Which car would be better? A 1999 Corvette or a Supercharged Mazda RX-7?

Question

I'm looking to buy my first car. And since I don't wanna be driving some crap Honda I've come to 2 final decisions. I have a budget of about $22,000-23,000. If I got a Corvette it'd cost around $19,000 leaving a little left over for some exterior work. A Mazda RX-7 is about $13,000 and a supercharger I'm guessing would be around $5,000. I'd then spend the rest of my budget on a veilside body kit. The Corvette is around 345 horse power but I believe the RX-7 is about 255-275? plus a supercharger would make it even faster then a Corvette. Which one seems like the better car?

Answer 1

1. Any $13k RX7 is a 3rd generation (FD3S) and is already twin-turbocharged from the factory. Why would you supercharge it? Besides nobody even makes a supercharger for it.

2. You will kill yourself with either of these vehicles as a first car.

3. Your probably lying anyway.

Answer 2

Corvette hands down!
But if you have tickets, accidents, or are younger than 25 your insurrance rates will soar.
I have owned 8 vettes in my life and there isn't a better and more American car out there that has the lines and showmanship as the Vette.
If you live in Cali, get a convertible. Seriously.
Mazda's are low profile and are stolen alot.
Vettes hold their value if you take good care of interior and the exterior and keep it running right.
My last one was an 87 convert and I actually got 22 mpg on the freeway. Vettes are going very cheap these days due to gas prices and people unloading them. It is a buyers market so with 20 grand you should be able to get one newer than what you say is 19 grand... Go buy the big thick Corvette mag that has thousands of vettes for sale. You can pick it up at a good bookstore.... They come out every few months.... I would buy at least a 2002 and up with that money you have to blow... Try and get one that has the special engines, leather, 6 spd, or collector's series and you will never have trouble selling it....
Great cars! But very expensive to fix if you get in an accident.
First Car? Get a junker and drive the living H__L out of it..
Then get a nice car.....

Answer 3

I don't know the current actuary tables for these models right now, but any sports car like either the Vett or the RX-7 had a life expectancy of days.
So I am sure that either one will be in the compound yard or salvage yard in less then 2 months.
While you might be lucky and just have it stolen.
Anyway I say RX-7. But just put the supercharger on the back burner for a while.

Answer 4

Put a turbo in the Mazda instead. Both seem like terrible first cars, because chances are you are gonna have a lead foot and not have a lot of experience either way. I would go with a Impala SS if or a normal sedan with a little extra juice. But a corvetter is a car that you drive in nice days and not used for commuting.

Answer 5

i would take the corvette. I love RX-7s but they can be real money pits, especially when modified.

Also, if you are getting a corvette I highly recommend you get a Z06 model, since these are fantastic bang for the buck performance. a hardtop coupe with the z51 suspension package is great as well. I would avoid the 'magnetic suspension' option

Lastly, for 23,000 you should also consider the Subaru STi and Mitsubishi Evolution. Those are also great bang for the buck performance cars that offer great performance and have a back seat as well

Answer 6

You sound like an uneducated Fast and the Furious ricerboi to me. Even if you did buy a corvette, I can safely say that you wouldn't stand a chance against my 1987 RX7 non-turbo for one reason: I'm a better driver. Plus, since this is your first car, you obviously don't know how to drive a manual transmission and do it correctly, or rev match (heel and toe).

Give me your money and I'll teach you how to drive, because it's very apparent that you have no clue and as bad_karma_kayla said, you will end up in the morgue with either one as your first car. Untill you learn to drive, go buy a Buick from the 80s and put a limiter on it so you won't go over 35mph.

Back on the subject, a V8 simply cannot match the revving capability of a rotary because the V8 would rip itself apart from the vibration. The only engine I know of outside of Formula1 that can rev as high as a rotary can is a Group Atlantic 4A-GE engine, from an AE111, redlining at 11,000rpm. Honorable mention to the 4G92, in a CA4A/CB4A Lancer though, at 9500rpm. Also, anyone with a basic understanding of elementary mechanics can rebuild a rotary engine, due to their mechanical simplicity. With a little creativity, I could build a working rotary engine out of Legos

Answer 7

For a first car, I would think about the insurance rates. I would guess that the Mazda would be cheaper on the insurance. For performance, the Mazda will start outperforming the Corvette rather quickly, because the Vette is a much heavier vehicle. With a rotary engine, there is almost unlimited potential in the Mazda.

Answer 8

After coming back from Japan and driving REAL imports, I'd say go with the RX-7. You will have some freakin fun!

Or if you are looking for an investment go with the Corvette.

Answer 9

OK dont supercharge it. you obviously like the movie fast and the furious but calm down. RX-7s are really hard to find in good condition. and if you were to use forced induction dont waste your money on a supercharger for it. Twin turbo on the RX-7s is the way to go, but with 23,000 dollars you arent going to get an RX-7 and you definately arent going to be able to get a supercharger OR turbo. with that amount of money you shouldnt get a corvette. Go get a used STI or EVO or even an SRT4. way sicker, way safer, way less money

Answer 10

RX-7's are fantastic cars, when they run. They are fast, light, and handle well. However, the engine is a money pit. They are extremely unreliable, and cost a fortune to fix. They have more vacuum hoses than I can count. They are literally a nightmare to work on.

Corvettes have their own reliability issues, but at least they are far easier to work on except for that steering column issue.

Both of your choices aren't very reliable. With that budget I'd stick to something like an S2000. They are fast enough and very reliable.