93 rx7 still high priced?
 

So last Saturday I was driving through a town near my house when I saw this black 93 rx7 sitting at a dealer. It had a license plate on it so I assumed it belonged to someone who worked there, or perhaps it was a customers car. I went in and asked anyway cause the car was the sharpest looking black 93 I have ever seen. The dealer told me it was being sold for a friend on consignment and it was priced just under book value...the price was $15000. I was like, "$15,000? Still? The car is seventeen years old...". Oh yeah, it also was automatic, but it was a 1 owner car with 62,000 original miles on it and it was all stock.
So why do these cars still remain high priced? I mean, I can get an ls1 vette for that kind of money...

Supply/demand, go take economics again. MK IV Supra is the same deal.

I just got back from st Lucia and while I was there I saw 2 Supras like you speak of, but no rx7's. I just find it funny that a lot of people claim many problems with a rotary engine, and they really don't get that great of fuel economy, but they still are 15 grand after 17 years.

^^This

I had enough money to buy a MK IV 6-speed a couple years back. Had been saving for a couple years. After it sat waiting in my checking account for about 4 months while I tried to find the right car, I decided it was WAY too much money to spend on a car that was 10 years old, and would likely have 100k or more miles on it.

i did research on this some time ago

i think total production here in the US was

13xxx FDs produced
9xxx MKIV Supras produced

i was surprised to hear that more FDs were created than Supras. ide probably purchase the Supra, even though its a fat pig.. overall a stronger car. although i prefer the looks of the FD, the motor is a big no no.

LS1 swapped cars are available for the same 15k-24k. 30k will get you a HIGHLY sorted out CLEAN one.

This thread is yet another example of why it's still better to own a miata. Instead of 15 grand for a stock automatic 93 RX-7, anybody can have an insanely fast Miata for that kind of money. Hell, I'm seein 01-ups for around 8,000 in 1 owner stock form...

I completely agree that the price the FD's go for is over the top. There was a mint condition green FD on consignment in Stock Island a few months back. The owner bought the car brand new in 93' and used it as a grocery getter and weekend car instead of putting miles on his Ferrari.

35,000 miles, 6 speed, wood interior trim, Bose stero, 100% stock and always serviced at the same dealership it was bought from. Asking price 28 grand.....sold for 23 grand to a high school kid as a gift from his parents :crx:

The car was found wrecked in Key West 2 months later :cry:

Personally i'd take a MA70 Supra over a MKIV any day. Love for the 7M!

But you get a more refined car with the FD then in the Miata. For a track car, the Miata wins hands down. For a street car where your not replacing pads, rotors, wheel bearings, tie rods, and everything else constantly, the RX7 wins for comfort. For doing LS1 swaps, the RX7 again takes the win, as they are FAR easier and about the same price if not cheaper to do the swap in.

Sounds like the old school fox body Mustang. overpriced all day long.

Rx7 for 4 grand - click

or.........

Rx7 for 19....

Between the 93 Supra or the FD RX7, Supra wins IMO.

assuming one wants a convertible. the fd has a stiffer chassis and is obviously a great gt car


eww... ugly exterior looks and an interior that makes me want to slit my wrists. the mkiii is antiquated and mkiv is a million times better vehicle. ide take a z32 before i take a mkiii supra, even though the z32 is a fucking nightmare to work on.. at least it doesnt have magnum pi 80's-era styling

Thats funny considering you drive the ugliest, most played out car ever made, the s13.

MKIV's are a million times better? Pshh..please. Go home newb. Damn 2010 crowd.

FD's are still high priced for sure. Never seen one in any form of decent shape for under $10-$12k, a good condition one is like stated, $15K+

tell me about it

now you know how i felt owning my s13 since the mid 90s when people thought they were secretary cars

7mgte.. much better motor than the 2jz-gte. what was i thinking haha

I'd trade my Miata for an FD.

I know I would. I'd trade my Miata plus half of my other belongings for a mint condition FD, and maybe one of my nuts.

I sure do miss the 90s.

3000GT TT
300ZX TT
RX7 TT
Supra TT

What happened to all the Japanese factory twin-turbos? 90s = best car decade ever.

They all were priced too high for Americans toward the end of their era.

The Supra was slow when stock, but had great potential- crap 80's interior
The RX7 was great, but the engines are far from reliable- good interior
The 300ZX never caught on, but it really was a nice car with great potential.
The 3GT TT- a freakin PIG, eats transmissions, turbo's, and everything else..... Typical Mitsu "quality".

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Dodge...US_Cars_Trucks

If your going to drop 30k into a 90's sports car.. why not this one.

