20V: Made to order 20v blacktop 6 speed, feasible?

[glacialmoraine]

Hi all,

I've been looking at mk1, mk2 and mk3 mr2's and think I might want a 20v blacktop 6spd mk1. Thing is, I am lazy and don't want to do the work myself.

So, instead of finding a shell and finding someone to do the swap, what if I just order a car from someone that does swaps, they can probably find a better shell cheaper than I can. If not I can buy a shell, but if the mechanic is in a different state that adds transport costs to get the shell there. I can always find one local to them on craigslist if they would pick it up, So i figure it breaks down like this....

20v blacktop 6 speed swap $1500
labor to install swap $1300
Hardtop mk1 shell $1-300

Turnkey mk1 6sp 20v bt $2900-3200

Or, I could wimp out and do 87-89 (c52 trans) with a blacktop engine

20v blacktop only swap $800
Labor $1100
hardtop mk1 shell $1-300

turnkey mk1 5sp 20v bt $2000-2300

So, is this reasonable? can anyone do it cheaper? am I thinking too low?

thanks,

GM

[mr220v]

That's actually about what I do a 20v swap for when I do them ($1400 on the last on I did including wiring). Where are you located, maybe we can get together on this.

[mr3]

What about body work and interior work? For a 1-300 shell, there will be rust and the interior will most likely be messed up. If you can find a clean shell for that cheap you'll be very lucky.

[glacialmoraine]

Hmm,

I've always found that cars with blown engines or transmissions can be very nice and still not be worth a whole lot. Junkyards pay $150, and people can only keep busted up cars around for so long.

I mean, sure a car with high intrinsic value like a classic Porsche or something has value with no engine, but a mk1 mr2 in good running driving shape is worth $1000 to $2000. Maybe a bit more if it is extra clean and you are selling to an enthusiast. So, if someone has a creampuff and blows the engine or trans, they are probably going to get a quote of around $1-2000 from their neighborhood mechanic to fix it. This doesn't make financial sense, so at this point the car is pretty much a rock around their neck.

Anyway, dead non-collector cars should be dirt cheap, If I can't find one for under $500 with decent body and interior, i'd probably skip the whole idea and buy one of the running driving very very clean $1500-2000 examples and wait for the engine to blow.

peas,

GM

[lsgheero]

I got my shell for $300 minor body damage (drivers door had a dent, $30 at scrp yard for new door fixed that). Needed paint and $750 at maaco fixed that. Engine was blown in my shell when I got it number 4 piston threw the oil pan.

So it can be done, however mine did have some minor body damage. interior was in good shape.

[mr220v]

There was one for $400 floating on the craigslist here in Atlanta the other day, and I see them pop up for about that from time to time with varying problems. They all generally need paint.

Atlanta isn't what you would consider a cheap market for mr2's though.

You should be able to get one for $500 that's not a total basket case, though a really nice one with a blown motor is going to be more like $1000. Paying up a little bit is not always a bad idea. It can save you fixing everything.

[FelipeT]

I could go on forever on this topic, but suffice it to say that mr220v is dead-on, all count. In fact after looking for years for a starting point for my MR2, I finally settled on a $500 shell with fair to good interior (I need a few little pieces of trim) and a fair body (needs paint and a few dings worked out, as well as very light surface rust.)

With regards to this, I've learned two things: First, it is better to get an otherwise clean car with bad factory paint than a car with shiny new paint that could be a closet basket-case underneath. Second, it is always much better to spend a little more up front than it is to get "deal" on a pile of junk.

After having worked with cars for many years, I've come to realize that people don't generally abandon "cream-puffs" with one big, expensive mechanical issue, they give up on cars that have a million little things wrong with them that have been driving them crazy for years, and the blown engine is just an excuse to move on.

If you find a great $300 shell, then more power to you, but know that it won't be the rule, but the exception. In all honestly, if you're the kind of person looking for a "turnkey" solution, then a $300 car most likely isn't for you! You'll be best off just buying a car on which someone has already performed the swap.

PS-Good luck finding a "running driving very very clean" car for $1500-2000. If I could have found one of those, I would already be driving!

PPS-Your original question was, "is it feasible?" Short answer: Not really.