RX-7

[Dave]

Seen one this morning at newlands cross!!!!
all i can say is , maybe it was just this one but it looked soooo wide and mean!
if they didn't have all that engine trouble i'd be very tempted!!

[kevinod]

Seen one this morning at newlands cross!!!!
all i can say is , maybe it was just this one but it looked soooo wide and mean!
if they didn't have all that engine trouble i'd be very tempted!!

Ya, wankel engine is cool, but just too expensive for my tastes... Get one with a blown engine and stick some other engine into it instead?

[Myfeckin FTO]

Ya, wankel engine is cool, but just too expensive for my tastes... Get one with a blown engine and stick some other engine into it instead?

You could get one that has just had the engine rebuild - will last another 50-60K miles. Seen a couple similar for sale over the past 6 months - owners who where running them getting stung by the rebuild costs and wanting to sell on.

Saw a couple of nice ones come off the boat the last time I was in Dublin Port - they are a very nice looking machine - especially with some choice mods and kit on.

However my FTO is expensive enough to run - an RX7 or Skyline require some phenomenal funds to keep running - supercar type costs. At least the RX8 addressed this issue - it would be much cheaper to run than an RX7. The RX8 was never really a successor to the RX7 though - the RX7 is far more hardcore.

[soc]

Seen one this morning at newlands cross!!!!
all i can say is , maybe it was just this one but it looked soooo wide and mean!
if they didn't have all that engine trouble i'd be very tempted!!

That and the 14mpg it will do - with petrol hitting around €5.50c a gallon that'd be pretty expensive to run - a spin from Dublin to Cork and back again would cost you around €120 - be as cheap to fly!

[Dave]

Seen one this morning at newlands cross!!!!
all i can say is , maybe it was just this one but it looked soooo wide and mean!
if they didn't have all that engine trouble i'd be very tempted!!

That and the 14mpg it will do - with petrol hitting around €5.50c a gallon that'd be pretty expensive to run - a spin from Dublin to Cork and back again would cost you around €120 - be as cheap to fly!

you would already be flying if you were driving one of those monsters!

[Muad_dib77]

The RX7 was one of my other options when I went for the FTO. The thing that stopped me was the Turbo layout & the wankel engine.

It's 1 thing is having a car that needs a service every 5mls.. it's a completely different ball game all toghther to have a twin turbo'ed wankel monster that eat your wallet everytime you open the bonnet..

The Design is absolutely classic though - I have been in love with the looks of the beast for longer than I care to remember.

I would how ever say that I think the FTO has more presence

..it's more "In your face"

..where the RX7..with no mods..is...well...a hairdressers car..

The RX7 needs to be modded to look real nice - an FTO is awesomelystunning in it's natural state.

[Myfeckin FTO]

..where the RX7..with no mods..is...well...a hairdressers car...

I don't think you can really call a RWD twin turbo rotary with 280BHP+ a hairdressers car whether standard or not.

This is the car I would be driving if the FTO didn't exist - and I'm fairly sure it would have put quite a dent on my credit card at this stage but then so has the FTO.

[Muad_dib77]

Ah the performance definately isn't Hairdresser level..I'll agree on that. I was thinking about the looks.

The Performance is staggering - I've see a few of the RX7 doing drag racing back in Denmark. Jesus they're fast!

[Kace]

Ah the performance definately isn't Hairdresser level..I'll agree on that. I was thinking about the looks.

I'm with MyF - not an ounce of hairdresser in an RX7 I'm afraid - pure hardcore testosterone - even in un-modded form

[Kace]

Ah the performance definately isn't Hairdresser level..I'll agree on that. I was thinking about the looks.

I'm with MyF - not an ounce of hairdresser in an RX7 I'm afraid - pure hardcore testosterone - even in un-modded form

Now if you had said RX8 - I would have agreed. Great car but lacking that little bit of methinks

[Muad_dib77]

Ah the performance definately isn't Hairdresser level..I'll agree on that. I was thinking about the looks.

