Why Are Mazda RX-7s So Expensive?

The RX-7 History is truly insane, full of Nazi's and Racecars.
The FD RX-7 is the redheaded step-child of the 90s JDM car scene. But in recent years the stigma around the RX-7 has started to fade and RX-7s are becoming more and more valuable as time goes on. Today we deep dive into the history of the RX-7 and its value over its 40-year history.
This is a Re-Upload of our "Here's Why You Can't Afford an RX7" video! KZbin took down the previous video so we are putting it back up with a few minor tweaks.
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Albon is all about cars, car culture, and the history of motoring. We build awesome projects, review new and interesting cars, and tell you all about the history of all things automotive.
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Video Timestamps:
0:00 - Intro
0:37 - The German Beginnings
2:56 - Mazda Has Entered The Chat
5:12 - The First Mazda Rotary
5:45 - The Rotary Xperiments
8:02 - Lucky Number 7
15:34 - The Third Gen
19:00 - The Death Of The RX-7
21:49 - RX-7 Values Over The Years
27:42 - The Six Figure Spirit-R
28:58 - Cheap RX-7s For Sale Today
30:20 - What Is The Future of the RX-7?
31:55- Thank You.
#Mazda #RX7 #JDM

[@Roy_xp]

This is my all time dream car, and It was attainable because most people didn't want to have to deal with the rotary, seems like my dreams are getting crushed again by the JDM car inflation

[@matthewnovak7351]

My feelings exactly :/

[@jackdren9974]

Seriously screw jdm fanboys

[@Meekmillan]

Yeeeeeeeeeaaaah Lmao

[@AnthonyTrifoglio]

I'm in the EXACT SAME BOAT friend

[@jacks__9229]

im praying i can get one in the future :/ hardly any in UK

[@jdmglobalwarehouse]

The timeless bodylines, unique engine design, motorsports heritage and huge aftermarket support are just a few reasons why the RX7 became so popular. Now add to that the fact we wont be seeing a successor any time soon, or maybe even ever thanks to stricter emissions regulations, the value of RX7s are going to remain high and maybe even keep going higher. Thankfully, 1/64 scale models are still affordable 😜

[@klaaswouterkramer2375]

I think dahm's 4rotor has some part in this rise to. And his is not the only freaking awesome 4rotor build. Those cars really get your blood pumping in the right areas.

[@lordkent8143]

🤣 I got an RX7... A hot wheels version

[@TheWhoshoyu]

Prettiest car I’ve ever seen.

[@surfalcatraz9770]

My father has one of those Mazda rx7 cars he bought 10 years ago for about 20 grand in today's money. I'm not much of a car guy even though my brother is (I'm writing this in his laptop so don't mind the pfp). He told me the car is tuned and there is about 500-600hp pumping out and he says its fast.

[@timbonator1]

@@lordkent8143 Same :D Its the old version (the more box one) in blue :)

[@Nafeels]

Even without the rotary heart beating under the hood, the FD RX-7 is by far my favourite 90's car design of all time. A lot of 90's cars went so far into the "bubble" or the "soft and straight" design philosophy, but Mazda perfected it and made it into something curvaceous and voluptuous. Nothing will ever top the timeless design of the FD, not even something as prestigious as the Skyline or the Supra. The sequential twin turbo rotary engine just further sets it apart from the rest of the competition. It's no wonder that people absolutely inflate the shit out of this car's value, because it's a match made in heaven. Thanks for the history lesson!

[@codeninja100]

Really! The FD is truly a timeless design one of THE most beautiful cars ever made

[@melonaaah]

You can't be more right

[@brdllc]

I think the FD specifically the facelift w the spirit r kit is in the top 10 best looking cars of all time, very near the top.

[@xXYannuschXx]

"Nothing will ever top the timeless design of the FD, not even something as prestigious as the Skyline or the Supra. " - Whenever I show these cars to non-car guys, they are all flabbergasted when I tell them these are all late 90s cars. Its incredible how timeless their design is.

