Skyline R33 or Mazda RX7
Discussion
other than a S1 Lotus Elise (which i like due to the handling)
i am considering the above two cars, i will be driving them next week to assess them but what i would like to know is (other than fuel) what are the running costs like, such as maint/servicing and modding, the car will be used only at weekends and as a second car. i will be spending about 7-8k
I understand that the RX7 needs rebuilding every 60k miles but i would think i would buy one already done and wouldnt need to do it again ever/for years, the RX7 i also assume would offer more of a sports car feel than the Skyline,
I would be interested to know if someone has gone from one to another and the reasons why?
thanks
i am considering the above two cars, i will be driving them next week to assess them but what i would like to know is (other than fuel) what are the running costs like, such as maint/servicing and modding, the car will be used only at weekends and as a second car. i will be spending about 7-8k
I understand that the RX7 needs rebuilding every 60k miles but i would think i would buy one already done and wouldnt need to do it again ever/for years, the RX7 i also assume would offer more of a sports car feel than the Skyline,
I would be interested to know if someone has gone from one to another and the reasons why?
thanks
Ive had my rx7 now for just over a month, so im happy to give my spin on em.
personally unless u have the $$$ to tune the skyline, the rx7 is gona be faster. Its much lighter, perfect weight distribution and the standard suspension/brakes are more than upto the job. I love the fact that u dont need to spend thousands on forged internals etc to get big power, u just need to strap on a feckin huge turbo! (ok not quite as easy as that, but its still easy)
Theres alot of s
t on the internet about reliability problems with the rx7, but i think its mosting forum warriors and ppl who generally dont know the first thing about them. They do require alot more looking after then the average car. I personally change the oil + filter every 1000 miles or so, spark plugs every 3000 miles, flush the rad every 6 months, and generally check her over atleast 2 times a week.
The whole using oil thing isnt as bad as it was made out, as of yet ive not had to top up the oil between oil changes, but it could be i do them so often. I will stress that you do need to let them warm up + cool down before any sort of stick, and they do get silly hot after a run, and dont like sitting still after a run, so id suggest once ur within a mile or 2 of your destination, to take it easy and let things cool down.
When/if you do buy 1, first thing id recomend is get it home/to a garage, and give it a full going over. I was kinda hyperactive over mine, ended up driving miles from home, and then have a split rad house get me towed back
so id change gearbox,diff, engine oil, and the sparkplugs and flush the rad out.
Water temp gauge in these things are ste, i can vouch for that, they just sit in the middle unless things start getting really hot, so id keep a close eye on it, cos if it starts to move even a fraction of an ammount, it means its REALLY hot, pull over before u start to do damage.
Personally i think the 60k rebuild is bks. Ive yet to compression test mine, but im nearing 70k, the last 10k being me driving it fast, but treating her well all the same, and shes fine. I think if you do treat them well they could last waaay longer then 60k, i personally plan to run mine untill it goes pop, then rebuild her with a huge single turbo for 600+ bhp, and the parts for a rebuild are only 380quid \o/
ps: and rx7 is so much more cooler then a skyline, ive not seen another one near where i live, but loads of skylines!
personally unless u have the $$$ to tune the skyline, the rx7 is gona be faster. Its much lighter, perfect weight distribution and the standard suspension/brakes are more than upto the job. I love the fact that u dont need to spend thousands on forged internals etc to get big power, u just need to strap on a feckin huge turbo! (ok not quite as easy as that, but its still easy)
Theres alot of s
t on the internet about reliability problems with the rx7, but i think its mosting forum warriors and ppl who generally dont know the first thing about them. They do require alot more looking after then the average car. I personally change the oil + filter every 1000 miles or so, spark plugs every 3000 miles, flush the rad every 6 months, and generally check her over atleast 2 times a week.The whole using oil thing isnt as bad as it was made out, as of yet ive not had to top up the oil between oil changes, but it could be i do them so often. I will stress that you do need to let them warm up + cool down before any sort of stick, and they do get silly hot after a run, and dont like sitting still after a run, so id suggest once ur within a mile or 2 of your destination, to take it easy and let things cool down.
When/if you do buy 1, first thing id recomend is get it home/to a garage, and give it a full going over. I was kinda hyperactive over mine, ended up driving miles from home, and then have a split rad house get me towed back
so id change gearbox,diff, engine oil, and the sparkplugs and flush the rad out.Water temp gauge in these things are s
te, i can vouch for that, they just sit in the middle unless things start getting really hot, so id keep a close eye on it, cos if it starts to move even a fraction of an ammount, it means its REALLY hot, pull over before u start to do damage.Personally i think the 60k rebuild is b
ks. Ive yet to compression test mine, but im nearing 70k, the last 10k being me driving it fast, but treating her well all the same, and shes fine. I think if you do treat them well they could last waaay longer then 60k, i personally plan to run mine untill it goes pop, then rebuild her with a huge single turbo for 600+ bhp, and the parts for a rebuild are only 380quid \o/- forum warrior mode off
*
ps: and rx7 is so much more cooler then a skyline, ive not seen another one near where i live, but loads of skylines!