I'm with MyF - not an ounce of hairdresser in an RX7 I'm afraid - pure hardcore testosterone - even in un-modded form

Now if you had said RX8 - I would have agreed. Great car but lacking that little bit of methinks

Ah sure it's all a matter of taste really..Some will like them..Others wont..
I certainly wouldn't object if I was offered one..Or the missus proclaimed that she wanted to swap her golf for an Rx7..Don't get me wrong.

[CJ]

Its only afer I moved all of the Jap performance car threads into this forum that I realised we've been harping on so much about RX-7s over the past 3 and a half years, some of the comments seem a bit outlandish to me now but still crack me up nonetheless! Bearing in mind my experiences with the Rex over the past 7 months, I feel obliged to clear up some myths in the event that somone comes online, reads this topic and is completely scared off buying one:

Ya, wankel engine is cool, but just too expensive for my tastes

Only if you don't look after it properly.

an RX7 or Skyline require some phenomenal funds to keep running - supercar type costs

I dunno, diito as above - look after it and it will serve you well. Fuel costs on a daily driver would be prohibitive all the same.

a spin from Dublin to Cork and back again would cost you around 120 euro - be as cheap to fly!

MPG is low but it ain't that bad cruising on the motorway (approx 20mpg - 5 points less than I get with the FTO).

It's 1 thing is having a car that needs a service every 5mls.. it's a completely different ball game all toghther to have a twin turbo'ed wankel monster that eat your wallet everytime you open the bonnet.

Again, look after it properly and costs will be minimal. Yes a rebuild is gonna cost you 2.5k but you may not ever have to fork out for one during your ownership.

..where the RX7..with no mods..is...well...a hairdressers car..

Thats fightin' talk!

and I'm fairly sure it would have put quite a dent on my credit card at this stage

FTO's have robbed me of most of my expendable income over the years, I don't plan on letting the Rex rule my bank balance in the same way!

Heres my take on ownership:

The RX-7 is an enthusiasts car - Joe Soap is not gonna buy one. An enthusiast is more likely to look after the car in terms of servicing and correct warm up / cool down procedures - all necessary for engine longevity on turbocharged cars. As long as you can get a well looked after example with good compression readings on all rotors (this is a MUST when buying), you should have a problem free car for years. On the flip side - if you need a rebuild, budget 2.5k - about the same amount required to mould, spray and fit a set of DC sideskirts onto an FTO The rotray engine is not as complicated as a piston engine (aka 'boingers' in the rotary community), the most difficult part of the rebuild process is getting the engine out and back into the car. You can even buy a DVD box set that runs you through the rebuild process, I know of a couple of technically minded owners who have successfully completed their own rebuilds. In the event you need any assistance, theres a small community over @ www.irishrotary.com, some of the guys really know their stuff and are willing to help as required. The Mazda Rotary Club in the UK is another great resource and parts are readily available on the web.

There was a time a few years back when folks were scared off buying an FTO becuase of the perceived difficuly with parts availability and servicing costs, we now know that this is a non-issue. Yes, an RX-7 is more expensive that an FTO in terms servicing costs (oil, plugs and fuel filter need to regularly replaced), but not prohibitively so. There are guys in Dublin, Kerry and NI that work on RE's so depending on where you're based, access to expertise is not a massive issue. Look after it and it will serve you well. Don't rag it from cold, cool it down properly, change the oil every 4k miles, plugs every 6, fuel filter once a year and you're sorted.

CJ

[Muad_dib77]

After having a much closer look at a couple of Rx-7 i'd like retract my earlier statement - an Rx-7 is not a hair dressers car..

Only if In Pink..

or if it's a case of a rather butch hair dresser..

[Myfeckin FTO]

..... On the flip side - if you need a rebuild, budget 2.5k - about the same amount required to mould, spray and fit a set of DC sideskirts onto an FTO ...............CJ

Do you know the spire???

[CJ]

Do you know the spire???

Can't say I do. Do you know 'The Five Lamps' perhaps?

CJ

[adrian]

Did you see Men and motors last night "Used Car Roadshow"? The Rx-7 (3 different models, from phase 1 to 3) got a small feature. The phase 2 cabrio is a sweet looking motor too.