1984 Mazda RX7 review from North America

This car was basically a piece of junk. The engine was virtually impossible to get started, it leaked oil, the body rattled from one end to the other, and my alignment shop informed me it could not be aligned because the frame had "sagged". Just the weight of the car (and it is NOT a heavy car) had caused it to bend, making alignment impossible without having the frame straightened. I was told this was typical of Japanese cars, which use much lighter and flimsier materials than American cars.

My previous car, a non-turbo Dodge Omni, would blow the RX-7 off the road without breathing hard. The RX-7 was the 2nd slowest car I ever owned (the first being an '81 Escort). The noise level inside the car at speed (what little speed it could muster) was deafening due to all the rattles and wind noise. Nothing about this car ever impressed me, and after only a year I traded it for a V-8 Mustang. It will be the least missed car (if you could actually call it a car) that I have ever owned. At least I learned a valuable lesson from it. I will never, as long as I live, buy another Japanese car...EVER!!