^ or maybe this one? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1995-...US_Cars_Trucks

I love me some Z32 300ZX TT action. Actually, one of the other cars I was looking at when I got the Miata was a white TT with red leather interior. Pretty damn clean, and with low miles, and it was actually priced about the same as the Miata. The interior on those are beautiful. Well, everything on those are beautiful. Another car on my list of toys to own when I can afford to have a few money pits.

I work for a rotary shop, so DON'T take my advice with a grain of salt: Stay away. The wiring harness on these cars is more fragile than a mink vase (extreme heat + 15/20 years + non-TXL wire = epic fail), the solenoids fail one after the other, and this big boy has 17 solenoids under the hood. Seventeen!! Sure, it still looks badass 20 years after bad really, you are asking for trouble if you are buying one now.

Dimitris

FDs and MkIV Supras are super high priced because they're MaD TyTe JDM yo!!

Oh, and I too have a friend that works on Rotaries. He said avoid them like the clap. Especially the newer ones.

Absolutely... true. I've had 3 RX7's, 2 were 12A FB's, so not much critical wiring, but one was a Turbo II and that son of a bitch was nothing but problems from day one with wiring and solenoids. Wiring was brittle and would snap clean through if bent, and solenoids were failing, and plugs were breaking off of them left and right. I finally just deleted all emissions and patched up the wiring best I could, but never could get it to run 100% or idle worth a damn. For having over 200k miles though, it ran OK mechanically. The guy I sold it to apparently fixed all of the emissions crap and got it running decently before he sold it. Great cars if you plan to do a full rebuild of the engine, and build a new harness and go stand alone, or source a good condition used harness. Even running poorly with a poor idle, it was still pretty quick and would run like a raped ape with only a Rtek ecu chip, larger injectors and about 14psi on the stock turbo. Never had any real mechanical issues out of it, even though the trans did sound about as bad as the one in my Miata.

except for having an engine that is notoriously difficult to work on....so says everyone.

:dunno: I was meaning more physically, but even that wouldn't stop me from wanting to own one. I bet I've worked on harder to work on engines. I ain't skurred.

Now that I'm aware of all the RX7 issues, I am officially convinced that the 3rd gen RX-7 is the greatest car ever made to do an LS V8 swap with. Again, if they cost 15 grand fir just the car...then I'd imagine total would be around $30,000 for the car and completed LS swap done cleanly and correctly. Therefore, it's much cheaper to do the same swap to a miata, and it's still lighter. Miata wins again.

Wrong. A decent roller for the FD is around 5k. When doing the math, the Miata actually cost a bit more to do, and as far as weight, your looking at about a 200 pound difference.

I'm not looking to steer you away from a swapped Miata, but just letting everyone know the reality. Perception vs reality can really be distant from each other.

i would hope that most people buying these cars nowadays are enthusiasts who know what to look for.. but you know, poulous malakes out there...


are you even comparing models of the same era?

in the 80s, the rx7, supra and Z came in NA and turbo versions.. the turbo versions were considered fast back then - not sure if you recall or not, but this was during and slightly after the gas crisis. there is a reason why the S130 280ZX had a mini fuel gauge inside the normal fuel gauge. all of those cars were popular for that time and sold well. even the NA models were still considered fairly quick.

the z32 turned everything around, from performance to styling - having that much power with that type of handing performance was very cutting edge. combine this with the fact that the Z was and still is one of the MOST POPULAR and successful sportscars... you gotta be kidding me of you think the car didnt "catch on." look at the production figures in comparison to the supra and FD, the Z32 sold over 100k in the States. it took toyota ~2.5 years to release the MKIV Supra.. which was a bit better than the Z in every aspect, but also more expensive.

remember, it was only here in the states that these cars stopped sales. overseas the mr2 sold till 99, the Z32 till 99, and the RX7 i think also sold till 02. even the s13 hatch sold overseas continually from 89-98... thats a pretty long haul for ONE model.

as for the 3000gt... well, i dont pay attention to cars with motors mounted sideways

Ha ha ha, yes. This part of your post is full of win.

But you can get an FD for fairly cheap. One just went up here for.... $5700 CAD I think? It was just shy of $6K CAD. Was upgraded to an HKS single turbo, APR wing, RE Amemiya bodykit and scissor doors (gay). Yes, it was manual. I've never seen an FD around here go for more than $8K CAD, regardless of modifications or mileage or whatnot. MkIV Supras are a bit different.... with lightly modified ones getting close to $30K, which is gay.... eff that.

But the rest lacked reading comprehension.

If you read my post again, American perception was the name of the game, and when they died off here in the states, you could get a new C4-C5 for the same price....... The holy grail of the sports car buyer in the middle class. The people who could afford the cars were not those of us who grew up around fancy imports and equality, but instead they grew up having three choices to choose from- Ford, GM, or Dodge.