Edited by Rotary Madness on Friday 17th October 20:38
thanks for that, isnt an oil change every 1k miles overkill? hopefully prices will have dropped a little when i am ready to buy (4-5 months) as i heard the 99 spec cars will flood over from japan so the others will lose a little value, would you recommend a non rebuilt car then as others may suggest, and if it pops then rebuild rather than insist on a rebuilt car that may not have been done as good as others and pay for the dodgy work?
well its my car and i plan on overservicing her, i want her to last 
You say that every 1000miles is overkill, but its still black by the time it comes out, so im happy to change it. And its mineral oil so its hardly expensive stuff.
Thats anotehr thing to mention, DONT RUN IT ON ANY KIND OF SYNTHETIC OIL!!! itll kill the seals in the engine so fast, i use 10-40w pure mineral oil, and just change it lots.
If you can put up with it, id highly recomend buying one thats gone pop, and getting it rebuilt. You'll definatly know how good a job was done, and that no cheap parts etc were used. I plan on doing mine myself, so im hopefuly looking at 400 quid for all the seals + tips, and just hope the housings + rotors aint mauled
i got a really good deal on mine because it would overheat and piss out coolant, turned out it was a 5 quid house! Result!
You say that every 1000miles is overkill, but its still black by the time it comes out, so im happy to change it. And its mineral oil so its hardly expensive stuff.
Thats anotehr thing to mention, DONT RUN IT ON ANY KIND OF SYNTHETIC OIL!!! itll kill the seals in the engine so fast, i use 10-40w pure mineral oil, and just change it lots.
If you can put up with it, id highly recomend buying one thats gone pop, and getting it rebuilt. You'll definatly know how good a job was done, and that no cheap parts etc were used. I plan on doing mine myself, so im hopefuly looking at 400 quid for all the seals + tips, and just hope the housings + rotors aint mauled
i got a really good deal on mine because it would overheat and piss out coolant, turned out it was a 5 quid house! Result!
vz-r_dave said:
An oil change every 1000 miles is a complete waste of oil lol.
Agree with this, 3000mls is fine.vz-r_dave said:
yes they burn oil but so do most cars of that age.
Rotary engines don't burn oil due to old age, they are designed that way. Brand new RX8's use oil. The oil is used to lubricate the moving seals of the rotors and burnt in the combustion process.buckman63 said:
vz-r_dave said:
An oil change every 1000 miles is a complete waste of oil lol.
Agree with this, 3000mls is fine.vz-r_dave said:
yes they burn oil but so do most cars of that age.
Rotary engines don't burn oil due to old age, they are designed that way. Brand new RX8's use oil. The oil is used to lubricate the moving seals of the rotors and burnt in the combustion process.
My bro has just got hold of a rebuilt FD Type R for 6K
People tend to to forget about the condition of the whole car itself. Rebuild rebuild rebuild etc, dont forget about the rest of the car ofcourse.
Quite a bit of inacurate information here!
I had a 95 RX7 twin turbo for about 3 years (although i eventually modified it to single turbo & 450BHP) and part ex'd it for a R33 GTR about 4 months ago so like to think i have a pretty decent knowledge of both!
The RX7 was a great car, fantastic balance and plenty fast. Running costs are no where near as bad as lots of people seem to think, an oil change every 3k miles is more than enough for a fairly standard tune car with no need to change the filter until every other oil change. As stated, you need to use mineral oil (which is fairly cheap) however it's nothing to do with the seals.
People reccomend mineral oil because as stated above all RX7's use oil as part of the combustion process & it's believed that mineral oil burns cleaner & leaves less carbon deposits than Synthetic oil.
Plugs last about 10k & are fairly cheap, plus you only need 4!
If your going to keep the car fairly standard, engine & boost wise then it will not neccasarily need rebuilding every 60k, thats a figure usually talked about by people who have never owned one! If you look after it it can last alot longer!
I also wouldn't buy one then wait for the engine to blow before rebuilding it, your better of buying a cheapish tidy running example & having it rebuilt before it blows as the damage caused when the engine pops can often bump the cost of the rebuild right up!
Only downsides of the RX really are the slightly high fuel consupmtion & it's not very practical (back seats are a joke & the boot ain't up to much either)
As for the skyline, in the current market £8k will get you a decent R33 GTR, which is what you want to be looking at.
