Hi folks :)
Newbie here, a guy called Rob, 25, been lurking and reading for a few days before jumping in- I\'ve had a look and can\'t find a thread that covers this, so here we go...
Basically, I\'m fed up with pootling about in a Focus diesel. Finance is up in September of this year and from then on I want to be driving something a little faster, a little sexier, and a little more f*****g like it... So anyway, I\'ve somehow set my heart on an RX-7. A nice fast motor, great looks, just the right level of unusual- the whole rotary thing was something I was peripherally aware of before, but only lately understood and frankly its f*****g cool... :mmmm
Anyway, enough of that... having had a look about the various resources on the net and I\'m trying to work out what sort of budget to allow, if this is to be doable. I need the car to do between 3 and 5k a year, one commute a week (I car share the other 4 with a company car owner) and weekend blasts around the Lancashire/ West Yorks countryside. In you guys\' experience, how much does it cost to run an RX-7 at this sort of level in terms of...
Insurance - 26, M postcode, no NCB yet
Fuel
Maintenance and repairs - most especially. Rebuilds aside, how much does it cost to keep one on the road, on average?
Tax - is it a 1.3 to the taxman?
(finance is for me to worry about!)
Any thoughts very welcome
Thanks
Rob
Hi
If you haven\'t talked to insurance companies yet, that must be you first job.
This alone may well scare you to death.
A log book may say either 1.3 or 2.6. If it\'s 1.3 you will save a few qiud on tax but insurance companies will group a rex at 20 whatever the log book says.
Oil, filter and plug changes at 3k.
If you were to buy a car that hasn\'t seen a rebuild make sure that have access to about 3k in case of emergency.
The main issue will be fuel.
It\'s OK saying "I\'m only going to use it weekends etc" but they\'re addictive.
You\'ll just want to drive it - trust me.
On a pretty stock car you\'ll be looking at 16-18mpg and if you\'re really keen that\'s Optimax.
That\'s the down side - I owned my rex for five years and loved it, except for the twice it went pop.
Good luck
John
DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! lol.. really depends what after bud, are you wanting a weekend track weapon or just a sunday driver? 5-6k will get you a slightly modded one with a rebuild, 6-10k will get you a highly modded single ect.. id say 400bhp is more than enuff for road use tho, depending on the setups the bigger powered cars r a pig in town/traffic, i got caught in a hour long traffic jam the other day with a paddle clutch lol..left legs like popeyes forearm :S
Buy a REX, keep the diesel. 20mpg -v- 50 mpg
Martin H
Quote from: noyzboy100dbBuy a REX, keep the diesel. 20mpg -v- 50 mpg
Martin H
thats what i did - its the best way !
what rx7 are you after .. the newer FD or a older FC ?
if you are use to driving a diesel ocus then its probably not a good idea to jump in the deep end and buy a highly modded rx. I would suggest looking for a tidy standard or near standard rx7 with a rebuild, ive seen a few going for around 6k. Then when you are use to it you could look into some mods.
take a look at the for sale section and also pistonheads
http://www.mazdarotaryclub.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=127
//www.pistonheads.co.uk
Cheers for the responses guys. Just had a look, as per John\'s suggestion, at the insurance via gocompare, even TPFT is cheapest 2 and a half grand, assuming a 94 plate with light (reliabilty type) mods. I\'ll consult the insurance forum and see if I can sort that out with a more specialist supplier- any tips? I swear to you that Manchester is not at all like Beirut but if you looked only at insurance premiums you may well think it...
Like I say, gonna be september before the current finance finishes, but thereafter I\'d like a minimally modded FD. I\'ve had a look at what 500 quid will get me as a runabout on ebay, and to be fair you\'d be suprised what you can get locally for 3 figures money, have a look!
btw SW, I\'ve driven a "sporty" 3 series coupe regurlarly before now. not a problem, but fair point with regard to not jumping in at the deep end- probably way beyond my means regardless! I\'ve been watching pistonheads avidly all week, top site, but i\'ll be keeping an eye on the forum there too :)
thanks again guys, any further insight please do keep it coming.
rob
im 22 but have a race licence and previous rwd expirence which the broker i used (noel Dazey) seem to think helped.
mines 1600 ish with a grand excess
iv had mine 4-6 weeks i think. and done 200-300 pounds in optimax. just using it as a fun car. also done a fair bit of oil too. set of plugs, and now i need two rear tires (£200-£300 i excpect).
so be prepared. also i now want more power.......lol so more expense i think
How much is optimax at the pump lately CB?
114p a ltr lol
same as diesel
Ah cheers fella, I think I can cope with that, but 6 months is a long time for fuel prices...:(
If you get a run about, try getting the RX7 on a classics policy, e.g. Aon or Livingsones. I\'m in Manchester too and only paying £340, would be treble that on a normal policy!
Manchester is crap for insurance, especially if your postcode starts the same as a dodgy area. Some specialists, e.g Greenlight wouldn\'t even quote for manchester :Grrr
Btw I may be selling mine soon (3-4 weeks)
I would say budget for a rebuild (say 4 and a half grand to be on the safe side, cos you probably will want porting ;) ) in the first year, even if someone says its had one recently.