Like I said in another post, perception Vs reality can be very distant from each other at times, and this was one of those times. I'd buy an FD LOOOONNNGGG before a C4. Far more nimble, lighter, quicker, and minus the engine bays always catching on fire, solenoid failures and apex seals, I'd almost go so far to say as more reliable (Damn Opti!!!!!)

LS1 FD > LS1 Miata

I bet the FD LS1 would be easier to drive fast, and would put the power down better. I know of two local guys with LSx powered FD RX7's and they are pretty damn awesome, well, very damn awesome.

Here is one of them at a local track, at least I think that is one of the ones I am thinking about.

Of course it's turbo, so that makes it 100x more awesome.

Exactly. I agree with the last part of your post the most. The easiest fix? Get rid of that garbage plastic crap under the hood, get a better venting hood and a bumper that flows more air. Boom. Goodbye C4... ha ha ha.

But you are correct. Those that could afford opted for the American Tested and True Corvette or Mustang if they wanted performance... even though the Mustang can't deliver what any enthusiast wants and the Corvette is way overpriced, IMO.

Fuck dewds, I only have this to add-

There are frequently rx7s listed for around ~10k in stock or near stock condition around here. I almost bought a perfect rollie with a fucked engine for $8k. I would never drive a FD with a stock engine. LSx FTMW.

In several years, I will probably have 3 cars: turbo miata for badassery, forester xt for mundanery, LS rx7 for dailydrivery. I think a budget of around 12K is required for a decent rx7 ls build and that doesn't include the car. I would be interested in a supra but one modified turbo car is enough to handle.

I'd trade my car for a FD. An LS swapped FD will be somewhere in my future.

I'd say $12k is probably doable, but I would budget for $15k to avoid cutting corners. If I was that rich, I would be ALL over an LS1 FD build. I regret not buying an FD from a local guy I kind of know several years ago. He was letting it go for a hair under $10k, and it ran and was on a rebuilt and ported engine and an upgraded turbo. Also was white, one of my favorite FD colors.

Please show me some cheap ones up here. I am looking for one to work on. You must be in BC.

Not sure if these guys still have them, but they are all apparently running and less than $7K. Hit up the Rotary forums maybe? Lots of stuff there.

Clicky.

It's auto, but if you're going to be working on it, might as well throw a 5-spd in there, yeah?

Or click here or here if you're keen on driving out of Province.

Ok, so that means a outlay of $20K. Ouchers. I've never paid that much for a car. The most I paid was for my '03 Miata which was 16K back in '04.

Maybe they will be much cheaper by the time I am willing to pay that much for another car.

I would think the price would go as since as years go on, it will get rarer. I'd prefer to have an FD over a mk4 supra any day. I just find it more appealing even if it is not as fast or reliable.

I don't think the price will go up. They're just too crappy and unreliable in stock form for the general public which means that the price will keep dropping.

I would be pretty happy with a mk4 Supra. I saw one a few weekends ago-- quite a small car by modern standards. Very nice lines. The new GT-R looks like it could fit two supras inside it.

Jesus christ, those are some facking amazing deals. And only like a days drive. How much does it cost to import from Canada to US?

http://www.bordercenter.org/chem/vehicles.htm

http://www.lbl.gov/Workplace/HumanRe...cleImport.html

Thanks mang.

Yeah the MkIV's are super tiny for the amount of power you can put into them.

However, touching on your reliability statement, every car will be unreliable if the owner isn't made aware of proper maintenance rituals for his/her specific vehicle. I know loads of people that were never informed by the dealer that they had to add oil to their RX-8 every month (however tiny the amount is irrelevant) because it's a 2-stroke, or that the USDM flash was different from the J-Spec flash and required less-than-normal warm-up procedures.

If you properly maintain a rotary it will be just as reliable as any other vehicle you will own. The misconception surrounding the Wankel design is unwarranted, in my eyes, since people turn a cheek to the extra maintenance steps they require.

Righteo, and those are the reasons the price will keep dropping.

I want a ls rx though because i want mad power in that gorgeous chassis.

Mad power? There's lots of Japanese tuning companies that will give you reliable 500+ RWHP out of a 13B-REW. Even some American companies can kind of achieve that...

How much does it cost to get there?

No clue. Hey man, just because I have squinty eyes doesn't mean I am down with the Yen talk, you racist bastard! Ha ha.

But for real, you could probably dump 7-8K into that car and be very well off, assuming you use some of that money for cooling (oil/water/engine bay).

hmmm, would be tempting if I could bring it home when I leave here:

http://baumholderyardsales.com/item1...286&src=SEARCH

peep my ride i got like 12k in it
http://honolulu.craigslist.org/oah/cto/1886874134.html

What? No pictures!? Not cool.