[@jedemmerichcabrera1564]

The Spirit R Rx7 is a literal timeless design fr its such a beauty

[@marcheynderickx7985]

This is a fantastic summary of the Rotary Engine and Rx-7. Thank you for putting it together. Here are some helpful corrections from a fellow enthusiast. 1) The First Generation of Rx-7 was introduced in 1978 using the code SA. It featured the unique afterburner exhaust and ensuring the Rotary met US emissions.. The FB was introduced in 1981, as the improved "Series 2" and used a now-standard Catalytic Converter. 2) The 1984 GSL-SE was the first to use the 13B-RESI, not 13B-RE which was introduced in the 1990 Cosmo.

[@gregpieris4478]

And FB wasn't ever used in Japan and certain other export markets (eg Australia, NZ and South Africa). In these countries, the first generation was always SA22C. The designation was changed in other markets due to mandating of VINs.

[@collynfalzitto6]

He also confused the GTU with the GTUs The GTU itself wasn't all spiffed up like the GTUs was it didn't even come with a LSD

[@bruceliu1859]

Pronunciations are on point. Pretty sure Albon is secretly part of the Axis Powers

[@jamesdarley1334]

You missed the sale in Hong Kong for ~$216k USD for a Spirit R, sold in Sept. 2021. Another one recently passed $200k USD as well

[@xdwx6168]

RX-7 (FD3S) is one of the JDM Classic Legends, as well as NSX NA1, Skyline R32, Supra A80 ! Today all these 4 JDM classic legends do not have its “fixed market value” worldwide, because these models have already came back up from the lowest price points to transform into the most famous 90s JDM models of all times.

[@freestyleskyline]

I have to say one of my favorite aspects about your content is the care and dedication you go to behind proper pronunciation of all of the brand and personal names regardless of it's original base language.

[@andrewwang8204]

This is probably the best video and most comprehensive overview of the RX-7 I can find on KZbin and deserves about 100 times the views it's getting now. One actual note for the video title and thumbnail: The negativity probably isn't helping with the views. I would say just change it to somewhere along the lines of "The reason RX-7 prices is getting out of hand" or "RX-7 prices need to chill out." Or something that's a bit more light-hearted. The title and video doesn't match up as the video doesn't nearly project as much negativity as I thought it would and I was really hesitant about clicking on this series of video even after KZbin recommended this to me like 20 times in the past. I just thought this is a huge missed opportunity in my honest opinion.

[@user-ux5wj5iy5w]

125,000aud for a spirit R is considered a good deal now, they regularly sell for more now. A white grade 5 Spirit R with 14,000km just sold at USS Tokyo auction yesterday for 23,180,000 Yen ~ about 200k USD

[@marcelsmodels]

Yeah, the one shown in the video is something like 88,000usd

[@_biral]

"This is albon." Never gets old!

[@SeattleMK2GLI]

Fantastic video! Excellent story telling and research!

[@klaaswouterkramer2375]

Very well made video man! That took a lot of research and editing. Awesome job!

[@basithph8958]

The RX7 is definitely one of the best icons ever And even as a rotary it’s a reliable car as long as you maintain it well

[@potatochobit]

no, the engine will slowly die for sure but it is not going to explode like so many people believe.

[@bananasplease666]

@@potatochobit all engines slowly die

[@bananasplease666]

@beast boy woman dies before camry

[@61936]

@@potatochobit that’s what happens to every engine some engines do it faster

[@9krpmsrotationsperminute971]

Lmao a Rotary being reliable🤣 stop lying to yourself, those weak ass Apex seals take a shit after 70-100k miles Tops which is pathetic compared to a combustion engines life span that'll go more than half a million miles when maintained properly.

[@redslate]

I wouldn't say, "the RX7 was unreliable." It simply required more regular maintenance (~60k Mi). Not cheap, but you pay to play.

[@cirgx4983]

I just got back into cars and thanks to your videos I’m learning so much keep it up❤

[@ehiracheta]

Wow...this was a great video...you do great with these!

