Duke_Z28

iTrader: (1)

well, ive had my '98 for just over 3 years now, and i still love it, but its starting to show what my friends call "domestic reliability". Four things happen in the course of a week.

1 - after having routine 65k maintenance done the car overheats, i pull over and find that the overflow cap on the radiator has a busted o-ring.

2 - on the way to fix #1 i push in the clutch pedal and it doesnt come back. towed to the shop and replaced essentially the entire clutch system.

3- 2nd drive after getting car back all of a sudden i hear a massive bang, the rear of the car lifts off the ground enough to scrape the front spoiler on level ground and proceeds to bang every 40 feet. turns out the bracket that is holding the support bar over the drivetrain broke off and the bracket is falling into the U-joint at the transmission.

4- at random moments my ABS INOP, ASR OFF and BRAKE light will turn on and stay on unless i turn the car off and let it sit for awhile. took it to shop and they just shrugged, i dont know if they checked the hydraulics or not, but $$$ is tight so i cant get it fixed for now because of fixing #2

SO, there in lies the fun i have had as a proud F-body owner. Now my debate that i was some advice on. I have a few options that i am considering.

1- keep the car(the money i just spent on it makes this the most likely outcome)

2-sell car, get a more reliable and more fuel efficient car(ill prolly be wanting this since ill be going to college next fall), most likely an RX-7 FD since its the only car ive loved as much as F-bodies.

If you have an opinion or have another thing i can consider please post.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

If you still like the car, then keep it and fix it.

All cars will break from time to time as they age. Makes no difference if it's domestic or import. My wife's Toyota broke just as often as my domestics over the 6 years we owned it. If you never want to deal with fixing a car, then start leasing them and ditch it before the warranty is up.

iroc85blu

iTrader: (2)

dont get a rx7 i have had one and four of my friends have them and they are far from reliable. 100,000 new motor almost everytime. Apex seals suck ( if it was a piston motor they would be the piston rings).

landstuhltaylor

iTrader: (6)

rx-7s DO NOT get good fuel mileage

BrandonDrecksage

iTrader: (1)

your complaining about reliability and mpg and you want to get a rx7...LOL....that is funny. i've owned one, most unreliable car i've ever been in, expensive to own and had terrible terrible gas mileage. i still loved it, and would liek to own another with a lsx in it, but for a dd, not a good idea.

jamesSS

dont get a rx 7. there are few machanics qualified enough to work on it, parts are going to be expensive, and its not going to be as fast. just keep the car and build her up.

PowerShift408

iTrader: (44)

I don't know of any mechanics that enjoy working on the vaunted rotary motors in those. But you'll be getting to know some mechanic on a first name basis if you do get an RX7.

Revelation Z28

iTrader: (10)

98's have a few defects so ive heard.

id just keep fixing the car, since these cars do need things replaced every so often. once some or most of the little things are fixed, or you go aftermarket then future problems will either prevail or never show up.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

You heard wrong. It's a silly rumor that has no real truth behind it. Not sure how it got started. There are some differences with the '98s that might casues issues when doing certain mods (PCM is harder to tune for FI, rod bolts are weaker and may be an issue when spinning above the stock rev limiter, blocks can't be bored as much as the later blocks).

But '98s don't have any "defects" that would have anything to do with the problems listed in this thread.

ls1amit

sell it and buy a newer one then like a 2001 and up they have less kinks. but you have put some work into yours so the call is up to you and maybe next time get an auto so you dont have to deal with the hydrolics. ps im surprised you havent had a rear go on you yet i have had 2 go on me with my z28's still love the cars though.

Duke_Z28

iTrader: (1)

...hmm....this was meant as a semi-humorous post , and what you have told me is kinda what i expected, and actually what you say about all cars break is what i told my friends who took my car-death week as a time to poke fun at domestics. but i have seen some testimony, namely from www.rx7club.com, that the rotaries are reliable as long as you drive them right (different engine, different drive style) and upgrade a few items in which the mazda factory overlooked. although the mpg isnt as good as some smaller displacement cars, ive been driving my V8 so im used to the mileage, and if the internet is right the mileage on both is similar. Plus, ive wondered how it would be to have a car on the other end of the spectrum, with handling in favor of power.

Asmodeus

your friends are ricers.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

More misinformation.

Unless you consider the lack of an EGR as one less part to break.

Black Z/28

So I guess your 98 with 14k miles on it is holding up pretty well then. I would hope so! Just joking dude. My '02 is holding up pretty well too- with it's 13.8k on the clock. I highly recommend these cars.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

Yeah so many miles to show for it right!

I just get sick of hearing the silly rumor that '98s have "problems" while the other years don't. Sure, a stock '01/'02 might be a bit faster on average than a stock '98, but that has nothing to do with reliability. Not sure why some people seem to put that together.

Duke_Z28

iTrader: (1)

hah, yeah, but most people my age are. I give a few of the cars they drive the credit due, such as the RX-7, Supra, Skyline, etc. But seeing as the MSRP on these cars were roughly 2x as much as F-bodies when new(the skyline can go for much more), i laugh when they bash our cars as being more expensive.

They also introduced me to the only anime-thing that ill ever watch, Initial D. If you havnt heard of it i would suggest somehow finding it just to see if you like it, its a cool show about cars thats a bit more realistic in terms of car handling than stuff like the fast & furious series.

On the brighter side, i forgot to show option 3- my dad recently sold his old plaything- a 17' searay, and i might be able to talk him into splitting the cost of an RX-7 for us as a project to restore and build. This is a reality since he had an RX-3 a long time ago and loved its fun-to-drive nature.

BrandonDrecksage

iTrader: (1)

go to www.nopistons.com rx7club.com is gay. no matter what they say, the cars aren't reliable, the fd motors pop between 50-70k miles almost 100% of the time. You rarely rarely ever see a original motor with more miles. The problem is, some of the people don't driv ethe car, trying to keep the miles low, which kills the apex seals, loosing the comrpession. not to mention if you get a vacum leak.... YOU WILL KILL YOUR SELF TRYING TO FIND IT. the fc turbos are slightly more reliable and less complicated. Regardless, your you buy a fc/fd with the original engine, factorry in atleast a rebuild and possibly a rebuild on teh tranny since 5th gear syncro likes to die. rx7s are great cars if your a mechanic and its not your DD(unless its got a LSX ).

ls1amit

No what i ment was the they have upgraded hydrolics, better syncro's in the tranny, ls6 clutch or at least mine did oem, ls6 intake manifold, better flowing exhaust manifolds, and a little stronger bottom end with a higher volume oil pump and slightly different block. not to mention the newer pcm design. not much or enough to sell a 98 and buy a 01-02 but when i was buying i made sure to get an 01-02 just personal choice oh and i like the radio controls on the steering wheel too for the camaros!

ls1amit

Also i want to say this. The people that you take your car to get it fixed is also very important because if they dont know what they are doing then you will be fixing parts that dont need to be and they will screw up what they try to fix i used to see this all the time at my old job.

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

Being an A4 type of guy I guess I wasn't thinking about the trans stuff.

But the other things on your list have more to do with power (intake, exhaust manifolds) or modability in certain areas (block, PCM) than actual reliability of the car.