FD Reliability?
- Thread starter DE31
- Start date
GhostMercury
Member
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- MazdaSpeed 3 08.5
VERY. my friend bought one that got the entire drivetrain replaced with brand new parts, done by the dealership. (The previous owner did it) and its already breaking. 1000 miles maybe
GhostMercury
Member
- :
- MazdaSpeed 3 08.5
some love the rotary some dont. I know for sure you have to replace the seals.
I've been doing some calculations and I can afford to keep my p5 as a daily driver....
The problem is I'm a student, and student + the amount of time i work now does not work that well. I have been calling for days off on random since technically, i don't need all the money i make right now. If I do commit myself to the FD, I lose my option of calling the day off without stressing over payments.
Financially I can afford to get the FD and keep my p5 in case something breaks, but that leads to the problem of if I want to do that. I love the FD, its a beautiful car, but if it does break as much as everyone leads it to, I'm not sure I want it. I know it will break someday, which is when I'd probably get an ls1 swap, but I don't want to have it break a month or so after I buy it.
*edit* I just capitalized a few words, and added some commas here and there, in an attempt to make my posts seem more intellectual.
The problem is I'm a student, and student + the amount of time i work now does not work that well. I have been calling for days off on random since technically, i don't need all the money i make right now. If I do commit myself to the FD, I lose my option of calling the day off without stressing over payments.
Financially I can afford to get the FD and keep my p5 in case something breaks, but that leads to the problem of if I want to do that. I love the FD, its a beautiful car, but if it does break as much as everyone leads it to, I'm not sure I want it. I know it will break someday, which is when I'd probably get an ls1 swap, but I don't want to have it break a month or so after I buy it.
*edit* I just capitalized a few words, and added some commas here and there, in an attempt to make my posts seem more intellectual.
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If you want to do it, then do it. Take your time and find one that has no mods and the owner kept good records of maintainence. If they were treated right they would treat you right. But please, PLEASE.... keep the pistons out of her. IMHO it insults the RX and it's history.
LOL, I love how people who've never owned an FD stumble over themselves to chime in on it's reliabilty.
Still there is some truth there....
IMO, Properly maintained NA rotarys will last you 150k or more. I know some that have gone 200K with little more than new clutchs and frequent oil changes. But when MAZDA stuffed two turbos under the hood on the FD, with a complicated sequential system to manage them, together with ALOT of crap needed for emissions...reliability was significantly reduced. It's sort of the undeniable reality that PERFORMANCE is inversely related to RELIABILTY... or if you prefer...LONGEVITY. Add to this that you get huge bumps in horsepower with relatively simple and inexpensive bolt-ons that virtually any adolescent can do. The only problem is, it's not as tolerant of the average shade-tree tuner as a Honda is, so they tend to blow up frequently from ill-advised (unsupported) mods. I think this latter phenomenon feeds alot (but not all) of the FD's poor reliability reputation.
FDs IMO are not a good DD. They are only two-seaters, have no luggage/storage, ride a bit on the rough side, loud, small, suck on slick streets in the winter and get crappy mileage. You have to be damn near religious with maintanence. The newest one is still 13 yrs old, so most dealership techs have never even seen one and Rotary specialty shops can be hard to find. So, IMO you really need something else. Your still in school and it sounds like your budget would be stretched with two cars. I'd put it off for a few years.
I love the rotary engine. My experience with them goes back to 1981. But in my mind, doing an LS1-7 swap is not a whole lot different then sticking on a huge single turbo, FMIC, etc. or otherwise modding it to within an inch of it's life. Just another performance mod. I love the rotary, but equally appreciate the chassis and looks. So personally I'm OK with a V8 swap. I just wonder on "refinement" aspects. Someday I'd like to drive one.
My .02.
Still there is some truth there.... IMO, Properly maintained NA rotarys will last you 150k or more. I know some that have gone 200K with little more than new clutchs and frequent oil changes. But when MAZDA stuffed two turbos under the hood on the FD, with a complicated sequential system to manage them, together with ALOT of crap needed for emissions...reliability was significantly reduced. It's sort of the undeniable reality that PERFORMANCE is inversely related to RELIABILTY... or if you prefer...LONGEVITY. Add to this that you get huge bumps in horsepower with relatively simple and inexpensive bolt-ons that virtually any adolescent can do. The only problem is, it's not as tolerant of the average shade-tree tuner as a Honda is, so they tend to blow up frequently from ill-advised (unsupported) mods. I think this latter phenomenon feeds alot (but not all) of the FD's poor reliability reputation.
FDs IMO are not a good DD. They are only two-seaters, have no luggage/storage, ride a bit on the rough side, loud, small, suck on slick streets in the winter and get crappy mileage. You have to be damn near religious with maintanence. The newest one is still 13 yrs old, so most dealership techs have never even seen one and Rotary specialty shops can be hard to find. So, IMO you really need something else. Your still in school and it sounds like your budget would be stretched with two cars. I'd put it off for a few years.
I love the rotary engine. My experience with them goes back to 1981. But in my mind, doing an LS1-7 swap is not a whole lot different then sticking on a huge single turbo, FMIC, etc. or otherwise modding it to within an inch of it's life. Just another performance mod. I love the rotary, but equally appreciate the chassis and looks. So personally I'm OK with a V8 swap. I just wonder on "refinement" aspects. Someday I'd like to drive one.
My .02.
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FD's are not unreliable but their lifespan is short. People that remark on its unreliability do not maintain it to oem spec and fail to fix the parts that wear a lot faster than others. The FD, like said above, is a high output motor and is probably not a good choice for a daily driver considering its design origins. The non turbo FC on the other hand is long lived and reliable. My motor is at 175k and idle's perfectly
There is a lot in how you drive rotary too. Driving around town at low RPM or shifting at low RPM isn't actually good for it. The rotary engine is designed for peak efficiency and performance around the 5k RPM mark. The seals don't seem to last as long unless your beating the snot out of it. Its also true with the new Renesis engines. A lot of them are blowing because the owners buying them think they have V6's in them and not little pop bottle rotaries.
I have a friend of mine with one and its over 200k now. Had it rebuilt about a year ago, but it runs great now and rarely gives him engine issues.
I have a friend of mine with one and its over 200k now. Had it rebuilt about a year ago, but it runs great now and rarely gives him engine issues.
http://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=691745
what do you guys think of that with those mods? i was thinking stock rx-7 but this one seems well taken care of.
*edit* and my p5 will remain in my possession in case of any problems so i'd technically have a daily driver.
what do you guys think of that with those mods? i was thinking stock rx-7 but this one seems well taken care of.
*edit* and my p5 will remain in my possession in case of any problems so i'd technically have a daily driver.
Looks to be in very good shape. Worst thing that can really happen is the motor goes...in which case you either rebuild it for about $1000 or replace it completely with new turbos and all for just a little more. Most JDM suppliers are bringing in not only the complete cars but the motors too, so there is lots of stuff available to get it running right and smooth.
I say go for it! You will be happy regardless of how much of a pain it may become! Thats the Zoom-Zoom way...hate fixing it, but love driving it! Thats why these forums exist lol!
I say go for it! You will be happy regardless of how much of a pain it may become! Thats the Zoom-Zoom way...hate fixing it, but love driving it! Thats why these forums exist lol!