1988 Mazda RX-7 Reviews, Pricing & Specs
What owners say
"Overall, owners of the 1988 Mazda RX-7 express a love-hate relationship with the car. Many drivers appreciate its quick acceleration, exceptional handling, and the excitement of the rotary engine. The design and driving experience are often highlighted as standout features. However, several drivers mention concerns about fuel efficiency, reliability issues, and the cost of maintenance. Overall, it's seen as a fun car to drive, particularly by enthusiasts willing to invest the time and money to keep it running well."
Sadly, the majority of my cars over the years have been either red or white. Yuck! I was the proud owner of a 1988 Mazda RX-7 in blah-white paint for several years. My nephew now owns the car. I bought the RX-7 with 110,000 miles, no accidents, and two previous owners from a used car dealer for $2000 cash. At roughly 240,000 miles the Apex seals went out. They typically need replacing every 150,000 miles but I got really lucky. I was pricing whole engines at this point, due to the extremely high mileage, and noticed that rebuilt units cost more than I had paid for the car! I randomly started calling salvage yards and lucked out again by finding a good runner from an '89 with 68,000 miles for only $150.00! The engine swap took about 8 hours under an oak tree in my dad's yard and it was back up and running. I then decided to rebuild the original engine as a spare, which I took my time with. Fortunately, again, the rotor housings all measured well within maximum wear tolerances so the total rebuild cost a little over $600.00, including changing the intake gaskets and having the injectors checked and cleaned. It only took me about 2 to 3 hours every other day over four weeks. Up to this point I had never worked on a rotary engine, or even even seen one outside of the car in person, but it was the easiest rebuild I'd ever done. Why do I mention all this? This is the only thing I had to do to the car besides basic maintenance and an alternator. Everything on the RX-7 seemed to be made of superior grade materials. I have dealt with Porsches in my time and this car had similar looks to the 944, but outperformed it in nearly every way except the hood badge. The lightweight construction without feeling cheap, power to spare, and the ability turn on a dime or drift through an empty Wal-mart parking lot at three am are unsurpassed. The brakes on the RX-7 were the best I've ever experienced. I think they were actually designed to check if the inertia seatbelts were working properly.... and give drivers a sore left shoulder by the end of a day. My RX-7 was the first car I ever beat the crap out of on a daily basis and it kept coming back for more every time. Ironically, the Apex seals went on a lazy Sunday evening drive while my daughter and I were coming back home from dinner at her grandparents. Even popping and coughing and barfing oil, it still made it home. As I said, it became my nephew's first car, He loves it's looks, respects it's history, and fears it's power! He drives it like a grandma in a Dodge Omni.
March 23, 2014Performance, from N/A to Turbo is night and day. Power gain is worth the extra money you buy an N/A for. Handling is excellent, haven't really owned one with above average, non worn out suspension but with a suspension upgrade it'd handle like a dream. Brakes are definitely beefy enough. Love them to death.
October 25, 20091988 Turbo II. Fun little car, easy to make fast, very easy to work on. Perfect enthusiasts car, not so much for those who just want a zero maintenance ride. Amazing handling, extremely nimble, and it has a hardcore following of enthusiasts that make it easy to obtain information and exchange ideas.
July 17, 2009What owners say
Sadly, the majority of my cars over the years have been either red or white. Yuck! I was the proud owner of a 1988 Mazda RX-7 in blah-white paint for several years. My nephew now owns the car. I bought the RX-7 with 110,000 miles, no accidents, and two previous owners from a used car dealer for $2000 cash. At roughly 240,000 miles the Apex seals went out. They typically need replacing every 150,000 miles but I got really lucky. I was pricing whole engines at this point, due to the extremely high mileage, and noticed that rebuilt units cost more than I had paid for the car! I randomly started calling salvage yards and lucked out again by finding a good runner from an '89 with 68,000 miles for only $150.00! The engine swap took about 8 hours under an oak tree in my dad's yard and it was back up and running. I then decided to rebuild the original engine as a spare, which I took my time with. Fortunately, again, the rotor housings all measured well within maximum wear tolerances so the total rebuild cost a little over $600.00, including changing the intake gaskets and having the injectors checked and cleaned. It only took me about 2 to 3 hours every other day over four weeks. Up to this point I had never worked on a rotary engine, or even even seen one outside of the car in person, but it was the easiest rebuild I'd ever done. Why do I mention all this? This is the only thing I had to do to the car besides basic maintenance and an alternator. Everything on the RX-7 seemed to be made of superior grade materials. I have dealt with Porsches in my time and this car had similar looks to the 944, but outperformed it in nearly every way except the hood badge. The lightweight construction without feeling cheap, power to spare, and the ability turn on a dime or drift through an empty Wal-mart parking lot at three am are unsurpassed. The brakes on the RX-7 were the best I've ever experienced. I think they were actually designed to check if the inertia seatbelts were working properly.... and give drivers a sore left shoulder by the end of a day. My RX-7 was the first car I ever beat the crap out of on a daily basis and it kept coming back for more every time. Ironically, the Apex seals went on a lazy Sunday evening drive while my daughter and I were coming back home from dinner at her grandparents. Even popping and coughing and barfing oil, it still made it home. As I said, it became my nephew's first car, He loves it's looks, respects it's history, and fears it's power! He drives it like a grandma in a Dodge Omni.
