Described in EVO magazine as follows:

"ACHINGLY BEAUTIFUL, RARE AND GREAT TO DRIVE - THIRSTY"

For my money the late RX7 just about takes it on looks but of course, what would I do with the kids!

Leave them at home or have both?

Cheers
Oilman

I'd just take the RX-8 to be honest. It's a close run thing though...

personally, i've never seen any car prettier than the FD. i still like my 8, i can't afford an FD =p

In my [rarely] humble opinion, the 3rd Gen RX7 (or FD) is the most beautiful car ever made. (Seriously)
You can keep your e-types , 355s etc etc.

10 years on and it still looks absolutely right.
Loved then from the outset , and if I could a)Fit and b)get more than the 13mpg my friend managed in his it would be my car of choice forever...

Stunning, stunning design.


Morgan.

PS -
I can see why some RX7 peoples dont get off on the looks of the RX8....

Mind you Oilman, you didnt pick any REALLY nice pic of the FD ;) But even in this pic, the FD looks awesome......

Since the RX8 will be coming out in Greece very soon, I am hoping that the FD prices will drop, so I'm thinking that this is my chance to get a really nice FD, fix it up, and have it as a weekend car. There are very few FDs in Greece, but usually one or two are always on sale (can you guess why ? :D)

As for RX7 people not getting off on the RX8 looks, thats not true. I like the RX7, and I like the RX8. I'm not "in love" with any of them, but they do look awesome IMO......

Last but not least, the 13BT and 13REW were VERY "thirsty" engines. In my slightly modified TII, I couldnt get anything over 15mpg while on the highway :eek:, and averaged 10-11mpg while doing some spirited driving :eek: :eek:.......

Originally posted by morganrogers
In my [rarely] humble opinion, the 3rd Gen RX7 (or FD) is the most beautiful car ever made. (Seriously)
You can keep your e-types , 355s etc etc.



oooohh I have to disagree, its nice but....

http://next.web-cars.com/miura_img/IMG_0074_a.jpg

Aagg....

Originally posted by RobDickinson


oooohh I have to disagree, its nice but....

http://next.web-cars.com/miura_img/IMG_0074_a.jpg
Aagg....

Well, it has been said by MANY people, that the Miura is probably the most beautiful car ever designed and built ;)

However you have to agree that the FD, for a car designed almost 15 years ago, is looking awesome even today, not to mention more "aggresive" and "sportscar" than the current crop of sports cars.......

Yes, I think it's more beautiful than the 8, but then it's more beautiful than just about any other car ever made.

I'm not sure if it's my all time favorite but it's in my top 10.

Originally posted by The Ace


Well, it has been said by MANY people, that the Miura is probably the most beautiful car ever designed and built ;)

However you have to agree that the FD, for a car designed almost 15 years ago, is looking awesome even today, not to mention more "aggresive" and "sportscar" than the current crop of sports cars.......

I've spoted an Urraco (http://atsearch.autotrader.co.uk/WWW/CARS_popup.asp?modelexact=1&make=LAMBORGHINI&min_pr=&postcode=l34+6ld&source=0&model=ANY&max_pr=&sort=3&miles=1500&max_records=50&search.x=24&search.y=15&start=8&distance=15&adcategory=CARS&channel=CARS&id=200313082444859) 15 miles from me, immaculate condition 300 version for £22k ...
hmm....

Performance is about the same as the RX-8 too...

For a bit more money (well, quite a bit more money ;) ) you can go to Italy and get yourself a nice Countach, which is the quintessence of Lamborghini :cool:

I think on balance, standard spec to standard spec it is more "beautiful", though parts of it (pop up lamps etc) do seem a bit dated now.

A slightly modded RX8 however could look just as good, and there is no comparison with the interior.

I hope any new RX7 stays more true to the 3rd gen style, and not like the thing in Autocar this week.

On my old 279rwhp FD, I got 17mpg city and 25mpg hwy, which I don't think is bad at all.. my TurboII only does slightly better in the city, same hwy.

25MPG from an FD ?? - Wow ! well done...

My friend only managed around 13 from his !

Originally posted by neofreak
On my old 279rwhp FD, I got 17mpg city and 25mpg hwy, which I don't think is bad at all.. my TurboII only does slightly better in the city, same hwy.

