General Comments:

Very fast car, drifts nice too, but I recommend installing a racing beat exhaust system.

Faults:

The car has been very reasonable for a "toy".

I purchased the car used in 1991 with a few major fixes installed by the dealer:

1) newly installed rebuilt engine. The prior owner made one last oil change prior to trading it in, and managed to blow the original engine (left out oil plug, or something like that!)

2) repaired drivers seat where the side bolster had ripped.

3) repaired one or two body panels to fix dings.

Since then: two major tune-ups (expensive, as expected), three new batteries, new exhaust system, all new tires, replaced top once (needs it again).

Only current problem is that it is in storage too much... When I pull it out after 3-6 months, the battery is dead, and it takes me half a day to get it all charged up.

The top is heavily ripped on both sides along the creases that form when the top is lowered. (But, it is a convertible... I have no reason to drive it with the top up...)

General Comments:

I purchased it because it is the best looking convertible of all time (OK, my opinion...). I still feel it looks great, but I purchased a Volvo C70 last year (with the folding hard top), and now that is all I drive. The Volvo is now the best looking convertible when its top is down. Of course, it looks like a typical high end sedan with the top up, so the RX7 still wins on overall convertible looks. Why the Volvo:

- It has 4 seats (I have 2 kids now)

- Automatic transmission (I am tired of working hard when driving. must be getting old...)

- With the folding top up, it is almost as quiet as a sedan.

-- two words - "Nav System"!!

I am tall (6' 4") and I find the car very comfortable to drive. (Porsche 914 is the only sports I have had that had more leg room.)

I have a 1987 model RX7 Convertible 5-speed, the first year of this body style. Supposedly only 500 were imported to the US that year. So, that makes it rare. Replacement parts are very rarely listed for the 1987 model year. (I find most of the 1988 parts are fine in the 1987 car.) But, I wish my car had:

-- Automatic transmission

-- The 1988 (and later) model tail lights

-- Airbag (s) (driver airbag, then passenger airbags did not show up until later years.)

With a little attention to oil changes and driving calmly, I average over 10MPG, which is not bad for this type of car.

Faults:

I had pretty much all the clutch hydraulics go out on me a couple weeks ago. Parts cost $120 (new master, slave and line) and labor was $300.

Differential mount is believed broken (due to an extremely aggressive clutch).

Vacuum Leak causes high idle.

Shifter bushings were shot when I bought the car, cost $20 in parts and less than an hours labor.

Heating and AC do not work.

Clock and idiot lights were dead, soldered them myself in less than an hour.

General Comments:

This is my first car and I have enjoyed it very much, for very little money ($6000), it outperforms many new cars. Over all, I have had few problems and it's a pleasure to own.

The handling of this car is nothing short of phenomenal. Its perfectly balanced and very predictable. The 4 wheel steering feels a little weird at first, but is easy to get used to. The non-power steering is perfect at speed and not too bad in parking lots (I have no muscle at all).

Spooling up the turbo in this car is sure to cause euphoria. Thanks to the twin-scroll system, the turbo is responsive and power is more than adequate. Even though there is a heavy racing clutch in this car, the pedal is still very light and engagement rather linear. Despite being over twenty years old, it will still outrun most of the car on the road today. One of the advantages of the rotary engine is that it produces power all the way to its 7k rpm redline and it is quite safe, in fact critical to the longevity of the engine to bring it up to redline at least once a day. There has even been a buzzer put in place to remind you to shift (when you get to redline).

The interior is admittedly cramped, but the driving position is comfortable and everything is easily in reach. The instrumentation and gauges are always easily in view. However, after a few hours, the seats' lack of lumbar support becomes apparent and driving without heat or AC is a pain. The audio system (around 100 watts) is decent and fills the interiors relatively well. This is a sports car, and there are some sacrifices there.

This car responds very well to modification and the addition of a cone filter and a catback have significantly decreased spool time. Mechanics are hard to find (don't go to the dealer) but after-market support is very good. And there is some sort of bizarre thrill in knowing that you have on of the few cars out there powered by a rotary engine.