Thinking about defecting (Page 1/4)
Dylpro MAR 12, 01:34 AM
No no, not to the Red Star! I finally got back my Fiero after 3 months and so far, things have been running well I'm happy to say. It was a beautiful day today and as I'm trying to run around making sure everything is back in working order I'm going for a cruise with the sunroof off. I had to drive my friend to pick his car up about 10 minutes outside of town.

I'd driven this way several times before and several times noticed another little mid engined creature parked at an office building along this route. About 2 months ago I pulled over to check it out and it seemed in pretty decent condition. Little surface rust, but nothing major. The tags were recent so I figured the owner must be thoroughly enjoying it so I didn't bother go in to speak with them.

Back to today. As I'm driving my friend down to the shop, we pass by this office building. However, the little gem is now on the opposite parking lot facing the street with two great big "For Sale" signs in the window. Naturally I had to go back after dropping my friend off. I parked my Fiero next to it and go out to take a look around. A gentleman saw me checking it out and I waved him down to ask if I could speak to the owner. I'm then greeted by a very nice woman who gives me a little bit of the back story on the car. She'd owned it for five years, never had any serious problems, and now needed to get rid of it because she needed a bigger car for the grand kids. I trade her my keys for collateral and take it out for a spin.

First thing I notice right away was the power steering! It almost caught me off guard! I pull out and let the car open up on the highway. 126,000 miles, but everything felt very composed. No shaking at 60 mph and drove perfectly straight. Radio didn't work, a/c did. Brakes probably need new pads as well, but overall, a nice ride. I get back and I ask her how much she's looking to get out of the car. $1800. Certainly doable for me at this point. I tell her I'll consider it and get back to her on Monday. My mind may be made up, but I intend to get it up on a lift and hopefully get some info on the maintenance history before anything else. I know timing belts can be a pain and the transmission, while not slipping, may not have been the smoothest it could've been. Maybe cause for concern, but in my short test drive, I couldn't get enough to feel to say for sure.

In case you didn't figure it out already, the vehicle in question is a Toyota MR2. It's a 1989 Series 1 notchback with the base 4 banger non supercharged. I certainly enjoyed the drive and think it would be a very neat addition to my driveway. While I still love my Fiero, I thought this may be a fun little car to cruise around in for a bit and selling a little bit down the road. As I intend to keep my Fiero for a while, it wouldn't hurt driving it a little less to keep its mileage down, but still being able to enjoy a fun little car. These seem to be trending around $2500 when I see them so I'm hoping I can swing it for $1600.

Just thought I'd share the story! If anyone has any opinions about it feel free to rattle them off! I'm certainly not decided by any means so would be more than open to some "constructive" criticism on my choice. Thanks for reading!
RWDPLZ MAR 12, 02:50 AM
Go for it. The 4A-GE is one of the best engines ever made. Makes a great noise with the right exhaust, too. More power than the duke, but not as much as the 2.8 V6, but it's about right for the car.
Raydar MAR 12, 07:14 AM
The biggest complaint I hear is rust. Good luck!
Dylpro MAR 12, 10:13 AM
I took a couple pictures. Virtually no major rust on the body, I'm comparing it to my old Taurus SHO which was essentially more rot than car. Small surface spots on the edges of the doors but none in the wheel wells where you'd expect it to usually be. I'm going to get it up on a lift hopefully on Monday to see underneath and if all checks out there I may go for it.

I'll upload those pictures when I get the chance later today.

Edit for pictures:

[This message has been edited by Dylpro (edited 03-12-2016).]

Pancake MAR 13, 11:31 AM
Those things are also a pain to do any bodywork on, lots of hidden bolts. That's true of any Toyota from that era though. Totally agreed on the 4AGE being a fun engine and the supercharged 4AGZE cars are downright fast through about a buck twenty.

Honestly the 2 is the same base idea as the Fiero (economy car parts to build a mid engine sports car) but executed better IMO. Just don't expect a lot of Toyota support for it and it's a very different sort of thing to wrench on. Also it's a full unibody which has it's pluses and minuses. That said AW11 MR2s are a kick to drive around curvy backroads!

[This message has been edited by Pancake (edited 03-13-2016).]

Khw MAR 15, 08:37 PM
My favorite of the MR2's, body style that is.

[This message has been edited by Khw (edited 03-15-2016).]

Dylpro MAR 15, 10:30 PM
Agreed! Unfortunately this car needs more work than originally thought. Rust underneath was really not too bad, the front trunk compartment was rotted somewhat, but not catastrophic. However, it will need a whole new exhaust system.

I took the car for about 2 hours and got to drive it around. Transmission isn't as bad as I thought, but my Fiero shifts smoother. Still a pretty fun car to drive. After I got it on the lift my mechanic told me it wasn't worth the $1600 I was planning on spending. I was going to go back and try negotiating but she said that someone had come and offered $1700. I wasn't going to go higher after I told her what we saw underneath.

That was yesterday. Today I get a voicemail saying the other buyer couldn't come up with the money. I simply said I couldn't go higher than $1000. She said that she'd take that, so it looks like I'll be picking it up tomorrow.
Dylpro MAR 16, 10:03 PM
Officially an MR2 owner! $1000 dollars. She needs some lovin' but overall not a bad buy.

Probably because of the fact that my Fiero is in rather good condition with far less mileage, I'd pick it over the MR2 any day, but it doesn't mean the MR2 isn't a great drive! Very fun little car. So even though I've defected, I'm still far partial to my Formula

[This message has been edited by Dylpro (edited 03-16-2016).]

RWDPLZ MAR 16, 10:33 PM
Congrats! Get the rust before it gets the car!
rogergarrison MAR 20, 04:23 PM
Check for rust under those quarter panel rubber deflectors. They hide more than they protect, but to the good side, even a rough repair is hidden when you put them back on over it. They seem to hold dirt and water there making it rust. You want to fix it before it spreads past the rubber.