RX-8 vs RX-7....
 

Hi guys...

As most of you know, I *was* the owner of a great, black RX-8 GT... I loved the car, but gave it back on lease and got a BMW M3. Having the M3's power is great, but the RX-8 gave me so much more in handling and fun-to-drive.

That said, I'm wondering if I should think about an RX-7. I should tell you first, this is a *weekend car only*. I have a daily driver, now an Audi A4 3.0 (2003) that has nice AWD for the year round weather. I want to spend ~$15-17k on the car. And the handling of the car is very important, which is why the RX-8 was so great for me. It was comfy inside and looked great outside, all the creature comforts and reliability of a N/A rotary engine.

So what do you think? Should I think about the RX-7 at all? I haven't driven it so I can't say from experience, but I am rather curious either way....

Let me know what you all think, don't spare me details :)

The RX-7, I assume you are talking about the 3rd gen, is a powerful car and if I had the money I would buy one in a heartbeat. But you have to think about reliability. If you have the time and money to keep it running then do it. IMO it is a beatiful car. But the RX7 is not a N/A car, as you know, and F/I has been known to run into problems with the RX7(as it does any car.)

If you can find one in good condition and have time and money to put into it, then that would be awesome. Go for it!

the 7 is a nice car, but they're generally going to be 12+ years old... depends if you're okay with something that isn't going to look new, have stuff worn out, and might be falling apart..

You can get a used rx-8 for similar money.

Should post this in the Rx7 forum man.. ;)

Do whatever it takes to put a rotary back in your garage.

everyone remove your hats, bow your head, now repeat after me

Dr. Felix Heinrich Wankel
Dr. Felix Heinrich Wankel
Dr. Felix Heinrich Wankel

I agree with "T-Run." The FD is a classic looking car and is very fast. I was a mouse fart away from getting one vs. the 8. Thing is, as above, used cars--especially Turbo and 12+ y/o cars--require a lot of $$$ and time. Time to invest once you have the car and to even FIND the car. I had a 91 300ZXTT before my 8 and it was a blast. It took me 6 months of "interviewing" and net surfing before I found the "right" one. Not too crappy but not too modified.

Thing was, for me, I calculated everything I wanted to do to "restore" the car and it came up to about $20k. That does not include the parts that will wear and break while I'm fixing the things included in the $20k.

You can find a decent FD with a "second" motor, most do not have the original, for about $16-19k. Now you can keep it as is and be done. But if you're used to really "nice" cars, then you'd want to repalce the seats, repaint, etc. which could add up FAST. FBs & FCs are much cheaper but REALLY require some $$$. You can get a "mechanic's special" for under $1k.

Hope this helps.

I agree with the masses on this one, for once. The 7 really is a sweet ride, and a total adrenaline rush to drive. But it's maintence is through the roof, and that turbo (drools...) only makes it more expensive to maintain. Sounds to me like most 7's need an engine rebuild or replaced at about 100K or so.

If you can afford the maintence, and are willing to to work with a 12yo cars aging issues, it would be hands down...in a heartbeat. wow...that car really is a riot though! :)

Sounds like you got money! Get the RX7.

Rx-8<Rx-7, you gety almost all the power, minus the heat, and a warenty.

The first thing he should do when he gets the rx7 is do a FULL TUNE UP. Replace all fluids, most if not all hoses, do most if not ALL the reliability mods (most have them already like downpipe, larger radiator, aluminum AST, etc), and then basically what he wants to replace thats cosmetic (which should be dead last thing to put money on when it comes to rx7s).

Like they said... check out rx7club and READ THE STICKIES (that should answer ALL your questions... if not... search... theyre very anal about it). Really get to know the car before you think of purchasing it, or else you'll just end up wasting a sh!3t load of money and end up selling the car like many people do (because it wasn't something they expected to buy).

What?

Hold out for a year and trade the Audi in for an Evo X and you'll have one car to do it all. Weekend fun and great year round daily driver. Or maybe pick up a project car like a FC turbo II or MR-2 Turbo for under 10k and you'll have some more wiggle room to put money into it. I still think the MR-2 Turbo can be a great auto-X car as well if that's something you're interested in.

I love the FD, but unless you have a bunch of disposable income they're just not a good idea and it'll cost twice as much as the two cars I mentioned above. Keep in mind getting financing on a car that's 10+ years old and nearly 20k isn't an easy thing to do.

hahahah yeah going from an Audi A4 to a Evo X for a daily driver is a wonderful decision. Screw that.

Keep the Audi, and look for some un-molested FDs in your area. I think having something with a factory turbo on it that hasn't been "tuned/riced" too much is the best way to go. If you've got the spare cash to insure an FD as a weekend car then repair costs won't break your bank.

no one has mentioned some of the great SC / Turbo kits that are or will soon be out for the 8 . Some of these will be OEM quality & probably more reliable than going to an RX7 .....

"Soon" is a pretty relative term...any idea when?

Can't be too quick to say that. We still don't if a rx8 with FI can be as reliable as a FD even modded.

I've driven both as my father owns a fd. Compared to the 8 the 7 has ALOT of power, even in second gear I can easily get the fd sideways. I gotta say, to drive the 7 through the canyons or the track you have to have skills and know the car very well where with the rx8 anyone can jump in and drive hard. Performance and styling wise the 7 owns the 8 if you now how to drive it but overall the 8 is more of a driver friendly car.

right - but early signs are good .

with an rx-7 you will spend more than you think you will. im currently fixing one up and i can already see the tons of money i will need to spend in the future.

gotta get those reliabiliy mods done

BWAHAHAHAHAHAH replace an A4 with an EVO LMAO. Who wants a tinny little POS econobox ponycar? Sure its a good handler and its fast, but sht, if I had a 10 car garage, the Evo would have to work hard just to be considered for the last slot. Its an ugly cheap car, a fwd mustang.

NO thanks. LOL

you lend no credibility to your self with your bashing considering you cant even get the drivetrain layout right...

LOL. Its a fwd car with an added awd system, just like the audi system. these cars are fwd designs with the awd added afterwards. the weight distribution is forward biased (just like uhmurikan pony cars).

In other words, they are nose heavy and tend to understeer. They are japanese pony cars.

The point is, if you are driving an A4 as a daily driver, then you aren't driving it as a sports car (its not), you are driving it because it is a nice car. To replace it with an evo, you are giving up everything nice, including a nice ride and attractive looks inside and out, and getting a big motor. It's like moving from hawaii to alabama because the nascar racing is better.

:hahano:

The Evo X isn't a bad looking car, IMO.

http://eur.news1.yimg.com/eur.yimg.c...3687328059.jpg


I was going to ask if anyone had driven the 7 and the 8. Someone asked me how they compare and I have never driven the FD. Thanks for your comments.

I would imagine it's more akin to the current 350z but I've never heard anyone mentiion HEAVY and rx7 in the same sentence. The 8's just easier to drive with traction and DSC I would imagine.

Thanks -- SmileyNH

This car is nothing like what what is available today. We'll see what the interior is like, but I wouldn't expect anything remotely resembling the high quality of an audi interior.

If you want a traditional sportscar like the rx-7 there are many alternatives. EVO's are NOT traditional sportcars. They are derived from a awd econo box platform. There are other fun cars in that class to choose from too. Sounds like you want traditional sportscar. Look around. Roadsters are plentiful if you like the open sky following you on the open road. The S2000 has alot to offer.

Im with Endor. This is one of the funniest shit from you.

Audi A4 to Evo X ? You must be smoking shit.