What's all the buzz about RX7's

[Trent]

These are old cars people! with the money that some of you spend on them you could buy a brand new car???

I don't get it

[KevinRX7]

You're lucky I don't have time to reply to you in detail...

Let's see, they are still gorgeous looking cars
They have huge power capabilites
They handle better then most
They're fun to work on
Cost still usually comes in cheaper then your "new" cars, unless you're building a show car
You have something unique that you can't just walk into a store and buy.

[brent_strong]

There are tons of old cars that cost more than new cars. Is that something new or surprising to you?

So, I could buy this:



or this:



Not much of a decision for me.

[rick2]

Originally Posted by Trent

These are old cars people! with the money that some of you spend on them you could buy a brand new car???

I don't get it

its easy!

for $500, we picked up this rough piece:



With a bit of work, and studiously keeping our eyes out for good deals on various parts and bits, after spending only approx. $1100 more (included in that figure is $400 for another RX7 to donate some parts, which we will in the end either part out or resale the car itself possibly... thus further reducing total project cost...) we're currently sitting with a piece that looks like this:




and with it, we can have all sorts of fun like this:
(click the pictures for the super-laser-mega-fun video madness)









(those vids are all from this weekend )

Name a new car you can buy 2 of and have that much fun in for under $2k. Heck, name a new car you can buy for under $2k.


oh, and insurance on it is approx $25/month and registration equally cheap if we decide to license it and daily drive it. It HAD A/C, but we deemed it too heavy for a track-only car...

[Johnny Drama]

I'll take the corrola please

Wicked Vids Rick.. 25 bucks to insure

Just how do you get these deals man???? share the secrets!

[KevinRX7]

Assuming the guy isn't a troll... those two posts pretty much sum it up.

Rick, I'll have to watch those vids at home..looks cool though.

Brent, is that red one yours? what side skirt is that?

[brent_strong]

Nope, that's the RacingBeat car. I hope mine is half that beautiful when it's done.

[KevinRX7]

Ya, that is a gorgeous car. thanks

[rick2]

Originally Posted by Johnny Drama

Just how do you get these deals man???? share the secrets!

craiglist and ebay mostly...

[KevinRX7]

I'm always afraid I'll get ripped on Ebay.

[Mindcore]

You da man Rick!

Poor Trent, you just don't get it man... a car is a whole lot more then a just a car to some people

[RageRX7]

Another great set of pics Rick, very cool.

I suppose that I could have bought a new car for what I put into mine, but I doubt I would get as much satisfaction out of it. I could buy a G35 maybe, but other then being a little bit more comfortable, I'm giving up a lot.

An RX7 even by todays standards is still an incredible sports car. I also rarely see them on the road, so it's uniqueness is hard to quantify, but I'd rather drive something that not everyone else has, instead of being some tool that runs out and buys a beemer becuase it's cool

[Trent]

I'm just saying, you throw all that money into an old car, you need to keep fixing it, I would rather have a brand new 350z or S2000, or something, then a 16 year old car.

[brent_strong]

Originally Posted by Trent

I'm just saying, you throw all that money into an old car, you need to keep fixing it, I would rather have a brand new 350z or S2000, or something, then a 16 year old car.

I've got less money in my ~350whp 1993 RX-7 than I spent on a ~200whp 2001 S2000 last year. They should be similarly reliable.

I see what you're trying to say, but your numbers and comparisons are seriously off.

Why buy a used car? They're cheap and sometimes there aren't comparable cars available new.

Why put money into a used car? Because you paid less than new, so you should have some money left over. Plus, if you're into performance, there's no comparison of building vs buying new.

Find me a car that will run into the 11's at 120mph new. You'll be in GT500/Z06/F430/Gallardo territory. $50k+.

Or, I have ~$15k into my car.

[KevinRX7]

Used car deals can be had, and for a little investment you can have a car far more capable then what you can buy new.

Only people that really care about stuff like this are badge snobs

[Supersonic]

I was going to comment, but I think you guys have handled this better then I could

[rick2]

Originally Posted by Trent

I'm just saying, you throw all that money into an old car, you need to keep fixing it, I would rather have a brand new 350z or S2000, or something, then a 16 year old car.

Please re-read my post. I'm still waiting for you to show me one of these new cars for less than $2k.

If you keep up the proper maintenance on any car, it will last quite a long time.

Besides, most of the money spent on our RX7 has been for mods I would have to do to a "new" car anyways... and generally cost more on a "newer" car. For some reason no auto manufacturer seems to ship their vehicles with beefy anough springs, shocks, sways, etc... for my liking.

but... I race mine