Should i get an 85 MR2?

[Natheria]

Originally Posted by Guff

Ooohh, this looks like it has the popular package, so it must have a Torsen LSD as well!

Looks awesome! I'm glad you found such a clean NA.

Yeah he mentioned it came with the better Torsen LSD which I'm happy with, and being a 94 it has the 1.8 which does feel fast (hey! it's fast to me! I'm used to driving automatic shit boxes that go no where when you stomp on the accelerator!). It is so much fun and the gear changes... Now i haven't been around manuals for very long or driven too many cars but... Good god it feels so smooth. It just goes *snick snick*, it's wonderful. When i commented on it when i first started playing around with the shifter before i started moving he says "it'll feel better when the trans fluid warms up". "It gets better!?". Am i just used to shit shifters? Probably.

The only two things i would ever change about the car are actually ironic. First one being the power windows (i just like cranking my window down or some reason) and the upgraded head unit you can see in the picture. When i first saw the new radio in the pictures i was like "sweet! i won't have to change the head unit out OR use the cassette adapter to hook up my little Sansa player i use for my car!".
I get in it and see it has no place for the jack... "oh yeah, i upgraded the sterio so you can listen to your CDs" ... But i don't wanna listion to CDs! CURSE YOU INVASIVE AND OBSOLETE TECHNOLOGY! I might just buy one of those cheap AM/FM/MP3 receiver head units deliberately just to spite it (or ask him if he still has the old unit). Take that you stupid CDs!!

And i know i paid more than i should have for the age and mileage... And the logical side of my brain is still screaming at me that i could have just gone with one of the other less clean miatas i was looking at and in the long run would probably be more cost effective because I'm not paying a premium for how mint it is. But i did it anyway, and that part of my brain still doesn't know why. I'm hoping it will quiet down when i start really driving her. Anyone else think i paid too much? I know it really doesn't matter now and it's all about how much I value the car and not someone else but i get paranoid about these things.

[serialk11r]

Having gotten my 2000 MY car 2.5 months ago for a bit over 5k, and discovering some of the minor issues it has (dying O2 sensors, synchros not so smooth, some weird sounds from the engine), yea I think you paid a little much for a car that's 6 years older than mine! But you know, an old shitbox Corolla with the exact same powertrain as my car with a different final drive can be had for much much cheaper, so what am I even saying...

I guess this car buying business is really an emotional one, not a rational one Cheers.

[Guff]

I would have bought a cheaper one, but a pristine low mileage NA Miata is getting to be a collectors car, because the rest have been beat to shit. I think your price was fair, but I would have opted for an older, crappier one for sub-$4k.

[Dimman]

Originally Posted by Guff

Check out my buddy's 85.

That's like the Rebel flag of Japan.

[einzlr]

Originally Posted by Natheria

And i know i paid more than i should have for the age and mileage... And the logical side of my brain is still screaming at me that i could have just gone with one of the other less clean miatas i was looking at and in the long run would probably be more cost effective because I'm not paying a premium for how mint it is. But i did it anyway, and that part of my brain still doesn't know why. I'm hoping it will quiet down when i start really driving her. Anyone else think i paid too much? I know it really doesn't matter now and it's all about how much I value the car and not someone else but i get paranoid about these things.

Nah I don't think you paid too much Car is gorgeous, you fell in love, you spontaneously decided for once to be a little indulgent - that can be good for the soul, as long as you're not so broke you can't pay the rent. Enjoy this car and don't let other peoples' uptightness take that away from you (EDIT: I did *not* mean the people in this thread <3. The other replies were posted while I was typing lol.)


Regarding the head unit, I've used those cassette adapters before and never had much luck with them. The ones I've had have been plastic through and through which is fine except that they heat up and the gear wheels melt, so they tend to be short lived. I finally got an AM/FM transmitter (you plug the Sansa into it and it transmits your songs to your car's radio). It works great in the Hyundai but it's too bulky for the BMW's and it sticks out so much from the cigarette lighter that it interferes with the shifter. I tried 12V extension cords but they still have a huge plug and it's the same story. Probably it'll be the same in the Miata So your choices pretty much are burn a lot of cd's, go retro like you said with the original unit or another older one, or get a modern one with an aux. jack.

