Some questions about 1st and 2nd gen rx7

[93egt]

I've been thinking about getting a 1st or 2nd generation rx7 to replace my escort soon, and I had a few questions about them since I don't know much about them, or anything at all about rotary engines.

First, are they a good reliable car for a daily driver? Any estimates about gas mileage? How do they ride at highway speeds? What about the hp/torque ratings?

Second, are there any common problem areas to look out for when buying one? How do they hold up to high mileage? There's an 87 turbo in the local classifieds for $2800 which seems like a good price, but it has 185,000 miles and I don't want to get stuck replacing an engine or trans right away.

Thanks guys, I really appreciate any help here.

 

[86Fc3s]

they are good fun cars, but not always reliable. rotaries have their own mind. gas mileage isnt all that good. i do daily drive mine, only because im to lazy to drive my truck and plus i love driving my rx7. if you take really good care of it it could be daily driven, but mines also my track car, lol.

if you buy a 2nd gen, look for fire damage under the hood. they are known for fuel leaks on the primary fuel rail. if you do buy one i would suggest replacing the fuel lines under the intake manifolds.

as for hp.

86-88 non turbo - 146hp
86-88 turbo - 182hp

89-91 non turbo - 160hp
88-91 turbo - 200hp

with 185,000 with would do a rebuild soon, unless it already has one. if you go look at it, see if they will let you do a compression check, and when you start it see if there is any kind of smoke coming from it.

 

[93egt]

they are good fun cars, but not always reliable. rotaries have their own mind. gas mileage isnt all that good. i do daily drive mine, only because im to lazy to drive my truck and plus i love driving my rx7. if you take really good care of it it could be daily driven, but mines also my track car, lol.

if you buy a 2nd gen, look for fire damage under the hood. they are known for fuel leaks on the primary fuel rail. if you do buy one i would suggest replacing the fuel lines under the intake manifolds.

as for hp.

86-88 non turbo - 146hp
86-88 turbo - 182hp

89-91 non turbo - 160hp
88-91 turbo - 200hp

with 185,000 with would do a rebuild soon, unless it already has one. if you go look at it, see if they will let you do a compression check, and when you start it see if there is any kind of smoke coming from it.

Thanks for the info. What kind of gas mileage could I expect from a stock one in good running condition? I'm starting a new job next week, and i'll be driving 40-100 miles every day, so the gas prices are going to add up pretty quick.

 

[Lt. Dan]

The major issue with first gens is rust... Pull the storage bins in the back, and check the rear wheel wells... Out of a stock 12a, you can expect around 20mpg... Don't expect to go anywhwere quickly though... only about 90whp stock...

Dan

 

[93egt]

20 mpg and 90 hp? That's just sad. My escort gets more power to the ground than that, and gets 30 mpg while doing it. Are all the rotary engines this inefficient, or is it just the 1st generation?

I go to the drag strip over the weekends sometimes, and i'm looking for a smaller car that can hang with the american v6's. I'd prefer a rear wheel drive. My friend has a v6 stang, and my cousin has a lumina z34. I can take them off the line, but after I hit 2nd gear the mustang is gone, I can keep up with the lumina till 3rd only because the synchro's are messed up and he can't speed shift 2nd. I need something that will be able to outrun them, but I don't want to deal with the 18-20 mpg they get.

I'd apprecate any suggestions. If the rx7s aren't real reliable and fuel efficient, are there any other mazdas that might fit my needs? I'm trying to get something for $5000 or less.

 

[Lt. Dan]

It's not a problem with first gen RX-7s, it's a problem with early 80's technology.... s***, a Chevy 350 stock from the factory back then was lucky to put out 175hp to the ground... You know what you might have fun with? a Mazda 323GT.... Small, and turbo 4 cylinder... cheap too!!!

Dan

 

[ZoomZoomH]

89-91 FC's are worth a look, imo

 

[ZoomZoomH]

and when i had my 91 I averaged about 20mpg as well... with a whole lot more power to the wheels than the 1st gen

 

[KYLiquid]

its not just peak power, its POWER BAND.

 

[Captain KRM P5]

i have owned two first gens. do not expect rockets

my 79 SA22 was about as fast as a stock protege5 but handled about a million times better. gawdz i miss that car.

 

[93egt]

A turbo 4 cylinder sounds like the ticket for me, something that's quick and still decent on gas. I don't see many around here though, so I guess i'll just wait until something comes up at a local car lot or the classifieds.

Another important thing is that it handles good though, my escort corners terrible, it pushes and rolls a lot in the corners, and if i'm not careful the tail end will start coming around one me with no warning.

 

[93egt]

It's not a problem with first gen RX-7s, it's a problem with early 80's technology.... s***, a Chevy 350 stock from the factory back then was lucky to put out 175hp to the ground... You know what you might have fun with? a Mazda 323GT.... Small, and turbo 4 cylinder... cheap too!!!

Dan

Saw a 323 gt today. Yuck, I guess I should have mentioned that it has to look good too. There's just no chance in picking up a chic if you're driving a car like that.

This is killing me, there's nothing for sale around here anymore in my price range with less than 120,000 on the odometer, and I don't want to take a chance with a high mileage car. I'd love to just go out and buy a brand new car. I could afford the payments, but with my driving record insurance would be nuttier than a squirrel turd.

