That's true. The ability to mod a 7 for the time being seems much greater, though. And The thought of being able to do that seems nice. It makes more sense to me to get that out of me earlier on. Just for ***** and giggles I looked at FDs and of course I come across this:

http://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=719269

That looks like it would be a LOT of fun.

 

I don't think he's buying the car to turn heads, rather the enjoyment of driving it.
Also, If a AMC Pacer was to drive by, I'm sure it would turn heads. It's not always a good thing you know.

 

yeah, I personally love the looks of the 8, FC and FD. There are plenty out there who dont like the 8, but that doesn't change how much I like the 8. I do love the handling of the 8, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't want more power. And while I do believe the 8 has the potential, it hasnt been discovered quite yet and the 7 could do it cheaper I believe. That being said, it still is a tough decision.

 

For the record, I've never noticed anyone turn their head to look at my car. You'd need a Lambo or Ferrari to get that to happen anywhere around here.

 

I'm in san antonio, though. Land of the Mustangs.

 

heh, ya, california may be a different story, Texas is the land of truck and muscle cars.

 

... don't forget all the candy-colored 'Lacks and Caprices sitting on D's down near the dirty-3rd.

 

I see more RX-8's here than I have anywhere else I've ever gone in the country. They are everywhere.

 

true tat though.. lately i've seen alot more rx8s

 

Everywhere in the DFW metroplex, too. Not to mention all the BMW's, VW's etc. When I used to take the 635 loop around that area, I would see a couple of 8's driving right around me at any given moment. Get out around rural north central Texas though and it's like you drive an exotic amongst the slew of trucks, suv's and mustangs.

 

So aside from personal requirements (such as those who need 4 seats and such), would you guys consider it a fair trade? I know it most likely wouldn't come out to an exact trade for an FC or FD, but given a little money to put in each, I would think they'd be equally fun cars. What are other's opinions? I'd rather not make a decision because I over looked something and end up regretting it. (mind you I'm not making this decision immediately or soon)

 

They are both great cars. As long as you can keep the heat down in the FD, and get into a decent single turbo setup, those things just sing to you all day.

I personally prefer my RX-8 over the RX-7's, though, as you have less problems with them :P Then again, what do you expect from an older car compared to a newer?

 

hmmm to tell you honestly my car turns heads all the time....it seems like a lot of people havn't even heard of rx-8's =P

 

Yeah, I visited Austin and even with all of the tragically hip residents and college students, it was nothing but V8s everywhere.

Awesome place if you can get over the humidity and hearing "y'all".

 

I live in Missouri, and that's just too damn south for my tastes. What is it with people and Fried Ocra?! *gag*

 

It got totaled while it was parked....

 

Having driven an 87 Sport FC for about 17 years and now my 04 RX-8 for the past 4 years, I will say that 8 is better and more refined in just about every way. I still love the FC (I handed it down to my son) and its a fun car with a lot of mod potential. But the FC technology is around 20 years old and even the best cared for FC will need a lot of maintenance. Unfortunately, a lot of FCs have been abused at the hands of kids who didn't have a clue about rotary engines or who wanted to mod them on the cheap. A good quality FC that hasn't be hacked up may be hard to find.

The FC would be good project car but the 8 would be just as much fun with a lot less work. So if you want a great sports car, get the 8. If you want a project, find a good FC.

 

I currently have an 8, but what I'm thinking is that what I'd want for now would be the 7. I really do like the FDs and I think by trading in my car I would be able to get a nicer FD. I realize they are different cars, but when everything is weighed together, do they seem equal at all?

 

don't be hatin'. What's wrong with okra? lol. Just cause people in the north are weird and don't like okra but like that "pop" stuff (w/e that is) doesn't mean it's bad!

 

i had a 88 FC T2 before my RX8...i loved it and actually miss it.

i bought it with a dying motor but the rest of the car was in great condition....i took out my engine and got it rebuilt and streetported

i also had exhaust, intake, fuel and some other little goodies and i must say that thing was fast.

i sold it to andy87t2 and he seems to be enjoying it himself. really didnt have any problems with it considering it was basically new but it was very easy to work on with all the things i stripped out from the engine bay. and my FC turned about as much heads as my RX8 does now......if u do want a rx7 ur better off with the FC than the FD if ur worried about reliability

 

I don't think you realize how moddable a Turbo II is that hasn't been hacked to bits by dumbass owners. Starting with a vehicle in top running shape (all maintainance done, good compression engine) add Intake/exhaust/fuel cut controller + SAFC fuel management (or a chipped ECU that can replace both the fuel cut controller and SAFC), ported wastegate and secondary injectors, and you will have a 220-250rwhp depending on how much you are willing to push the stock intercooler. That's a total cost of $1000 or less if you find the right deals. That will put you deep into the 13's if you can drive, trap around 105 and stomp Evo's, STi's, possibly C5's, lots of cars.

