MR2 died, replacement?
 

Yesterday I was going along the highway and suddenly I hear a clunk, the car shakes and loses power, so I put it in neutral and managed to roll all the way to an exit ramp. OBDII scanner said cylinder 2 misfire, judging by the crazy shaking I think I lost connecting rod in cylinder 2 :/

It's not like the 1ZZ is worth much money but paying to get another 1ZZ installed is kind of dumb IMO and I don't want to drop the money on a 2ZZ swap at the moment...

Replacement car suggestions? I kind of like SW20s but the fact that they're 25 years old kind of worries me. Budget not totally set (still haven't sorted out what to do after graduation) but I don't think I want to drop new FRS money for example.

Honda Civic lx. From my experience, they make the perfect cheap beaters and they never die lol. Sw20 will be near impossible to find one that hasn't been played in. Or an Integra would be another good beater.

I'd stick to something cheap and reliable till you're able to drop a 2zz in your mr-s.

lol yea, perhaps a Honda. Thing is, I'm not desperate for a car, and I may be able to borrow one of my parents' cars for a bit, so I'm talking about an actual replacement.

Part of me wants to do the 2ZZ swap but part of me is saying the platform is just too old to be investing money in at this point and I'd rather wait it out for a newer RMR car to hit the market.

I just saw an SW20 ad which mentioned a timing belt change and a valve adjustment. Not dealing with that s***. Timing chain is a must.

Looking to sell the MR-S shell?

Yes. Labor to put new engine in is not worth the effort IMO, but if I have to do it to get rid of the car I will. Or I might just do the 2ZZ swap and have the car shipped to whatever new location I'll be in.

Mr-s too old of a platform?! Lol. Certainly newer than my SW and a lot better in potential performance once the 2zz is in there with a turbo and 6spd.

For real though, I'd just stick to a bland reliable beater that does going from point a-b easily. I'd check out the Rsx-s if you "must have" performance. It's probably the only newer type of performance oriented car I would go for without having to go to the 1990's in the sub $5k range.

I would borrow a car a long as possible and save up for something that you won't have to work on all the time(unless you like that). Concentrate on finishing school and getting a good job, and you can have ANY car you want.

The MR-S is actually pretty trouble-free other than the 1ZZ which is trouble free assuming you diligently keep the oil topped up, but I'm not a big fan of the convertible top and the storage space arrangement is just retarded. With a lot of time and money I could have a hardtop and redo the front end to make it a viable storage space, but I'm pretty sure some company will come out with a midengined car that I like sooner or later.

One of these.
http://images.thecarconnection.com/l...00406017_l.jpg

This is a sign from above to do the 2ZZ.

Edit: or 2GR.

I would do it, except I want to do a bit of upgrading to the motor if I'm putting another one in, and I think that would be a terrible financial decision. I decided I absolutely need the C60, Fidanza flywheel, shaved head for higher compression and an upgraded oil pan if I put a 2ZZ in. The wishlist includes cam regrind, Apexi PFC, electric water pump, oil-water heat exchanger, and an Accusump.

The other thing I was considering was a modified 2ZR-FE. It would be a little more powerful than the 1ZZ, but have way better response in the low end (the single VVTi on the 1ZZ lags like crazy below 2200rpm), improved torque curve, and you can probably coax 170hp out of it much easier than you can a 1ZZ. It apparently fits the same transmission but needs a custom mount, which is not a big deal. I realized the 2ZZ is on paper as good as a K20 but in reality they're a lot less reliable and you really only want to run them to 8000rpm. A 2ZR can probably take 7500 just fine, and being a newer design in my mind is more important than the last little bit.

The 2ZZ is a great option for many Spyder owners but not so good in CA because of the emission restrictions. The same goes for the 2GR swap which cost about 3 times what the 2ZZ swap would cost. I have driven one of those though and they are probably worth it.

If you are not crazy about convertibles but like a similar feel when you drive then you only have one choice IMO. You need to grab a used FR-S. I have seen a few selling for under $17K already and they are not salvage titles or extremely high mileage.

If you do not really need a car right now then save up for when you really do need or WANT one.

Honestly it's not a problem in CA, smog shops have no clue what the difference is and just assume the Spyder has a powerful motor because it looks fast.

I'm slightly obsessed with having the engine behind my head. FR is okay, I've been in Miatas and a Z3M and stuff but it's just not the same. I like the FRS but not enough to drop 17k. Maybe when they're down to like 10, it's definitely not the kind of car I'd want to keep for a long time.

I'm hesitant on the 2ZZ because it's an old engine and this is an old car. The auto industry has really made a lot of progress; the new Honda engines are amazing, the new Mazda engines are amazing, and the next crop of Toyota engines sound really promising too. Even the GR, ZR, AR, and NR are a huge improvement over the ZZ, MZ, AZ and NZ engines. Way better torque and efficiency. If I do an engine swap I'd want to keep the car for a long time and I would prefer to have a newer engine design in there.

Integra GSR? WRX? Will be hard to find a decent WRX with less than 150k miles for less than 10k though.