MR2 For a First Car

[Warrior of the rising sun]

I've got to wiegh in on this issue. I leared to drive in my parents van @ 15. (on a permit) and moved to a 5 spd '78 mustang when I turned 16. BUT it was a 4 banger mustang with LITERLY 77 Hp. No, thats not a typo. This POS took 28!!!! seconds to do 0-60!! BUT- I learned to drive carfully and to respect the car, before I moved on. My parents wouln't let me buy a "sports car" till I was 18, so untill then i just dreamed. When I turned 18 i got a '92 3000GT and started modding it. But I paid for all my cars AND their gas AND the insurance, so I was very responsible even with my 3000GT's 275ish Hp.

The point is, MR2's are great cars for people with experience and respect for their cars.

ALSO: I can't stand it when parents buy their kids high power sports cars on their 16th birthday when the kid has NO experience!!!! This is what gives teen drivers a bad name. Kids should earn the right to drive high power cars, it not a birthright because mommy and daddy are rich!!

For the record, I'm 19 and in addition to owning a 3000GT and an MR2, I also
drive a crotch rocket. And I paid for all of these vehicals(my parent did not pay a dime) which may be why I have never had a wreck.

[Angel]

Originally Posted by Warrior of the rising sun

.

ALSO: I can't stand it when parents buy their kids high power sports cars on their 16th birthday when the kid has NO experience!!!! This is what gives teen drivers a bad name. Kids should earn the right to drive high power cars, it not a birthright because mommy and daddy are rich!!

I dont think this applies to just sports cars. Any car that parents buy their children usually gets treated like ****. Sean knew of a girl who's father was rich, and got a free car at 16. She'd total it in a few months and he'd buy her another brand new car. She had Celicas, Camrys, tons of cars, all totaled eventually.

[Warrior of the rising sun]

I agree with you, Angel. Generally, if you don't pay for it, you wont respect it.
If I had totalled my car that was it. No daddy waiting to buy me another one.
Plus my parents would have taken my lisence if I had wrecked the car, or even got a ticket! So I drove very carefully.

[mr2slow4you]

Originally Posted by Angel

I dont think this applies to just sports cars. Any car that parents buy their children usually gets treated like ****. Sean knew of a girl who's father was rich, and got a free car at 16. She'd total it in a few months and he'd buy her another brand new car. She had Celicas, Camrys, tons of cars, all totaled eventually.

My best friend got his sti at the age of 17 about 2 years ago right when they came out. He has not wrecked it as he is an excellent driver, but definatly beats the **** out of his car. Sometimes he is way to confident in his and the car's abilities, and someday this will bite him in the ***.

[twiztid]

although i do get a free car when I turn 16 and my parents pay for my insurance they have said you wreck it you pay for it and plus I really dont want to have to get another car because I dont want to get stuck with some car that I dont like after doing all the research to find a jap 4cyl turbo with excellent handling within my $3000 price range (as long as I find an mr2 that runs its fine with me)

[mr2slow4you]

Good luck finding a worthwhile mr2 turbo for 3k.

[supercharged89dude]

My first car was laow 12 sec 67 Firebird. Now i have a low 13 sec T/A. The MR2 i want to make a full blow road race car. But I'm thinking it would be beeter to drive than the T/A in the winter. I have 315/35/ZR17s on the back of my T/A. I would think an all stock SC 89 MR2 would be better in the snow than my modded T/A. Wat do u ppl. think?

Meanwhile. Except for the MR2 that i got for free, I have bought and paid for everything for my cars. I'm 20 now going to be 21 in nov.

[mikeswickednick]

what the heck is a t/a

[Tyler H]

Originally Posted by mikeswickednick

what the heck is a t/a

Trans Am, duh. You're not frum the South, are you boy? /deliverance

[Angel]

Originally Posted by mr2slow4you

Good luck finding a worthwhile mr2 turbo for 3k.

One in Florida sold for just over a grand, it was a BEAUTIFUL car. The guy got rid of it because he said all the brakes were shot, but in reality it was just the brake pads were squealing because they needed replaced. It was garage kept for years, and he got rid of it cuz of that.

I was one call too late. -.-

[Angel]

Lets see...

