Background: I've had my S2000 for 10 years this month. It's such a fantastic car and that's the reason why I have not sold it yet. I was going to sell it when I purchased a LS3 C6 3 years ago but I couldn't bring myself to do it. Anyhow, today I was search around on craigslist and found a local Rx7 that caught my eye. The owner is a friend of a friend and he used to have a S2000.

It has 144k on the chassis and a 99 aspec Rx7 motor and transmission with 59k miles on it. Swap was done 4 years ago with 48k miles. It looks like it's in good condition and he is asking what my AP1 is worth. He owns a shop and did the swap himself for the previous owner who has 3 other Rx7s. Been working on the car for around 4 years and knows the history of it.

Unfortunately I won't be able to keep the S2000 if I decide to pull the trigger (no space). I've always wanted an Rx7 and almost purchased one a few times but backed out because I got scared of the reliability. However times have changed and money is good. This would not be a daily driver and it might see 3k-4k miles a year (just like my S2000).

So for those of you that went from an S2000 to FD did you regret it? I know I would be going from a super reliable car (I'm still on the stock battery!) to something that isn't. Long term plan would be a LS2 swap when the time comes...

Thoughts and opinions are welcome!

 

It really depends on what kind of car guy you are and what you want out of a vehicle. If you want something that's a hoot, don't necessarily care for razor sharp feedback or reliability - then the FD would fit you pretty well.

On the other hand, if you like reliability, and a drop top pure driving experience then keep the S, you're not missing out on much.

 

How does the FD not have razor sharp feedback or offer a pure driving experience? It was designed to be like that from the ground up, arguably even more so than the S2000.

 

Having owned and driven many on track and during development the cars don't offer the same "feel" nor the same experience while cornering at the limit. The FD is more akin to an E36 than the s2000.

The FD is probably a better handling car with higher potential than the S2000. I won't argue that. My argument is that if the emotional aspects tying you to your S2000 are why you love the car so much - the FD will largely not deliver in the same manner. They are similar in drivetrain and layout, yes - but the feel and experience is different. Maybe not night and day, but they are not one and the same.

If they were I'd have an FD in my garage.

 

inb4 apex seal, reliability, gas mileage

 

Watch any Hot Version International on YouTube that involves RX7's. They are incredibly well balanced cars.


Race starts at 9:35
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MgN_vvneOk[/media]

 

FD has a 16.6:1 steering rack, much slower, especially compared to the AP1. It does make it feel a bit less sharp, weirdly enough more so in normal everyday driving than at the track.

FD trans might be a disappointment vs. S2000 as well. The ratios are a lot more widely spaced, and the throws aren't going to feel as tight.

A true fixed-roof coupe version of the S2000 would have somewhat obviated my "need" for an FD.

 

I went from the opposite direction, FD to the S. I had a bone stock, true '99 spec that I swapped from automatic to manual. With some Ohlin's and RS3's it was an absolute beast in the corners.

However, I could never figure out why the secondary turbo would never come on full sing and despite much troubleshooting I never fixed it. But it hung onto the corners like cats on a curtain. In our local head to head autox event we have, the GTR's would kill me off the line, but by the end of the run I had a good lead purely from out braking and high corner speed.

Although the engine never hard broke on me, a good number of the surrounding parts did. The radiator busted, the AST busted, and the heater core also busted.

A FD is a time bomb without the correct amount of cooling upgrades and quality workmanship. I do miss mine dearly, it is by far and a way the most beautiful vehicle I have ever owned. Although the S is a head turner, the FD far outshines it. it truly looked picturesque in any background.

Don't let the naysayers scare you off though, often times those are the ones that either never owned one, or had a lemon from the get go. It's a car that rewards your hard work, and if you get lazy with taking care of it, it'll leave you heartbroken.

Eventually what did me in with deciding to sell mine was gas mileage. My area is heavily congested and I was daily driving mine. The stop and go traffic destroyed my MPG. If I lived in the States, or even better yet, had a 2nd car to daily I would still have the FD. But the constant gas gouging was extremely annoying.

Now that I have the S2000, I LOVE having the increased gas mileage, being able to just hop in and drive, and just the ease of ownership. IMO, both cars share similar ideals so it was a easy transition. Bottom line though, if that particular FD isn't very well sorted out, keep the S2000. On the other hand, there's nothing like FD ownership, it's truly a unique vehicle.

Sorry for the long winded post, here's my ol' girl.

 

Beautiful FD.

Since OP is only driving the car 3-4k miles a year I think reliability and gas mileage won't ever be an issue. He'll never drive the car enough to cause any issues to the engine since it's not being DD'd and constantly in stop and go traffic and gas mileage well... He's only going to be going through ~10-15 tanks of gas a year.

 

If it will start that many times during the year.


The car is amazing but some of the little headaches will leave you wanting a sledgehammer sometimes...