1987 Mazda RX7 fc3s CONVERTIBLE from Australia and New Zealand - Comments

What hasn't gone wrong with this car! It is an absolute money-pit!

In the first week of ownership, the alternator went, then the heater hose, then the alternator belt (all in the first week!).

Everything that is plastic- ie aircon vents, door handles has cracked, and that which hasn't cracked is brittle.

Heater core failed, radiator has been replaced twice,

I had to replace the rear tail shaft, the clutch (twice- no I don't drive it hard), idle problems, which despite going into the dealer for 3 times, I cannot get repaired!

The power window switches have failed, the switch that turns the fan for the aircon/heater has failed, the wiper switch has failed, the headlight switch has failed, the cruise control switch has failed- mazda made the electrics cheaply on this car!

The mazda replacements don't last- I have had the most success out of replacing them with aftermarket parts.

Plus general maintenance stuff that's expected, like brake pads, battery, spark plugs, accelerator cable, replaced the roof, replaced the steering wheel...

I loved this car when I bought it- the convertible is a great looking car for its age, and the rx7 has a reputation of being quick...

The cost and quantity of these repairs is phenomenal! mazdas are normally very reliable, and I would buy another- but definitely not another rx7!!!

For a premium quality vehicle, they made it cheaply and poor quality. when I compare it to my partners lexus, which is a similar age, the lexus is just in 1000 times better condition. they have both been immaculately maintained, but the workmanship of the lexus vs rx7 cannot be compared!

The rx7 is a rough ride, and it's not even very quick! it's an absolute fuel guzzler, which I expected, but I at least thought I would get some power in exchange for the fuel input!

If only I could find someone as stupid as I was to take the thing off my hands! (hopefully someone who hasn't read this review!)

Hi.

You are aright about some of the qualities of the rotary powered cars. Here are some insights I wanted to share with you so you will better grasp what you might be dealing with.

1) They don't get the greatest gas mileage, expect less than 22mpg on most if you speed especially.

2) Convertibles will have more problems because of water getting into the interior it messes up the switches and also because people try getting into the car through the window and break the window mechanism. convertibles always draw the burglars to try breaking in because they think/know its easier than most cars.

3) Convertible cars are heavier than the hardtops so its going to be slower, but the chassis is stiffer to compensate for no roof, so it handles pretty darn good. They stiff chassis is a good feeling in the curves.

4) RX7'stend to be used and abused by previous owners because of their sporty performance nature and reputation. also poorly maintained and cared for because few people understand the unique needs of the rotary engine.

5) most people that buy these love them because of their uniqueness and the spirit and persona that the car posseses and its great driving experience. for this reason they usually overlook the cost of restoration or maintaining the love relationship they have with the car. similar to people pooring money into old classic muscle cars like mustangs and cougars. my friend spent 20k restoring his 68 mercury cougar.

Thanks for sharing your experience, but you should have posted on a www.rx7club.com or www.fc3s.org discussion boards you would have found lots of used parts for sale for cheap and lots of great community to help you get the most out of your investment.

Sincerely,

Dave.

Hi Dave.

I am the writer of the above review on the rx7. I would like to point out that I am not completely naieve. When I bought the car, I was well aware of all of these points. And I have done excessive amounts of research.

The fuel consumption IS unreal, and I knew that when I bought it- but I also expected to get a LITTLE power in return. The car is not quick in the slightest- it compares to your average 4cl 1.6L engine! It has been to Mazda and rotamotion- a SPECIALIST rotary mechanic, over and over, who declare it to be in fine working order.

In addition, it is all well and good pointing out that "cheap parts" can be bought from that website- not in Australia- which if you had read the review properly, you may have realised is where I am. Whilst I am aware that SOME parts are compatible with the Australian RX7- most electical parts are NOT, because we have right hand side drive cars, making the electrics backwards.

I did do a lot of research before buying the vehicle, so I am aware that people tend to thrash rotaries, but this is not the case with mine. Prior to me, it belonged to a mid 50's female accountant who had had it since new. All of its servicing has been done at Mazda, and at Rotamotion.

I am members of all sorts of online RX7 clubs, where the information is very useful, and I'm sure if you were in America, would be useful for parts. Unfortunately, I'm not, and as such, parts literally cannot be obtained most of the time, and when they can, they cost more than the cars worth! Whilst I am happy to pay for my parts, for me this car is far more trouble than its worth!

