Silver6

So its been a great year that I've owned this RX8. However I am forced to move on. I have put my RX8 up in the for sale section because I have to buy a cheaper car. I have some bills coming up and keeping the RX8 would be scraping really thin. So I decided to sell her and I am most likely going to buy a 91-95 Toyota mr2 turbo. I will come back and say my thoughts after this process is done. But one thought I;ve already had is that I tried to go on to the mr2 forum to research the car. The whole time I was thinking "why dont they just set it up like RX8club.com?" I truly realize how spoiled we were with this forum and how we are spoon fed everything. The time I was on their forum I couldnt find any stickies on potential buyers or new owners and whenever a new owner posted about something trivial they were completely ignored. Understandable if it was easy to get to the information but I couldn't find it anywhere. So I am truly going to miss this forum site and all the help it provided

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

Man if you are tight on cash I'm not sure a MR2 Turbo is a smart move. Have you researched this route?

Silver6

Little bit. the biggest reason is the $4000 dollar difference in initial price. Are you indicating they are high maintenance though?

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

Yes, they are. Almost any turbocharged car that age is. One of our local guys came from the MR2 crowd and I had friends with them back in the day. You need to look at the years because some were problematic. RX8's are definitely not super reliable either but just do proper research before you pull the trigger.

Also I remember reading a MR2 buyers guide a few years back in one of the magazines, you might want to look that up.

Silver6

mr2 buyers guide. That sounds exactly what I need. And I know any turbocharged older vehicle is going to be some maintenance. If I wasnt planning on doing it all myself I wouldnt even consider the car. I actually enjoy ripping it all apart to figure out how it all works. But I am still trying to research on it. It has not been easy so far. Thats the biggest down side. Ill try to find this buyers guide you speak of

9krpmrx8

iTrader: (46)

Yeah if it stuff you can fix it is no biggies, but even a stock turbo rebuild will run you $350.00-$500.00 easy. So keep the big stuff in mind, get the engine compression tested, check the inter-cooler hoses for oil, etc.

Silver6

Thanks for the suggestion. That showed me which year to buy and what to look for when buying. Looks like most the common problems arent expensive but would just be really annoying if you didnt work on cars yourself. That ws exactly the kind of thing I was looking for. Actually I didnt expect to find one so good

Silver6

Yeah I'm pretty picky when I pick out cars now a days. When I was Younger I bought a 944. Next day the clutch went out. Long story short one of the easist ways to get to the clutch is by removing the engine. Stupid design. Anyways hopefully it will save me a few bucks.

monchie

So sad you are about to trade your rx8. Anyway, the Toyota MR2 is a small car and i remember one of my friend has an mr2 when i was still in high school. It's only a 2-seater (like the miata), but if you really want it, then go for it. Good luck and post pics if you decided to get it.

Silver6

Hah yea I know its tiny. It is an advantage in a way though. Whenever I hang out with two of my friends Im always the one having to waste my gas. One drives a S2000 and the other a 1st gen mr2. This way it forces one of them to drive. Or just find another friend that has four seats

StealthTL

iTrader: (1)

You seem like a pretty strange person.

You'd sell your '8 "to save a few bucks"

-then buy a turbo car from the early nineties, with an unknown maintenance history and potentially huge problems.

-and then choose a two-seater to avoid having to tell your buds "they need to drive now and then"

Now I'm not a doctor (well actually I am, long story.) but that's known as 'passive aggressive' and 'denial/avoidance'........

Don't put so many miles on the RX-8, and tell your buds to carpool, easy-peasy.

pistonhater

That's exactly what I was thinking.

Replacing the 8 with a 20 y/o car doesn't sound like a good move in terms of saving money for reliability issues

Silver6

It will save money. There is the initial $4000 investment. (My car is completely paid off). And yes a 20 year old turbo car does sound bad. And i know its going to need more than average maintenance. However if you do all your own maintenance then its not as big of a deal. Plus the extra $20 a week in gas helps. And for the 2 seater friends thing it was just a joke. I do enjoy having the back seats in the 8 but always having to drive got annoying at times so I was looking at the glass half full.

kiker14

if your car is completely paid off, just store it and buy a "beater" - there are a ton of quality cars out there for under $1k that are just fine (especially if you can do normal maintenance which it sounds like you can), and you'll still have the 8 for when you are ready... What about an N/A 1st or 2nd gen RX-7?

