DescentBB

IN early 2001 I bought a 1986 Series 4 Mazda RX-7 GT-R Turbo. It had just been rebuilt with new housings and 3mm apex seals, and had a single 3" pipe fitted. I paid $6100 for it, and over the last 4 years I spent maybe $2500 on it, including a new gearbox, lots of interior interior trim, new water pump, new left-rear swing-arm, a set of Silverstone 235/40 17's, reconditioned air conditioning, custom wooden gear stick knob. Oh, it was gloss white with white TSW 17" mags.

Anyway, I looked after it pretty carefully. I've owned 3 rotors before, so I know how to take care of one. I never took the thing over the 7K rpm redline (pointless, the torque curve takes a dive at 6,700 rpm), never did a burn out in it, and managaed to make the decidedly average clutch remain "decidedly average" the entire time I owned it.

Anyway, now I'm saving for a Porsche 928 S4, 5 litre (Euro-spec, not the emasculated US model!).

The reason for the story is this. Every car I've ever wned has depreciated rapidly over it's lifespan, but not this thing! "Boy Racers" love rotors, and especially the old-school kind, prior to the Batmobile models.

So, I advertised the thing on the web, and within 24 hours I had 6 offers to buy the thing sight-unseen! (I posted photos the second day). Yesterday I sold it, and I got $6100 for it. Exactly what I originally paid! No that's pretty amazing I reckon. Sure I had spent some money on it, but the paintwork wasn't perfect, and the thing had a few tiny dings and scratches.

I guess the thing is parked up now, getting it's springs chopped (YUCK!), having a blow-off valve installed (DOUBLE YUCK!) and a Free-boost converter installed (BOOM!).

I wonder how long it'll last in the hands of the 22 year old purchaser?

The car will last a good few years. The driver will last a good few miliseconds before he hits the windshield

There's some photos of it at http://www.4sure.co.nz/rx7/

Mobius wrote:I've owned 3 rotors before, so I know how to take care of one.

That really isnt a 3 rotor is it? If it is you should have gotten alot more than $6100 for it

LunchBox wrote:

Mobius wrote:I've owned 3 rotors before, so I know how to take care of one.

That really isnt a 3 rotor is it? If it is you should have gotten alot more than $6100 for it

I took him to mean that he's owned 3 different cars, each w/ a rotary engine. Not one car w/ 3 rotors.

I could be wrong. After all, he's from a different hemisphere

Nice looking car, though it could probly use a vacuuming on the inside

Pretty sweet that you were able to get what you paid for it, especially for a 19 year old car.

What are the specs of that rotor engine?

Regarding the S4, I know of one that has been garaged for half a decade and the owner is unsure of the state of the engine and doesn't want to crank it (that V8 is belt driven and if a belt snaps... well the good news is the Porsche garage will happily charge you ) I've been offered to do a full maintenance (belts, oil pump, brakes cpl, and the usual stuff) in exchange for a ride once in a while (the owner would like to see it in roadworthy condition and driven from time to time).

Unfortunately, I don't have time for that. Also, it's an automatic and I hate automatics

the steering wheel is at the wrong side

you need to have that thing detailed mobi. looks like a tornado went thru it.

Yeah, I spent 5 hours detailing it before the buyer arrived. But frankly, it was a wasted effort - the guy just didn't care!

Yes - owened 4 different RX-7's in total. The 3-rotor engine is the 20B, and those things are worth some serious money! I know of a few cars with them in, and they are pretty g'damned quick!

As to the 928 - I doubt I would crank one that'd sat idle for 10 years. Best to let the porsche experts handle that I think. Although you'd probably be safe if you changed the oil, sprayed CRC into each cylinder and just turned it over a few times before starting it. I mean the block is solid allow, with that weird silicon throughout it, so it can't have rusted! That's the nice thing about a 928, you can leave one out in the rain for 20 years, then just give it a clean, and you'd never know!

Currently, the S4's I'm interested in are trading at around $28,000 to $32,000 - and these are all FSH with less than 70,000K on the clock (Barely run-in!).

As to the comment "I hate automatics" - well, if you've never driven a 928 Auto, then you are in for a shock when you do. A Manual 928 is really something you don't want! I hate autos too - but the 928 auto is so friking sweet - one of the best autos in the world. It totally changed my mind about them! The auto version seems telepathic - it always changes EXACTLY when you think it should, and think it will.

There's really no reason you'd like to change the gears yourself, the only exception is that by default the 928 starts in second gear, and to get it to tear away in first gear consistently, you have to be quite harsh with it, or force it to kick down once it's rolling. (There are some quite small mods you can make to force the auto into first for all launches, quick or slow.)

It's funny, I know a couple of 928 owners who didn't even know the things start in second (and you can't "hold" them in first, because 2nd is the lowest selectable gear!), and when I have taken them out, I've held the thing back with the brakes, buried the gas, forcing it into first, and then dropped the barkes, to peeling tyres and a scolded-weasel getaway - and the owner's like "HOLY CRAP! I never knew this thing could get away like that!" HAHAHAHA.

Mobius wrote:A Manual 928 is really something you don't want!

As the owner of a "Manual 928", I can't imagine that you've ever spent any time with one to come up with a comment like that. First drives can be a little awkward due to the pattern, with first down to the left. If you do what you would "think" you're supposed to do, you hit fourth instead of second. Once you understand how the gating works, shifts from first through third are faster than an H pattern, and completely foolproof.

I don't mean to "dis" the auto, but the manuals hold value better in the states. If I had to drive it daily in traffic, I might accept an auto, but I can't imagine giving up shifting in a car like that. For me, that's half the experience.

Herculosis: nice car bro!

In general I don't like Auto's: most of 'em are crap if you are a genuine "driver". As a case in point, the Nissan 300Z range is a great car in Manual form, but stinks to high heaven as an Auto. (We ignore the fact the 300Z is WAY too light in the rear.)

The only "acceptable" autos I've ever driven are then Daimler "Double Six" (V12) and the Porsche 928.

I have driven several manual 928's, and I just don't enjoy the experience as much as an auto. Surprising as it may seem, I actually PREFER the "dogleg-first" in a manual! As far as I'm concerned, with such a great automatic gearbox, there's no reason to select the gears yourself - and if you want (or need) to - then you can hold the auto, just not down to first.

The reason I prefer the auto, is that the 928's I have driven (maybe 30 in total) have never surprised me at any time. They always change up exactly when you think they should - regardless of how deep your foot is buried. Given this; why would you want to change the gears yourself? The power penalty paid for the Auto option is absolutely minimal - and on the Euro Spec models (which are around 20% more powerful than the US models) the auto's thrash the daylights out of thje manuals...

What is the difference between the US and Euro versions of the S4?

As with most Euro / US counterparts -- most differences are the tune and emissions.