 

[MazKid]

What? You think the 323 GT won't get you chicks, but you have an Escort GT... BTW the 323 GT you saw was 1 of about 1500 ever made for the US... and you claim your Escort GT handles poorly? What tires do you have? BG chassis cars handle fantastic on good tires. I've got 205/45 16"s on mine and it handles very well. Yes, I can get the back end to swing out, but it's controllable and only happens when I try too hard.

I'd recommend a 2nd gen as well...my dad had a '84 GSL-SE(mint, totalled, mint again) and that RX-7 was more of an enthusiast's car. A type of car that you have to love driving to enjoy. He's got a '86 now($275 + 1 of 20 brand new 13Bs made in '96) and it's an all-around friendlier car. Very smooth especially on the highway(faster you go, smoother it gets), decent power and fun, good interior space/luggage space, etc. I think my dad said he usually gets 26mpg in it, though he doesn't drive as hard as most RX-7 owners do.

 

[93egt]

Dude, i'm not a big fan of escorts, I bought mine because I really needed it after i wrecked the mustang, but the escort looks waaaay better than the 323 I saw. Maybe there's different years, but the one I looked at was a tiny boxy 4 door with no style at all. I hate 4 doors! The only way i'd ever buy a 4 door car is if it was a classic.

I have pretty good tires on my escort. They're Dayton Daytona SR on all 4 corners, I think the size is 195/60 15. My mom has the same tires on her 4 door saturn and it corners like a ferrari compared to how my escort feels, so I don't think the tires have anything to do with it. It just feels like the entire chassis twists when I go into the corners. As far as I know they don't make any decent strut bars to stiffen it up, the only ones i've found are the cheapos on ebay and those things are useless.

There's not many 2nd generation rx7s around here. The only one in the classified ads is one with 185,000 miles, and the only other one I know of needs a new transmission, and they're asking $4500 for it because it has a custom paint job and big wheels (and I don't like the look of the wheels, they're more of a ghetto wheel than a performance wheel. Maybe one will come up sometime, but if I don't find one in a few months i'm probably just going to give up and get a camaro or mustang.

 

[MazKid]

You just haven't gone to the right places for EGT stuff. Check out CorkSport.com for parts and all the info you'd ever need to make your EGT handle better is at iMazda.com and ClubProtege.com.

Strut bars...front STBs are availible from Familias in the Japan. I've got one on my Protege.

I don't know how your EGT could handle so bad unless your springs and shocks are all worn out or your car isn't aligned right. My Protege, even when I first got it, handled great. I'm still on the stock springs and shocks, just have the Familia STB and Toyo Proxes FZ4s.

But hey, do whatever you want. I don't see how you could go from wanting an RX-7 and wondering about fuel economy and then saying you're just going to buy a Mustang or Camaro. It's your choice what you drive, I just don't see anything wrong with the EGT. Save yourself some money and just work on it for a little bit.

 

[93egt]

The escort just isn't my type of car. No matter what I do to it there's no way of getting around the fact that it's still an escort. I've never liked front wheel drive, and i'm not a fan of the styling (or even the color). I'd hate to put more money into this thing (over $3,000 in parts already) and still end up selling it anyways. Another thing that's always scared me about this escort is if I ever get in a bad crash they'll be taking me away in an ambulance. It just feels like it's built as solid as a pepsi can, and no air bags.

I don't really know what to say about the handling on it. The front struts and springs only have about 30,000 miles on them and feel fine, the rear struts and springs were replaced 10,000 miles ago, and I had to get cargo springs to keep the rear end from sagging with my competition subs and all that good stuff in the back. Maybe the escort is taller than the protege or something? My escort seems like it's taller than most cars of it's size. Sitting beside the saturn, mustang, or even my cousin's big ass lumina the escort is still a few inches taller.

I've always loved the big american cars like the mustang and camaro, but I was hoping to find something with similar performance, but with better gas mileage, and hopefully cheaper insurance too. If I can't come up with a smaller car that works for me then I guess i'll just go with what I know and get a bigger american car. I'll definitely be waiting until gas prices go down though if I get something with a big v6 or a v8.

 

[Familia323]

Why dont you look at the older Nissan 240SX's(early to mid 90s)? They are RWD and can usually be found under 7 grand in really good shape. The chassis is sturdy, each gen looked good in its own way, and they are easy to modify if you wanted to. Plus they get decent gas mileage. And they only came in 2 door.

 

[ZoomZoomH]

have you been to www.teamfc3s.org to see if anyone there is selling their FC?

 

[93egt]

Why dont you look at the older Nissan 240SX's(early to mid 90s)? They are RWD and can usually be found under 7 grand in really good shape. The chassis is sturdy, each gen looked good in its own way, and they are easy to modify if you wanted to. Plus they get decent gas mileage. And they only came in 2 door.

Yeah, I really like the 240sx, that's a perfect example of what i'm looking for. They're pretty uncommon around here though, it's rare to even see one on the road, much less for sale. If I found one i'd jump on the opportunity, but it's unlikely that i'll be able to find one within a reasonable distance.

 

[ZoomZoomH]

where are you located? it almost sounds like you have NO import cars where you live...