Hey guys,
I was just wondering how many of you guys have experience with the 3rd gen rx-7 or any rx-7 for that matter. I was thinking of picking one up soon and was wondering if there is anyone here that can provide some info on it. Actually, i've been thinking about picking up a Rx-7 or an Ap1 (00-03 s2k's). thanks for your inputs.

 

The FD 3rd Gen RX-7 is one of the best handling chassis made, period. I also believe it's one of the timeless beauties; it looks as good now as it did 13 years ago. The only weak spot is the motor and it's longevity..... it's practically a miracle if the stock motor makes it past 80k miles. They seem to go out around 70k... But, that's what the LS motor swap is for!

 

my 3rd gen is actually being sold on monday... its a fun car... not really meant for daily driving compared to the S2... but it takes alot of maintinence.. and u really have to know about it when working on it, or find a reputable shop that knows the 13b motor well..

 

Yeah from what i read, engine replacement is an on going things. I'm new to the FD and I would love to have one since i think it is one of the hottest cars ever made. I just don't want to end up having to replace the motor over and over again.

 

we have 3 1987 rx7's in my car club.(2'nd gens), two of which are turbo II's. One is making around 400 whp with a gt35r dual ball bearing turbo on the 13b. we are rebuilding the other 13b turbo II engine soon because he put a crack in the rear iron a month ago. They are great cars. awsome looking. handle amazing and can make great power on a 1.3L.

www.rx7club.com is a great place for info and if you have any ?'s about a 2'nd gen in particular you can allways post on my club forums. www.evo-imports.com and the guys will answer.

As you probably allready know rotarys arnt reliable..... Lotta maintnence is required as stated and it can be hard to find people to work on them.

 

I owned more RX7's then I can remember, three FD's, three FC's and two FB. My only advice to you is " If you mod it, it will blow" - period. I used to listen to countless people claiming that their spectacular tuning somehow prevented their 13B turbo from blowing an apex seal, while everyone else's was blowing up once every year or two. I had a 400+RWHP rx on pump gas, it was FAST. The car weighed 2690 lbs with me in it. I blew 5 motors in that vehicle. I hung around RX7's from the time I was 17 to the time i was 24, and I never knew anyone in the RX community without a blown motor at some point. They are very difficult to mod safely, and in stock form the FD's are not reliable because of poor engineering in some of the stock parts. The only thing worth doing to the FD is a standalone engine management and a single turbo $$$$$$$. In my experience, you either redo the entire engine to be a beast, or you simply leave it alone completely. Anywhere in the middle results in a blown motor very quickly. The cars are extremely finicky, and it cannot be your primary vehicle. I spent more time working on the car then driving it, and I am a good mechanic. I also had very good understanding of the RX7 and how to make it work well, this still didn't matter, it still blew up. I used to race crew for a very prominent figure in import drag racing, and learned alot from doing that, and watching HIM blow motors. No matter how much i learned, or how much work i did to the vehicle to make it run correctly, it still sucked. BUT........most fun ive ever had in any car I have every driven, there is simply no vehicle that compares to it.
Rob

 

You can build a bullet proof 13b, I have been there and done that. Now I was not going for 1000 hp, I kept it at a steady 550 hp and that motor was bullet proof, alot of mods.... a freakin monster. The main problem with the rotary was knocking issues, but a good alky injection set up resolved that problem. I tried building up the 13b in my RX-8 but dumped that crappy POS to the curb. But boy do I miss my old 3rd Gen. I would like to get my hands on a 2002 RX-7 Spirit-R.....nice.

 

thanks for all the info guys, i will surely take it on into account when i am ready to buy, in the meantime i have my evo

 

Yea my buddy has a Red '93, and he's already been through 3 engine rebuilds, but Its a beautiful car!