What would you buy - BMW 135i or LHD FD RX-7?

[BrownBoy]

Well...this is my dilemma.

I'm looking for a new daily driver and have narrowed it down to two cars. I can either get a new BMW 135i with the 4 year warranty for about $46K or I can buy a LHD FD RX-7 for around $15K and add another $10K worth of mods which would put me around $25K total. Here's some PROs of each car:



The BMW is the calm, collected car that's still very fast, but very refined.

The RX-7 is the heavily-modded all-out race car.

What would you buy? Discuss.

[jbenington86]

If you are able to throw up $46k with no problems go for the 135i...I wouldnt see the point in buying an '02

then again the generation of rx-7 kicked ass

[Jack in Jax]

Does ultimate cost matter to you? If so, you should work the 'bottom numbers' (actual cost, including tax, minus later resale) rather than just the top ones. (One wonders what a 10-yr old RX-7 would sell for?)

Jack

[rcracer_tx]

Originally Posted by Jack in St. Pete

Does ultimate cost matter to you? If so, you should work the 'bottom numbers' (actual cost, including tax, minus later resale) rather than just the top ones. (One wonders what a 10-yr old RX-7 would sell for?)

Jack

actually the resale on FD's is very good. For 10k on an rx7 you can get a stage 3 motor rebuild with new seals, a large single turbo stup w/ supporting mods(probably 76mm borg warner), and still have money left over for suspension or a body kit.

That being said...
You can make 500-600rwhp with the FD with a water meth setup on pump gas. What i'm trying to get at is that its all whether you want to have huge performance with alot less comfort and reliability, or a fun daily driver.

I've seen many Rx7's come through our shop, and you can tell the people who have done it right and the ones who went on a budget build and are trying to get rid of a problem. I would spend the extra doe and get a nice FD to start or you will regret getting a car without a warranty.

[mistermojorizin]

if you're looking at used cars, for the price of a 135i you could get a used porsche.

also, i'm not sure that the stock rx-7 is actually faster than 135i. probably feels faster for sure because the rx-7 pulls harder, after the turbo lag is out of the way and it's in its powerband. but the 135i is probably faster because it pulls almost as hard, but it pulls longer and with less lag. what does an rx-7 have stock? like 255hp? i know its lighter, but some 60hp difference is substatial.

in terms of handling, the max level may be higher in a stock rx-7, but the rx-7 is difficult to drive and has been described as "spooky." the 135 on the other hand is very easy to drive fast.

i mean they are very different cars, and if you are considering the rx-7, the 135i may not be for you. you would probably get more pleasure out of an evo x or an evo 9.

[BForbes]

Originally Posted by jbenington86

If you are able to throw up $46k with no problems go for the 135i...I wouldnt see the point in buying an '02

then again the generation of rx-7 kicked ass

Spending 46k on a 135i really dosent make sense IMO. The ''value'' part goes straight out the window. :iono:

But I would def choose a 135i over an RX-7. I've seen quite a few turn into bottomless money pits.

[BrownBoy]

Originally Posted by mistermojorizin

also, i'm not sure that the stock rx-7 is actually faster than 135i.

Who said it was stock? I'm talking about after the 10K worth of mods! :wink:

[Bizall]

Two words that made my vote easy you mentioned...Daily Driver...nuff said. Oh, and to make it clear...135i.

[MVF4Rrider]

Well, the rotary (internally) has only 3 moving parts. As long as the oil is being introduced into the rotor housings (by design), the seals should last a long time. A good set of coilovers should clear up any handling issues. Other than that it would be a super fun car for a lot less money. Don't go too radical with mods and it'll be very reliable as well. I've owned two RX-7s and they are loads of fun to drive. Even 255 HP is plenty enough for the car and most roads. A better option to either of those is the Z4 M Coupe!

[BMW Power]

135i will be the better choice ultimately, as you will be driving it everyday. It will be way more comfortable just because of the age difference never mind taking into account that its a BMW :smile:

[GQ 135i]

For a DD go with the 135i plus you won't have to worry about anyproblem cause of warranty

[Car Whore]

Originally Posted by BrownBoy

The BMW is the calm, collected car that's still very fast, but very refined.

The RX-7 is the heavily-modded all-out race car.

