Mitsu Starion and Mazda RX7...

[Jarod_The_Ronin]

what do all you guys think of these beauties? My two favorite FR cars... next on the list would have to be the old 240Z. But, anyways. I'm new... I want opinions...

[1998cc]

I would have to go with 300zx or 180sx.

[john]

The starquest is ok, but the lines show their age. The 3rd gen rx7 makes me drool, however. :)

[WagN2NR]

RX7

[Jarod_The_Ronin]

Originally posted by john
The starquest is ok, but the lines show their age. The 3rd gen rx7 makes me drool, however. :)


old things are not necissarily bad...... Heather Locklear for example...

[TedR719]

3rd gen RX-7 all the way bro!

[jojo]

Originally posted by futuresi
3rd gen RX-7 all the way bro!

Yup. Awesome cars.

[V8SpankR]

RX7 is an awesome car but comes with a plethora of problems. :mad:

[exciv2000]

Originally posted by V8SpankR
RX7 is an awesome car but comes with a plethora of problems. :mad:

Like what? I think they are beautiful and run great too.

[Jarod_The_Ronin]

Originally posted by exciv2000
Like what? I think they are beautiful and run great too.

the rotary engine is a marvel of engineering... but not without its flaws. Most of the problems rotary owners run into are due to improper maintenance, and negligence. For example... most rotary owners fail to change thier oil as often as they should. Rotaries burn oil during normal combustion cycles, so, the oil is used up much quicker than in a piston engine.

[DSM_Luck]

Starions are really cool cars but they have thier problems. Think of them as the car that paved the way for DSM's.

[Jarod_The_Ronin]

Originally posted by DSM_Luck
Starions are really cool cars but they have thier problems. Think of them as the car that paved the way for DSM's.

like the jet-type valves, weak engine seals, hellish normal operating temperature, tendancy to be really unstable in a drift... etc, etc...

[V8SpankR]

Originally posted by exciv2000
Like what? I think they are beautiful and run great too.

Besides the fuel line,cooling system and brake recalls they tend to suffer from these maladies and Sport Compact emphasized potential buyers of these in last months issue in the RX7 buyers guide.

Here they are:
No boost above 4500rpm
Oil pressure guage failure
Hand brake light comes on while driving
Low coolant alrm sound even if things are ok
Radio flashing "Err" code
Paint problems
Battery failure and leakage
Brake rotor warping (can happen to any car if the driver's too har don 'em)
Suspension clunk
Cracking factory wheels
Oil pan leak
Interior part cracking or breaking

"There are only two common failures of the rotary engine - a blown apex seal or a leaky coolant O ring. Unfortunatly both require a complete rebuild." (SCC's exact words)

Like I said it's a neat car but too many issues for me to take a chance on and be able to afford.

[Jarod_The_Ronin]

Originally posted by V8SpankR
Besides the fuel line,cooling system and brake recalls they tend to suffer from these maladies and Sport Compact emphasized potential buyers of these in last months issue in the RX7 buyers guide.

Here they are:
No boost above 4500rpm
Oil pressure guage failure
Hand brake light comes on while driving
Low coolant alrm sound even if things are ok
Radio flashing "Err" code
Paint problems
Battery failure and leakage
Brake rotor warping (can happen to any car if the driver's too har don 'em)
Suspension clunk
Cracking factory wheels
Oil pan leak
Interior part cracking or breaking

"There are only two common failures of the rotary engine - a blown apex seal or a leaky coolant O ring. Unfortunatly both require a complete rebuild." (SCC's exact words)

Like I said it's a neat car but too many issues for me to take a chance on and be able to afford.

Sport Compact Car is a respectable publication, and they know thier stuff about rotaries. That article was a lot less foreboding than you interpreted it as being. Rotaries are not all that much work if you keep them healthy. It's all in how well the owner takes care of the car. Little things like not letting the car over-heat, using organic oil, hitting the redline at least once per day, and just paying attention to the car in general... can lead to a much longer life expectancy. And, that article dealt strictly with the FD. FC's like the one I used to own are much easier to maintain, more reliable, and are just better cars all around than the FD.

[V8SpankR]

Sorry,I did make it seem that they were a waste of time and like you said,it does matter how the previous owner treated but they do not however tolerate much or any detonation and it only takes one time overheating to do some serious damage.

They don't have much room for error when tuning and racing them and parts are a bit pricey when you need a replacement and I've heard that they don't go too far past 100k on the odo before they need a rebuild,is that true?

[Jarod_The_Ronin]

Originally posted by V8SpankR
Sorry,I did make it seem that they were a waste of time and like you said,it does matter how the previous owner treated but they do not however tolerate much or any detonation and it only takes one time overheating to do some serious damage.

They don't have much room for error when tuning and racing them and parts are a bit pricey when you need a replacement and I've heard that they don't go too far past 100k on the odo before they need a rebuild,is that true?

100K is about the mark most FD's need a rebuild. It's not as expensive as you'd think. An FC can, and mostly will go well past 200K before major problems happen.
No engine tolerates much or any detonation.
Yes, over-heating is a panic-situation. You don't want that to happen, because the excess heat warps the rotor housing walls, exposing the seals, and rendering half of the engine inoperable.

Now... what makes this engine worthwhile? A stock FD will run strong to 100K miles. So will a moderately tuned FD. A Heavily tuned FD won't be too far off, either. Provided you replace the stock twin sequential turbo with a large, single turbo (thereby solving a major part of the problem). Drive an RX7 hard... they like it rough. Those cars will just keep begging for more. But, honestly... the better RX7 for racing applications is the FC.