotary world.
Quote from: LawlerGrizzly: Sorry, I originate from the Lake District but i\'m living in Hampshire for the next two months. However I don\'t mind travelling, even for the right car, i\'ll get a train to John o Groats if need be. Where is this Mascrat meet? And forgive my ignorance, I haven\'t had time to check the website yet because of work getting in the way of my free time, are there meets posted on the board somewhere? Cheers. Pete
Ok, Its In Warrington, With me being from Up north... I\'m not sure what meets there are in the south (Cue some one from the south ;))
As if on cue...
I\'m warrington born and bred mate, Thelwall to be precise. Must be something in the water which breeds good taste in automobiles!
Ahh, the reason I asked about the rotor tips was just out of curiosity, a guy had a rex advertised on Pistonheads claiming to have new carbon rotor tips which led me into thinking,"££££££££" thus running a mile.
More reading will commence divvent worry, whatever I hear or read is followed with a quick google and a look on ten different sites to find some sort of middle ground. Only a few more months of reading \'til I buy :o
Anyone wanna lend me theirs for a couple of hours? :)
Quote from: LawlerAnyone wanna lend me theirs for a couple of hours? :)
Got more chance of S**ting in the queens hand bag :)
I\'m sure you could get a ride in one though..
Quote from: LawlerAhh, the reason I asked about the rotor tips was just out of curiosity, a guy had a rex advertised on Pistonheads claiming to have new carbon rotor tips which led me into thinking,"££££££££" thus running a mile.
You will learn that many of the owners of cars for sale on Piston heads/Ebay etc have not got the first clue about the car, i bet if you had a look now you would find some one claiming they had cams or had recent cam belt fitted etc. :eek
The main problem with Fd\'s (and i\'m going to get Burnt alive for this) is they attract idiots who buy on impulse because it looks nice. next thing the engine gives up and its the biggest pile of S**t they have ever seen, this is why you have to shop about and buy a good one, the market was flooded a few years ago with some real bad examples, not only did it drop the market value but the reputation of the cars/Engines took a real beating.
lawler, i am in the same boat as you, as in I live in the north west but work in Hampshire. you aren\'t another matlot are you?
Quote from: LawlerThat\'s the main reason i want the RX7, besides the beauty, and the \'involving\' nature of owning said machine.
It\'s definitely involving, it has abs but no other electronic crap taking corners for you so if ye have a heavy foot driving in the wet will definetly require concentration, it\'s surprised me a few times as it kicks out if your not carefull even on the straights. Stuff like the big rev counter in the center, the low driving position along with position of the gear stick and small gap between gears make it a nice car to drive.
Quote from: LawlerI\'d like to ask a few questions though, am I looking at a toy or a good day to day runner as well?
I wouldn\'t say it\'s a toy but I wouldn\'t waste it driving to work, get a junk box for that, I personally like to keep the milage down and don\'t like the idea of driving more that 6k miles a year.
Quote from: LawlerI\'m looking at purchasing a showroom example with 55,000 on the clock, engine rebuilt 5,000 miles ago with no performance mods whatsoever but even now some people are telling me that there will be reliability issues. now I like to make my own mind up as i\'m not a sheep, and i\'m starting to doubt that the nay-sayers are slightly full of the proverbial poop? But are there people here who\'ve had problems post-rebuild for no apparent reason?
I would not go for that personally (although your right going with a stock one), I brought mine in in June of last year, 40k miles on the clock, no problems with it whatsoever. Personally I think thats the way to go, but either way there is a huge difference between a good one and a bad one and there\'s alot of **** out there. I spent months deciding what one to get, if you buy the right one it will be very rewarding, if ye don\'t it may not.
Quote from: LawlerAnd finally, (Test drive not booked yet) exactly how involving is the ride? I always said it\'s the only car i\'d ever put a motorbike on the back burner for so if anyone else here has had big bikes then let me know how it compares, or if i\'m being mad in thinking a car can touch a 185bhp bike for thrills per mile.
Never drove a bike but it\'s hard for me to see how something as light as a bike with 185bnp could be touched, car wise I wouldn\'t want anything else.
It\'s worth having a read about how to look after one, I assume lack of care is why some have problems (eg. mineral oil only (although some say royal purple is good) and not switching it off before its fully warmed up etc..)
I heard that, some people say mineral yet others say synthetic. Though amongst the people who said, "synthetic" were owners of the kind of car that wouldn\'t look out of place in a Halfords spares bin, so i made my mind up about that pretty much instantaneously.
