AW11 MR2, should I or is this a bad idea?

[L695speed]

My brother is shipping off to the Air Force. Wants to do explosive work. Now, hes got three cars and a bike, the Fiero is sold pending payment, I want nothing to do with that thing anyway, the bike is pretty much sold to a friend of mine who wants it, the Subaru is up in the air, but he also has a 1986 MR2.

He pretty much offered me the MR2, said would sign it over, I'll work on it, get it driveable and streetable again, then when he wants it back, I'll sign it back over. He says otherwise, it will be stripped and scrapped. It is an N/A model, 325K miles on it, 5 speed manual and a sunroof. The body is a mess, but as a beater, runabout, and just a fun to drive car, it can oblige. Some of you may have seen it at the Chatterbox a couple years ago at a meet we had there. As I drove it there.

Needs:
Would need a total brake job, left front is frozen, lines are drying out.

has an oil leak that would need to be found and fixed.

We rebuilt the head a year or two ago, and did some bottom end work while we were at it. Trans has a bad synchro, but its no big deal, just double clutch it or take it easy going into second.

Body has lost the front air dam assembly, front fenders would need to be replaced, and the right front corner would need to be pulled out and redone. may need a new subframe to fix that. But the body is trivial, just look at Larry's SD455 car.

I would be the one doing the work and getting parts but considering what it is, I wouldn't really mind. Parts are mostly cheap for it. Should I take it for ****s and giggles, or is this just gonna be a bad idea through and through. I'd register it with QQs if I did this. Maybe even classic insurance if I could.

This car IMO deserves a better ending than a scrapyard/part out. I'd run it in the LeMons race if I could. Hell I may even win the race provided no BS happens. That would be a fitting way for it to go out. We have proof that we didn't spend anywhere near 500 for the car a few years ago.

[grazi]

So you would fix it up and sign it back over to him when he gets home? That kind of sounds like a bad deal to me. But if you like it, do it!

[grazi]

Post some pics!!!!

[WildBillyT]

Do you really need another project? Yeah, I'll be that guy.

[L695speed]

Do I need another project? I don't know. LOL. Probably not, but the only real project I have is the 84 and that is gonna be a long term one.

Grazi, I like the car, but it honestly has even me wondering if its worth the effort. Thing is, if all it needs is brakes, and the oil leak fixed (probably a pinched O ring on the distributor) kind of silly to scrap the car over that. It fires and runs like a champ on the first try. The brother paid for all of the work on the car so far. It would need calipers, pads and hoses, maybe a parking brake cable or two. 300 bucks worth of parts, for a car that we paid 350 bucks for back in 2005? It paid for itself a million times over. Dad daily drove it 100 miles a day for a time.

[L695speed]

These are the only two pics I have of it. Bro may have more.





The damage at the front never impacted how the car drove. But the missing air dam creates lift at 70+.

I would only get it running and driving, wouldn't touch the body. Personally, I am trying to talk myself out of it. But it was a fun car to drive, and it started right off once the + cable was replaced and battery charged. Don't see many of them anymore either....

[grazi]

My friend had the exact car. We were driving on rt 3 in Clifton. It overheated so he just left it there with the keys in it. Probably same one.

[L695speed]

Originally Posted by grazi

My friend had the exact car. We were driving on rt 3 in Clifton. It overheated so he just left it there with the keys in it. Probably same one.

As far as I know it never overheated, we bought this one from Trenton. I don't know, if it weren't for the rust I'd take him up on it. but damn, the rot on this makes the 84 look factory new. I looked around, I could get a T top Supercharged MR2 of the same generation, for 3500 with a spun bearing. THe main difference? The spun bearing is all that is wrong with it. Body is pristine on that one.

[V]

i say pass on it. post it up for sale where the MR2 followers are and get a few bucks for it, saves the car or makes the parts useful, and saves you the future headaches which will arise. It lived a long life, let it go.

[L695speed]

We may let it go, but not before it gets one last hurrah and a viking funeral at a LeMons race. This car deserves to go out in such epic style.

[Anti_Rice_Guy]

Fix brakes, and beat on it on a Lemons or autox.

[L695speed]

Originally Posted by Anti_Rice_Guy

Fix brakes, and beat on it on a Lemons or autox.

I'm talking to a couple friends about it, from the sound of it, we may do just that, I'm told an MR2 even in that shape, has more than a fair shot a winning a LeMons race. It all depends on what my brother wants to do too. If he is def gonna scrap it; if I don't take it; then the LeMons race may be a go, particularly if he doesn't care what happens to it. Unless it really does win, chances are it will more than likely be scrapped or parted afterwards anyway. If it wins, we may try for a second win at a different track.

My brother is leaving in mid june and won't drive it at all for a few years at least. Chances are even if I just drove it on the street, it won't last much longer anyway due to the rot. We have til then to decide what to do. Unless I do something with it, it will just sit and rot, hence him thinking I take it or scrap it.

[LTb1ow]

Junk the pos, spend the money on beer, acquire headache.

Same result cept this headache doesnt last months.

[L695speed]

We sold the thing to an MR2 guy who wants to put it back together. 400 bucks. I would have likely LeMons the thing if I had the money and time to make it safe to do so. Alas thats not the case. Its gone and out of my hair, guy got it the day before my brother left for Basic.

[grazi]

I think you made the right choice.

[L695speed]

Originally Posted by grazi

I think you made the right choice.

I know we did, that thing was a rust bucket. If it was cleaner, I probably would have seen what I could do.