1987 Mazda RX7 GTX Twin rotary from North America
Summary:
Incredible handling; a great sports car for more experienced drivers
Faults:
It has some minor issues. The driver's seat has a small tear in the back, sunroof sticks. Nothing major.
General Comments:
I can't really comment on the reliability of this car, as I recently acquired it.
However, you would be hard pressed to find a better performing car under $10K. Unlike most cars available, even including those that are marketed as "sporty", the car has virtually no understeer built-in to protect a poor driver. This means that the car handles perfectly neutrally, and it is shockingly easy to shift the handling balance with a little gas or braking. This also means that the car rewards an experienced driver far more than most other cars on the market.
The acceleration is excellent. While off the line a speed on the GXL isn't spectacular, it can still do 0-60 in under 8 seconds, and has enough power to pull quite strongly at freeway speeds. But most importantly, it provides this power through the small and compact rotary engine that enabled the manufacturer to provide a car that is both better balanced and more than 500 pounds lighter than its competitors.
Inside, the highly bolstered seats hold the driver tightly, and the dash is dominated by a large, centrally mounted, tachometer. My car is equipped with a short shifter and aftermarket steering wheel that provides short throws and excellent ergonomics.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 20th April, 2006
24th Apr 2006, 20:00
That's what I have heard. A lot of people complain about reliability, but the most knowledgeable people I have talked to say that a well maintained 7 is very reliable.
The last two owners maintained it perfectly, and passed on over 10 years of maintenence records.
24th Apr 2006, 23:48
A naturally aspirated RX7 seems to been very reliable, as I'm thinking of buying a 13B second generation with 217,000 miles on it (original engine). But, I've heard numerous people mention that the turbo fitted cars are notorious for blowing the apex seals around 80K or so. Also, the 12A motor doesn't seem to hold up very well either, at least from what I've seen.
20th Apr 2006, 12:34
Unless your car was severely abused by its previous owner you should enjoy outstanding reliability.
My friend had the convertible and drove it to nearly 300K miles. She never wanted to give it up, but ultimately had to as she switched careers to become a realtor. She talks about that car even today as it was bulletproof, much more so than the Passat she got to replace it.