Faults:

Nothing major; I bought the car instead of a classic car, and as such expected some niggles. I keep a notebook in the car to keep track of the niggles, the only things which aren't reasonable wear and tear for the mileage are;

Clutch hose weeping, meaning I need to pump the clutch occasionally (a pain in traffic)

Rear suspension bushes worn, giving clunks over bumps, and a loose back end.

General Comments:

I bought the car primarily for it's performance, and I love it. It's got a great spread of torque, and makes a unique noise.

The transmission feels very positive, and the brakes are the best I've personally used, both in terms of feel and power.

The handling is great, although it's very easy to get the back to break away, especially in the wet.

The steering is quite quick and very accurate, but could maybe use a little more self centring (although the adjustable castor means this can be dialled in by someone who knows what they are doing!)

The boot is surprisingly roomy for a car of this type, and small people can fit in the rear seats for short journeys, providing those in the front are less than 6' tall. However, the interior is short of oddments space.

The seats are a little short in the back for genuine long distance comfort, however the driving position is reasonable, with good visability.

The dealers in the UK don't know how to work on this car, so a specialist is a must (and cheaper!) Also, some UK dealers won't supply parts for imports.

Some of the parts of the car are eminently DIYable. However, the engine is different to a piston engine and hence must be maintained slightly differently, and the twin turbo setup can be fearsomely hard to trouble shoot.

Fuel consumption is high, especially around town.

Overall, this car is a beautiful package, but does not tolerate neglect or abuse. They feel special to own, but must be bought and maintained with care, especially now that more are being imported from Japan at low prices.

Faults:

Stock Turbos needed to be replaced, vacuum hoses needed to be replaced, Limited Slip Differential needed to be replaced, Lower Sway Bar Links needed to be replaced, Stock Radiator needed to be replaced, Stock Air Separation Tank needed to be replaced, Stock Pre-Catalytic Converter needed to be replaced, and interior plastic cracked in various places.

General Comments:

I replaced all those stock parts with better, stronger parts. Knowing what I was getting myself into before I even considered picking up one of these wonderful cars was the difference.

A lot of times, when people are taken aback by the up-keep costs and cannot handle the monetary commitment involved, they simply give up. The problem with doing that is that it perpetuates the problems the already has and the car gets sold to a younger, less experienced consumer/driver who does not fix the problems. The new owner ends up beating the car down to the ground, thus giving this awesome performance-minded machine a bad image.

In closing, I don't think the major problem with the 93-95 Mazda RX7's is their lack of reliability in parts or mechanical failures. I think the biggest problem is the perception going into the purchase of the vehicle. It is not an average, everyday car, and should be treated as such. These cars get run down to the ground, not because of a lack of reliability. Rather, it is because of a lack in understanding and know-how.