My mom forced me to buy a ****ty Lumina when I bought my 87 MR2 because I needed something "reliable" also. I Hated that car passionately, ran over curbs with it, and it was a peice of ****, but at least I paid for it too, then beat it. We sent it to the Junkyard asap. My 87 Mr2 ran great until last year, when the engine started knocking, we replaced the engine with a 86 engine that we had, then either the transmission (auto) or the torque converter went bad so I parked it. While I had that one, I bought another 87 Mr2 for the exhaust because the exhaust was brand new, expected to junk that one but it's in excellent condition, the owner thought the engine was bad because the water pump went and was making a lot of racket. I was given a 85 Dodge Truck because the previous owner didn't want it anymore, it's been sitting in the yard for a while, but I plan on fixing it for winter this year since I won't be able to drive my 91 Mr2, which I also pay for monthly, I got a loan to buy the car, and my dad co signed, but I make every payment on time or early, and I pay for my own insurance as well. (I just turned 20)

[twiztid]

I think I'll be able to get one from someone that doesnt know how great an mr2 really is (91T Kelly blue value is 3175 for excellent condition) and a good thing is where I live it snows every 5 years and rarely rains Hooray Texas!

[supercharged89dude]

Originally Posted by Tyler H

Trans Am, duh. You're not frum the South, are you boy? /deliverance

Haha. Yea im a pontiac guy but i'll go import for a MR2. You guys are right tho, theres just something about them that set them apart.

[mr2slow4you]

Originally Posted by Angel

One in Florida sold for just over a grand, it was a BEAUTIFUL car. The guy got rid of it because he said all the brakes were shot, but in reality it was just the brake pads were squealing because they needed replaced. It was garage kept for years, and he got rid of it cuz of that.

I was one call too late. -.-

See it takes good luck

[Angel]

Yeah. You have no idea how pissed I was that I missed that car, I was so prepared to drive the 22 hours to it too!

[tancred]

Great post, and I will have to second the original poster.

I started at age 16 with RX7 Turbo IIs and learned the ropes of RWD with power, but I found myself in many oh **** moments within the first week, when boost was comming on or going out, being literally pushed through corners with the front wheels turned and the rears just brutally pushing the car into the apex. Or downshifting on wet roads to find the turbo spooled and the entire car sideways in my lane in split seconds and tapping the gas and popping straight again before I knew what hit me.

I purchased a 88 S/C'd MR2 when I wanted a new daily driver and built the RX7 up, and I found it to be the most remarkable little ******* car ever, with the T-Tops out I headed down a 12% grade running about 15 miles of 4 lane twisties, thinking the spare lane would help me if I got into trouble, I never had to use the spare lanes because I pushed the MK1 very hard and it rode the line the likes of which my RX7 could never do. felt like the paint on the road was rails and I was riding the train. I fell in love with the MR2s handling and am just now stepping up into a MK2....Its been 4 years of driving high powered or unique handling sports cars. A lot of lessons learned, no accidents, but lots of lessons learned...

[DenverMR2]

I see where people are coming from but i don't pay for my 2 cars but it doesn't mean i don't respect them. They don't turn into pieces of ****. Media pertrays teens like me to be highly unresponsible and immature, yes alot of teens are like that but some us know how to drive. All those teens that talk about driving illegally are idiots, what if something was to happen where you commited vehicular homicide what then. If you want to drive so badly go to a track where there are people to help you and if that isn't possible go to a very secluded place with a group of mature drivers and learn and improve upon yourr skills there.

[leetless]

well i am 19, and my 92na is my first at the age of 18,

luckily i havet got the "spun out" on my 92na mr2,
may be it just a thing of my car age, and plus the extra body fats ( bomx bumper+ toms kit all around) , i guess may be it has to do something wit the weight cause reduce of power, or may be it just a different between the NA, turbo.
i probobly can drift better on my 97 corolla than my mr2 lol =p

[phzoinkMKII]

Originally Posted by twiztid

I think I'll be able to get one from someone that doesnt know how great an mr2 really is (91T Kelly blue value is 3175 for excellent condition) and a good thing is where I live it snows every 5 years and rarely rains Hooray Texas!

I'm not going to lie to you, blue book on these cars is bull****. Look up an excelent condition 70k mile 95 with all the options and a hard top, not all that great. With the mr2 you are looking at how rare the car has become and blue book doesn't factor that into the price. I'm 99.9% sure you are going to have a hard time trying to convince someone to let their turbo mr2 go for blue book.

[Angel]

Blue books are helpful sometimes though, especially if someone is trying to sell a car that should just be a parts car, you have conditions to go by.:P They do lowball a lot though also.