I\'m not saying not to trust people, just engines have a habit of popping when you least expect it, better to be prepared for it and have the cash available to get it sorted.
FD\'s are not great as a daily drive, in terms of fuel economy, but also because most of them are getting on for 15 years old, bits are starting to wear out, driving it every day will hasten that. I know as I\'ve driven mine daily for the last 2.5 years and now bits are starting to go, which is a pain if you need the car everyday.
Remember that an FD is a whole different world of fast compared to nearly everything else....which is a good thing!
also budget for go faster bits. because you will get used to the power and want more speed.
its only when you get in a car you previously felt was pokey that you realise how capable and quick the rex is.
Quote from: civicboy28also budget for go faster bits. because you will get used to the power and want more speed.
its only when you get in a car you previously felt was pokey that you realise how capable and quick the rex is.
The bit highlighted above couldnt help but raise a smile. Cant... f*****g.... wait.... :D
Cheers again for the info guys. Probably not looking for the go faster bits just yet, it looks like i\'ll have to roll out my finest line in P\'s and Q\'s with the insurance man just to get a stock motor on a policy ;) though that said the more i read the better that looks. Does about £150 a month sound like a sensible ballpark average figure to allow for maintenance and maybe a few reliability over performance type mods? Way over the top or probably not enough?
Not to put a dampner on things but I would say double that. £300 a month should see you right. As I said before these car are getting old so maintenance is all the more required. I had a clutch hose go the other week and that cost £50 for a temporary repair so I could drive to work (not something to worry about if its your second car) and £60 for the proper pipe to be replaced.
Besides if you over-budget and you come under that\'s good cos you\'ve got more to spend, under-budget and you\'ll be left feeling stung.
£300 a month...? :eek:
Gonzo mate, do you have in mind a saving type allocation towards a full rebuild in that as well, or does that go on top? I\'ve not reached a conclusion on exactly how i\'d like to go about it but I\'m definitely not gonna try and use the rex as a daily driver- i can car share, beg, borrow and steal before that ;) Do you think this would have a bearing on your estimate?
I\'d say 150 - 200 would be ok, for a well looked after recently rebuilt standardish car. I think thats roughly what mines cost so far anyway
Sorry forgot to reply to this.
Based on an all in cost of:
Insurance (I was 26 when I got mine and had FULL NCB) and it was over a grand for the 10,000 miles. Guess if you\'re running limited mileage it will be less, dunno what no NCB will do
Fuel, A tank lasts me 250 miles, but I\'m not caning it like you will do if you only drive at the weekends (which is fair enough). One tank is about £65
Car tax works out at £10 a month.
Then general maintenance, remember Oil change every 3000 miles, Spark Plugs every 6000 miles. Etc Not so much of a problem if you are not driving every day. As I keep saying FDs are all getting a bit old and therefore bits are wearing out. I\'m getting to the point now where much as I love to drive the rex everyday, it just doesn\'t make sense.
Guess it depends what car you buy. It makes much more sense to buy a car with all the bits you are eventually going to have on the car in the first place, if you want a single turbo, buy it in the first place.
Defo go for something with a rebuild, and if possible get one with an Apexi ecu in it.
Great stuff guys, thanks for all the info. I\'ll content myself to reading up and trying to get a bit booksmart before jumping in. It seems to me that having the know-how to put a spanner on one yourself (competently anyway), for small stuff, might be the difference between it being feasible or not- and I suppose thats all part of the fun.
Probably see you in a thread near here sometime soon. Thanks again :)
Don\'t let me put you off.
Stuff like oil changes are really easy. It will stop you getting charged £40 at a garage to do it every 3000 miles. Which in my case is pretty much every 3 months.
Just changed the Spark plugs for the first time (myself that is, they have been changed before) last weekend, and that wasn\'t too bad.
But it\'s better to be prepared before rather than after. I wasn\'t, and within the first month of owning it the engine popped and I had to have a £4000 rebuild.
Flippin \'eck, 12,000 miles a year in a stiff suspension sports car? Did you marry an osteopath?! ;)
I\'m hoping it\'ll be a little less expensive for weekend pootling about, with repairs being less immediate, and generally lower wear and tear. I guess it\'s one of those things where you can only really plan for the worst case then hope for the best, like you say above. So, I\'m gonna work with that in mind, and then try and avoid bankruptcy... :)
Just out of interest GN (or anyone else)- insurance I have an idea of, but what sort of wallet damage does an FD perpetrate if driven on a daily basis?
I don\'t find the suspension too bad on the rex, having said that it is uprated and one of the softest settings. My first car was an old skool mini cooper, THAT was rock hard suspension
Last years insurance for me at 29, Living in Guildford with off road parking, with full NCB and no other named drivers it was something like £850, which I don\'t think is too bad. I did have to punt around for that though after Adrian FLux quoted me more for last year than the year before!!! Got that quote through the Insurance Factory.
Hopefully having now hit the big 3-0 my insurance will come down a bit.