Cars We Drive!

[HRoi]

the Mk2 was the last MR2. i refuse to acknowledge the lineage of that 2000s bug eyed spyder bullshit

 

[ridethecliche]

The biggest question which may have been mentioned is do you work on your cars? And do you have money on the side for repairs? BMWs are amazing cars pre E-90, but it looks like you are all over the place? I would never cross shop some of these cars. Personally I would suggest an e30 or miata as there is a wealth of information on both cars and parts are cheap/abundant (miata is the highest selling sport car ever). I would stay away from e46 and e36. I cant really speak on the japanese cars but the 2000s MR2s are garbage from what I have heard.

I thought the 2003 MR2 improved on the issues that plagued the earlier ones.

I don't work on my car and actually wanted to learn a bit. This would be a second car, so down time wouldn't be a big issue. I don't have a ton of money on the side for repairs. Which was why the miata spoke to me.

The above cars are a weird smattering of cars, but they're all manual convertibles that look like they'd be fun to drive.

2000s MR2s are mid-engined Miatas and not far removed from Lotus Elise's when swapped with the 2ZZ. As with anything RTC, drive em all then decide.

I might go check that one out tomorrow actually.

You're all going to laugh at this, but this guy is asking 2200. Could probably do 2k.

https://providence.craigslist.org/cto/5710250334.html

That plasti dip makes my eyes hurt, but there was sheet metal welded on to address rust (saw pics) and at that price I could probably have the damn thing painted. Would need an exhaust too, but I can't see a stock miata exhaust costing anything.

On the other end, this guy said he'd settle for 4k.

https://newhaven.craigslist.org/cto/5710284834.html

96 miata with 100k miles. Looks in amazing condition. Listed for 4500, he said he'd take 4000. If I gave him a check for 3800 and had my checkbook, it might swing over to be more reasonable.

 

[Thrift Vader]

That 240 is a steal. And a great entry car. Manual, has a few mods, but not riced out. A very good choice.

That Mr2, either way. Was also a good pick. An aftermarket steering wheel and shift knob would really liven up the interior. -excellent parts support, engines available (4agze), great handling. And choice of cool retro jdm wheels. Another solid choice.

That Miata actually looked nice too. If you go the way folks here do with it? A good base to work on.

Add the super clean Rx7? Your browsing is much improved.

One of these 4 will see you happy.

My order of preference?
1. Rx7 (just tooo good to pass)
2.mr2 (cool retro pocket rocket)
3.240 (best aftermarket support of all time)
4.miata. the gray / striped one. (Would look sick on Watanabe's)

 

[ridethecliche]

That 240 is a steal. And a great entry car. Manual, has a few mods, but not riced out. A very good choice.

That Mr2, either way. Was also a good pick. An aftermarket steering wheel and shift knob would really liven up the interior. -excellent parts support, engines available (4agze), great handling. And choice of cool retro jdm wheels. Another solid choice.

That Miata actually looked nice too. If you go the way folks here do with it? A good base to work on.

Add the super clean Rx7? Your browsing is much improved.

One of these 4 will see you happy.

My order of preference?
1. Rx7 (just tooo good to pass)
2.mr2 (cool retro pocket rocket)
3.240 (best aftermarket support of all time)
4.miata. the gray / striped one. (Would look sick on Watanabe's)

Wait, which MR2 are you talking about?

I'm a bit scared of the rotary engine tbh. Would it destroy me if something went wrong? Everyone is terrified of them and I feel like not enough people here know enough about them relative to you.

 

[ridethecliche]

Coming back to this car though, I'm really not sure I can do better for the price if this works. Plenty left for repairs. If the AC is awful I can have one put in by sourcing parts over the fall... or just drive my regular car if it's that bad out.

https://boston.craigslist.org/sob/cto/5673054752.html

Probably sub 3k out the door taxes tags etc (it's at a dealership-ish). Leaves about 1k left for any repairs that come down the line.

Vs the other miata that's about 1500 more, still requires taxes and is just running off the illusion that it's just better because it has 40k miles less.

 

[Thrift Vader]

I was talking about the Black 1st gen Mr2. Can be VERY trad jdm goodness with a few nods to the culture. Plenty quick too. There is enough aftermarket support to provide choices.
(I know where some super rare wheels are that will fit one, "Tom's", Work, and Volk)

So, Rotaries are not my specialty, but i see no reason to be weirded out by them. Remember, v8 only mechanics won't even touch a Subaru. The flat 4 weirds them out. Imho, a mechanic scared of any engine isn't worth his hourly rate.anyway, think of rotary as a sandwich, with salsa and a dorito in the middle, you have 2 cases(bread), and a layer of salsa (middle block) with a triangle (dorito) that spins really fast. Being that you have your head around a subaru being a 2-piece block, with the crank and pistons in the middle. It's not a stretch to understand a 3-piece block. In fact, they are absurdly simple engines. Waaay simpler than a twin cam flat 4 with variable timing.

You are just leaving the egg. It really makes no difference which engine format you choose. 2 years from now, you will be an expert on whatever engine you run with. So a running rotary in good health, is not something to be afraid of. Plenty of time to research it.

That miata had a small front hit. Check the a/c condenser for wet spots if no gas.
Not the best looker , but i can see why you dig it.

 

[Thrift Vader]

"Shops for convertible, worries about a/c. . . "
:foo:


You left that one open. Hehe

 

[horndog]

N/A rotaries are pretty solid - it's the turbo ones that give people pause. The extra heat weakens the apex seals. I'd scope out a good rotary mechanic in your area before buying one since you cannot drop it off anywhere and expect people to know what their way around one.

 

[Thrift Vader]

Apex seals are like piston rings.

 

[Piobaire]

Has anyone read anything credible concerning BMW finally coming out with its X7?

 

[GreenFrog]



Has anyone read anything credible concerning BMW finally coming out with its X7?

Won't be released until Q1 2018

 

[otc]



Insurance came through on the generous side. Have a 2012 A6 on hold at my dealer that I hope to claim in a few days.

Good to hear. Your car is new enough that it should be easy enough to find a nice example that has been taken care of to similar standards of your own.

Sucks hard when someone totals your older car that you've taken excellent care of. Even if their insurance comes through nicely, if you are talking a 10-15 year old car, you'll have trouble finding anything as good as what you had. At that point...the people who take excellent care of their cars are probably planning to run their car into the ground...the ones for sale are the ones that haven't seen gobs of on-time maintenance and excessive cosmetic care.

Maybe the M3 has enough enthusiasts out there that insurance could be convinced to shell out on a car that's way above blue book since there are plenty of well preserved vehicles out there...but I would still wager that GF would get fucked out of a few grand if his car got totaled and he wanted to get back into a comparable ride..

 

[ramuman]



Here we go!

Some delusion with some sellers there, but the 240 looks like the best choice imo if the fender damage isn't terrible.

 

[ridethecliche]

N/A rotaries are pretty solid - it's the turbo ones that give people pause. The extra heat weakens the apex seals. I'd scope out a good rotary mechanic in your area before buying one since you cannot drop it off anywhere and expect people to know what their way around one.

Yeah, that's definitely what I thought.

Some delusion with some sellers there, but the 240 looks like the best choice imo if the fender damage isn't terrible.

Pics make me think that the rear quarter panel was replaced. Color looks off relative to the rest.

This is the RX7 that @Thrift Vader is talking about.

 

[Piobaire]



Won't be released until Q1 2018

A man that has marked down my lease is up in Q4 of 2017.