Nathan Kwok

Silver '95 R2, *drool*. Only 16 like that imported to the U.S., I bet even fewer imported to Canada. I can provide some insight here as a lurker from the RX-7 forum. In terms of respective values, the cars are actually quite close, but keep in mind if you were to both put your cars up for sale, it would take much longer to sell the RX-7 (obviously the market is much smaller). With that said, Silver '95 R2s are probably one of the most desirable color/year combinations out there. That coupled with the low mileage makes this particular car even more desirable. Reliability wise, expect a few headaches. '95s a much more relaible than earlier years but these are still very difficult cars to work on, so even if a minor thing goes wrong it can cost a lot to fix. Parts are very expensive too. Mileage should be about the same (I regularly get 19-20mpg in mixed driving). Stock FD's dyno at around 220hp at the wheels at 10psi, but with the proper bolt-ons can dyno around 300rwhp without raising the boost level. That is enough to run high 12's. I personally wouldn't recommend trying to increase power beyond 300rwhp because you start making bigger sacrifices in reliability.

Frank Patrick

10 year old turbo! no no NO!!

Senna

Thanks for clarifying the specs...interesting.

StewC625

My thoughts exactly. Total "strudel in your noodle" if you do that ...

Outlaws eXtreme

It's a 95 FD with very little mileage. I'd take the Turbo 95 FD. That sucker is rare, fun to drive, and a steal if it's traded for a Base RX-8 2004.

I have no problems getting a used older model car... Besides, it's only a 20k-25k cost car, that's nothing. Could always just buy another RX-8. Can't always just go out there and buy the last US Gen RX-7 with low Miles.

spork

The issue really is money IMO.

The 8 is better if you want to save money. If you get the 7 you're probably going to have to do some random maintence and the 7 has been known to have a fair share of reliability problems. You're probably going to want another commuter car for a nicer ride plus ability to carry more people (more cost).

But if money wasn't much of an issue (ie you could afford the 7 PLUS another commuter car or if you already have another commuter car)... I say do it. I'd love to have a 7 (well, an FD 7) but there's no way I can afford it. Well maybe I could afford it but I'd have to be living paycheck to pay check and I don't want to do that.

Umbra

Dunno prefer the skyline v-spec2 myself but getting that in the US or Canada is even more of an impossibility.

I wouldn't do the trade, but if I had the money lying around and had enough decent daily drivers for the family, I would buy it if that's what you really want.

DreRX8

Skylines are badass--but as far as design they are pretty straight forward--they look good; but not FD good.

alphapenguin

I dunno if a 95 R2 is any different than a 93 FD twin turbo, but I drove that one before (my brothers) and it is pretty darn fast. but regardless, trading an rx8 not even 2 years old(?) for a 10 year old car... Like others have said, if you got money, why not. otherwise it just doesnt seem like a wise financial decision. just my opinion. I dont think I would trade my 8 for my brothers FD no matter how fast and how good it handles.

DARKMAZ8

financially speaking this car will hold value and perhaps become a classic.....the rx8 will be half it's purchase price by next year...

Apophis

Dude, just go with your gut. First, of course, make sure that you figure out the blue book values and don't get hosed from a fair market value perspective. Aside from that, just do what you really want to do.

Mikelikes2drive

one down side to tradin in the 8 is that u lose ur warranty but ey id still do it!! HEY! can i trade in my car for his rx7 if you dont do it??? :D (im serious)

Omicron

Go for the R2 if you can afford to use it as a weekender/collectible, and you have another car to get you around.

Go for the R2 if money isn't an issue.

Go with what your gut tells you.

But ask yourself this - why would the friend with the R2 be so quick to trade with you for your RX-8?

SikRedRX-8

I really hope you are not implying that a B18c can not handle that kind of boost. If so, you have a lot to learn. I know personnally of at least 4 off the top of my head that are over 20psi on a b18. And that is just little ol' me in a fairly small city.

DARKMAZ8

a b18c5 is the type r motor with 11:1 compression......please show me a type r motor with 20psi......good luck

DARKMAZ8

he wants to trade it for my 8 because he is a close family friend and is pushing 60 years old.....he knows the car will be in good hands and that he could come drive it now and then....I dont know what else to say but this is the mintest 7 I have ever seen.....not even any curb rash on the wheels....I am waiting till mid april to make my final decision and I will take pics of the car when it comes out of storage next month.....I think it's a done deal..... :D

bureau13

OK, here's my take, and keep in mind that I owned a '93 FD for about 8 years before selling it and buying my 8...if that's any hint as to my answer.

The FD was a great car, but it took a lot of work to keep it that way. Somebody said there were no compromises in its design...that's a laugh. Reliability, longevity, design simplicity, cooling...all compromised. As for its worth as a collector's item...maybe. Is it all stock, and do you plan on keeping it that way? If not, then forget about the collectable aspect. If so, then all the arguments about upgraded turbos making 400+ bhp are out the window.

One other thing...depending on where you live, if you keep the FD...plan on becoming proficient at working on it. Most dealer mechanics (IMO) no longer know enough about the FD to avoid being dangerous.

