Im looking to sell my prelude and buy a new car. Im looking at a 2000 s2k or an 93-95 RX-7. I know the honda will be more reliable but the 7 will be faster and is less seen on the road. It is also less expensive.

How easy it to mod the S2k? I know the superchager from jacksonracing adds around 100 hp. Also how reliable is your s2k? My lude has been doing very well and I havn't had any problems with it.
Im looking for a fast but also fairly reliable car.

Thanks for any help!

 

S2000. I had both and sold the RX7 6 months after owning the S2000. RX7 was a great car but mine had a gremlin that kept the car on lifts more than the tarmac.

 

i think you'll find more specific answers if you tell ht'ers what you want. fast straight line, turning, looks, reliabily, turbo, n/a, etc etc.

seeing the two cars you listed, you seem to want a 2 seater rwd. price wise, kinda different mid/high 20g's for s2k, and the rex would run 22g's or less
-350z
-rx-8
-91 nsx?

 

Rebuilding a 13BTT is not a task you are going to undertake yourself. Hell..... you are not going to want to get the engine out yourself and unless you know the process by heart it will take you 3 days to do it.

A mazda reman engine will run between $4-$5K installed, depending on the shop.

The turbos tend to last about 50K, and the Motors 70K or so, less if modified.

 

I know the honda will be more reliable but the 7 will be faster and is less seen on the road.
There is a reason for that

 

I see thanks for all the help guys.

Your right Im looking for a 2 searter rear wheel drive car. and can I get an nsx for under 21K? what would be the reliability on such an old car?

can I modify the s2k to be as fast as an rx-7? from what I know 7's are faster. I think I'll probly go w/ the honda if I can find one for a good price.

 

Stock for stock the s2k and rx7 arent very different from performance figures. The rx7 will be a bit faster but handling is up in the air. As for an older NSX, the reliability is just like any honda, but of course the cost of replacing things like the clutch can get very expensive. Go for the s2k or 350Z for a nice rwd sports car.

 

don't getme wrong, but are s2k's running for 21k or lesS? i haven't seen one around my area break below 25k yet. (dealers not private sellers) i'll admit that the rex is more rare to find on the road, but considering the long run for the car (maintenance, rebuilds, etc.) it'll be more costly then getting any other car and modding it.

-my pick goes for a 350z. i've heard good things about it, plus, its pretty cool looking.

.02

 

I was soooo close to buying a RX-7 FD3---but man someone already said it,..replace the Apex Seals,..and you will over heat all the damn time,...You have to have almost bought one when they we're still sellin em to know what you've got,.all have different motors---most are Short lived!
Clean and fast here in NC does nothing but find them and rebulid them and I was gonna get mine from there
---but I had too many problems w/ my old 00 GSR/LSVTEC supercharged ride,..that I had to get a new car,..so long story short! They Look GREAT/Very fast w/ few mods/ some are still ok,..but not all!
I Think the FD3 is the best body style of ALL TIMES!!! I love it,....so I went and bought a 350---**** it!I love it!


get the S2k,...fun as **** to drive! + its a honda--a car that will hit 9k rpms and still last for 100k+ miles!

 

S2ks are definately more reliable. Stock, the suspension on the s2k definately is stiffer than the 7. But chassis rigidness, i'd have to give it to the 7 because of the s2ks convertable.
Power wise, i'd have to give it up to the 7. The s2k just doesn't have the pull of a 7 until 6000 RPMS (imo). The sequential turbos deffinately give the 7 an advantage in the low end. (don't get me wrong 7's are NOT torque monsters by any means)

i own a 94 Rx7 R1. Newly rebuilt engine (put in about 6 months ago myself). Brand spankin new twin turbos (slightly modified, just put in last summer).
I am more partial to the 7 since i own one...but i wouldn't put it past the honda.
Plus i just love turbos


[Modified by JDMB16ACRX, 6:21 PM 1/31/2003]

 

I love both cars. In overall feel and dimensions they are pretty similar but the powerband of the RX-7 is much more flexible. Even though the S2000 is a convertible it is still really stiff, it's a much newer design than the RX-7 so I wouldn't be surprised if the overall rigidity of the two cars isn't that different.

Like everyone else has said the RX-7 will take a lot of attention, especially since the newest ones are almost 8 years old at this point and will most likely need to have their motors rebuilt sooner or later. You can generally get a decently rebuilt longblock for about $2k, if you shop around you can get a street-ported motor with HD 3mm (not the old OEM Mazda 3mm) apex seals for about $3500. Just remember, be prepared to spend a lot of time/money on the upkeep of the car.

Of course then there's the issue of whether you want a hardtop or convertible but if that's not an issue then that's not an issue.

 

hehehe 13b-REW usually last around 100k in stock form.... in acutality the rx7 with single turbo and well tuned and a well rebuilt motor new rotor housings and STOCK 2mm seals, stock seals are by far the best!!! all the pro drag racing rx7's are running stock 2mmseals that should tell you something. But anyways a well tuned and well modified rx7 will put out 400hp to the ground and last you well longer than 80k miles..... rotories are only finicky to the same things piston motors are .... its just piston motors well take to it better than a rotoary will

 

and no im not rotary bais! im acutally saving for an s2k RIGHT NOW!! i love the looks of them...

 

Much of the problem with owning, maintaining and modding an FD stems directly from lack of information and knowledge. Check out some RX-7 websites and do a lot of research. I might suggest getting a second car as a beater so you will not have to drive the FD to get groceries, parts, etc.

 

with the rx8 coming out with similar power and cheaper.. do the same reliability concerns with the old rx7 rotaries apply? I can't say I know much about rotary engines, but being the only production vehicle with a rotary engine, I would assume the rx8 would be a pain to maintain.. but it is much cheaper than an s2k with a hardtop...

 

The RX-8 isn't turbocharged, and most of the reliability issues are associated with the turbo.

 

No. Unless you're looking for a crashed one with a salvage title.

Here is a good guide to prices of used NSXs.

Reliability on an older, well-maintained NSX should be excellent. But on the off chance anything goes wrong, fixing it could be pricey. While the engine is pretty much bulletproof, expensive repairs (such as to the A/C) are not unheard of, and you'll need to spend on consumables such as tires, brake pads, tires, clutches, tires... and tires.

There's a calculator on Edmunds here.

 

I agree with all the above, but there is one more thing to consider. How well will you fit in the car (could make a difference in the long run). As a previous owner of 2 3rd Gen RX-7 I can testify to the points made above. I loved the cars, but, the time spent out of commision was too frustrating to me. I am 6'5" tall, and I fit in the RX-7 with no problem. I now own a 2001 S2000 and love it as well, I think it handles even better than the RX-7, but you must keep it in the vtec (6k-9k) in order to experience the HP, and the track is the best place for this. Finally, at my height, I simply don't fit well in the S2000. Used to be that this would not bother me, but I'm getting older (>40!) and on long trips it is uncomfortable. I also have a new 350Z which fits me much better, so I am needing to sell the S2000. If you are < 6'2", you will most likely have no problem. I know that you want to modify the car, but this car is incredible right out of the box.


[Modified by SCkiddoctor, 8:21 AM 2/11/2003]