New Member Few Questions

[Daston]

Hey guys,
 
First off a bit of my history.
 
Ever since I was little I have had a passion for sports cars, at the age of 8 I helped my old man build a Cossworth powered Westfield and since then I was hooked! Over the last 7 years I have owned an Mk 2 MR2, two Mk4 Supras (a N/A and Twin Turbo) and currently have a TVR Tuscan (my Dad runs a TVR Griffith).
 
However like most things its time to cut down a little bit, I am getting Married in May and the talk of children has come up. So with bigger house and child on the horizon the running costs of the Tuscan are just too high to justify keeping it.
 
So this got me looking for a car that will cost a little less to buy but have either similar performance out the bag or can be made to have similar performance. So far the RX7 has ticked these boxes.
 
Unfortunately I don\'t know too much about them after looking at prices my budget (10-12k) will get a late 3rd gen possibly RZ/RS.
 
Now my questions are...
 
Is both the RZ & RS 2+2\'s? (google seemed to say all RX7\'s are 2 seaters but then games like Forza/GT5 show them as 2+2)
 
Do RX7\'s have any driver aids? (The one thing I love about the TVR is its Raw and is driving in its simplest form)
 
Finally and one that probably gets asked all the time (sorry) how reliable is the Rotary engine, now coming from the Speed Six I know all about engine rebuilds and the rather high price I had to pay so that\'s not something I am worried about.
 
Is it as bad as some people say? Or is there a bit of rumour spreading going on? I know within the TVR circle a lot of people don\'t have any issues yet the general public think that they will fall apart as soon as they look at them.
 
Thanks if you read all that any input would be most appreciated.
 
Dave

[Speedline Imports]

Hello and welcome Dave,
 
To answer your questions, the RZ model and RS-R model are 2 seat versions having plastic rear storage bins instead of rear seats.  The RS model is a 2+2.  All these model benifit from slightly larger brakes as standard.
 
The RX7 is a real drivers car, you get Power Steering and ABS, but the rest is left to you and your hand & feet!
 
IMHO, I think you will find the rotary engine has a similar reputation to the TVR\'s you are used to.  To the outsider they are horrible unreliable things to be avoided at all costs, but owners love them and hate to hear a bad word said.
 
Your budget of 10-12k in the current market will buy you an excellent condition late spec (1999 model onwards) or something very heavily modified.
 
Martin

[clive]

Hello Dave and Welcome to MRC

Martin has already come forward to help with your answers as will many other good people on the club if you have questions, he sells good cars as well :chat

[Hi RX7]

Glad to see you took the plunge and came over to this forum, hopefully you will get all the answers you\'re looking for.
You\'ve probably already seen the post about the 2000 car I mentioned on Pistonheads.

[Mir]

Welcome to Mrc, hope u have a great time here

Syed

[Daston]

Thanks guys,
 
Really stupid question, I have a basic understanding on how a Rotary engine works. However as it dosnt need to close off sections of the chamber to create compression am I right in thinking it has nothing that would be considered cams/valves etc?
 
If this is the case is rebuilding the engine made simpler by not having to set up the timing?

[Prof]

The compression is achieved using a combination of seals.
 
Apex - long strips on the rotor edges - 3 per rotor
Side - curved strip along the edge of the rotor that run on the flat faces of the chambers (front and back of rotor) 3 per face
Corner - one at each end of the Apex seal - seal the Apex and side Seals effectively - 3 per face
Oil Rings - 2 one outer one inner per face
 
Here\'s a pic that shows the rotor - you can also see the combustion bath on the side of the rotor