[@TurboVisBits]

I just picked up an absolute mint condition red with black interior 94. Its 100% original.

[@Varsityathelete61]

As a self proclaimed "Car Geek" I absolutely love this channel 😏👌

[@floydlivingston6762]

I bought a 20/04 rx8 last year I wasn’t sure if I was going to like it.I change my mind on the drive home damm I love it. Have Definitely have made a lot of changes sense

[@Mazhura_13B]

2005 owner here. The more I drive it the more I love my 8. Maybe after this engine dies I'll FD swap it and get the best of both worlds

[@hiliax]

@@Mazhura_13B I also want an rx8 can you tell me the pros and cons since you're an owner?

[@maheshb6092]

This is a professional documentary...awesome. Thanks

[@IVGabriq]

Cosmo is such a piece of art.🤩 Love the design so much.

[@defyzx6817]

you got my subscribe, I have a 300zx that I recently hand built the engine. It took me 2 years, but I just got it started last month, and i've only been hitting 12 psi. But man do the japanese cars hit different. Keep up the good work !!!

[@johannagnarsson]

Another Albon documentary? Count me in!

[@vnsn_ngyn]

Damn this was actually a really really great video, thanks man

[@lilhaxxor]

Awesome video. Thanks ! 😄

[@Bobby18292]

Nice video dude!

[@brentjohnson5171]

I had an FB and a 91 FC turbo. The FB was nice but I preferred my Z cars. The FC Turbo was special. I wish I would've kept it. Through a series of sales and trades it became my 911 though, and that one I plan to keep as long as I can keep it running.

[@081588101]

Very interesting summary of the RX-7 history. Spotted some mistakes here and there, but overall very neat! Lucky me i got my first FD 10 years ago.

[@Omgwatan00b]

Same.

[@JoshRex7ven]

I personally love all of the rx-7's equally, however I think the 1st gen deserves more attention. I own a mint 82 model and I live it to death

[@willg125]

dont worry, theyre going up in value. I also have an 82 in blue!

[@bluspectre2042]

First gen is pretty aight! It doesn't offer there performance potential of the other gens, but still good!

[@themissing1536]

I am jealous

[@ArtVandelayOfficial]

We used to call them bananas The shape is ugly that's why they've never been popular I think

[@JoshRex7ven]

@Art Vandelay you're entitled to your own opinion, but I think you are wrong. In no way do they look like bananas. That being said, if you are talking about the series 1 (79-80) I can kind of see where you are coming from. I'm not a fan of the series 1 with its chunky bumpers and bullet shaped front fenders. The series 2 and 3 are much more attractive

[@irvingsanguinetti7659]

Grate info. Lol to the power of editing. Edited in the drive after the lesson. Sitting on the bucket.

[@Mr.Scootini]

One day. I want to buy a 944 and do a rotary swap to confuse the crap out of people 😂

[@Arabathian-Prince8298]

Honestly I always had a feeling that you owned every car that sat behind you in every video now it's confirmed!

[@imranshahzada1812]

You should of mentioned how "The Fast and the Furious" movie back in 2001 really brought back the RX-7 spirit back to life.

[@jollama]

*should have

[@importrgtboy5936]

Love the video. I love my spirit r. Owned mine for over 7 years. One day hope to put it on the track to see how it handles. Other than that I have no need to drive it.

[@jake78441]

that yellow one i swear to god so magic!

[@spookerr]

Always great 'investment grade' videos.

[@wizardsinfo7950]

My dream car is just getting more and more difficult to find

[@anthonyjomar13]

Fr tho 😭😭

[@MehmetCanKaya35]

Very timeless design. Still looking so good.

[@janegoodall1837]

The things that really drew me to the RX-7 were the cost, and inconvenience. I just love it.

[@closery]

Hearing these almost makes me cry because it's my dream car and in my country it's impossible to have. There is only 3-4 of them and it's impossible to legaly get a new one from outside of country and those 3-4 cost millions. I always think one day I'll go to europe or something and get one but hearing these...

