Mazda RX7, rotary goodness ?
Discussion
A chap I know locally is selling a lovely RX7 Turbo 2 in black, its a coupe and I am due a bonus at work, can you see what I am thinking ?
It isnt the first one or the lovely last gen swoopy one, its the late eighties 944 esque one.
Being a turbo it has 200 or so BHP and isnt massively heavy, probably on a par or a bit quicker than my 944 S2 cab which has a bit more power at 208 bhp but thats probably a bit heavier.
So, anyone had one, what are they like ?
Is there much that can be done with the engine, it has had a rebuild but are they diy-able, I watched a video on Youtube and it didnt look that bad, I thinkt he temptation with rotaries is to assume they wont complete a journey without new rotor tip seals but people did manage to do thousands of miles in them without incident (apart from many fuel stops) when new, the RX8 seems to have been less reliable than the earlier ones.
Should imagine fuel consumption is horrific but it isnt a daily driver, am I mad even considering it ?
It isnt the first one or the lovely last gen swoopy one, its the late eighties 944 esque one.
Being a turbo it has 200 or so BHP and isnt massively heavy, probably on a par or a bit quicker than my 944 S2 cab which has a bit more power at 208 bhp but thats probably a bit heavier.
So, anyone had one, what are they like ?
Is there much that can be done with the engine, it has had a rebuild but are they diy-able, I watched a video on Youtube and it didnt look that bad, I thinkt he temptation with rotaries is to assume they wont complete a journey without new rotor tip seals but people did manage to do thousands of miles in them without incident (apart from many fuel stops) when new, the RX8 seems to have been less reliable than the earlier ones.
Should imagine fuel consumption is horrific but it isnt a daily driver, am I mad even considering it ?
I'm under the impression the RX7 rotor tips are less cheese-like than the 8s.
You can get something called a bridge port (??) done to it which is a bit like high lift cams on a piston engine and will make it sound frickin sweet. No idea what it costs to get it done though.
Remember if you get a rotary engine though you can't use pistonheads any more
Only 7s I've seen up for sale have been a bit deer, mind if I ask what this one is going for? I was and maybe still am half considering an 8 just for the sake of a mildly swift snotter as you can get them very very cheap.
Also supposedly they all do better with mineral oil than synthetic.
So in short it's a great idea, if nothing else the idle noise of a ported rotary is bordering on erotic.
You can get something called a bridge port (??) done to it which is a bit like high lift cams on a piston engine and will make it sound frickin sweet. No idea what it costs to get it done though.
Remember if you get a rotary engine though you can't use pistonheads any more
Only 7s I've seen up for sale have been a bit deer, mind if I ask what this one is going for? I was and maybe still am half considering an 8 just for the sake of a mildly swift snotter as you can get them very very cheap.
Also supposedly they all do better with mineral oil than synthetic.
So in short it's a great idea, if nothing else the idle noise of a ported rotary is bordering on erotic.
Just watch out for rust - its a killer as the turbos were made form thinner steel.
Beyond that the engines last better than the 3rd generation cars, they handle very nicely, have excellent brakes and are still quick even by todays standards.
A straight through exhaust, after market panel filter, Fuel cut defencer and a boost controller will see you at 250+ bhp, and generally that little lot will come in at under £500 too.
The stock intercooler and turbo are good for about 300bhp, but as standard they are still a lot of fun.
Buy it and cherish it - so many have been scrapped or turned into drift cars that the good ones are serious appreciating.
Beyond that the engines last better than the 3rd generation cars, they handle very nicely, have excellent brakes and are still quick even by todays standards.
A straight through exhaust, after market panel filter, Fuel cut defencer and a boost controller will see you at 250+ bhp, and generally that little lot will come in at under £500 too.
The stock intercooler and turbo are good for about 300bhp, but as standard they are still a lot of fun.
Buy it and cherish it - so many have been scrapped or turned into drift cars that the good ones are serious appreciating.
I've had two of that shape RX7. I love them.
One was a project, which got as far as getting the 4.6 V8 in and working but then didn't get finished because it needed a new floor due to rust.
The other was my daily driver for a year. It was a NA, so only 160bhp, but I loved that thing. Everything about it was great, the handling, the looks, the noise, the flaired arches, the pop-up lights (and the little headlight flash window), the reliability, everything except the fuel consumption which was 19mpg at best. The fuel consumption was OK, so it wasn't an issue. Then the entire floor rusted out and I scrapped it.
So I'd check for rust first.
One was a project, which got as far as getting the 4.6 V8 in and working but then didn't get finished because it needed a new floor due to rust.
The other was my daily driver for a year. It was a NA, so only 160bhp, but I loved that thing. Everything about it was great, the handling, the looks, the noise, the flaired arches, the pop-up lights (and the little headlight flash window), the reliability, everything except the fuel consumption which was 19mpg at best. The fuel consumption was OK, so it wasn't an issue. Then the entire floor rusted out and I scrapped it.
So I'd check for rust first.
This one has been garaged for 16 years and owned by an older gent who has looked after it, I saw it and it looked great.
He has mentioned £2500 but I think he may let me have it cheaper.
Wife will kill me but, I suspect I would run the 944 and the RX7 for a while and then make a tough decision.
He has mentioned £2500 but I think he may let me have it cheaper.
Wife will kill me but, I suspect I would run the 944 and the RX7 for a while and then make a tough decision.
J4CKO said:
This one has been garaged for 16 years and owned by an older gent who has looked after it, I saw it and it looked great.
He has mentioned £2500 but I think he may let me have it cheaper.
Wife will kill me but, I suspect I would run the 944 and the RX7 for a while and then make a tough decision.
Maybe just stick with the 944 and put me in touch with this chap? He has mentioned £2500 but I think he may let me have it cheaper.
Wife will kill me but, I suspect I would run the 944 and the RX7 for a while and then make a tough decision.
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