Does anyone own an RX7 FD?

Deep pockets are required, as you probably already know, but do it lol.

Beautiful cars, capable chassis, awful engine.

*n

Yeah, I've got one. Dunno about beautiful, but thanks anyway Johnners

As it happens, I've been daily driving it the last month or so while the FB's getting some garage lurrve, which is surprisingly fun. Being a single turbo you can drive it off-boost fairly well so you're spared the stock twin "OMFG the second turbo just bit and it's raining rather hard... oooof, was that the armco?" moments!

Expect fuel economy to make you weep... bank on 20mpg and be pleasantly surprised to get better than that (on a run you can double the mpg, in town half it). Tyres are pretty expensive, depending what you've been used to and what wheels it's running. Rat's nest issues can turn your hair white and shatter your teeth with frustration (the rat's nest is the miles of vacc plumbing and solenoid racks for the turbo switching system... any one component developing a - usually intermittent - fault will cause all kinds of mutant behaviour and be life-shorteningly annoying to diagnose). But get a good one and I firmly believe there's nothing that can touch it for the money, both in terms of driving pleasure and overall satisfaction. We regularly see people sell up on the FD forum, only to come back a year later cos they find they can't live without an FD

Do you have a link to the car you're thinking of? Most in the UK are known to someone on FDUK

EDIT: if it's been stood for a long time this can often lead to water seal failure. Definitely worth asking how long it's been laid up (if it has). Also, what oil do they use and do they run it on V-power or low-octane? These are signs of someone who knows how to look after one. Mayonnaise in the oil filler cap is not necessarily water/oil mixing (no head gasket, remember, lol); they often condensate a little in the filler neck. Fuel filter is a nightmare to change... ask when it was done, another sign of a loving owner.

Usual wisdom is you can modify the intake or the exhaust but if you do both then you at least need some kind of smart boost control and preferably an aftermarket ECU like an Apexi. The stock ECU really isn't too clever at controlling mods and you tend to get bad boost spikes and horrendous fuel cut which will break apex seals.

Martin is a good lad, I had my last FD from him.

I've ran a few FDs, broken a few, took a few apart and some I've not managed to break.

Living with one as a daily, apart from the cost is the comfort, they're so hot inside! Keep an eye on temps and oil levels and service it regularly. Decent ECU mapping is key, up your way is W.G.T, in Middlewich. Make friends with Pip.

Yes they are: www.wgtautodevelopments.co.uk

Never used them myself, but my mate Matt has had a couple FDs built by Pip and he's kept going back for more. Don't remember a bad word said.

I bought one 5 years back as a none runner with electrical issues which turned out to be a mess of immobilisers that needed ripping out and was bone stock , fitted an updated rad and front mount cooler then took it to pip for an apexi and remap to just under 300hp . Absolutely loved it and one of the best drivers cars I've owned but it had been stood for a couple of years before I had it and the champagne bubbles started appearing after a few months so sold it on .

I can only assume you bought it Dave? I have lusted after one of these for ages! Enjoy it fella .

I thought the '96 upgrade included the better quality interior plastics, but maybe it was the '99 update then. Are they covered in a weird rubbery textured eezee-scratch coating or a more modern sorta bobbly textured hard plastic? To be fair, all FDs do suffer badly with squeaky interiors. You can improve matters a bit with dynamat and damping especially bad panels with sticky foam or whatever, but it's an endless task dependent on your personal level of OCD

And yes, they are genuinely dangerous in the wet, especially if the crossover onto second turbo is a bit abrupt due to dodgy solenoids in the rat's nest. Sometimes it can come in with quite a bang, and before you know it's happened you'll be picking shattered armco out of your teeth

I will own one at some point. There is something strangely appealing about a Japanese car that breaks down I believe it adds a certain charm to the car besides who really needs a reliable 2nd car