Anyone have experience with 2gen RX-7's?

[Structure240sx]

I've been looking to replace my daily driver (91 celica) with something cooler. I really wanted an s13 but cant find any in the beater price range im looking for. I was talking to a friend at work tonight that has an 86 or 87 rx-7 gxl 5spd he doesnt drive since he jsut doesnt drive. Hes good with cars and knows his ****. tells me it has 140,000mi with good compression, its lots of fun to drive, paint is ****ty but i think i would jsut primer it. Selling my celica will pay for this car. i know the rotaries arent supposed to be high milage engine but if it has a good compression test who cares. Main thing i want to know is are 2gen rx-7's a ***** to work on? If the engine goes i can swap in a newer one, theres an rx-7 shop right around the corner from me im sure they could help with parts. best part about it is that its rwd

[Rockenreno]

my roomate had 2 1st gen RX-7s, including one in which he rebuilt the engine himself. He thought they were great. I know they can be a lot of fun, but rotary can be a pain to work on if something goes wring. If it's going to be a beater though, thats not going to be as important, especially since you have your 240 to fall back on (except when it is down).Personally, I would get a rex as a second car if I could just cause they are so cool. Won't be as reliable or easy to work on as your celica though.

[Bunta240]

The worst part for me about getting an RX-7 would be that its hard to fix. But since you have a shop nearby, that shouldnt be much of a problem.

[Hijacker]

wankel's will never be easy to work on...

rx-7's are nice, but i've always felt that the upkeep was too much. they guzzle gas like it's water and when they break, it's expensive to fix (not many people deal with rotaries)

[JESTER]

I still have a passenger door and tail lights in the yard for a second gen.

The ReX's are fun cars, but the engines can be a problematic. With that kind of miles on that one, it will probally have problems soon. But you can usually find people to refurb the engine for around 1000 to 1200 dollars.

Me personally, I wouldn't get another one unless it is a Turbo II.

PS a good source on the net is http://www.rx7club.com

[Axel Grungy]

ive also heard they can have some bad electrical problems, on top of the engine probs. i was seriously looking into getting a 2nd gen before the s13, but after i read up on both cars, s13>rx7 in reliability. and especially if it has that many miles (140k) it will need to be rebuilt soon.

[Structure240sx]

seems like i might be holdin onto my celica for a while then til i find an s13 thanks guys

[UncleBen]

A friend has 3 2nd gen rx7's, all down. One is going to be sold soon, one is his parts car, the other he is building to actually run for longer than a month at a time. His dd is a Merkur, haha.

[toki]

lol I don't know what you guys are on, but I've been around FCs alot for the past couple months, working on and driving them, and they are 10 times easier to work on than an s13. The engine bay setup is so much nicer and everything is easily accesable....the only problem is once the engine blows, it's kind of not worth it to rebuild, just get another engine, and 140K is DEFINITLY pushing it, one of those apex seals is going to go soon..

[Japican]

My friend jus purchased an '87 turbo II and altho im scared sh1tless wen we go on long drive trips on that car, its been very reliable for him. its had a rebuild at 90k and it has 120k on motor rite now. he drives his car back and forth from indiana to chicago all the time, so its luck of draw i guess. Only thing we've done is tuneups, exhaust and starter motor. Buts its ur decision

[rico05]

Spend a lot of time on Rx7club.com reading. And then read some more. I loved my FC and the only reason that I have an S13 is because i couldn't find another FC quick enough. The 86-87 has the Series 4 13B which has 145hp. It has some nice things on it like a mechanical oil metering pump, back pressure activated auxillary intake ports make it a drag. Yes, the engine can be a PAIN to work on. Here is a good tip: start saving now for a rebuild. With 140k, a n/a 13B will last for a few more years, but be wary as carbon deposits can come loose causing broken apex seals or lock the engine. It is a great car, and if someone would offer me enough cash for my S13, I would get an FC in half a heartbeat...

[Structure240sx]

i think im going to pass ont he fc. my celica has been running like a champ and gets 27mpg+ with 176,000mi. i was looking to get rid of it for something cooler and the girl i bought it from has a pepboys ricer muffler on it. but i may have found a celica in a junkyard to get a muffler off of to bolt on. the fc would be ok if it was my project car but im not looking to throwing hundreds of dollars into my beater for a new engine

[JESTER]

My friend jus purchased an '87 turbo II and altho im scared sh1tless wen we go on long drive trips on that car, its been very reliable for him.

The one great thing about the RX7 is you can still drive the darn thing after you blow the motor. You dont usually hear of both rotors going at the same time. I have had three friends that have spent a week or two driving on one rotor. Smoked pretty bad, but they still ran.

[Japican]

lol, thats awesome

[Mr1der]

good lord Ben, Merkur for a DD? he's some kind of crazy...

I'd much rather buy parts for a 7 then one of those...(they are neat though, there's a uh...XR-7i or something like that, can't remember the exact name, at the AutoX, neat car)

in no good faith could I ever recommend a 7 for a daily driver. Unless you race a model A or something...

or gas was really cheap and you didn't have to go through emissions testing:D