The carbon rotor tip guy kind of woke up the part of me which sees things with a little bit more of a cynical viewpoint. I\'ve seen beautiful examples which have had alot of mods, 000\'s of pounds worth on the lists yet the cars were up for sale for nigh on five grand (give or take)...If this is normal then please let me know...
I did want to buy on looks at first but learned about the mechanical side of the car and the general upkeep and that made me want to buy one even more, I don\'t see it as breaking down etc, it\'s just a part of a learning curve & the better I know a machine, the more I love it! You don\'t see many idiots driving these things, nor middle age motherly types who don\'t have the sense to signal at a roundabout, the car wouldn\'t last long in the hands of most people to put it bluntly. Which is good, because for most part it\'s like being a biker, sort of a club if you will. Which brings me to Colly\'s point- car wise it\'s the only thing I can see myself driving. Besides a nackered VW G60 but hopefully that won\'t last much longer :driving
I heard that, some people say mineral yet others say synthetic. Though amongst the people who said, "synthetic" were owners of the kind of car that wouldn\'t look out of place in a Halfords spares bin, so i made my mind up about that pretty much instantaneously.
The carbon rotor tip guy kind of woke up the part of me which sees things with a little bit more of a cynical viewpoint. I\'ve seen beautiful examples which have had alot of mods, 000\'s of pounds worth on the lists yet the cars were up for sale for nigh on five grand (give or take)...If this is normal then please let me know...
I did want to buy on looks at first but learned about the mechanical side of the car and the general upkeep and that made me want to buy one even more, I don\'t see it as breaking down etc, it\'s just a part of a learning curve & the better I know a machine, the more I love it! You don\'t see many idiots driving these things, nor middle age motherly types who don\'t have the sense to signal at a roundabout, the car wouldn\'t last long in the hands of most people to put it bluntly. Which is good, because for most part it\'s like being a biker, sort of a club if you will. Which brings me to Colly\'s point- car wise it\'s the only thing I can see myself driving. Besides a nackered VW G60 but hopefully that won\'t last much longer :driving
Don\'t do it! Stay with what you have! High running costs, crap on fuel, un-reliable at times and will make you feel like a crazed racing driver everytime you start one. Everyone on here is crazy I don\'t know why they have one. :p
Seriously though you don\'t really need to do too much research into them. Get one that is in good condition with a rebuild and breather mods, if something goes wrong it goes wrong. Just be weary though as theres plenty of crap out there and it will take you a while to find a good one. Although they do come up quite regularly. Also test drive or get a test drive in as many as possible from crap ones to good ones, from twin turbo\'s to single turbo\'s then you will have good scope on what you want and can make a healthy desicion. Personally I wouldn\'t buy any of the cars from here lol, but thats just me. Bear in mind they can go wrong even if they have had a rebuild, but its not that common.
Good luck with your search.
If you\'re around the Hampshire area have a think about coming to the Reading Jap meet. I\'ll be there and if you want to come for a spin we can do that. There\'s also a couple of other FD owners that sometimes turn up. If you\'re interested I\'ll pm you the details.
Cool as a cucumber, if you could do that Grant, i\'d be tres grateful! I\'m in catering as punishment from the man above for some hideous crime in a past life evidently, so time off is something of a luxury. But if you send me some details I can try juggling a shift or two and get my derriere out to Reading, it\'s only half an hour up the road. Bonzer
Quote from: grantIf you\'re around the Hampshire area have a think about coming to the Reading Jap meet. I\'ll be there and if you want to come for a spin we can do that. There\'s also a couple of other FD owners that sometimes turn up. If you\'re interested I\'ll pm you the details.
sorr to hi-jack - when is this starting agian? hoping to get the car back at end of month...
If i do have it back and can make this Reading meet I will be more than happy to take ya out in mine for a spin....
EDIT: its the15th Jan..... not happening for me! mine is not going to be done in 5 days! :( maybe next month!! lol
Quote from: goldk28611EDIT: its the15th Jan..... not happening for me! mine is not going to be done in 5 days! :( maybe next month!! lol
Damn shame. Next tuesday eh? O.k i\'ll see if I can swap a shift, shouldn\'t be a problem.
