Budgeting for an FD (newbie thread, be warned...!)

[bluerx]

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

[johnf]

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

[interloper393]

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

[noyzboy]

Buy a REX, keep the diesel. 20mpg -v- 50 mpg

Martin H

[grinder]

Buy 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 ?

[chrisJDM]

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

[bluerx]

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

[civicboy28]

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

[bluerx]

How much is optimax at the pump lately CB?

[civicboy28]

114p a ltr lol
same as diesel

[bluerx]

Ah cheers fella, I think I can cope with that, but 6 months is a long time for fuel prices...

[Tim_B]

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)

[gonzoninja]

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!

[civicboy28]

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.

[bluerx]

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.

The bit highlighted above couldnt help but raise a smile. Cant... f*****g.... wait....

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?