March 23, 2014Performance, from N/A to Turbo is night and day. Power gain is worth the extra money you buy an N/A for. Handling is excellent, haven't really owned one with above average, non worn out suspension but with a suspension upgrade it'd handle like a dream. Brakes are definitely beefy enough. Love them to death.
October 25, 20091988 Turbo II. Fun little car, easy to make fast, very easy to work on. Perfect enthusiasts car, not so much for those who just want a zero maintenance ride. Amazing handling, extremely nimble, and it has a hardcore following of enthusiasts that make it easy to obtain information and exchange ideas.
July 17, 2009Performance? 150 hp rotary in a mustang weight car, it is a rotary so you can rev high, but it is not a drag racer... Quality? Great for a 20 year old car that I beat on! Appearance? Gotta love a convertible sports car! Cost? $500 then added exhaust and a transmission.... next paint Fun?? Ohmigod! Mountain roads are a BLAST!!!
October 4, 2008Gets up and goes even though it was a non turbo, handled like a go-cart on steroids. cost of ownership was extremely high, especially if something broke, revved to the sky and back, extremely loud when its a open long tube header
June 25, 2012Great 0-60 and could hug the road like crazy. The rotary engine sounded like a turbine jet engine and could run at 8000 rpm all day long. I had the turbo model and it was my most fun car ever.
March 10, 2010the performance was acceptable, it was a late 80's car so it is heavier. not the best on fuel economy. it has a nice cockpit feel, although some would call it cramped. if you are six foot or taller then this probably is not the car for you.
September 29, 2009Had it for 10 years and I will never ever sell it.
February 22, 2008The perfect car to drive on a sunny day. The Mazda RX-7 has plenty of power and even more style. My wife drives this car and it is definitely a head turner. Everywhere she goes people comment on how much they like this car. This car is now officially a classic. It rides smooth and is comfortable on long trips.
January 26, 2015This is my first car and I knew I had to have one. Rotary is what I love. The power is pretty good and handles good. If you treat the car right it will last a long time. Ihave 230k miles and am still going. Just maintain the car and let it warm up befoe driving it. I am happy with the car.
February 9, 2014Trims & specs
Base MSRP $17,609 | Seating 2 |
Engine N/A | Cargo Capacity N/A |
Combined MPG N/A | Drivetrain N/A |
Base MSRP $16,909 | Seating 4 |
Engine N/A | Cargo Capacity N/A |
Combined MPG N/A | Drivetrain N/A |
Base MSRP $19,919 | Seating 4 |
Engine N/A | Cargo Capacity N/A |
Combined MPG N/A | Drivetrain N/A |
Base MSRP N/A | Seating N/A |
Engine N/A | Cargo Capacity N/A |
Combined MPG N/A | Drivetrain N/A |
Base MSRP $23,009 | Seating 2 |
Engine N/A | Cargo Capacity N/A |
Combined MPG N/A | Drivetrain N/A |
Base MSRP $16,409 | Seating 2 |
Engine N/A | Cargo Capacity N/A |
Combined MPG N/A | Drivetrain N/A |
Base MSRP $19,419 | Seating 2 |
Engine N/A | Cargo Capacity N/A |
Combined MPG N/A | Drivetrain N/A |
Base MSRP $21,809 | Seating 2 |
Engine N/A | Cargo Capacity N/A |
Combined MPG N/A | Drivetrain N/A |
