Hi, I\'m new on here so please go easy on me :WaveBye
I\'m looking at buying an RX7 as a second car, after a bit of thinking it was the only Japanese car that really fitted the bill and a GTR was still too much money...
I really like the retro looks of the 2nd Gen but I\'m a bit put off by the age, do they tend to suffer from the dreaded tin worm?
But I also like the 3rd gen (que Harry hill style fight), especially the later models with the revised rear spoilers.
Is it easy to convert an earlier model over to the larger spoiler?
I\'m not really into wild bodykits and massive great spoilers which I\'ve found a large amount of the 3rd gens seem to have, the 2nd gens don\'t seem to suffer from this as much so that\'s a plus for them.
Does anyone have any advice on the pros and cons of each model?
I\'m after something which handles and stops well, the outright power isn\'t really an issue as I\'m sure any model will seem like a rocket ship compared to my current car. I\'d like something nimble but not so twitchy that it\'ll rip my arm off if I make a slight mistake as I\'m not used to driving a performance rear wheel drive car.
any thoughts would be helpfull, I\'m not ready to buy yet as I need to sell my other car first bt I\'d like to do my research so I know what to look for.
Regards
Paul
All the info you want is in this sub forum
http://www.mazdarotaryclub.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=40
Thanks, is there a thread on there with a comparison of the models? I\'ve had a look on the search but can\'t seem to find it? Something along the lines of the pros and cons of going for a gen 3 over a gen 2 etc.
Well I was in a similar situation to you. I went for the 2nd gen due to the fact it was cheeper and suited my budget more at the time (and still does!). I love it, as soon as I drove it I had to have it. Loads of fun to drive not as much of a hand full as the FD but can still get the back out when its pushed. Plus its not shabby on the track either, I\'ve done a couple of track days now and the sprint course at Rotorstock 7 and I beat some FD\'s and RX8\'s.
FD Pros
Faster,more power,better handling,stops better
FC Pros
Cheaper to run and insure,cheaper to buy
personally i think it depends on what sort of power you\'re going to want and what its used for.
bang for buck the FC comes out on top. Unless you want to start running silly powers
Quote from: BlitzBoy;714497FD Pros
Faster,more power,better handling,stops better
FC Pros
Cheaper to run and insure,cheaper to buy
/ thread ;) ;)
Better handling and stops better ? I thought the brakes were the same brakes? But the FC is a lighter vehicle.
Both are awesome, with my budget i couldve got either, the FC is too cramped for a goliath bear like me, plus ive always been a huuuge fan of the FC (later FC ) s looks. Pretty straight forward to get to 280+hp and weighs naff all with some basic weight saving measures. Ive spent enough on my fc in the first week to have bought an FD haha
FCs are 20-25 yrs old now so naturally suffer a bit from metal cancer, i wouldnt say its a horrendous issue though, and imports tend to be cleaner (Although mine is a uk and still isnt toooo bad.
Interior build quality of the FCs ive been in was laughable, big fan of the car, but cripes the interiors are a joke.
Fun Car for me every time.
I have to admit , however, to thinking the FD is the most beautiful car of all time.
Quote from: Koose;714504Better handling and stops better ? I thought the brakes were the same brakes? But the FC is a lighter vehicle.
Both are awesome, with my budget i couldve got either, the FC is too cramped for a goliath bear like me, plus ive always been a huuuge fan of the FC (later FC ) s looks. Pretty straight forward to get to 280+hp and weighs naff all with some basic weight saving measures. Ive spent enough on my fc in the first week to have bought an FD haha
FCs are 20-25 yrs old now so naturally suffer a bit from metal cancer, i wouldnt say its a horrendous issue though, and imports tend to be cleaner (Although mine is a uk and still isnt toooo bad.
Interior build quality of the FCs ive been in was laughable, big fan of the car, but cripes the interiors are a joke.
Fun Car for me every time.
I have to admit , however, to thinking the FD is the most beautiful car of all time.
I\'ve seen your FC build, it does look like you could get a bit carried away with it, it\'s all good though!
