Mazda RX-7: PH Carpool
A true Mazda fan explains why he won't get rid of his RX-7!
Car: Mazda RX-7 Type R
Owned since: 2011
Previously owned: Mazda MX-5 Mk1 (x2, modified), Toyota MR2 Mk1s x3 (modified/standard), Nissan 200SX RS13 (modified), Suzuki Ignis Sport (standard)
"I probably first saw RX-7s in the 'Turbo Dreams' videos when I was at school - me and my best mate were really into JDM cars as his dad owned a MkIV Supra TT. These videos were of the Florida street racing scene; mainly Supras racing each other but also a couple of 3000GTs, some bikes and a lone red RX-7 which just looked so different to my young eyes. I would draw them at school instead of listening to the teachers and over the years that childhood fantasy never really went away. When I was 15 I went to a local 'cruise' (like a chav, yes) and some particularly dodgy bloke offered to sell me his battered yellow FD in the car park. I tried every trick in the book on my old man but he just wouldn't lend me the cash."
"Then in 2011 I was finally at a stage in my adult life where I could afford and insure one - they were at the very bottom of their price scale and with only a £4K budget I managed to secure a low-mileage, grade four import Type R. I'd done all my research, spent weeks reading about the pitfalls of rotaries and had a shortlist of eligible cars to purchase. But I bought literally the first one I went to look at and it broke down two miles into the journey home. That moment I saw my other half's head hit her hands I knew I'd made the right choice."
"There are things I would like to think I would do differently if I were to go out and buy another, but I get a little bit giddy when it comes to buying new cars which is why I usually end up with fairly terrible examples. The only car I've ever bought properly was one of the MR2s, a pristine, low-mileage and totally original car that had been garaged all of its life. I reluctantly sold it to a friend after two weeks as he was desperate for his first sports car. Within 24 hours he had put it backwards into a ditch and written it off. There's a lesson in there somewhere - probably to buy with your head and not your heart. With rotaries, I would say either to buy one that's been compression-tested or buy one knowing that you will rebuild it. Probably the latter."
Things I love:
"I love everything about it. Genuinely. I love how it drives first and foremost, it's like a big MX-5 essentially. Very grippy, well-behaved, sharp, predictable and forgiving. Also the sound it makes is so unique for a car like this, even at idle. I love that nobody knows what car it is and that every time I fill it up, strangers will go out of their way to strike up a conversation up about it. Most of all though, the way it looks.
"On a sunny day, seeing the shadow of the car alongside you while you're driving really shows off the curves and lines of the thing. At night, being slung low into the seat with the high doorline, sleek drop of the bonnet and the loud exhaust drone it makes you feel like Batman; a feeling that only increases when you step out of the cabin and look at it. The whole car is theatrical and every part of it makes you feel like the star in your own film, in a way that I've never experienced with any other car. I get to drive a lot of supercars at work of all ages and none of them excite me in the way this does."
"There's no two-ways about it, the car is pretty high maintenance. Oil changes need to be religious and being a black car it stays clean for about 15 seconds. It has to be warmed up and down properly, so no getting it out of the garage and then turning it off. When I was using it daily, it sometimes became a bit of a chore. The noise can make you less popular with the neighbours too - I used to get up at 5am for work, so would turn the ignition on and coast away from the house until I got as far as the neighbours I didn't really care about."
Costs:
"In terms of cost to buy, these cars have been appreciating steadily over the last couple of years as most have. What set me back £4K in 2011 would likely set me back £12K in today's money, not that it makes any difference to me as I'll be buried in it. It's not outrageous appreciation when you look at something like a Ferrari 355 or Honda NSX over the same period, but it has put them out of the reach of many people and I think the price will continue to go up as fewer and fewer are being put back on the road.
"If you do an online search for Type Rs at the moment, only 20 are showing as being registered. As far as running costs go, well it's not cheap. I average about 9mpg at the moment, though the car does need mapping so I'm hoping for roughly double that. That's whether you're driving like an old woman or at full-throttle, so it's a double-edged sword. The car will only run on high-end fuel and premixing with oil (like you would with a two-stroke) is recommended for longevity, even if the OMP is still working as a failsafe. Then there is the rebuild side of things, which for most probably won't be an issue in the short/mid-term but is worth bearing in mind."