[@deanoloughlin6129]

Absolutely loved the wankel rotary history lesson. Excellent video my friend... big love from the UK 🇬🇧

[@JgWerd]

Im glad this is back up, didnt get to finish the first time. What pulled it down?

[@savageislife5352]

me too, im curious

[@jacobasuncion3132]

Let’s not forget this car was in the first three fast and furious movies but hands down the most famous was the orange and black Veilside FD RX-7 from Tokyo Drift

[@bigbird2240]

I remember in high school researching used cars and a few cars in the kbb at the book store had green arrows pointing up next to the used car prices .. this and the Supra were two of them.. only a few cars were already appreciating back in 2000 .. in 2004 I test drove a 93 in great condition with a new engine for 12k

[@rhussain110]

I want a 10ae rx-7 ❤ Great video!

[@jonerlucas3933]

there is just nothing like it. i hope that one day i'll have the money... fc or fd doesn't matter really. the engine is just so smooth sounding and both chassis drive perfectly. also good aftermarket support for mods and tons of knowledge on how to make the engine more reliable.

[@lucygitsham5728]

Don't forget that the FD won the Australian Bathurst 12hr 4 years straight. Wiping Porsche in the process. Hence the SP, and Bathurst R models.

[@natty.roots.423]

BIG UP Albon top class production.

[@jesseseymour4011]

I had an rx8, I loved it. It did flood on me a few times when I forgot to rev it to shut it off.

[@man-o-war1685]

0:11 please tell me what spoiler kit that is. It looks like a spirit r wing but taller and I love it.

[@octapc]

There is currently a 2002 Spirit up for sale in Australia for $188,000AUD or $135,000USD.

[@rotarded1983]

Starting the restoration of my first gen RX7 soon now

[@TheAAron1830]

There was also mazda 767 and 767B from what i know... The R26B engine actually produced about 900 ish hp at 9000 rpm but it was detuned to about 700 to be reliable... That on a car that weighed about 830kgs is actually mind bending... The engine was insanely reliable... After the 24 hrs of Lemans when mazda engineers disassembled the engine it showed minimal wear, so much so that they could assemble it back, put some oil in it and run another 24 hrs(but the chassis wouldn't have survived another 24 hrs but hey it's one of the toughest and most challenging races in the world)... 787b was a one off wonder

[@ev4n5eli0n01]

Between not many FD’s still being around and many people changing them into Corvettes, I’m not surprised the prices are climbing. Makes me sad because out of all of them FD is the JDM icon I like the most. Though FB’s have really grown on me recently.

[@Zeriel00]

What do you mean changing them into corvettes? Do you mean LS1 swap? after owning a rotary I don't even think that's a bad idea anymore. They're so much trouble, unreliable, and a money sink.

[@tuqn2377]

It seems the algorythm hates you Albon, I hope you get those views back soon!

[@calebyoung1018]

My neighbor had two FC's sitting in his driveway. After seeing those beauties I decided to research what kind of car it was. Then that lead to me watching Initial D. I love the FC3s. side note, Another neighbor of mine has a Porsche 944, the version that Mazda took inspiration from for the FC. I haven't asked about the RX7's or the 944 sitting in those yards but I'm very curious. Edit: The one of the rx7 FC's is for sale for $6000 and it's the turbo ii model.

[@Meekmillan]

Give me that mans number

[@calebyoung1018]

@@Meekmillan it's in Dallas Texas

[@Burchie_]

@@calebyoung1018 6k for an fc is an insane deal

[@calebyoung1018]

@@Burchie_ Absolutely destroyed dash because of sun damage, and needs some work. Engine runs well

[@theinceptor3672]

@@calebyoung1018 well it's still a good deal.But if you are gonna do it, it's best if you do a full 360 inspection of it to be sure

[@rossanocoleby521]

This vid was awesome

[@mikedemayo5780]

I cannot imagine my teenage years without the RX-7s,Supras,Skylines and 3000GT-VR4 those were the top Japanese sports cars during my youth great video btw

[@komamix]

Best rx7 vid i ever seen.

