u/vHyena11

NA6 MX-5 vs FD RX-7 — would you give up a car you love for a dream car?

I've owned my NA6 MX-5 for about 10 years now and I love everything about this car: the maintenance, the style, smiles per mile, aftermarket support, the attention it gets, the community... all of it.

I bought it right after college with plans to work on it and make it my own, which I did for the first few years. Most of the work ended up being handling and safety focused (wheels/tires, roll bar, frame rails, bushings, bracing, etc.), but I surprisingly found myself leaving the engine 100% stock because I loved the car for what it was.

I used to drive it all the time, but life has changed. I have a family now, and the Miata has become a rare weekend car. My hobbies have shifted a bit too — I still love cars, but I don't have as much time to work on them myself anymore. Going forward, most major maintenance or upgrades would probably be handled by a shop.

Here's the dilemma: I have an opportunity to buy a reasonably priced 1994 FD RX-7.

An FD has always been one of those iconic cars that felt out of reach, so I never seriously considered one. Now that there's a real possibility, I've been doing a ton of research. Rotary specialists, more expensive maintenance, heat management, less forgiving ownership, potential reliability concerns... basically every FD warning you usually hear.

But weirdly, none of that has scared me away.

The car I'm looking at runs and drives but has limited history. It has about 130k miles, so I'm assuming an engine rebuild/apex seals could be in my future (unless they've already been done and the seller just doesn't know). From what I can tell, it has some cooling upgrades and an upgraded ECU, but I'm still figuring out what else has been modified.

My wife is actually fully supportive of me getting it, but there's one catch: the Miata would have to go. We have room for one weekend car, not two.

So now I'm stuck between keeping the car I know and genuinely love, or taking a chance on the iconic car I've always admired but don't really know yet.

Financially, I expect the difference between the cars to be around $10-15k, plus whatever the RX-7 needs after inspection. I'm also mentally budgeting for a rebuild if it comes to that.

The weird part is I already feel regret thinking about selling the MX-5... but I also feel like I might regret passing on the RX-7 because I don't know when I'll get another chance at one without spending $40k+.

For those who have owned or driven both: which did you prefer?

And for anyone who has sold a car you truly loved to move into a dream car — did you regret it, or was it worth moving on?