"I've been all over with it and at one stage the car was my daily. I want to take the car across Europe and into Mallorca so I can blast up and down the Northern roads there, which are undoubtedly my favourite on the planet."
What next?
"The next big thing for me at the moment is replacing my broken Apexi ECU with a Haltech and getting it mapped by someone who knows what they're doing. After that a respray and some minor bodywork to get the car looking mint again. Then just to keep enjoying it!"
Want to share your car with PHers on Carpool? Email us at carpool@pistonheads.com!
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Thanks PH Gods for featuring the car
I have a 99 Type RS and I get about 24-25 MPG on the highway and with a 50/50 mix of city driving I will average about 18-20.
As the owner says, he has a broken ECU so it must be completely messing up his fuel settings and he is running far too rich.
You also don't need to premix but many owners do for peace of mind. You typically put in about 150ml of 2T synthetic oil every fill up if you want to do so.
As for rebuilds, if you just want a stock rebuild without any fancy porting it will cost about £3,000 and barring any significant issues with the ancillaries (these are 20-25 year old cars after all) you should not have any issues as long as you change the oil every 2,000-3,000 miles (they love cheap Halfords oil so don't spend on anything fancy) and change the spark plugs every 3,000-6,000 miles (£25 for 4) then the car will last for several thousand miles, way more miles than you will ever probably drive in something like this anyway as it won't be a daily for people. I mean, people will only drive these about 3,000-5,000 miles per year.
My standard 2000 RS over the last 10 years :
1. Quiet exhaust - no problems with neighbours
2. Low maintenance - £300 service each year, nothing else seems to go wrong
3. No premix - still on original engine at 65K miles
4. 18mpg short run, 22mpg long run.
I'd be surprised if it was worth as much as £10K.
I had mine street-ported at the same time as having it rebuilt - makes sense with how little extra it costs.
1. Quiet exhaust - no problems with neighbours
2. Low maintenance - £300 service each year, nothing else seems to go wrong
3. No premix - still on original engine at 65K miles
4. 18mpg short run, 22mpg long run.
I'd be surprised if it was worth as much as £10K.
Obviously my exhaust is aftermarket and 'high maintenance' was in reference to physically running/using the car, not the literal sense of maintaining it.
There are only a handful of cars for sale at the moment - one I would class as being overpriced and unlikely to sell (but original) and three others at £10k. I was offered £11k twice last year for mine without advertising the car. An original 2000RS is worth keeping hold of!
My build thread for the car is here for anyone interested - http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...
the FD is my dream car, especially when done by Abflug
unfortunately, this car no longer exists in this form.
My preference would be one unadorned by spoilers, wide wheels etc, as to my eyes they are the perfection of proportion and aesthetics...
I particularly like the way that the OP has kept his car, not just had it as a 'wish-list' itch that has been scratched and moved swiftly on.
The thing is for me, if it was just good-looking, or just really quick, or just beautifully balanced and adjustable, or just an iconic Japanese performance car, then I could probably bring myself to sell it and save a tonne of money on maintenance. But the fact that it combines all these things makes it hard to give up.
It was a great car and as long as you treated it with respect, it was bullet proof. I'd coast into the garage to let the turbos cool and found that was enough of a cool down. It was driven year round-except when there was snow on the ground and looked as good as new when I sold it. MPG's were probably in the 18MPG range.
The GT86 that eventually replaced it, although far more wallet friendly, cannot match it for beauty or performance.
65K on the original engine? Cool! I give you 10k miles
There's something intoxicating about a rotary. If it gets into your blood, everything else is a bit of a compromise.
I'm still running my RX8 (90K miles, but had an engine rebuild at around 70K) and everything else, with 4 decent seats and some boot space, that I try seems a bit hamfisted by comparison.
I'd imagine a tweaked RX7 turbo must be pretty remarkable
M
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