1991 Mazda RX7 GS from North America - Comments

11th Jun 2001, 13:31

"A fun ride only in a world of inexpensive petrol"

What things have gone wrong with the car?

Brake pads & rotors were shot when sold to me used.

Transmission got baulky & difficult to shift over time. 1st gear was the worst.

Leather seats got wet & ripped apart after shrinking.

Fried wiring in an electric window due to a stuck console switch.

Steering wheel column mounted switch unit failed, had to disassemble & clean.

Water pump failed.

General comments?

Rotary engines were a nice experiment, but it's logical why they never made much of a splash in the market. Although the tiny 1.1 Litre rotary had over 100hp and could easily rev to 7000RPM without complaining, the gas mileage was TERRIBLE! The best you could get was maybe 20 MPG, even less if you had a heavy right foot.

The radiator fan clutch connected to the engine driveshaft was a poor idea from Mazda. The fan made a loud roar when you revved the engine. A thermostatically controlled electric radiator fan would have been a better solution.

The car is comfortable, attractive, quiet, and ergonomic. It's only a 2-seater, but it has a large liftback trunk space available.


26th Nov 2001, 19:49

Think you made a poor purchase.

These 2nd gen RX7s are very reliable and get quite reasonable mileage for the performance. Sounds like you bought a beater or maybe a car with a bad history, (flood, etc). Sorry.


7th Aug 2003, 17:55

You may want to check the numbers on Hp and displacement. Second generation RX-7's came with a 1.3 liter rotary (N/A or Turbo). I bought an '87 turbo with 87,000 miles and nothing major (clock, handle) has broken (now 113,000). The things you mentioned sound like normal age and mileage problems. You are right on the 20 mpg, my car gets the same. But, you don't buy a sports car for the gas mileage. I must say I love driving mine.

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