Well.. here we go !

I have a delima.. concerning a choice i have to make... btw I have cruised this board many a time but this is my first post...
I have a $500 refundable deposit on an STI (at MSRP) that is due in in December but another option just came up.
A guy just offered me a white '94 RX-7 Twin Turbo.. that has only 18,000 miles and that I know has been well maintained (this guy has his own mechanic who knows what he is going).
Car Info:
Has had regular maintenence and oil levels have been properly maintained (would be a problem if not done properly, so Ive heard/read). Also the car has some minor body damage that the owner would get me a discount on getting taken care of (i might be able to get the repair thrown in for free). Aside from that, the car ran flawlessly when I drove it, for quite a while. Mods: Clarion CD player, Borla Exhaust.
The clincher (mabye) he is only asking $19,000, because i know him (and I dont feel that he is trying to screw me).
Plus, the car is available immediatly.

Wait til December for awesome super-tight pimp STI?
Pay a lot less and get RX-7 now..?
Dont get me wrong.. I wouldnt consider buying the RX-7 a compromise.. imean these are two very different types of cars.. so, well, umm, I don't know and that is why I am posting this !

*btw* just because I would be able to afford the STI in December does not mean i acutally have enough for it now.. or else I would try REALLY hard to get it sooner.. so assume that i dont have $30k-$19k dollars to spend on mods on the RX-7 !

Thanks, in advance, for helping me preserve my sanity
(oh.. and if this is deemed inappropriate to this "topic" and i get bumped to another one.. i am sorry in advance, i just wasnt ultra-sure where to place this thread...)

 

The RX7 would be great to buy if you were going to put it up in a garage and save it for another 20 years. I wouldnt buy any 9 or 10 year old car for $19,000 unless it was a S-class benz.. great shape or not. thats alot of cash for a 10year old car. like I said unless you are going to save it for 20 years. Also is it red? most red rx7's I have seen in that timeline have had faded paint.. or maybe thats just the ones I have saw

 

You might want to check the Kelley Blue Book website http://www.kbb.com on the value of the RX-7.

 

If you buy the RX-7 and you get passed by an STi, you'll always be wondering "What if..."

CX

 

I had a similar dillemma a few years back when my friend's father offered his 28,000 '93 RX-7 R1 for $17,500. The cars drive and handle beautifully, but two things made me pass up this option:

1. RX-7 rotary engines have been labelled by finnicky (sp). Although this one had been well maintained, it still may require a large maintenance budget.

2. The car was nearly 10 years old. Paying almost $20,000 for a car that old, which isn't a BMW or a classic, is not an option for me. As soon as the mileage started climbing, the value would drop quickly; much more quickly than with a new car.

I would suggest purchasing the STI. It's a much better car, all around, and its new. While more expensive, it will surely make a better investment than the RX-7. With that said, find an RX-7 forum and ask them what sorts of issues come up on the cars. That was enough to sway my decision.

 

RX-7 now! For 15,000. You will get it.

 

Get the STi, as mentioned earlier the turbo rotary is going to be a high maintenance machine. A co-worker of mine had one for 6 months and eventually traded it for a WRX because he was sick of having it in the shop all the time. And his was in immaculate, low milage condition.

-Gerlando.
www.enjoydeals.com

 

ClockworkB,

Let me try to help you here. First of all, I am not bias, as you see my name is JDM nut, I love all Japanese sports car and I have indepth knowledge on most of them.

3rd Gen RX7 is an awesome car, I love them. I believe it is the most beautiful Japanese sports car ever made (Tie with the NSX).

It all depends on what you want to use it for. If this is going to be your only car, and you don't have a big budget to modify and maintain it. I don't think it is the car for you. I have many friends that have 3rd gen RX7. That is why I know so much about them.

Everyone knows RX7 are very unreliable, require super high maintance. But whatever you know, the truth is a lot worse. The stock motor would require rebuild as early as 60K miles, 80K miles if you are lucky. Little things breaks all the time. Basically long story short. RX7 are only good as a weekend toy you keep on the side as a toy. EVERYONE I know that have a RX7 drive a different car daily, because you simply can't count on the RX7 to run everyday. For those people that use a RX7 as a daily driver, they have multiple RX7 that they switch around because they don't run everyday.

They are also not that fast stock. They can be made super fast, I got a friend that have a fully modified 600 HP RX7, that car is so fast that actually scare me and I am a speed junkie. But it cost him at least $20K in the motor alone to make it that fast. A stock STi is going to be quite a bit more fun to drive then a stock RX7.

Handling wise, the RX7 handle really good because of its lightweight and perfect balance. But it require very high driving skill to drive it fast in turns since oversteer happen very fast. A lot of people crash their car by spinning out. On the other hand, the STi is a lot easier to drive fast due to its 4WD with DCCD.

Also $19K for a 94 RX7 is not cheap at all, despite its low mileage. Especially consider it has minor body damage. I would say if you can get it for $12K, then it is a good deal.

If you ask me, the STi is the clear choice. Reliable, last a long time, easy to drive. Can carry 4 people. And it is brand new!

Now a days, people that still drive RX7 are all rotary nut. They are crazy about them and can't live without one, so they have no choice but to go thru all the pain of owning one. If you are not crazy about rotary, it is definitely not the car for you.

I don't mind having one. But that is after I have a nice daily driver, after I have a fun reliable toy car. Then I would go buy a 3rd gen RX7. In another word the RX7 is a good 4th or 5th car.

Hope that help.

 

JDMNut stated _exactly_ what I was thinking...!

I'm not against Mazda or RX-7's either, though neither am I for them. Everything JDM said about reliability and maint. is 100% true, just ask any recent RX-7 owner.

They are cool and sporty cars but being as well penned as an NSX...I don't know about that. Ferrairi & Lamborghini might have some choice words for you as might Audi (A8/S8 & TT).

In my book though this is an easy call; STi wins.

Save your pennies, keep reading i-Club, and in December be a much happier and wiser man.

Just my $0.02

Let us know what you decide and best of luck...

- Janq

 

Hi Janq,

Thank you for agreeing on what I said

Can you explain on your above statement? I didn't get it

Thanks.

 

damn it.. how come i can't get a deal on the FD!!!

ClockworkB, where you at ?

i have been looking for good FDs as back up to my STi/Evo.

 

After re-reading the post I found that I in fact made a mistake and short read the sentence; "I believe it is the most beautiful Japanese sports car ever made (Tie with the NSX)."

My response in regard to the NSX item fact made no sense, which explains why you didn't get it.

Hey ClockworkB, sorry about that.

- Janq