Looking Car for my Son

[Earline]

Hi Everyone, I don't know anything about these cars. I'm looking for a Mazda RX 1993-1999 for my son.

[GySgtFrank]

Welcome Earline. How old is your son? I'm assuming a teenager?

There are a few things you should know about the 93-95 (FD is how they're commonly referred to as that is their model designation from Mazda and 95 was the last year that they were imported to the States). They are one of the most gorgeous cars ever produced in my opinion, but they have some rather severe down sides for the uninitiated. First off is that none of them are cheap, expect to pay 15k or better for a decent example. Yes, they are a used car, but they are highly sought after by enthusiasts. Secondly they break, a lot, when pushed hard. If driven they way they were designed to be they aren't bad, but a teenager will not drive them that way. I know I didn't. They are not fuel efficient in any sense of the word and finding someone to work on a rotary engined vehicle that actually knows what they're doing can be a challenge. I'm sure he has his heart set on the FD and if he is willing to learn and study a lot to work on it himself, it can be a good car.

I guess what I'm trying to point out is that it all depends on your son's abilities and situation as to whether this would be a good choice for him. If the above is not applicable to him, then a Miata would be a better choice. They are a very fun car that get good mileage, are durable, and proven on the racetrack as one of the best handling cars for the money that you can buy.

Just some advice, although I'm sure he would have absolutely no interest in hearing it. :lol:

[speedjunkie]

^Brought up some good points I forgot to mention. I posted this in the other post...

Well Mazda only brought the third generation RX-7 here from 93-95, so that will help a little. Also, when you're searching, look for FD3S, that is the chassis code for the third generation model and it's primarily known by that or just FD, FD RX-7, etc. If you're looking on cars.com or autotrader or whatever, watch out for scammers. I bought mine 10 years ago and the first 3 I looked at were scams, saying they were in Romania or wherever. Sometimes you can find them on here or RX7club. I assume you want the car to be running, or does he want a project? If you get one without an engine and/or transmission, you could find a decent one for about $6k. These days you might actually be able to find a running one for that much. I got mine for $10k in 2004, and the prices seem to be about the same from what I can tell. There is also a thread on here about buying FDs, I'll see if I can find it.

http://rotarycarclub.com/rotary_forum/showthread.php?t=17723&highlight=buying+gen

Good luck with your search!

[GySgtFrank]

^Brought up some good points I forgot to mention. I posted this in the other post...

Prices of decent ones have gone up since 2010 from what I have seen. Although sometimes there are some pretty good deals out there, well relatively good deals anyway. The good part is that depreciation isn't a concern with an FD :)

[speedjunkie]

Well I've seen some decent running models recently being sold for about $6k. Most of the time you're looking at around $10-15k though. I wish our depreciation was as minimal as with Supras. And I think it'll be worse if a new RX-7 comes out, but I don't feel we have anything to worry about there lol.

[Trout2]

If your son has never had a rear-wheel drive car with a decent amount of power, the FD is not the car for him.

[Fendamonky]

I'm gunna chime in.. Earline, that is GREAT that your son is interested in an FD, they are gorgeous, timeless, cars! I have to agree with what everybody else is saying about them not being a very good fit for either a novice driver or somebody who isn't either a) mechanically inclined, or b) affluent with access to a COMPETENT rotary mechanic.

They are great cars, but they do NOT suffer abuse lightly..

[13x]

... Being a father of four ... I'd be leary if this is to be "a first car" type scenario, not a good choice young person could get themselves in bad situations and I'm not just talking about the police

[Pietro931]

... Being a father of four ... I'd be leary if this is to be "a first car" type scenario, not a good choice young person could get themselves in bad situations and I'm not just talking about the police


I agree!!! This car can get away from you if the driver is not experienced.

[Monkman33]

The FD is a terrible first car.

It's a great second car... as long as you still have your first one.