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As you may know, I am a rotary buff. I’ve owned 4 RX-8’s but due to where I live, it’s been difficult finding someone with the same interests. I’ve been wanting to sell my RX-8, but only to the right person. A man contacted me as I showed the rotary compression tool on my ad. He’s a great guy and needed a compression test on his FD. I completed that test today and am pleased to report the results:
He now has a clean bill of health for his 1994 FD. One thing to note. We are lucky as RX8 owners that we forget how easy we have it when it comes to access to the spark plugs. The only way was to have the car jacked up really high and work with a 1/2 inch ratchet and swivel joint with a 21mm deep socket.
After the compression test, we took the RX-8 out first and he loved the car. He noted how much more refined the RX-8 is and how much more practical it can be. He loved the linear power curve and the 8500 RPM redline. Afterwards, I proceeded to have my very first experience in such a rare car. In the FD, it is a completely different animal. The entire car feels focused completely to the driver. When you are in that seat it feels like you are an F-16 pilot. It really does... It is much faster in the low end being a twin turbo. The first turbo kicks in fast and the sound is just incredible. Our RX-8's are not turbos so it's quite an experience to feel this kind of instant power you don't get in the 8 unless already in high RPM's.
These are completely different cars despite having so many similarities. The FD is a raw, pure driving experience. All you get is ABS because there was no such thing as traction control in 1994 it seems. To be honest, I loved it. The owner kept this car in great shape and it performed brilliantly.
All being said and done, the RX-8 is the better all around car for 2020. Its just more practical. But for a weekend car, the FD RX-7 really has no rival in my eyes. One of the best looking cars ever made.
Last edited by CaymanRotary; 10-14-2020 at 01:18 AM.
Oh I bet it was a fun ride driving round the islands! Total night and day comparison imo. Did you get a good laugh out of the boost pattern? The turbo's were always un-intuitive and troublesome to push hard (let alone their oil leaks and other issues) but then again, most street driven FD's have experienced vacuum line + solenoid issues at some time or still.
The picture qualities aren't the greatest but as far as I can tell it's still a very nice example of a road driven FD.
Oh I bet it was a fun ride driving round the islands! Total night and day comparison imo. Did you get a good laugh out of the boost pattern? The turbo's were always un-intuitive and troublesome to push hard (let alone their oil leaks and other issues) but then again, most street driven FD's have experienced vacuum line + solenoid issues at some time or still.
The picture qualities aren't the greatest but as far as I can tell it's still a very nice example of a road driven FD.
Thanks for sharing!
Its very fun driving around here as the roads are actually really good. The problem is the 40 mph speed limit on a 2 lane divided highway . Should be 50mph minimum but unfortunately I don't get to make the rules. That didn't stop me from airing the FD out though. The owner did upgrade all the vacuum lines and other goodies. It does have an oil leak as well but appears to be pretty small. I said it would be a good idea to clean the engine then try to find out where the leak is coming from.
The turbos make a huge difference for sure with all that low end torque im not used to. They did operate just fine though. I had instant power at any RPM. The interior does need some work but I absolutely see why the FD is so loved by car enthusiasts.
Agree wholeheartedly man! The FD is an icon for sure and would be a thrill to own that unique piece of history. But for 2020 the RX8 is suited so much better. And with that being said, there are so many more cars that are better suited than even the RX8. But it's the best compromise for driver experience. Rev happy engine, easy to throw around, superb handling, and decent enough mid range punch (for the second gen at least). And it's got all the creature comforts you need. I would have loved to have owned an FD back in 05 maybe but 15 years later and the FD is now pushing almost 30 years old. I'll take my 8 any day.
I wonder how many FDs & SE3Ps are there on your island. Never been to the Cayman Islands sucks about the speed limit but do you guys at least have some nice twisty mountain roads to carve on?
I'm surprised you felt there was "power" at any RPM. To me anything below 3000 my car feels like a Civic
Last edited by CanyonRunner; 10-15-2020 at 11:40 PM.
I wonder how many FDs & SE3Ps are there on your island. Never been to the Cayman Islands sucks about the speed limit but do you guys at least have some nice twisty mountain roads to carve on?
There are about 3 FD's on the island I know about. Probably a good 15 RX-8's still on the road but most of them are automatics. No mountains here it is as flat as a pancake. You want to stick to the main roads because the side roads are of sketchy quality and full of speed bumps.
I still have my fun but I pick and choose the opportunity. Usually I'm just driving normally with the flow of traffic.
I completely agree - even today (after driving a Boxster and Audi TT recently) I keep smiling when I drive my RX-8 - that "slow" car fast + phenomenal handling makes the RX-8 a value for both DD and weekend spirited driving.
RX-8 would have better creature comforts for DD. But yeah, would own an FD as a classic collectable car (that will get driven from time to time) for sure if I can do that.
I owned my RX7 for about 15 years
it was a great experience but I replaced so many things on that car - many just plain stock parts that kept breaking
the car was very easy to tune and a few bolt ons made it scary fast
after FORD took over, mazda made huge improvements in reliability to what the company is today
now I am replacing stock parts on my RX8
audio input jack stopped working, visors cracking
probably all due to texas heat but I was not expecting so many plastic things to suddenly start breaking
I still have to replace the cracked passenger dash and I cant even get an answer if the OEM part mazda sells fits series II since they have it listed only for earlier years
need to install rear stabilizer bar endlinks this weekend, stock ones are completely smashed and dead
FD prices are going through the roof. It was only a year ago that you could could a pretty clean example for 18-20k. Now they all seem to be 28-30k. They are following the Supra trajectory of a few years ago. Its tough to find a clean v160 Supra for less than 60k (A340Es less than 50k) that haven't been hacked to **** or clowned out with ricer kits.... 4-5 years ago a clean v160 car was 30k.
VR4s, Z32s, MR2s are probably next, buy one if you got the space. Saying all that, if you can find a mint FD for a relatively good price, buy it immediately. 90s cars will likely be the rage for the next 25 years.
Last edited by strokercharged95gt; 10-22-2020 at 07:02 AM.
I owned my RX7 for about 15 years
it was a great experience but I replaced so many things on that car - many just plain stock parts that kept breaking
the car was very easy to tune and a few bolt ons made it scary fast
after FORD took over, mazda made huge improvements in reliability to what the company is today
now I am replacing stock parts on my RX8
audio input jack stopped working, visors cracking
probably all due to texas heat but I was not expecting so many plastic things to suddenly start breaking
I still have to replace the cracked passenger dash and I cant even get an answer if the OEM part mazda sells fits series II since they have it listed only for earlier years
need to install rear stabilizer bar endlinks this weekend, stock ones are completely smashed and dead
I'm gonna do a before and after tutorial on how to fix those stupid cracked dashboards. Literally every RX8 has that damage.
10-14-2020, 12:24 AM
. Should be 50mph minimum but unfortunately I don't get to make the rules. That didn't stop me from airing the FD out though. The owner did upgrade all the vacuum lines and other goodies. It does have an oil leak as well but appears to be pretty small. I said it would be a good idea to clean the engine then try to find out where the leak is coming from.
