They Say Never Drive Your Heroes....

[onewhippedpuppy]

So I drove one and bought one.

The test drive was a 1991 Nissan 300ZX Turbo, a dream car of mine since I was 10. It was local and only $8k so I had to look. Decent interior, lots of recent maintenance, and some quality bolt on modifications, but it badly needed a paint job and the suspension was totally shot. Still, what a freaking car! Zero lag and it pulled like a freight train from nearly idle, fantastic driver focused interior, nice linear steering, just an awesome car. I passed because I already have too many projects, but damn do I want a nice one. I also think these have huge future investment potential.

So on to my purchase, a 1993 Mazda RX7 Touring formerly owned by our own Seahawk, and originally purchased new by his father. Paul is too tall to comfortably drive the car, so we managed to swing a deal. It's a totally unmolested car with 110k and was his father's daily driver, as such it has a lot of wear and tear related issues to address. On the upside it has a recently rebuilt engine, and the only thing that's inop is the power antenna. I freaking love it, a Miata on steroids. Turn in is instant, and a little throttle gets the rear to fall right into line. The steering is a great reminder of how bad modern electric steering is. No turbo lag to speak of, it just pulls and pulls with that amazing rotary smoothness. Finally it's just so SIMPLE, everything you need with no extra junk. It's one hell of a lot of fun. I'll be attacking the interior first, refinishing what I can and replacing the rest. It's going to get the dents removed and a paint job, I'll address some of the common shortfalls like cooling, then do a few mild upgrades like a down pipe and suspension. Should be fun!

Yes, pictures will come later.....

[AFC-911]

Congrats and enjoy them in good health.

Those are two cars I admire from afar due to the Nissan's engine bay and the Mazda's rotary...

Oh and I was under the impression that you bought both of them!!! lol

[Embraer]

sweet!!

[Nostril Cheese]

Back in high school, my best friend bought an immaculate first gen RX-7 with a 12A for $1500.

We immediately tore that out, threw in a 13B turbo and drove it from LA to Vegas and back. So much fun..

[onewhippedpuppy]

[Sarc]

I believe in another thread, I called "dibs" on Seahawk's FD after it gets the Onewhipped treatment, but timing as it is, I'm heading up north this week to look at an ultra clean '94 this weekend. Can't wait!!

The Z32 is a beast, Pops had an NA and a TT when I was in high school. Awesome GT cars.

[Jim Richards]

Paul! What the heck is wrong with you buddy...letting that flat-lander sneak into the mid-Atlantic area and abscond with such a nice car? Pretty soon, nothin' will be left!

[creaturecat]

Originally Posted by Jim Richards

Paul! What the heck is wrong with you buddy...letting that flat-lander sneak into the mid-Atlantic area and abscond with such a nice car? Pretty soon, nothin' will be left!

gonna need snow tires.

[porsche4life]

Awesome Matt! Fun little ride!! Bring it to the desert when you are done with it. More buyers here.

[Noah930]

Have always had a crush for the 3rd gen RX-7.

I really need to stop clicking on your threads, Matt.

[porsche4life]

Originally Posted by Noah930

Have always had a crush for the 3rd gen RX-7.

I really need to stop clicking on your threads, Matt.

I would gladly drive whatever you buy from him cross country for you.

[Nate2046]

Congrats! In my opinion the FD has to be the most beautiful Japanese sports car ever made. The shame of it all was that the interior was so chintzy and the rotary was less than robust. Mine had a minor reliability mod (LS1 transplant) but I'd eventually like to own another with the original drivetrain.

[slow&rusty]

Congrats on the FD purchase. As recent as last year I was looking feverishly to buy one (or a Mk 4 Supra), but eventually gave up to pursue another purchase. These are fantastic and iconic cars and certainly a high water mark in the supercar world.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Thanks all! Nate, that's a fantastic looking car, and very much like where I want to go with mine. R1 front spoiler, no rear spoiler, slightly lower, otherwise stock. They are such a timeless style that I'm not going to mess with much.

While they obviously aren't the most robust design, I think the rotary gets a bad rep because they are so easy to upgrade. Unfortunately if you crank up the boost without upgrading the cooling system, oil cooling, and address the additional heat under the hood, something will eventually give. This car made it over 90k on the original engine, which isn't great but it's not terrible either. Rebuild prices are pretty reasonable as well, so it's not that frightening of a proposition.

[Paul_Heery]

Originally Posted by slow&rusty

Congrats on the FD purchase. As recent as last year I was looking feverishly to buy one (or a Mk 4 Supra), but eventually gave up to pursue another purchase. These are fantastic and iconic cars and certainly a high water mark in the supercar world.

I believe that you are stretching the definition of "supercar" by including any RX-7 in the category.

[Seahawk]

Originally Posted by Jim Richards

Paul! What the heck is wrong with you buddy...letting that flat-lander sneak into the mid-Atlantic area and abscond with such a nice car? Pretty soon, nothin' will be left!

...says the Cali-Bound deserter!!!

Matt was in DC for a convention and we met at my farm. We took a ride in the RX-7 and the deed was done over a couple of Shirley Temples.

It was honestly just sitting there since my Dad passed. I drove it every few weeks but unless the sunroof was open I had to tilt my head to fit.

Matt is a real pleasure and I felt he was the right guy to get it back to snuff.

[VincentVega]

Neat cars. Too small inside for me but one I've always like to drive, for a short time.

This car made it over 90k on the original engine, which isn't great but it's not terrible either. Rebuild prices are pretty reasonable as well, so it's not that frightening of a proposition.

apex seals. Unless there is a new formulation its a wear item that is a typical cause of a rebuild. Like you said is almost too easy to add boost so many are cobbled together at this point.

[aschen]

Absolutely lovely cars, the boosted magical spinning triangles trouble me a bit, but it is still one of my fav cars to see on the road

A few years ago I maid a thread in another forum proclaiming 1992-1995 as the absolute golden age of the sports car. It was a bit tongue in cheek but it sparked may pages of discussion

[rammstein]

That is nice, and hard to find one without mods.

[vash]

Matt bought a car?
It's like
Deja Vue all over again. .

Great great car.


Sent via Jedi mind trick.