It all comes down to one question: Why do you want your car? Is it something you can afford to not have available all the time? If not, keep the 8. Do you need the back seats? keep the 8. Looking for a collector's car? Get the 7 if you can live with the other factors mentioned above. Want a weekend project car? Definitely get the 7. If I had the time, money and space to keep a weekend project car, I would have kept the 7 and bought the 8...to me that's the ideal scenario, but unfortunately it didn't work for me. I loved my FD and spent a lot of time, money, sweat and blood proving it. Sometimes I still miss it. But given that both wasn't an option, I don't regret my decision even for a minute.

jds

sferrett

I have a '95 FD and a 03' RX-8 - I have had the need to make a choice of which to keep and which to sell in recent history - I chose to sell the FD and keep the 8. I've driven both cars equally as hard and tracked the 8 and they are both bucketloads of fun and extremely good cars to drive. The 8 however has a warranty, is more comfortable, has 20k miles on it and is 1.5y old versus the FD which has 64k miles on it, is 10 years old, less practical for day to day stuff (I carted around 3 frends just the other day) and has an oil leak I need to fix one of these weekends (although I know exactly where it is - oil filter pedestal) - the FD is definately faster and more exhilerating to drive but sometimes can be exilerating and tempting when you dont want it to be. So that's why I chose keeping the '8 over the FD.

Luckily my circumstances changed and I was able to keep both, but when I seriously came down to it I was going to choose the 8 over the FD (but I would have missed it a lot).

Simon

BANNOR

I also own both an 8 and an FD. It's actually my wife’s car (40th birthday present) I get to do all of the upkeep and drive it on occasion. It was the RX8 that sparked my interest in the rotary. My commute in ATL is hellish to say the least and drive a beater Integra with 260,000 miles (still running strong, well not strong. but it still runs pretty good.) Anyway one day while on GA 400 a white FD merged into traffic in front of me I was like "holy crap what the heck is that" I had never seen a 3rd gen before in person and believe me on my commute I see all types of cars. However he was gone before I could really get a good look at the car. Man was that thing quick there was no way I was going to catch it in my POS.

Anyway I finally decided after reading tons of info on the RX7club.com site that it was the car I wanted. (definitely a weekend project car not a daily driver) My wife thought I was nuts wanting a 10+ year old car she was like " If you have to get a sports car why don't you get one of those 350Z's. I told her that I didn't want a car that you see on the roads all the time.

Three weeks ago I picked up my 93 base black 3rd Gen. Had the compression tests done and boost checked out 10-8-10. Drove it back home from St Louise. (it was great).

Anyway last week I spotted a small leak on the water pump and the power steering pulley needs to be replaced. So at this time it is not being driven. (Yup this was what I new I was getting myself into).

So the bottom line is that unless you have a spare car as your daily driver I would not get a 3rd gen. But I would be very temped to try and swing it some way some how.

You can always buy another 8. But a silver unmolested 95 R2 is a find. (Try and get him to come down on the price though).

RX-Hachi

Former FD owner here as well and I couldn't agree more.

As much as we all loved our FDs, there's really no turning back, at least not for me. I don't have the time nor the skill to keep the car running on my own. I barely trust the local Mazda dealers with the RX-8, no way I'd let them at the FD.

And even with my fond memories of my '93 RED R1, I'm lov'n every minute of my 8. There's just no way I'd go backwards. I'm holding out for a FI Mazdaspeed RX-8 or a 4th gen RX-7 (if they ever make one.)

So I say NO, don't trade. Buy one as a weekend project car if you must.

PaulieWalnuts

Tough choice. I bet your brain is saying no but your gut is saying yes. Here's my take. I say get the FD. If it doesn't work out, sell it and buy another RX-8. If you don't do it, you'll regret it later. What do you have to lose?

Mikelikes2drive

If it's the mintest you've every seen, then go for it!!!DO IT OR I WILL!

cletus

I'll agree it's a tough one. I could easily sell my 95 FD and buy an 8, but I haven't. 16 silver R2s from 95 (57 R2s total) make it tempting to me to have something you never see. A low milage stock FD shouldn't have many problems. As long as it hasn't been sitting too long at any one point, the motor should be fine for a fairly long time, if you leave it stock. I've seen stock R2s recently go for mid 20ks with low miles, so you could get your money back out of it with patience.

They are just amazing to drive. But it really depends what you are looking for. If you want a daily driver, it may not be your best choice. It'll do it, but they occasionally have quirks. I've had mine for about 2 and a half years, and the only problem I've had is a stuck heater temp control motor. But mine is a weekend car pretty much. It's not very practical, doesn't hold much, no cup holders, but that's not why I got mine.

It's really down to whether you want something a bit more practical but still a lot of fun vs something that was made purely just to drive. That, and if you are willing to give up the warranty.

I'd probably do the trade. If you haven't driven it, do it. They are a rush.

Bannor: there is a great rotary shop over in Mareitta called Mazcare. Have always taken great care of my 1st gen and my FD.