RX-7 vs Fiero (Page 3/5)
craigsfiero2007 SEP 01, 12:51 PM

quote
Originally posted by racingfortheson:

Well the problem worked itself out, He got a 300zx that was almost mint for $1500. This middle aged lady had it in her garage and had paper work with it on all the work she had done. In the last year or so she had over $4000 of things fixed. She lost interest cause she got a Solstice and put it up for sale.



Thats a cool car. Does it have T-Tops? Sounds like the previous owner fixed any issues it might have.
Phirewire SEP 01, 10:57 PM
I was actually interested in a 300zx till I was lead in the direction of them being similar to rx7 really more of a garage queen, lots of matinence and expensive parts.
racingfortheson SEP 02, 02:39 AM
So kinda like fixing up a Fiero?
thesameguy SEP 02, 04:58 AM
The Z31 is a pretty solid car. They tend to be durable, and parts are fairly average in price. Not a lot of tuning options for them, but that may be a benefit for someone who it still new at performance oriented car. I've owned a few rotary powered cars, and I think you really dodged a bullet. Rotary motors are super cool - an amazing experience - but trying to keep an SA or Fx car on the road in 2013 is a real challenge, Parts are very expensive, and post-Fast & Furious craze finding one that has not been beat to crap is is really, really tough. Craigslist is littered with RX7s that need or are on the verge of needing a rebuild, and very few that don't.

The Z31 was a very good car in its day and still has a lot going for it. It's not super fast but plenty quick and quite stable. I think it'd be a fine car to get your feet wet learning an FR car, and probably more reliable than many of its contemporaries. For whatever reason, the Z31 was not very highly regarded by the tuner nuts in the '90s, and good survivors are readily available. There is a pretty good support group on the 'net, too - and we all know how helpful that is.
pontiackid86 SEP 03, 10:49 PM

quote
Originally posted by racingfortheson:

. She lost interest cause she got a Solstice and put it up for sale.



she made a big mistake there... see if she sill likes it when 60K miles roles around
rbell2915 SEP 04, 04:15 PM

quote
Originally posted by pontiackid86:

she made a big mistake there... see if she sill likes it when 60K miles roles around




Hm? I would love a Solstice one day. What do you mean? (Not to hijack the thread or anything lol)
weaselbeak SEP 04, 09:54 PM
You will be sorry about that 300ZX soon enough. Worst, most troublesome, most expensive to maintain vehicle I've ever owned. From half shafts to cylinder head temp sensors to brakes to timing belts and every accessory on the damn think being JUNK. There was something wrong with it constantly, and it was never cheap, like pulling the whole damn timing mess apart to change a stupid sensor, or else butchering the rear cover to get easier access. Better hope you are proficient. Buying it is the cheapest and easiest part. It was so bad I GAVE it away, too considerate to ask for money for it. I also warned the new owner up front. Go to their forums and read up. Trouble is their 1st name for those things. Mine was an 86 non turbo, nice looking, and a dirty SOB from day one.
skuzzbomer SEP 04, 11:55 PM

quote
Originally posted by rbell2915:


Hm? I would love a Solstice one day. What do you mean? (Not to hijack the thread or anything lol)



He had one and random crap just started breaking... Fix it, something else went wrong.

Pretty much my experience with every car I've owned. My Mazda is on its second headunit (which is also having issues like the first one) and I need to fix the console but I'm not going to do anything about it as everything is functional currently and I don't feel like looking for the next problem to remedy. Relatively simple components that just weren't made for regular exposure to 100° temperatures. Meh.
racingfortheson SEP 06, 09:36 AM

quote
Originally posted by weaselbeak:

You will be sorry about that 300ZX soon enough. Worst, most troublesome, most expensive to maintain vehicle I've ever owned. From half shafts to cylinder head temp sensors to brakes to timing belts and every accessory on the damn think being JUNK. There was something wrong with it constantly, and it was never cheap, like pulling the whole damn timing mess apart to change a stupid sensor, or else butchering the rear cover to get easier access. Better hope you are proficient. Buying it is the cheapest and easiest part. It was so bad I GAVE it away, too considerate to ask for money for it. I also warned the new owner up front. Go to their forums and read up. Trouble is their 1st name for those things. Mine was an 86 non turbo, nice looking, and a dirty SOB from day one.



The good thing is I have all the paper work where she had most of the normal problems fixed at local shops with in the last 10k miles. We have a few lil things that we are going to do but almost all the "normal 300zx" issues are fix, for now lol.
starlightcoupe SEP 07, 12:19 PM
There was a fellow near me when I lived in Colorado who put an LS-1 and T-56 transmission in an RX-7. After working out some minor bugs, it runs very well. I seem to remember that he put in an S-15 Blazer rear differential or something like that. I toyed with the idea of doing something like that but I am glad I made the Fiero move. A lesser ambitious project like an older SBC or Ford or even a Chrysler 318 or 360 would be an easier project. There is a lot of info on the web about that conversion, too.

edit: I put a '68 Tonawanda Camaro four bolt main SBC into my '53 Chevy pickup and the best position for it was about an inch or more farther toward the rear than I could mount the engine without cutting into the firewall. If I went the SBC/RX-7 route of conversion, I'd probably think twice about a Chevy engine and think Ford because of the distributor placement in front. Just another thing to ponder.

[This message has been edited by starlightcoupe (edited 09-08-2013).]