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What car for $50,000?


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2002-04 z06=30k, build engine, a little tranny work, rear end and suspension work and brake upgrade. 550whp car that can out stop and handle almsot anything.

 

If you need a back seat like me- 03/04 cobra-25k, 4k for kenne bell stage 4 supercharger, upgrade tranny stage 2-2k(with core) live axle swap rear end-4k(easy to launch and shaves off 150lbs) big brake kit-3k, suspension-4k, bolt ons-3k, intercooler-1k, electronics-2k, tuning 1k. 49,000 for a 700whp car that can still handle great and stop great. The best part is the engine will act almost as tame as stock, but with 350 more whp.

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Understatement. Be careful what you wish for with that car. Much better to have a friend that owns one than to own one yourself, trust me.

Care to divulge the problems? Please don't come at me with the lack of torque and the notion that the Apex seals blow at ignition (if it was a frequent issue please state as such.)

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Care to divulge the problems? Please don't come at me with the lack of torque and the notion that the Apex seals blow at ignition (if it was a frequent issue please state as such.)

 

Background: My dad bought a 1994 FD3S in 1997 with 40k miles. Ran nothing more than a downpipe and exhaust for several years until the motor blew in 2003. We were exteremly fortunate as the original motor lasted until 110k. After we got a Bruce Turrentine rebuild with a street port and 3mm apex seals, my father did Apex'i twin intakes, Greddy FMIC, HKS SSQV BOV, ACT clutch, Aluminum Flywheel, HKS Twin Power, Apex'i Power FC, Fluidyne Radiator and some other mods that I'm probably leaving out. My dad was forced to travel with his job as of 05, and my best friend and I are now the caretakers of this car, and have been for about 2 years. We keep it alive so when my dad comes back once a month, he can joyride (talk about a role reversal).

 

Problems with this car:

-Interior was built to be light from Mazda. Unfortunately in Mazda speak, light = extremely cheap, brittle and non-durable. There are more squeaks in that interior than you can imagine. The squeaks even overpower the 3" catless turboback exhaust. Not to mention the interior has cracked in multiple places, and getting these pieces from Mazda, if not discontinued, costs and arm, a leg, and your left testicle.

-The transmission and downpipe produce a LOT of heat, and all of that heat vents through the transmission tunnel to your right leg

-The blower motor sucks. On the high setting, it feels like the LGT on setting 2.

-We stuck with the factory twins. Trying to convince my dad to definitely switch to single, not for peak power, but for simplicity. 74 vacuum hoses FTL. I swear we find a new boost leak every few months.

-He wanted to try to keep the A/C. Dont make that mistake.

-Car has had overheating issues for 6 years. Partially due to have only a single oil cooler, but mostly due to the FMIC hogging any air that would be going to the radiator. To help with this, we installed a 2-core radiator (definitely overkill but necessary when a front mount is blocking the air passages) with an SPAL electric fan. This managed to keep the water temps just below 100 C (as opposed to 120 C +)

-Poor build quality or factory design on several parts, one of the few cases where factory design was not up to par. AKA leaving a stock downpipe in will definitely blow your motor.

 

 

You must have the patience of a god to live with this car, it takes a certain type of personality. My dad has had to walk away on multiple instances to clear his head, and have had to do the same. This car is a finicky motorcycle on 4 wheels, albeit with stunning timeless looks. Just have a deep wallet before you attempt to buy one, you would need all $50k to make this car work right.

 

Basically, an FD RX-7 is like having a supermodel girlfriend. Damn good to look at, but you frequently question if it's worth the bullshit.

 

Pic: My dad and I at Tail of the Dragon a few years back

http://i14.photobucket.com/albums/a332/jrroszko/Dad/100_0150.jpg

On the search for a new DD...
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So there is some reward to it all.

 

Like any unreliable custom build there is huge reward on days the car actually does run right. nothing quite like it. But 80% of the time there is let down and disgrace, lol.

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