[Natheria]

A buddy of mine uses of of those radio adapters. They seem fine and definitely feel a lot more solid than the cassette adapter i used to use while driving around in my mom's old Voyager when i first started out. I just always thought they were a little too expensive for an adapter and would have rather bought a new shiny head unit at that price but then you don't have to monkey with removing the dash bezel/rewiring or anything.

[Turbowned]

Well, that didn't end up the way I thought it would! I was gonna tell you not to pay so much for that MR2, but then you went and spent way more on the Miata. Well, I hope you can at least break even when it's time to sell the Miata and get the FR-S. Both cars are great fun! I saw a supercharged '91 Miata with 40k miles for $4,000 locally but I really don't fit in Miatas; I barely fit in the MR2!

I woulda sold you my MR2 for $6,000! I've got about 3x as much into it, sadly

[einzlr]

Originally Posted by Natheria

A buddy of mine uses of of those radio adapters. They seem fine and definitely feel a lot more solid than the cassette adapter i used to use while driving around in my mom's old Voyager when i first started out. I just always thought they were a little too expensive for an adapter and would have rather bought a new shiny head unit at that price but then you don't have to monkey with removing the dash bezel/rewiring or anything.

Yeah the convenience is why I got it. Plus until I realized how bulky it is, I thought I'd be able to use it in all my cars. It wasn't expensive, though; around $30 IIRC.

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by Natheria

Well it has been an interesting last couple of days. I went to see the MR2 on Saturday.....

Noooo! Back out now while you still can!

Just kidding, those things happen, and it would definitely not have been my choice but all that matters in the end is you are happy with your decision, and you enjoy your new ride. It certainly looks like a fine specimen of the species.

Why, not my choice? Well, I don't get the whole attraction to the Miata in general. I know I am also in a minority there. But to me it looks like a bathtub on wheels, and I just was not that enthralled by the two or three I've driven. But, hey, that's why they make different kinds of cars, right?

:happy0180:

[Natheria]

I'm not really sure why i like them either, and other than the miata and the S2k i despise convertibles (I'd actually like them both a bit more if they ever did come in hard top, and with that logic you can also probably guess what the first thing i'm going to buy for my miata is when i get the money for it...). Ironically they are both two of my favorite cars (along with the FD RX-7 and Elise). I love small light weight cars with little to no frills. It's why the FR-S still has a special place in my heart.

And I can see where your coming from about the bathtub thing. I actually prefer the looks of the NBs all things equal. I do love pop up headlights though and when NAs are slightly lowered (like half an inch, not fucking slammed! i hate that look!) they clean up nice in my eyes. My dream car would be an NB with pop up headlights! It'd be like a mini FD!

Originally Posted by Turbowned

Well, that didn't end up the way I thought it would! I was gonna tell you not to pay so much for that MR2, but then you went and spent way more on the Miata. Well, I hope you can at least break even when it's time to sell the Miata and get the FR-S. Both cars are great fun! I saw a supercharged '91 Miata with 40k miles for $4,000 locally but I really don't fit in Miatas; I barely fit in the MR2!

I woulda sold you my MR2 for $6,000! I've got about 3x as much into it, sadly

I can probably sell it for pretty close to what i bought it for here with the right timing and audience. Never having seen salt up here counts for a lot and there are quite a lot of older well to do people here in the finger lakes which is why i kinda believed the guy when he said he could have probably sold it for 7500 in the spring (not that i would have ever been crazy enough to pay that kind of cash for it but i'm not that kind of demographic) so if i keep it as clean as it is now it should keep a good portion of it's value at the very least. I honestly don't know how long i will keep it so who knows. I might just keep it for a long time and by the time I'm looking for another car the FR-S will be fairly long in the tooth.

At the very least i know i'm getting quite the service out of this. I talked with him on the phone today to tell him i got my insurance info ready to send to him and he said he'd wash and wax it one more time for me before i took it and wrapped it up for the winter.