A brief bit of history:
I moved to CA in Feb 00 and decided to get the car of my dreams.
The best one I could find in the bay area was $3500 and not all
that great. I went down to LA and this was the best one I could
find. I knew where I could find an 86' with 24 miles on it which
the salesman and mechanic at a dealership totaled, so when I was
looking for a car, I was specifically looking for one with a good
body and some extras, and not nessisarily a great drive trian.
As it turns out, the engine, trans, and clutch on this car work
great though 150k is a lot, and nothing lasts forever. (It is worth
noting, however, that I found some of these with over 200K on them
when I was in the market, so I think that well maintained ones have
a pretty long life expectancy.)
The guy who I bought it from was a mechanic, and seemingly, *very*
meticulus. It was utterly spotless! I think that he really had
taken pretty good care of it. I paid $3200 for it and let him keep
the amp. So, why am I selling it? After putting 5000
(18,000 now) (50K now) miles on
it, I find that I like VW rabbits Toyota trucks better. I like feel more
compfortable with front wheel drive, and I like the visibility of
the rabbit better, plus, I know every nut and bolt in a rabbit
having wrenched on them for a while. In short, I can't justify
doing the work I was planning on this car if I would rather have
something else.
Just as when I bought this vehicle, I feel that it is an excelent foundation upon which to build a very nice MR2 since it is sound and has alot desirable parts already.
At this point, the only money I have into it is what I paid, and
an oil change (and in early 03, a major service w/ new plugs and wires and
the FI system cleaned.)
If I can get a good price (i.e., $4500)
($3500...more miles and I've got more money) ($2500...more
miles, more years old, etc), for it,
I'll take the money and run. Read: "non-motivated seller."
[ed: I just went down town this morning and saw another mr2 for sale. It's looks great and the exhast isn't rusty. 235,000 miles, and they are asking $3000. Just my luck...I went all the way to LA then 4 months later, one shows up 1/2 a mile from my house! -06/03/00]
Good:
-CD
-AC
-Cruise Control
-Moon Roof
-brand new *real* shop manual
-recent smog check very low
-interior almost perfect
-original paint in good shape
-15in custom wheels in great shape. Don't know the brand, but I
believe them to be good ones.
-stainless brake lines...I'll never be without these on a
performance car again!
-suspension quite stiff. Maybe good, maybe not...depends on how
one likes to drive...it feels like a go-cart now!
-new tires at around 194K
Bad:
-Exhast system looks weak (rustic looking), but works fine.
-power mirrors aren't
-intermitant part of wipers aren't
-small dent on drivers side door
-I think the rear wheel bearings should be replaced as they make noise
tomai@_my_last_name_.com