3rd Gen everyday car

[Clintuk]

Not a RX7 owner yet - have been close once before but boss said I had to have 4 doors so currently have 300bhp Impreza which I chuffed with but always wanted an RX7 now there\'s another chance I may be able to join your ranks.

Question is really about using a 3rd gen car everyday. They are getting on a bit, but I\'d be looking probably to get one that has had work done to it, ie single turbo, cooling upgrades etc... (Plenty for me to research there I know) Then put a bit of my own thought on top of that.

So what do people actually get on mpg?
People who don\'t know say frightening engine, but is 80000miles on good rebuild the norm or exception?
I know and I\'m happy to change oil 3 or 4 times a year if need be.
What miles per year do people do reliably?

Other thoughts are TVR Cerbera / Maserati Ghibli - these are twice the price to buy and I can\'t see RX7 running costs being much more - if at all more than them!!

Thanks for any advice

[sadgoth]

wow that\'s an interesting 2nd and 3rd choice! I\'m guessing reliability isn\'t a big issue then? Out of the three, the FD would probably be the most reliable and cheapest to run (you don\'t often get to write that!)

[DC-TYPER]

i use it as an everyday car, i have a dog and a wife and a baby boy, do the shopping, go camping and other stuff, love it

[Jit]

i use mine as an everyday car....drove to sheffield from London and then back last night. Cost me 65 quid in fuel....which doesnt sound bad....until i realised tat my integra did Leeds to London and back in 45 quid...

[DC-TYPER]

lol
 
costs a fiver just to get out my drive

[Clintuk]

DC-Typer good work i like the effort you put in :-) Is it a big dog?

Once saw a lotus Esprit Series II with a surfboard on the roof heading to a camp site - top bloke.

Seriously though, Cerbera 15ish mpg I\'m guessing on, isn\'t that what you get from RX7s maybe slightly more?

Maserati do have a bad rep for reliability, but the last of the bi-turbo engines were much better, OK they need TLC but so does the rotary!

The Mazer would proably give about 20 - 25mpg I guess.

I get 27mpg all in from Impreza, although on track I\'ve had it down too 8.5 :-) but sitting on motorways brings overall average up, I know other owners with similar get less - probably because they have nicer roads to play on.

Is it norm to run super unleaded in the rotary?

[leon]

Higher octane the better in the Rotary, (dont want det = dead engine)

I myself run an Rx7 for a daily driver (Hency why im coming across a lot of problems in such a short time, its new to the country only came in last november! and its off the road now, the water gasket on the pump died!) :2Confused. The Cars are like anything though, If you can get one that has been well looked after and keep ontop of it. or bring it up to a level, it should do you well :wave

And lets face it how many other cars give such a big grin? :evillaugh

[RobbieRX-7]

i use it as an everyday car, i have a dog and a wife and a baby boy, do the shopping, go camping and other stuff, love it

Where does the dog go then? On the roof rack:Laugh

[elford_tim]

Where does the dog go then? On the roof rack:Laugh

On the rear wing, obviously. Increases the downforce .

[elford_tim]

Question is really about using a 3rd gen car everyday. They are getting on a bit, but I\'d be looking probably to get one that has had work done to it, ie single turbo, cooling upgrades etc... (Plenty for me to research there I know) Then put a bit of my own thought on top of that.

Cooling upgrades are always a Good Thing but I\'d use a mildly tuned one - the lower the state of tune, the longer it\'ll last. Plus, it\'s not exactly a slow car with a few reasonable upgrades.

So what do people actually get on mpg?

When driving long distance, I tend to get around 300 miles/tank in the FD and will then have to chuck about 60l in.

I know and I\'m happy to change oil 3 or 4 times a year if need be.

Oil change intervals are 3000 miles, so this really depends on how many miles you do a year.

[brooksie]

I\'ve had a Cerbera .. which i attempted to use everyday. I\'ve also had 3 RX7\'s and im currently looking at maybe getting another.

Ok .. the Cerb .. it is a supercar and drives like one, it hates being sat in traffic, It feels heavy, it feels big, the turning circle is terrible, the visibility aint much better, temperatures go through the roof if you get stuck in traffic but above all they need to be looked after .. constantly. I drove mine every day but to be honest every time you drive one its an event .. and can be quite tiring !! But get it out on the open road and they are simply incredible .. you can keep your RX7\'s, your skylines, silly rally cars ...nothing even comes close to the complete assault on every sense that the car causes, honestly they are that good. They aren\'t unreliable, they just need to be looked after, stuff like the engine needs to be tuned and balanced regularly etc.

RX7 ... every FD i\'ve owned has been used daily .. no problem at all and in comparison to something like a Cerbera are a complete dream to drive.

Masa .. never owned one, they look nice tho

[michaelb]

Hello Mate

I use my jap 96 import as an everyday car in all weathers, I also leave it at airports for ¾ days at a time including winters and have no problems.

The car also has been lowered ( Tein suspension ) to 5” off the ground and I still clear all the London humps….

Petrol wise: depends what the car has had done to it fuelling set up…I am still on twin turbo set up but the car has a de cat,  has been mapped and the boost is at 0.94 on both turbos so the “babe” drinks a little more petrol….

I do around 6k a year, change oil and oil filter every 3 months, change petrol filter once a year and service the car by RX7 specialist once a year.

No major problems so far….I do not understand people who have this fantastic car yet have it “hidden” in a garage for weeks on end â€" the car is to be seen and admired, so let it be an every day driver and I will guarantee you,  it will put a major smile on your face every time you drive it !!!!

Regards,
Michaelb

[Clintuk]

Cheers Michael
Sounds like what I\'d use one for, although now I\'m thinking compared to Cerbera / maserati Ghibli (as possible alternatives), it\'d be the same price to keep and run both Impreza and RX7.

If this happens I\'ll be on Welsh boarder and obviously there\'s a fair few wet and even snow days, where RX7 may not only be a pain but impossible to :driving

But good to hear your thoughts - I\'m coming back to the Mazda :cheers
Clintuk

[royal]

If you get a rex with good cooling upgrades it makes a huge difference. I\'ve got a race rad and a charge cooler and I don\'t think I\'ve ever seen above 85 degrees even when thrashing the tits off of it on track. Most normal rexs will see way above 100 degrees in the same situation.

[Clintuk]

Cheers Brooksie

Good 1st hand comparison on the Cerb.  To be honest I hadn\'t considered one, until I saw the 2nd hand market - the next step in performance bargain?!

Sounds like I ought to have one while I\'m young enough to cope, sounds fun but the Mazda looks so much better IMHO.

Clint