Are the engines on a par for reliability? I\'m not sure how similar they are
Well, my aunty made it to 122k (she then sold the car so i dont know how long it lasted), Montes is at 112k i think,mines 71k,all original.
i dont know what sort of mileage the FC boys getbut i seem to remember jimmy saying anywhere between 30 and 60,000 .
There are things you can do to improve reliability. And the most obvious thing is power,more power shortens the engines life, regardless of how well its mapped, taken care of.
FD\'s are around the 60-70K mark for rebuild generally. FC are a bit better by all accounts 80K ish but they have been known to do over 100K. Mitch\'s is a good example. Its around the 80K mark iirc and the compression is still really good.
My FC is on 88k miles, compressions of 7.2 on the front rotors, 6.9s on the rear rotors, running 14.2 so far on the strip :)
All owners have:
Changed oil regularly
Waited till the water temp needle was above \'C\' before moving
Serviced it properly
It depends on what the previous owners have done, best to check for paperwork and check the dipstick for oil colour, its mainly the supporting systems like the Cooling or the fueling that go and then take out the engine.
If you look after the car, you won\'t have any issues
Mine\'s 56k miles fingers crossed it goes to 100k! :Giggle
Have to disagree with about fc interior, I think it\'s alot better than some new cars ive been in, the suzuki swift being one. Nice thick pile carpet and the t2 has nice comfy seats...and nearly quarter of a century old!
Also my insurance is only £95 a year (peter best) so that\'s going to leave more money for fuel :rolleyes:
FC- Daily
FD-Toy
That my goal anyway :Giggle
Glad to see my recomendation to join here was taken up, good luck with your quest I\'m sure you\'ll get all the advice you need to make a good decision.
Quote from: 1990_fc3s_t2;714520Mine\'s 56k miles fingers crossed it goes to 100k! :Giggle
Have to disagree with about fc interior, I think it\'s alot better than some new cars ive been in, the suzuki swift being one. Nice thick pile carpet and the t2 has nice comfy seats...and nearly quarter of a century old!
Also my insurance is only £95 a year (peter best) so that\'s going to leave more money for fuel :rolleyes:
FC- Daily
FD-Toy
That my goal anyway :Giggle
Sorry i meant FD interior, i remember shutting a well knwon tuners door, gently, and a bit of trim fell off, i then noticed how flimsy the rest of the door card was!!
Quote from: David Wiltshire;714525Glad to see my recomendation to join here was taken up, good luck with your quest I\'m sure you\'ll get all the advice you need to make a good decision.
Ah, are you from Pistonheads by any chance :cheers
The FD tends to score higher in the kudos and beauty stakes (if left standard) and the FC scores higher in the robustness and cost stakes.
Both are great fun to drive, and once modified theres really not that much to choose between them - it will come down to personal choice, do you want curvy or wedgy?
Also worth looking at 1st gens, old skool and Cosmo\'s.... :wave
Quote from: Paul 8v;714544Ah, are you from Pistonheads by any chance :cheers
Yes I was the person who suggested you join here.
They don\'t build them like the used to! Get a pre-91 RX7, don\'t have to worry too much about emissions :)
I think the best advise i can give, after owning both FC T11 and FD is try and get a drive in both, i think that will lead you to only one outcome. There are probably a number of very helpful members on here who would surely offer you a drive/spin in your area.
Everyone has an opinion and they will vary, have a drive and you can form your own based on first hand experience. :)
Personal size plays a key too, FDs are quite narrow inside, and also suffer from a lack of head and leg room.
I think you\'re right Jet Pilot, i\'ll see if I can make it to a club meet sometime :-)
Koose, I\'m only 5\'9" so I should be OK lol
Quote from: Koose;714504Better handling and stops better ? I thought the brakes were the same brakes? But the FC is a lighter vehicle.
I believe the FD\'s have bigger disks, not sure on the rear brakes.
Also FD\'s have some weird version of the SLA suspension front and back where the FC\'s use a macphearson strut and trailing arm. Also FD\'s look lower (so i am assuming a lower centre of gravity).