The R33 is alot more practical, loads of space in the back & a decent boot. Not sure if your a fan of modified cars but if your buying a GTR you really want to be getting one with a basic stage 1 ECU & boost upgrade as the car is heavily restricted as standard & this will release the full potential without affecting Reliability or Driveability. Then there wouldn't be much between the RX & R33 in a straight line, although the RX will give much better feel & feedback but the GTR is a bit more surefooted, less of a handfull & easier to drive fast but not as rewarding!
Running costs for the GTR are slightly higher due to needing better, more expensive oil & 6 plugs. Also wears out tyres quicker. The GTR should be more reliable & is alot easier to find someone to work on (not a great deal of Rotary specialists) although if something major WAS to go wrong with the GTR then it will almost certainly be more expensive to fix than the RX.
Hope this of some help mate.
If i had to choose between the 2 i'd go with the RX7, as it looks & feels a more modern car even on an everyday run to the shops it feels like your driving something a little bit special, plus it's possibly the best looking Japanese car ever!
I had a 95 RX7 twin turbo for about 3 years (although i eventually modified it to single turbo & 450BHP) and part ex'd it for a R33 GTR about 4 months ago so like to think i have a pretty decent knowledge of both!
The RX7 was a great car, fantastic balance and plenty fast. Running costs are no where near as bad as lots of people seem to think, an oil change every 3k miles is more than enough for a fairly standard tune car with no need to change the filter until every other oil change. As stated, you need to use mineral oil (which is fairly cheap) however it's nothing to do with the seals.
People reccomend mineral oil because as stated above all RX7's use oil as part of the combustion process & it's believed that mineral oil burns cleaner & leaves less carbon deposits than Synthetic oil.
Plugs last about 10k & are fairly cheap, plus you only need 4!
If your going to keep the car fairly standard, engine & boost wise then it will not neccasarily need rebuilding every 60k, thats a figure usually talked about by people who have never owned one! If you look after it it can last alot longer!
I also wouldn't buy one then wait for the engine to blow before rebuilding it, your better of buying a cheapish tidy running example & having it rebuilt before it blows as the damage caused when the engine pops can often bump the cost of the rebuild right up!
Only downsides of the RX really are the slightly high fuel consupmtion & it's not very practical (back seats are a joke & the boot ain't up to much either)
As for the skyline, in the current market £8k will get you a decent R33 GTR, which is what you want to be looking at.
The R33 is alot more practical, loads of space in the back & a decent boot. Not sure if your a fan of modified cars but if your buying a GTR you really want to be getting one with a basic stage 1 ECU & boost upgrade as the car is heavily restricted as standard & this will release the full potential without affecting Reliability or Driveability. Then there wouldn't be much between the RX & R33 in a straight line, although the RX will give much better feel & feedback but the GTR is a bit more surefooted, less of a handfull & easier to drive fast but not as rewarding!
Running costs for the GTR are slightly higher due to needing better, more expensive oil & 6 plugs. Also wears out tyres quicker. The GTR should be more reliable & is alot easier to find someone to work on (not a great deal of Rotary specialists) although if something major WAS to go wrong with the GTR then it will almost certainly be more expensive to fix than the RX.
Hope this of some help mate.
If i had to choose between the 2 i'd go with the RX7, as it looks & feels a more modern car even on an everyday run to the shops it feels like your driving something a little bit special, plus it's possibly the best looking Japanese car ever!
White-Noise said:
Very interesting thread chaps and makes good reading. I must say the RX7 is a stunning looking car, but one thing that puts me off is the sound - it just cant compete with the skyline. Having said that, I have a feeling that if I drove one it would not put me off owning one.
Cheers.
I didnt know if id like the noise or not, but once u redline one its amazing! and atm mines completley stock on the engine/exhaust, i cant wait to get a full decat + induction kit, ive heard its sumit like 120bdCheers.
and it spits flames
Rotary Madness said:
White-Noise said:
Very interesting thread chaps and makes good reading. I must say the RX7 is a stunning looking car, but one thing that puts me off is the sound - it just cant compete with the skyline. Having said that, I have a feeling that if I drove one it would not put me off owning one.
Cheers.
I didnt know if id like the noise or not, but once u redline one its amazing! and atm mines completley stock on the engine/exhaust, i cant wait to get a full decat + induction kit, ive heard its sumit like 120bdCheers.
and it spits flames
Half of the scare stories about RX7 reliability are down to people not modifying them properly & blowing engines!
Get an Apexi Power FC along with a De-Cat & filters and have it properly mapped by a rotary specialist and you'll see plenty more safe power
Edited by lum90 on Monday 20th October 20:11
Gassing Station | Japanese Chat | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff