I was just curious if any of the RX-8 owners here have ever owned a "3rd Generation" RX-7 as I was considering buying one sort of for fun.
A guy here locally has a '93 that only has 3k on a new engine for a little over $12k. I hear they have a list of recalls and some engine problems but are quite the racey car.

If anyone has any relevant advice/cautions/comments/etc., please let me know.
I'm sure a lot of you have some worthwhile knowledge this, so I'd be much appreciative.

 

i'd ask why a new engine was required, and a list of mods (if there are any). and if the engine was a re-built, you may want to know who built the engine and ask around to see if that person is any good or not.
they are a great car when it is tuned properly, but it can be costly if something is wrong.
one of my close friend has to rebuild his FD engine 4 time in 2004, why, because he used a shithouse engine builder. :o
its all good now, the 4th rebuild we have got him to use an engine builder used by alot of good rotary shops

 

I've owned one. It was a 93 Montego Blue Touring; the cars are the epitome of sports car and simply the best car Mazda ever made (maintanence aside). I had installed a RAcing Beat Inlet duct with K&N air filter and a Rotary Performance downpipe. I didn't want to open it up too much because I would have had to get a boost controller to control the boost spikes. I'd like to get another one as a project car--it was my daily driver and I drove it between Houston and New Orleans a lot because I went to college in N.O. I had to give it up because it flooded--literally. I got about $10K worth of flood damage from Tropical Storm Allison in 2001--seeing as I was a college student I just need more space and didn't have the resources to rebuild the engine at the time. I took the insurance and got into a Millenia S. If you get a hold of one and you want it be as reliable as possible--ditch the twin turbo setup or use '99 spec JDM sequentials, get an aluminum AST, efficient Radiator, make sure all your vacuum hoses are new and secure, ditch the precat for a downpipe. Reliability mods on the FD alone will get you to about 30-40 extra horsepower. You must get a boost controller or aftermarket ECU if you plan on adding catback/downpipe/intake. After that you can just up the boost. Also ask if the new engine has been street ported--good for some additional power. After intake/exhaust/downpipe/boost controller--you are slaughtering EVOs and 911s.

 

good car lots of fun but......................

cost money to keep up and run correctly.

I had one and miss it very much.....

 

EZZY, very good point. I'm going to drive the car tomorrow and will ask about the shop then.

DreRX8, thanks very much for those points. What exactly are "JDM spec sequentials" and by "ditching to twin turbo setup" do you mean go to a single turbo?

Should I bring a vacuum gauge with me when I check it out? I was thinking of just checking the pull on the intake manifold (something I've done when buying certain other cars) but if there is anything else, please do suggest.

 

Vacuum leak is very common and there are like 72 hoses or something ridiculous number like that. Upgrading to silicone hoses, if it does not already have them is a good idea. I would bring the gauge if I were you.

 

The only thing that can compare to a VR RX-8 in looks is a MB FD. FD's are maintenance & money hogs. When I got an insurance quote I nearly fainted (I'm 25+ with 0 accidents/tickets). I went with the '8 (for now).

In case you haven't already seen this:
FAQ for 3rd Gen & other useful links

 

Yeah--I mean switch to a single turbo or go with the JSPEC units--for 1999 Mazda switched to a more efficient and slightly more powerful twin turbo setup (+10HP). The turbos are simply better--you can get those from www.rx7.com. Take a vacuum gauge with you to check it out and make sure it is making the boost it should. This months MPH magazine has a semi comprehensive article on the 3rd Gen.

 

JDM twins dont push up the HP! They run a higher boost due to the jetting. But yes those turbos are better but the stock twins a still good if they are not blowing smoke out of the tail pipe. It should run 15-18psi of vaccum at idle. run about 10psi quick dip then 10psi agian at 4500rpms til redline.

 

yeah its 10-8-10 pattern. The JDM RX7s were rated at 265HP then after 99 they were 280HP. The JDM autos were 255HP same as here. What do you mean they don't push up the power?

 

I bought a 94 fd touring new in 95 while in military and absolutely loved the car...my best friend still has his 95 r2 with t-78. I love the fd3s as much as my 8, they are just different animals. You really need to an educated buyer when in the market for a fd3s. I would wear out the search engine on rx7.com to try and get a handle on the basics.... You must know that if your life is stressful without a 3rd gen in the driveway, you need not buy one as it would surely elevate any health issues you might already have

FYI, I owned a fd for about four years, and then owned an fc3s for another five. They are a joy and can be quite fun....You have to keep up on the maintenance and be able to troubleshoot , as little issues present bigger problems if not addressed. I did not respond to scare you away. I love the Fd and when I get to a better station in life I will own another you just should know what you are getting into. As they are extremely high maintenace and sensitive to the smallest issues. I went through three motors and two single turbo setups before finding a tuner that was appropriate... I love Steve Kahn, he is the one responsible for saving my sanity. Sorry for the long post.

 

Well, you guys pretty much have scared me out of getting one, but I just got back from test driving it.

Damn. It was extremely impressive.
It felt like a street legal race car. The guy had all receipts for the engine rebuild which he said was precipitated by an apex seal going bad.
In truth, what really scared me is that this is the second time he's been through this (different shop did the rebuild last time) and the car has only 80k on the chassis.

It was completely stock, which was pretty encouraging, but I really am worried about it being a maintenance hog and a money pit. I've already had one of those before.

I really appreciate all the feedback. I can understand why many of you are passionate at some level about that car. It is quite a ride, quite....a.....ride.

 

Well---my RX7 was my trusty steed. When I lost it in a flood it had 78K on the odo and it was all original. I had a small oil leak though and I had had my vacuum hoses redone once--but my 7 took me up and down I10 all day long. It was my daily and I had no problems. If you do the reliability mods you will have a good vehicle--the only thing is it can be pricey if something goes wrong. Are you looking to pick this one up as a daily driver or 2nd vehicle?

 

I was going to use it as a 2nd daily driver/weekend AutoXer.

 

Go for it man--you'll get the horsepower/boost bug and in 6 months you'll be on here talking about how you are making 450HP to the wheels :D

 

Well, now that's not a bad idea. This is my problem, should I wait to find one that has lower mileage on the chassis? Since some have suggested a single turbo setup, I figured that would be close to entailing an engine rebuild anyway, so maybe having one that hasn't been, but will need to be, rebuilt. I really don't have time to be tuning at this point, but I do have a place to put an "FD" if I find one, so that when I have time, I can play...

BTW, anyone know what exactly FD stands for anyway?

 

I own a very nice, low-mile 93, I posted about it here when I bought it.

FD is the chassis code in the VIN:

SA, FB = 1st gen RX-7 (1979-1985)

FC = 2nd gen RX-7 (1986-1991)

the was no 1992 RX-7 in the US

FD = 3rd gen (1993-1995)

FE = RX-8

 

I bought my FD for $15K two years ago and have since spent another $15K fixing and upgrading it. The engine went last fall (had 110K on odometer), so now it's at Pineappler being rebuilt. Check out this poll over at RX-7club:

http://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=184196