P.S. Yes I am aware that convertibles are more susceptible to water damage that coupes... but I am in Western Australia! It very rarely rains! And when it does, it is mostly at night, when the car is garaged (as it has been its entire life).

Expensive parts, fuel guzzler, rough ride, problems with every electrical part, slow!... vs... nice looking car? that's the only good point in it for me. Not exactly worth it, and certainly not worth what they currently sell for in Australia!

I'm Tommy.

I own two rx7's and I think they are amazing cars.

My first one I bought with over 200,000 miles on it. It didn't run that great, but it was just bad fuel injectors.

Plus the wiring harness was put together with house wire. I just put a new wire harnes and it ran perfect.

My other rx7 I bought for two hundred dollars with the tranny out of it. But that was easy then it hadn't been started for 10 years.

So I probably put a 100 dollars in to it and it runs perfect. The 100 dollars included new spark plugs and wires and new injectors and that's it.

Both of my rx7's have no electrical problems and my second one is really fast. They do have anywhere from 160 horses to 180, so that takes

care of the fast issue. I did a 350 v8 conversion on my first one and it is amazingly fast. It runs 10's in the quarter mile.

I just bought an '87 RX-7 13B Turbo about two months ago. I spent about $4500 for it... sounded great, but had many problems. It sat for 9 years, but, I wanted something to fix up. Spent another $4000 and the car runs great. Took it to a few machanics and everyone said they haven't seen an engine in such great condition since the car was in production. My advice... find one with low gas mileage and sat for a long time. EVERYTHING... E V E R Y T H I N G!!! Will need to be replaced... but once it is...you'll have one of the best running RX-7's around.

I think the point the writer is tryin to make is that the non turbos aren't fast. I own a s5 non turbo, in australia too, and it's a mule. the cost and effort of getting any parts over here is unreal. I know the turbo ones are fast, but without the turbo, the car struggles to move. hills are a damn nightmare. not worth it. especially when s4 and s5 rx7s still sell for around $8,000- more for one in good nick. convertibles are over $10,000- and one in good shape is even more.

I own a mazda rx7 convertible and realize it is restricted on the performance side, but there are soulutions, I bought my rx7 in the United States in Florida for 1500 American dollars, it was a steal! It needed work, and now I've put a total of about 3000 dollars with the price of the car into my rx7. The work was not on the engine at all though (132,500 miles), it was all cosmetics and interior, I had to replace the top, seats, and carpet. It is better for a cruiser if you are looking at the convertible just because of the added weight. but I have been able to keep up with other sports cars, (GTI 1.8T, Mustang V6 intake, cat back, headers, chip, and also a 240sx)

The mazda rx-7 has one of the most abstract motors that powers it. You are all right in saying that they get bad gas mileage, but they have one of the greatest power to weight ratios of all time. they have a power equivelant to that of a small v-6 and are great to turbocharge. not to mention that you can spin the rpm's phenomenally provided that you have enough fuel going to it. it's light it's cool and can be made incredibly fast!

Hi my name is matt, I have had 10 cars and out of the 10 were 4 mazda rx7s. Rx7s can't be compared to other sports cars from japan such as 240sx, corollas, or starions. the rotary engine is known for not having enough torque to push the car, but once you get it going, it will go on and on and on. so my suggestion is, just redline it :)

First of all, it is beyond a thinking man to compare a Lexus to an RX7. I have both. The wife drives the Lexus and I have two RX7s - a convertible and a coupe. The convertible had an after market turbo (Cartech) on it until the engine blew and I had it rebuilt, and I can tell you that now that it is N/A again, it is a fairly fasyt car. It typically does 0-60 in about 7.2 seconds, which isn't blazing, but is quick. If anyone has a convertible that is slower than that, they either don't know how to tune it or their mechanic doesn't.

They are great cars to turbo charge because of the way the exhaust pulses, and so easy to add power to if you know what you are doing. Proper intercooling and injector upgrades are a must and if you add a turbo to the N/A, you can still keep your low end performance with the higher compression ratio. Just can't boost it as much. Corky Bell's book has most of the calculations for pulse width and fuel pressure, and he is a decent guy if you need to contact him.

Take it from someone that bought his first RX2 back in 1978 and has had several models through the years. The rotary is a great engine that will last you well over 200k miles if you take care of it. No valves to wear, no cam belt to replace... Very little maintenance. I'll spend a bit more for the gas and save on the rebuilds. My convertible and coupe are no exceptions in that they have been wonderfully reliable and fin to drive. Fast too!

Tom.