So if you find the right car for say $4000 (that's a good price for one with a decent body and good motor), do all the maintainance and add about $1000-1500 worth of mods and you have a quick spooling, torquey car (stock turbo makes almost as much torque as hp depending on setup, expect over 200 torque to the wheels by 4000rpm when you turn up the boost) that handles well. It will be faster than a stock FD or Rx-8. Stock for stock, the Turbo II is a little slower than '8 but has more torque. They typically dyno around 170-175ish rwhp and similar torque, depending on the year of the car and engine condition.

The s5 turbo cars are a lot more rare, but they are difficult to find parts for. There are less aftermarket options for them (like you can't get a chipped ECU for them), some of the electronics are worse like the stock gauges. They are not automatically better than an s4 car, although they have some advantages. If you want more of a project car get the s4 because there are way more s4 turbo parts around.

The FD is a great car but it will cost you as much as a new '8 to buy one and keep it running. Get a decent one for $12-$15k, then continuously open your wallet to keep everything running from going to ****. On the other hand, on stock sequential turbos you can do 350 to the wheels with zero lag (if you can keep the sequential system working right) and run 11's with drag radials, while having a handling platform every bit as good as the 8.

 

Thanks for the input. I'm now looking at possibly trading in my 8, so the newer car seems to me like it would be a better deal. Assuming a lot of the reliability works has been done and that it's running on a good tune with a rebuilt engine, wouldn't that make it as reliable? It seems like most the problems with FDs were things that could be taken care of, but just had a lot of things on the list. So assuming those are taken care of, would there still be the reliability issue? My biggest concern is that if I were to trade in my 8 for an FC is that it just wouldn't be as nice/comfortable as an FD. While I did say I'm looking for a bit more performance, I would like a bit of a comfortable interior.

 

The Turbo II, especially the higher optioned ones, have a pretty nice interior for an '80s car. Leather seats, power windows and locks, tilt wheel--all the basic options you would have on a lower model '8 which were considered luxury features at the time. But half the crap won't work anymore because the switches go bad, all the ground wires go bad, etc. I pretty much fixed 90% of the electrical problems on my Turbo II and it's a decent car. The 2nd gen Rx-7 is also the largest one in terms of weight, dimensions, etc. There is a lot more interior room than an FD, but weight is a little heavier (stock series 4 car is 2850, series 5 FC is ~3000, FD is 2800-2850ish depending on options).

The FD interior is a lot tigher than the FC interior. It's like a bigger 1st gen Miata. There really aren't any more interior options than the FC. It depends what year and what package you get, but once again you may only have power windows and locks (no stock keyless entry), some shitty early 90s speakers, maybe cruise control, and no cupholders (no Rx-7 of any year that I know of had any cupholders whatsoever). The stock suspension is stiff, way stiffer than the '8 and stiffer than the FC. The interior gets really hot, the air conditioning sucks if it works at all... do you see what I'm getting at? The FD interior is cooler looking and more modern, but it's not "comfortable" in the sense an '8 is (I don't own one but I've driven one and I've been in several) It's practically a factory race car. That's why it's so badass, that's partly why it's so expensive to maintain, and that's why it was an utter failure sales-wise.

Don't get an Rx-7, any turbo Rx-7 at least, unless you have a reliable daily driver. If you bought an FD you would be a fool to depend on it exclusively for transportation, no matter how well the car appears to be running. An FD is like an stock investment strategy... it works 'til it stops working. On the other hand, a lot of people will think you are driving some kind of Enzo or something. They are very rare cars and they look amazing. They always turn heads. If I had the money (or tolerance for credit card debt), I would have built one instead of a Turbo II. You can spend $5000+ on one of the bigger non Greddy turbo kits for an '8 and it still won't hang with in the straight line with an FD on stock turbos that has been properly tuned and modded. But if you get an FD you will end up becoming a mechanic or you will be just another idiot who blew up a rotary. It will force you to learn a lot about working on cars, tuning, etc.

EDIT: just about any Rx-7 is a DEATHTRAP by today's standards. Only the 94+ cars have dual airbags, 93 cars had driver airbag, and only a very small fraction of the 2nd gen cars had airbags, for example. FD ABS is pretty good but FC ABS is rare and sucked anyway.