[@oni5909]

25:30 reliable packages? since when i never heard of that i’m genuinely curious

[@KenLeeCC]

wait a minute..........i thought I saw this video a month or so ago...........

[@Bobbie_1999]

Me too, what happened

[@readmyusernamecauseitssoreally]

I really love the rx7, it's really a special car. Curves that if we're on a girl, it'd drive a man wild, the most unique engine sound I've ever heard in a lot of builds, builds never seem the same. I personally fell in love with the rx7 when I watched donut medias covering of Aaron Parker's rx7. At the time, it was the craziest thing I had ever seen! It was as if it came from an alien civilization with actual good taste! The colors, the insane exhaust note, just looking at it on camera driving and how easy it seems to handle, it was all just perfect.

[@darrylbrooks851]

Very good indepth videod👍🏾👍🏾

[@jamesjarvis1592]

I love the roomba intake on the rx7

[@sergioromero9932]

One of my favorites

[@kylefenner9077]

Dude that's going to make me cry I'm never going to be able to get my hands on one of those I'd give anything to have an RX7 🥺 I'd take care of the car and keep it running for the rest of my life

[@angm1982]

Great history 👍👍👍

[@albonfilms]

Thank you!

[@thomas_dries]

I want an '82 RX7. I'm a sucker for the retro looks of that car.

[@SanderDavidNorris]

Miata prices have been going up too! crazy

[@ultrasupernectar]

had one back in the day and it seemed to like to break down near or on payday once a month

[@samuelfitzpatrick9739]

I can't believe you didn't mention the pop up headlights

[@winstong7438]

I love this channel

[@slicedbread9003]

In 1973 both the RX-2 and RX-3 got thermal afterburners for completing the combustion of the unburned exhaust gasses. This is how Mazda got that engine to sound so smooth, quiet and pass emissions. Don't forget Racing Beat in California for their early (and later) successes tuning both the rotary engine and various Mazda chassis for Racing. I don't know who started "bridge porting" but it might have been Racing Beat. They did a lot of tuning on the port shapes. They started working on Rotary engines in 1972. The 13B engine started it's production life in the Rotary Pickup truck in 1974, believe it, or not. It had the same end plates as the 12A, but a wider rotor and perimeter plates. One little secret back then with these normally aspirated rotary engines that I learned early on, is that the lowest octane gasoline works best. That is because low octane fuel burns faster than hi-octane gas and engine knock was never an issue. Our 1973 RX-2 engine suffered from a coolant leak into the combustion chamber. Mazda paid for about half the repair costs to rebuild the engine at the time. This was a common failure at the time. I overheated the engine one more time years later while on vacation. I knew what the failure was and drove continuously all the way home because I knew that once I shut down the engine it would not restart. I added water along the way and made it home. These RX-7 were incredibly popular in club racing because of their reliability. Without valves and lots of moving parts in the engine in it's stock form was a reliable reliable engine and allowed an owner to hit all of the club events in a year without worrying about the engine. Oh one more note. Since I had a RX-2 in the late '70 and early '80's it was a great sleeper car. It looked like a Corolla and went like hell once it got wound up enough and the vacuum secondaries opened up. I (and others') shifted well after the redline warning beeper came on. I've heard of some racers keeping the buzzer on the whole race. Mazda changed the ports for better low end when they came out with the RX-7. In addition to owning and researching everything rotary engine at the time, I also worked at a Mazda Tuner for a short time. This was the era of FB's. The big aftermarket performance upgrade was installing turbos. One more note, we sold some rear seats for these FB's. In Japan the RX-7 was a 2+2 and had rear seats. In the US, we got compartments instead of seats. But these were swappable if anybody wanted the tiny rear seats. I believe we got them from Japan. The FD was the best of the RX-7's. Iconic look and the best of everything. Sorry for the long comment. I knew a lot about Mazda's rotary engines and RX-X cars.