Silver6

I understand that in theory that sounds like a good idea. However it is very counter productive to store a depreciating item to save money. I do not have a job right now so its not like I can store it and save up. So I cant afford to add another expense ($1000 car) to my list. I need to sell my car and buy a cheaper one so I have some extra money laying around in case I need it. And that should last me until I graduate and if something large does go wrong with the new car I bought then I might have to go without a car for awhile. I hope I made that clear

kiker14

to use your own point against you (one of my favorite tactics when debating) - it is equally counter productive to sell a car to purchase another car which will likely have high to very high maintenance costs, and probably increased insurace costs as well (although it's older, being a turbocharged 2 door will really hurt you) I'm also assuming you are a relatively young male driver since you are talking about graduating.

What I did to get through college was to buy a beater (which was a 2nd gen RX-7) and then another beater was handed down to me (a 1986 maxima station wagon). If your primary goal is truly to save money, you shouldn't be looking at turbocharged 2 seaters. you should be looking at camrys, civics, accords, corollas, and other similar cars.

I'm not saying i've always gone this route, because we all know that there is something to be said about having a fun car.

A lot of us on this board have been in your shoes and have battled with the same types of things you are battling with, and I think most of us would agree that getting out of an RX-8 could be a very responsible thing to do - but then getting directly into a mr2 doesn't really make sense.

Silver6

An Mr2 is a car you can still have fun with and play around with. As I have stated I know I am going to have higher maintenance then even the rx8 most likely. However if you know what to look for when buying a car (I may be only 21 but i have owned 9 cars before) then you can decrease your chances of expensive repairs. The small repairs are of not much concern to me. Even some larger repairs if you know where to look you can find parts for pretty cheap. If you know what to look for you can easily come out in the positive range switching from an rx8 to a Mr2. Especially short term. However I do appreciate your concern I just want to point out that this is not my first time doing this and i know to fully research before buying. And Idk about other peoples insurance company but mine is a heck of a lot cheaper for an older car even if it is a sports car than a newer one.

Polak Graphics

Yea, stick with the rx-8 or make a more secure purchase other than an older mr2.

Keep it Mazda and get a Miata.

dynamho

Hey Silver6, have you looked at NA or NB MX-5's?
They are super fun to drive, cheap, and bulletproof reliable (if non-FI) and easy to service.
Tons of aftermarket support and know-how.

Chris

iTrader: (10)

What you should do here is sell the rx8 and purchase a cheaper reliable car (focus, civic, corolla, etc) and focus on finishing school. Then when thats done get yourself back into a "hobby" car. Trust me, that MR2 is a hobby car. Sounds like you still want your fun with cars though. Unless you or a very close friend is well advised on maintenance of an mr2, this is not a wise move.

Silver6

One of my good friends drives an Mr2. I appreciate the advice from people. And i am not going to jump into this without researching. A big reason I want this car is so i do have a hobby. Just focusing on school is killer. I occasionally need something to take my mind off of it

nycgps

iTrader: (1)

i dont understand this, u are looking to save money from selling a car u already paid off to some unknown car from 20 yrs ago that might break your bank?

If u really want to save money then u can sell the 8 and get a 1995 or older civic. At least its reliable and will save u more gas than any turbocharged car plus it has more room just in case u need them.

Chris

iTrader: (10)

The justification for the move to a mr2 is poor.

Should have just said you were looking for a different project. That is what you are doing. Good luck with it man.

You dont need to say you need the cash... because odds are you will use it doing something with the mr2

YaXMaN

+1
dynamho has a great suggestion here... still in school? I can't think of better daily driver that will be easy and cheap to maintain, and isn't some horribly handling econo shitbox.

Once you graduate, get a real "go fast" car.

Silver6

I know that is a def easier route. But I just am not a fan of the miatas. I still want a car that I will love and that is unique. And I def do not want a crappy little daily. That is ok if you still have another car you can drive on weekends. But I've gone from a 944 to a much more reliable Hyundai Tiburon. It is awful not being able to have fun in a car no matter how hard you try. I understand everyone is trying to help but I really do not need your suggestions on what I should or shouldn't do. I was just posting here informing what I am planning on doing and I was more than likely going to come back after the process and share my thoughts in hind sight.