You\'re from amazingstoke. I haven\'t seen one \'7 around here since i\'ve been here, 7 months or so (i\'m living in hook). I\'m usually on the lookout for other corrados to be honest. They\'re pretty common round here. Rex\'s are like rocking horse ****
Quote from: LawlerDamn shame. Next tuesday eh? O.k i\'ll see if I can swap a shift, shouldn\'t be a problem.
You\'re from amazingstoke. I haven\'t seen one \'7 around here since i\'ve been here, 7 months or so (i\'m living in hook). I\'m usually on the lookout for other corrados to be honest. They\'re pretty common round here. Rex\'s are like rocking horse ****
LOL i live just off the Hook road and love driving down that way... car as been off the road for 5mths though :( should see me then over next few months... :3gears-lh
I\'ll see if i can get down anyway.... I\'ll be in a supra with "gaz" on the plates if i do...
also there is a girl that drives a red rex from that way that i have seen a few times but don\'t think she\'s on here?!
Quote from: grantBefore the Rex I owned a Nissan 200SX. It was very heavily modified. The suspension system was competely replaced, coilovers uprated ARB\'s, Strut braces front and back. I had a full big brake kit. The car was tuned but not that heavily as I was more interested in handling than I was in huge power. That car was great I thought it was a really involving sports car, it went where I put it and felt really solid.
And then I test drove My Rx-7 the only mods are ordinairy coilovers, a pfc, exhaust and wheels. That\'s it.
I was blown away!
I had spent £9k modifying my 200SX and a near enough standard RX-7 made my 200 feel like a repmobile.
I can only echo what Grant has said - I owned the same model of car (sold it in september, 8 days later, 2 and a half years of my life was written off by the new owner, but i won\'t start...) I spend thousands of pounds on the suspension set up, trying to get it to handle, and every time i went back to my other half\'s Eunos I just got depressed that something could handle so well.
I\'d lusted after FD\'s for years, and i kept hearing tales of their handling traits - so i test ddrive one, and was blown away. The engine was on 70k and the second turbo wasn\'t coming in, but i didn\'t care, as the handling was sublime. The turn in was so far ahead of the S14 it was unbeleivable, and the car felt so tactile and communicative - it really was like a bigger, more powerful Eunos.
Within a month of that test drive i\'d sold my SX, bought a runaround to use for the work commute, and started looking for the FD. However, i totally failed to find what i was after, and i\'ve ended up importing one, which is obviously still with it\'s risks - i haven\'t even driven the car! But i have every faith in Jurgen coming through for me - hopefully at the start of feb i should be able to give you a more detailed report of what i think.
But in the meantime, i\'m busy stockpiling parts in preparation for the arrival and subsequent fitting and trip to WGT, I can\'t wait!
OK for anyone interested and a shameless plug because I love the meet:
The next Reading meet will be at the usual Comet car park next to The Madejski stadium J11 M4 Reading on Tuesday 15th January from 7pm until 9PM.
There has been a few people noted who have driven into or out off the meet in a dangarous way.
The Reading meet is only running because of the people who attend who are mature enough to realise that the public roads are no place to show off.
I have contacted Thames Valley Police as they have always been very helpful with the meet and they are willing to help out again.
If you are seen entering or leaving the meet in a way that would attract the wrong sort of attention your number plate will be taken and you will be asked to park up or leave the meet permanantly, if you are then spotted again and the police have a complaint your number plate details will be passed on.
In the eyes of the police you are disturbing a public gathering.
This may seem to be a bit harsh but the needs of the many outway the needs of the few.
Stay safe Stay alive.
The Reading meet team
And here are the dates for the rest of the year in case you can\'t make January\'s:
15th January
19th Feb
18th March
15th April
20th May
17th June
15th July
19th Aug
16th Sept
21st Oct
18th Nov
16th Dec
Finally the guys who organise the meet inform the police and let them know that they don\'t tolerate people driving stupidly. People still do but the police know we\'re there so drive like a nun to and from the meet :D
Oh and if you want to take me up on that offer of going out for a drive I\'ll be the handsome looking one stood next to this and complaining about the cold:
(http://www.retrobadboy.com/temp/G-REX_001.jpg)
Thanks man, it\'s understandable - the sensible driving deal - due to the fact it will probably deter the boy racer types and t***s who do donuts in a vain attempt to show off. Anyone can do donuts, we just choose not to!
Anyway, i\'ll look out for you. If I miss you for some reason look out for a rubberface northerner stood by a red G60 with 16v badges complaining about all the southerners complaining about the cold :)