[@potat1011]

Hopefully it did hit its price peak so I can buy one when I’m old enough

[@Raven-uu7lb]

I want to buy an RX-7 so bad but when I searched on the local market the price for a stock FD is MYR200k++ (around USD48,000++) I'm shocked 😲 it was MYR50k (around USD12k) 1-2 years ago ffs!! it may not seem expensive in other countries but here in Malaysia it's like finding a needle in the haystacks... It's rare and expensive asf... Only the RX8 have lower price and also quite a lot to be found here... But still expensive tho

[@chrischannon8556]

Mans called Win!? Perfect race driver name

[@dennischen8887]

This was my first car I bought for $10,000 20 years ago.

[@youraveragejdmenthusiast430]

I remember dreaming of one 2-3 years ago, it was 15-20k now it’s 40k, now I will never can afford it anymore but there is other good cars.

[@0_0bake]

hahaha i love the rx7 and it is great that it's getting the popularity and recognition it deserves but i dont want the price to go up, well not until i can get one atleast 😂 but its gonna be a long time until then. Great video

[@melonaaah]

so sad it's getting more expensive... I've always wanted to have a nice stock and a project FD but it's so rare to find nice stock these days

[@cristhianmiguelaguilarespi2418]

here in colombia i bought the only rx7fd from 1993 that existed for 43,000 american dollars, and that remains to buy interior and exterior things to improve its appearance, not to mention that here there is only one mechanic in the country who knows about rotaries

[@hel8686]

Please do a Special on the GC8!!!

[@vinuyajohn719]

Wish you made a video about EVO'S

[@Eelgnotsa]

Ver good commentary..well I not parting with my 93 R1 with 16,000 all original miles

[@gaciaconan]

Nice vidéo

[@mikej1097]

12:26. I have a correction here for you. In 1989 the GTU was sold as the base model. The upgrades you attributed to the GTU were actually from the GTUs.

[@ericgalchutt3303]

Great program' but I must have missed the 3 rotor Cosmo luxury sedan that can be imported from Japan.

[@ugsl5236]

15:44 I thought that was a green screen the whole time lmao

[@lucygitsham5728]

Another Spirit R just sold at auction in Japan for 23,180,000 yen!

[@ryleybiro6809]

Can we just hold off on the JDM inflation until I can get an fd. I really don’t want my dream car to get to $100k for basically a scrapyard car

[@oscarcampos8396]

You should do video for Silvia’s

[@bigbird2240]

Right before the fast and furious came out I was trying to buy one in 2001-2002 , I test drove a few 93s in Alabama and the nice ones were like 15k and a decent one (running ) was 8-12k

[@EmpGG]

what valuation/sales site is that

[@Lizards_Lounge]

Seems to me here in Aus that all the rotaries have gone up. Even the old non rotor 70s Mazda's collect good $$. The last of the Rx7s last time Iooked couldn't find under 50k.

[@albertoj.mollinedo4116]

If you ask me dawg, is has to be a scam. Dealers are "fake buying" the auctions to set a precedent. [meaning dealer A puts up an auction and dealer B buys it at a stupid price] Then they turn around and say "well this car sold for 100k at an auction so 60k for this one is not bad" when the market price before the auction happened was 18k. You don't know how many times a sleazy salesman have said that shit to me. It's insulting, really. A few examples I remember: with the M2cs, The ford bronco, the nissan Z (400), the mk5 Supra, the new wrangler rubicon v8.

[@bobspence5322]

yeh and they put weights in friggin FISH at tournaments. ill say this once never bend over in front of any mechanic.

[@zahemi914]

Even almost 30 yrs later, FD still turns heads

[@gurulaghima6518]

The rx7 (like guff) is one of the most beautiful things ever made

[@antoniskarkonis]

How about making a video about the ae86?

[@whiskeyvault4877]

Plenty of Spirit Rs now are fetching over $200k in Japan.