Quote from: m1tch;714504They don\'t build them like the used to! Get a pre-91 RX7, don\'t have to worry too much about emissions
most fd\'s are jap and you can get away with pre 96 before emissions kick in.
TBH its all down to budget. If you\'re looking for a minter the FD is the way forward, finding a mint FC is hard work as its hard to sell them for big bucks. But there are quite a few people with really mint fd\'s
Which ones visual charictaristics do you prefer ?
The FCs retro knightrider drifty charm, or the FDs Im the sexiest ..... in this room and you know it..\'s swagger ?
QuoteFD Pros
Faster,more power,better handling,stops better
FC Pros
Cheaper to run and insure,cheaper to buy
__________________
Put plain and simple Blitzy
As said previously, get in and drive both, only you can decide which suits you best
Quote from: Koose;714504Better handling and stops better ? I thought the brakes were the same brakes? But the FC is a lighter vehicle.
No Calipers are better on the FD, The FD was once the fastest stopping production car in the world.
The FD is lighter
eg FD Type R (most common model ) 1310KG
FC Turbo II 1393 KG , 80+ kilos heavier same as an average male person
Suspension setup is a different design on the FD hence the better handling
Quote from: BlitzBoy;714670No Calipers are better on the FD, The FD was once the fastest stopping production car in the world.
The FD is lighter
eg FD Type R (most common model ) 1310KG
FC Turbo II 1393 KG , 80+ kilos heavier same as an average male person
Suspension setup is a different design on the FD hence the better handling
Without being pedantic i think it was a foot short from a 100 mph of the quickest stopping car on the market and to be fair that was no mean feat, there were some serious cars around in those days.
Visually it has to be the FD every time, when i had mine i went out with a couple of mates, one in a brand new M3, the other a brand new 911 Turbo, no one gave their cars a second glance, they werent happy that my £6k car got more attention. Some people still dont know what they are, so its a rarity to see for some.
It has to be a personal preference.
I had the FD for five years and thought it was the best car I\'d owned.
Moved on to a Cosmo, so different but again thought it was superb.
Now the FC, and I love it and wouldn\'t swap it for either the FD or Cosmo.
I also like to be a bit different and I think the FD has ruined it\'s own image.
In stock body form I think they are beautiful, however there a so many around that have had variants of body kits fitted I feel the status of the car is heading down the boy racer route.
Many will think this observation is rubbish which is why what model you prefer will always be a personal choice.
It\'s nice to have two or three different rotary models to consider.
John
like John i have had both prefer the FC,wouldnt guarantee a bargain price compared to the FD if you are looking for a mint one with low mileage.
as everyone else has said, depends on what you are after and what you want to acheive with the car.
The FC is on the whole a cheaper car to buy and insure, but there are a lot of rust-buckets around, remember most of these are UK cars and have been dealing with salted wet roads for over 20 years.
You can get serious power out of either the FD or the FC if that is what you want, but there is far more experience of tuning FDs in the UK.
regarding the weight issue, most of it seems to be in the sound deadening which was over an inch thick in mine!
At the end of the day, the FD is a very pretty car, but there are lots of them around and many are total nails. The FC is a great looking car, but it is a bit retro and if you don\'t like the 80s/early 90s look then you\'ll always wish you bought the FD!
If I ever get mine back on the road, I\'d never want to replace it with an FD, much as I love them, the FC is rarer and just has that cool retro look.
As for handling, you can get the FC to handle as well as an FD if you really work on it, John Goodwin\'s FC is/was a demon track car, but a huge amount of effort went into it
Quote from: sadgoth;714686As for handling, you can get the FC to handle as well as an FD if you really work on it, John Goodwin\'s FC is/was a demon track car, but a huge amount of effort went into it
I think for me you have hit the nail on the head, i loved my FC (single running 350 ish from memory) but handling and general ride was so far removed from my fd. To be fair i didnt notice it so much moving from fd to fc, but when went back to the fd i must admit i remember saying i will never buy another fc. The whole driving experience in the fd seemed so much more refined and sure footed, to be frank it made the fc seem very archaic and agricultural.
But as you say above, to get the handling anyway near fd would need an awful lot of money spent.