:eek: :eek: :eek:

OK, you are either a VERY slow driver, or a very obvious liar ;)
How ON EARTH is it possible to get 25mpg from even a stock FD on the highway (unless you are driving at the Warp speed of 20mph) ?!?!
Or maybe you DID place an egg right underneath the gas pedal......:D

Oilman,

How old are the kids? If you took an import like mine with 2 rear seats instead of the storage bins, you could take them along occasionally. I've even had 3 adults in the car for a few trips. FDs are not as impractical as many think, but there's no getting away from the thirst...

I've never seen anything like 25mpg from mine and often get through a tank in one trip, never getting better than 17-20mpg. Driving an FD gently is nearly impossible anyway - the temptation is just too much. :D

Anyway - to your question - 7 and 8? We have a (MX)5 and 7 and I still don't know what to do about the 8. I want one practical car and one fun car, both good lpoking and fun to drive. For me the ideal is one 4 seater, one 2 seater, 1 fast, 1 less so and ideally 1 a drop-top. If I changed only 1 car - the ideal would be to change the 7 for a turbo/super-charged 8. A standard 8 or a new 2-seater 7 won't really solve my problem.

...or we change both cars and get a convertible 7 (S2000 perhaps?) and a standard 8...no nearer deciding - am hanging on to be able to test drive an 8 and see what else Mazda announce in the next year or so. Having the FD in the meantime makes the wait a bit less frustrating ;)

Excuse me 97rsr, you have a '97 FD (obviously imported, like you said), and you are thinking about selling it to get a different car ? :eek: :eek: :eek: ........any car, it doesnt matter.........

Thats pure and simple sacriledge, and you know that. You should hold on to that FD like it was your own life essence ;)

97RSR,

Where did you get yours from and how much did you pay if you don't mind me asking.

What are the mechanical pitfalls?

You can PM me if you like.

Cheers
Oilman

Oilman,

We got ours from our long-term main Mazda dealer, TWWhites who import them from Japan through agents. Our Mazda experience started with an old-style (pop up lamps) 323F 1.8GTi (great car) then we added a 10AE MX-5 in '99 and the following spring wanted to replace the 323. But in 2000 Mazda UK had no cars (MX-5 aside) that we liked, yet the reliability/service experience was great. Feeling a bit out of our depth, we took an '93 UK-spec 7 for a test drive down near Bookham. It wasn't the best example, but its hard to describe your first drive in an FD, especially if you've never driven a car with more than 150bhp before :D I'm intrigued with the 8 (and the new 7 if its normally aspirated) to see what a powerful rotary minus the TT will feel like.

Anyway, we were hooked and the dealer had a newer one at another dealership and brought it over the next weekend. It was near perfect - I only really like the 7 in red or black and the RS-R was one of the last 7's (Oct 97) before they put those ricey spolers and strange head lamps on them (OK, so they upped it from 265 to 280bhp too). We paid ~£22k less our trade-in from the 323 with under 20k (miles) on the clock. 3 1/2 years and about 15k miles later, its needed almost no maintenance other than standard servicing (new battery, 1 brake disk grinding after a spell sat in very cold weather). Probably worth around £9-10k now which is similar in depreciation to a new car over the same period.

Negatives:
- Firm ride which gets to be a pain in speed-hump filled Surrey
- Can fit small adults into the back but not practical when transporting my parents
- Thirst (doesn't bother me much on 4-5k miles/ annum)
- Worry (but no experience yet) of high service bills
- Insurance (~£1k for 30-year old with 6yncb)

Pros:
- See one, drive one, understand!

The Ace - I know, I know, but we're thinking of changing because the car is aging and higher service bills will follow the older it gets (full Mazda exhaust system is ~£1500, pair of brake disks £800ish). Aging, rare, imported sports cars are better owned by people who can repair them and I'm no mechanic!

Originally posted by 97rsr
......The Ace - I know, I know, but we're thinking of changing because the car is aging and higher service bills will follow the older it gets (full Mazda exhaust system is ~£1500, pair of brake disks £800ish). Aging, rare, imported sports cars are better owned by people who can repair them and I'm no mechanic!

First of all, why bother with stock Mazda parts ? They are ALWAYS much, much more expensive than the aftermarket ones, which are in 99% of the cases better than the Mazda ones. i.e an aftermarket full exhaust wont set you back more than 1500E/1500$, and will probably add 20-30HP easily ;) Same goes for brakes, suspension, filters etc etc......

And since you are now out of warranty, why do you have to have it serviced ? Any rotary experienced mechanic can do the service, and apart from the engine itself, all the other stuff is usually at the same price-ranges as any other high-performance car.....