6th Nov 2007, 23:13

The early RX-7's were very slow and unreliable, but the distinctive styling was a plus. A friend of ours put a much more powerful and reliable domestic (Chevy) V-8 in his RX-7 and had the puny little frame reinforced to keep it from collapsing. Now it makes a halfway decent sports car. Of course it handles like crap.

5th Jan 2009, 19:22

Munch, munch, munch, pistons for lunch... Rotarrrrrrrrrrrrr FTW.

26th Mar 2009, 19:20

I have owned several RX7s, 1st & 2nd Gen, They are fun to drive and quick, but they lack the TQ if you're used to it.

When compared to an RX7 and a Mustang, they are two different breeds. Older 1st gen RX7s are reliable and the 2nd Gens are not so.

Replacing the engine is very common. Turbo engines will last about 100k miles if one is lucky. I will not trust any rotary engine because they can fail any time without warning. I became a pro at replacing engines. Having said that, I still like them a lot and am considering buying an RX8.

20th Nov 2009, 22:16

It is amazing that people compare new cars to 25-30 year old cars. Back then a Mustang GT had around 150 HP, yet these first Gen RX7's had between 105 and 135 HP. Put it into perspective, even American cars weren't great back then either.

24th Sep 2010, 17:45

Comparing 1984 cars to modern cars - You're not taking a lot of things into account such emission standards of the time, power-to-weight ratio and new technology. Still, 135hp for a 1.3 engine is a lot of power today (the 1.6 BMW engine used in the base Mini makes 122hp, and the Mini still weighs more than the '84 RX7) and even more so in 1984 when this car was made.

So let's put things into perspective. If you're going to compare the '84 RX-7 to American cars, do so with its contemporaries like the '84 Mustang, for example. Its base 2.3 4cyl engine made a paltry 80hp. The 3.8L V6 made barely 120hp... yes, that's right. This little 1.3 rotary engine still made 15hp more than that big Ford V6 Engine. Take into account that the RX-7 weighed about 500 pounds less than the Mustang (which gave it an excellent power to weight ratio) and you got a car that performed very well. The RX-7 is simply a great little car; fast, nimble, good handling and fairly reliable. You can't say most of those things about the Mustang or pretty much any other American car of that time.

And as far as quality, in 1984 Japanese quality was far, far superior to the big 3 out of Detroit. That's why you still see many Japanese cars from the 80's driving around, while the American counterparts are gathering rust in some junk yard.

Sorry you bought a lemon, but that's the chance you take when you buy a 14 year old car (you said you bought it in '98?) without knowing any of its history. But your experience is not a true reflection of what this car really is.

25th Sep 2010, 10:21

Having owned imports from the 80's, I can assure you the quality was FAR below that of any American car of the time. Our Honda was the most poorly built lemon I've ever seen.

As for older cars, there are a huge number of pre-80's domestics in my area and NO pre-80's Japanese cars at all. This is an urban myth perpetrated by Japanese ad hype. A neighbor of ours drives a beautiful 1977 Olds Cutlass Supreme and a 1969 Chevy truck. Both look new and run flawlessly.

After our experience with three pre-90's imports, we will never own another Japanese car. We can't afford the repair bills.

25th Nov 2010, 22:33

I have owned several of the so called muscle/sports cars from Detroit (70 Cuda, 79 Trans Am, 72 Vette). NONE of these cars were as reliable or as fun to drive as the first generation RX-7's that I have owned. They felt like TANKS compared to the nimble RX-7's.

27th Nov 2010, 12:54

Having owned a first generation RX-7, I honestly have to say that my '79 Ford Pinto was a more fun car. The Pinto was faster, didn't have half the rattles of the Mazda and lasted over twice as long. My RX-7 rattled and shook so bad at its 90mph top speed, that I seldom drove it over 60. Even then, it was so noisy you couldn't talk inside it.

23rd Mar 2012, 19:37

I'm an original owner of an '85 GSL-SE.

The people that complain here about this car bought them when they were 20 years old, and probably with questionable histories.

The people here that are happiest are the original or near original owners. Tells you something.

I'll never sell mine. No rattles, engine is solid. Needs some routine work, but it deserves it after 27 years.

21st Mar 2013, 10:00

Ha ha... You must be kidding here right. American cars (trash) vs Japanese cars. I've owned Japanese and American (currently 1 American garbage and 3 awesome Japanese; a Honda Accord, Toyota Corolla, and the most awesome 88 Mazda RX7 - the other two being mid 90's models). They are all running, and will continue for 3 more generations if you can do the upkeep on 'em, and that's how good Japanese cars are.

You probably will be the one and only person on earth, or maybe I've come across, who is putting down Japanese cars, and that too in comparison to American s****y cars. Just Google most reliable cars, and it will be filled with Japanese and German cars. Just cos you had one particular bad model (maybe very poorly maintained, and must've been in an accident) you cannot compare it to the rest of the Japanese cars. The largest and the #1 car manufacturer in terms of volume, quality, reliability and popularity is a Japanese company. My 2 cents... :) Andy

22nd Mar 2013, 07:21

Haha, I laughed when you put German cars and reliability in the same sentence. Get real and look up some delightful Volkswagen reviews, which have needed an $8000 transmission replacement within the first 5 years.

22nd Mar 2013, 15:43

I was really excited today to read a headline in the national news stating that younger Americans are turning more and more to cars made by the American Big Three. Younger people generally tend to be more easily misled by all the ad hype and myths spread by foreign car companies.

In addition, another recent story discussed surveys showing that fully 80 percent of Americans are actually willing to pay MORE to buy from American manufacturers.

In addition to renewed patriotism following the recession most car buyers who bother to inform themselves are very aware of the massive decline in quality of Japanese cars. Toyota has recalled more cars than any auto maker in history. Honda is following suit with massive brake recalls.

On the other hand, U.S. auto makers are building the most reliable, best quality vehicles on Earth. The Ford F-150 is the best selling vehicle in the world for the fourth straight decade. The new Mustang, Corvette and Viper are some of the fastest sports cars on Earth, while Cadillac builds the fastest sedan and station wagon on Earth.

I'm very proud to be an American and to see a huge majority of our citizens making the decision to support our own industries. I'm especially happy to see so many younger Americans breaking the grip of import myths.