rotary confusion

can someone tell me the good and bad points of the rotary engine before I buy one?<br> how fast are they, how dependable, what kind of upgrades are available?<br> How do the early generation rx7's handle and corner?

It's all about personal taste when comes to car. I'll tell you what I think about it, and it's up to you to decide whether you want to buy it or not. I have an '87 Touring Package with 130K miles on it, and this baby is still doing 110-130 mph no problem, and 30 mpg since the day I got it without any problem (I use a different type of mixture of oil to get this much mile/gallon). I have not done anything to the engine except I had to put on new mufflers because the stock one are all rusted. I've just add an additional oil cooler, and it works great. It keeps the temperature way down during the hot summer days in Texas. You have plenty of space in the engine bay to do whatever you want. Next, I'll be working on an internal cooling system using liquid nitrogen for the intake. I can't say enough about this car. In fact, I'll buy the RX8 when it comes out for sure. This car can be described in 2 words "FUCKING INCREDIBLE". I have a B.S, Master of Science, and soon Ph.D in Mechanical Engineering, and I love this car because I can do a lot of stuff with it. I know a lot of people jack with the intake and exhaust and turbo/supercharge... you name it! Correct me if I'm wrong, but when RX7 was still in production, Corvette used to compare itself as far as handling, speed... to the RX7. Enough said, if you have money, go for the 2nd or 3rd gen. with twin turbo. I'd love to get my hand on one of those babies.<br>Anyhow, good luck finding a good one, and when you do, you'll not be disappointed!<br>Zoom Zoom,<br>JP

Good points...Absolutely flat torque curve(lots of pulling power) High horsepower to weight ratio (great performance)very long life if proper care is maintained, my first one is still running with 140,000+ plus miles. Bad points...very sensitive to overheating.(keep oil and water in it) Gas hungry (don't expect economy car mileage)Winter driving can be hairy(depending on your thrill threshold) Upgrades...the sky (and your pocket book) are the limit. I recently saw a RX 7 with over 600 horsepower from the stock block. You can turbo charge, super charge, or run nitrous.The best ,and cheapest mods are intake and exhaust upgrades, and a lightened flywheel. Check Mazdatrix.com for all kinds of goodies. I have owned a 79 and now an 85, and they both handle like they are on rails in stock trim.of course you can upgrade the handling also to whatever level you prefer. 2 or 3 years ago, I watched twin turbo RX 7's in SCCA racing lapping V-8 Mustangs and Corvettes, the only problem was the Mazda's had to pit for fuel twice as often. Hope this helps you...happy motoring