What would you buy? Discuss.

I'm no 1 series fanboy, but you had me laughin out loud at this post. You list pro's and for the 135 you list stock, yet you want to drop $10k in an RX7 so that's cool? Kind of contradicting yourself there aren't ya?

The fun to work on last for about 6 months, and then it becomes a HUGE pain. Ever notice why 99% of the for sale ads for any RX7 begin with ... "Well it's time to move on to a reliable daily driver..." I don't know that it will be cheaper to maintain, but I do know you'll get used to knowing every nut & bolt in your car.


Honestly - I'm a guy who loves to mod cars and usually mods the hell out of them, but this comparison is really an apples to oranges. $20k difference in what you're looking at spending alone...i do know of a few DD FD's but typically they are travel less than 10 miles to work...

Good luck with making the right choice to please YOU.

[BrownBoy]

Originally Posted by Car Whore

I'm no 1 series fanboy, but you had me laughin out loud at this post. You list pro's and for the 135 you list stock, yet you want to drop $10k in an RX7 so that's cool? Kind of contradicting yourself there aren't ya?

Theoretically, I'd drop 10K into the RX-7 to make it more reliable and modify it a bit, yes.

The reason why "stock" is a pro for the BMW is because there's a certain "tightness" about being stock. There's no bumps, rattles, squeaks or clunks that you have to get used to in order to live with your mods. Everything just works and I find that feeling is lost once the modding begins.

I've ordered my 135i and hope ot take delivery in August. Thank you. :smile:

[Car Whore]

I follow ya on the clarification - congrats on the 1er order... from my recent test drive & close friends who own them... you will love it!

[brando1985]

Buy the RX-7 and do an LS1 swap. That will run you ~$10,000 and give you all the reliability you'll ever need, add hp, and double the mileage.

[rcracer_tx]

Originally Posted by brando1985

Buy the RX-7 and do an LS1 swap. That will run you ~$10,000 and give you all the reliability you'll ever need, add hp, and double the mileage.

I'm no RX7 purist, but putting an garbage domestic ls1 in an rx7 makes the car lose what it is. If you want reliability and huge horsepower, put a 2jz-gte in and and a good size single turbo.

Congrats on ordering your new 1er.:thumbup:

[lamini]

Really
Xpensive 2fix
7times a year!

There's no such thing as reliable in an RX7, especially if you drop 10k in mods.

[BrownBoy]

Haha, I like that acronym! Thanks.

[WhiteOne]

I am 6'2" tall. My 93 RX7 R1 was fun to drive. It was not a daily driver. It would not be a good daily driver. My 135i was $37,000. After putting 1500 miles on it, I can say it is a great DD.

[cdub]

Just a few thoughts. We recently just purchased a 135i for my wife as a DD. Its a great car!

For myself I have been wanting an FD for years, and have been looking for a clean one for about the last 12 months. Finally, I found one. 94 touring, 55k, all service and work records, excellent condition exterior and interior, reliability mods only, 16.5k. I was ready to pull the trigger until I read this.

http://www.rx7club.com/showthread.php?t=770887

Read post #8. Howard Coleman is very well respected in the RX7 community. He owns multiple FDs. This comment is what prevented me from pulling the trigger.

"we own 2 FDs. mine is highly modded and my wife's is fairly stock. she is running a reman and it is in it's 5th year. (just summers in wisconsin.) stock turbos... stock factory map. so i guess it can be done but i wouldn't want to bet my life on how long... with what i know, i am not optimistic that the FD w the stock turbosystem can run for a long time without baking the motor."

For me, I didn't want to take the chance on a 16.5k ticking timebomb.

If I had more money for a weekend car only, and didn't care if the motor blew I would have pulled the trigger in an instant. As it stands we have a 135i which is a blast to drive, and no FD for now.

[BrownBoy]

That's what really changed my mind as well.

Sure, the FD is much cheaper now, but if you want to keep it running for the 10+ years you plan to have your 135i, I bet it'll end up costing just as much as the bimmer if not more after all of the reliability mods and regular maintenance.

[Sephiroth]

Get the FD if you understand rotaries. The FD can last 100k between builds but you have make some modifications to them. I switched back to an N/A FC which is far more reliable.