Faults:

Turbo exhaust gasket is blowing.

External waste gate stuck shut.

Fuel map is obscenely rich on full boost, due to sticking waste gate when last mapped.

General Comments:

GT35R single turbo conversion, with associated reliability mods (fuel pump, cooling, ignition, etc.). Needs bigger injectors to get the best out of it, and the previous mapping session was blighted by a sticking waste gate, so it's currently putting out a safe 350bhp at 0.7 bar. Injectors and a remap should see 450bhp+; more if I up the boost a bit.

Coming from a Toyota MR2 Turbo and a Mitsubishi Legnum VR4, both around the 300bhp mark and neither of them slow cars, it is mind-boggling how quick the RX7 is. It revs very freely, and the speed just keeps adding on, regardless of which gear you're in. I'm guessing 0-60mph is done in just about 4 seconds dead, maybe a bit over.

Cornering is a revelation. It feels like there's no car there, just me and a steering wheel. Surreal at first, but it very quickly becomes clear how awesome a package this car is.

Fuel consumption can be OK, can be dire. Managed 27 mpg (UK) on a motorway run, but it's in the low teens running about town, and single figures when having a play.

Cabin is a tad cosy, but not uncomfortable.

All in all, the most awesome, insane car I think I'll ever own. I love it.

Faults:

Nothing major; I bought the car instead of a classic car, and as such expected some niggles. I keep a notebook in the car to keep track of the niggles, the only things which aren't reasonable wear and tear for the mileage are;

Clutch hose weeping, meaning I need to pump the clutch occasionally (a pain in traffic)

Rear suspension bushes worn, giving clunks over bumps, and a loose back end.

General Comments:

I bought the car primarily for it's performance, and I love it. It's got a great spread of torque, and makes a unique noise.

The transmission feels very positive, and the brakes are the best I've personally used, both in terms of feel and power.

The handling is great, although it's very easy to get the back to break away, especially in the wet.

The steering is quite quick and very accurate, but could maybe use a little more self centring (although the adjustable castor means this can be dialled in by someone who knows what they are doing!)

The boot is surprisingly roomy for a car of this type, and small people can fit in the rear seats for short journeys, providing those in the front are less than 6' tall. However, the interior is short of oddments space.

The seats are a little short in the back for genuine long distance comfort, however the driving position is reasonable, with good visability.

The dealers in the UK don't know how to work on this car, so a specialist is a must (and cheaper!) Also, some UK dealers won't supply parts for imports.

Some of the parts of the car are eminently DIYable. However, the engine is different to a piston engine and hence must be maintained slightly differently, and the twin turbo setup can be fearsomely hard to trouble shoot.

Fuel consumption is high, especially around town.

Overall, this car is a beautiful package, but does not tolerate neglect or abuse. They feel special to own, but must be bought and maintained with care, especially now that more are being imported from Japan at low prices.

Faults:

Not too many thing's went wrong with this car:

1. Fueling problem, I removed the first Catalytic Converter (hole in the CAT) and replaced this with a "HKS" Down Pipe (£280 pounds), this resolved the problem and the car had more power and better idle - a common problem with these cars.

2. Flooded Engine - My car would not start one morning, turned out to be a fuse problem. I removed the 20A fuel pump fuse, took out two of the spark plugs and turned over the car until the fuel had been pumped out of the engine and then I jump started the car without any problems.

3. Had the wiring loom correct, replaced all faulty wiring and most importantly - these cars do not have the best earthing - I connected a 8WG wire from the negative (-) battery terminal to the fuel rail, the engine block and the suspension turret to fix any electrical problems - this is a must fix for any RX7.

4. Brakes, my vehicle had the wrong pads up front resulting in a costly replacement of the disc's and pads.

General Comments:

This car is amazing, truly a sports car.

The bodywork is exceptional, especially as it is aluminum and weighs next to nothing.

The performance is also amazing, unlike any car I have driven.

The Rotary engine has to be driven to be believed, especially the smooth acceleration due to the lack of a fly wheel like on conventional engine.

I had bad experiences with my dealer, I purchased the vehicle UK ready from a local car dealer who obviously knew nothing about the RX7's - no after sales support.

Luckily I found a local (Bedford) based RX7 tuning garage, they took the car in and in two weeks had fixed any major problems and replaced the exhaust system with a HKS 3" system to a "HKS" Hiper Muffler, very very loud with flames!

Performance is amazing as long as you don't do stupid modifications, I purchased the whole "HKS" engine kit ("HKS" Intercooler, "HKS" Re-Breather Kit, "HKS" Induction Kit, "HKS" SQV Blow-Off Valve, "HKS" Radiator) purchased for £2750.00 pounds which pushed the power up to around 350BHP.

I would recommend you have a fuel computer fitted or you will run the car lean, something like an "APEXi" unit is reasonably priced and looks very cool in the cabin.

I chased a "Honda CBR" on my way to Birmingham so this tells you what these cars are capable of.