Bandwagon post, everything wrong with my car(s)

"rockingthe2" (unpredictable-swerve)
07/28/2016 at 21:32 • Filed to: None

First up, my baby. 1993 MR2 Turbo:

Let’s see....

AC compressor is bad

Front drivers side strut is bad

Seats are missing rear trim

Paint is shot

Steering rack has a slight leak

Leaks a tiny bit of oil

Subframe has a bit of surface rust

two (TWO!) door dings

Backup camera doesn’t work (May be my fault, or just incompatible with my headunit)

Headunit faceplate is somewhere in my storage unit

Needs moar faster

Next up is the turbowagon, 2005 Saab 9-2x Aero

This one might be a bit longer....

3 accidents in the past, lots of replaced parts on this one, some better than others

weird noises associated with unknown quality of work after 3 accidents

AC compressor clutch is bad

Power steering has air in the line somewhere, or a leak

Either wheel bearings or brake rotors may be bad, maybe both

Needs ball joints

Paint is shot

Rear end is saggy

Headlights have condensation in them and yellowed lenses

Interior is all stained (Seriously! Who uses light gray?!?!)

Up-pipe has a catalytic converter (Yeah yeah, it’s stock that way, still... bad idea)

Rust on rear fender wells

Rear bumper has crash damage

Gas cap seal is bad

Wheels are all curb rashed (Previous owner, not me)

Leaks and/or eats oil like a fat boy eating cake

STILL has air in the coolant system (@#$%&^%&W^@!!!!!)

Window has a nice crack in it

All that being said, and with the exception of the AC compressor in the MR2, I love driving both of these. Maybe once I get a garage and get settled most of these will get fixed.

Maybe.

DISCUSSION (17)

AM3R shamefully returns > rockingthe2
07/28/2016 at 21:53

Tell me all about the MR2. I want one very badly. Are they really THAT difficult to work on?

rockingthe2 > AM3R shamefully returns
07/28/2016 at 22:13

Short answer, yes.

TL;DR answer, depends on what you are working on or how large your hands are. I find it fun, but I don’t do much deep in the engine bay, when I have to replace the compressor that might be a pain. I ended up sitting on the trunk and putting my feet on the valve cover to replace a starter on my old N/A MR2. I also have a buddy with a lift, so take that into account. I’ve owned MR2's since I was 17, and I’ll probably own one for a few decades going forward.

itranthelasttimeiparkedit > rockingthe2
07/28/2016 at 22:15

My mr2 made me a engine bay maneuverability a factor in purchasing my next car. Still want another one though

AM3R shamefully returns > rockingthe2
07/28/2016 at 22:35

You know, I still badly want one. How do the turbo models fare against the n/a models reliability wise?

rockingthe2 > AM3R shamefully returns
07/28/2016 at 23:32

Moot point. If it’s well taken care of either will do 300k. I swapped mine to a gen4 3S-GTE a few years back. Awesome motor.

rockingthe2 > itranthelasttimeiparkedit
07/28/2016 at 23:32

Worth it IMO

AM3R shamefully returns > rockingthe2
07/28/2016 at 23:35

Alright that's it I NEED one.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > AM3R shamefully returns
07/29/2016 at 08:18

The front of the engine’s impossible, but it’s fairly easy to remove. The trick is to lift the car off of the engine, not take the engine out of the car.

rockingthe2 > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
07/29/2016 at 22:42

Yup, Don’t try to do a timing belt without dropping the motor.

rockingthe2 > AM3R shamefully returns
07/29/2016 at 22:46

I _HIGHLY_ recommend Prime Performance in Stanhope, NJ. Buy one from them, get some autox in to get a feel for the car and how it handles, and then just don’t wrap it around a tree.

http://www.primemr2.com/cars-for-sale.…

Yeah, it’s expensive, but you won’t have any issues with it at all, every belt, hose, and bit of fluid is new as well. And the guys there are awesome. You won’t find a better car for a better price, unless you are very handy with a wrench. These are the guys that did my swap, and I paid close to what they are asking for the cheapest one for mine BEFORE the swap.

91's are twitchy, but fun.

93's have better brakes and are a bit more stable

94's and 95's are super rare, might have a passenger airbag.

AM3R shamefully returns > rockingthe2
07/29/2016 at 23:03

Thanks! I’ll check them out. Definitely worth it to me to spend more on a more well sorted out car. I’m only an hour and a half away from Japanese classics, so I can get some nice RHD, low mileage MR2's for surprisingly cheap. They’ve had minty n/a’s for under $10k!

rockingthe2 > AM3R shamefully returns
07/29/2016 at 23:13

Prime sells mostly “gen4" cars, which are coil on plug and pretty darn reliable at 230-300hp. I’d spring for one if you got the cash.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > rockingthe2
07/30/2016 at 13:43

I just moved up to New York, and I’m kind of saving up to take Charlie there for some prep.

rockingthe2 > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
07/30/2016 at 17:53

It’s worth it. Gen4 is absolutely the way to go on these.

OPPOsaurus WRX > rockingthe2
10/01/2016 at 22:18

Update the list

rockingthe2 > OPPOsaurus WRX
10/03/2016 at 23:57

Dude how far back on my posts did you go? Stalker. Only thing that changed is my mr2 decided it didn’t like starting.

OPPOsaurus WRX > rockingthe2
10/04/2016 at 08:33

Just two posts, I was trying to figure what you had for a car

Kinja'd!!!