Getting rid of the MR2
Discussion
Hi guys - long time no see. 
How's things?
I'm just not willing to put up with the MR2's problems any more. So, question for you all. Where can I look at buying standard (ish) Imprezas and is it worth part-Xing the MR2 against one?
Please don't hang up at this point. It's not as bad as it seems. I'm not wearing burberry, a tracksuit or any dodgy footwear...
Bear in mind that the MR2 is in need of serious attention. The gearbox is crunchy, something in the engine bay rattles loudly between 2,300 and 3,100rpm, the suspension knocks and it needs a major service some time soon. The only saving grace is it'll have new back tyres fitted for its' imminent MOT..
Regarding the Impreza - it doesn't have to be a shining example in A1 condition. The two 'post-MR2' options I'm most tempted by are;
1) Sensible car + direct access + silly motorbike
2) Sensible car + rally car
As virtually every woman I know has declared they won't speak to me ever again if I buy a bike I'm left staring at option 2.
I've done a fair bit of research and a lot of my mates are in rallying so there's plenty of direct experience to tap off. The cheapest exciting option would seem to be a classic Subaru Impreza Turbo. I'm still at the stage of browsing the various scooby forums and I've read all the FAQs.
I know I should probably start small and work up but I'm only looking at Clubman events and the 1400/1600s I've had rides in feel painfully slow after the MR2. The car needs to be exciting. I also appreciate that my Impreza will never be competitive - one of the guys I know that rallies blows between £4 and £10k on parts between each event and there's simply no way I can compete with that.
I just want mine so I can drive in events - I'll make it quicker as cash permits.
Anyway - anyone able to help with the original question? I'm in London most of the time so if you know any places round here that stock scoobies and consider MR2 trade-ins I'd appreciate you sharing.
How's things?
I'm just not willing to put up with the MR2's problems any more. So, question for you all. Where can I look at buying standard (ish) Imprezas and is it worth part-Xing the MR2 against one?
Please don't hang up at this point. It's not as bad as it seems. I'm not wearing burberry, a tracksuit or any dodgy footwear...
Bear in mind that the MR2 is in need of serious attention. The gearbox is crunchy, something in the engine bay rattles loudly between 2,300 and 3,100rpm, the suspension knocks and it needs a major service some time soon. The only saving grace is it'll have new back tyres fitted for its' imminent MOT..
Regarding the Impreza - it doesn't have to be a shining example in A1 condition. The two 'post-MR2' options I'm most tempted by are;
1) Sensible car + direct access + silly motorbike
2) Sensible car + rally car
As virtually every woman I know has declared they won't speak to me ever again if I buy a bike I'm left staring at option 2.
I've done a fair bit of research and a lot of my mates are in rallying so there's plenty of direct experience to tap off. The cheapest exciting option would seem to be a classic Subaru Impreza Turbo. I'm still at the stage of browsing the various scooby forums and I've read all the FAQs.
I know I should probably start small and work up but I'm only looking at Clubman events and the 1400/1600s I've had rides in feel painfully slow after the MR2. The car needs to be exciting. I also appreciate that my Impreza will never be competitive - one of the guys I know that rallies blows between £4 and £10k on parts between each event and there's simply no way I can compete with that.
I just want mine so I can drive in events - I'll make it quicker as cash permits.
Anyway - anyone able to help with the original question? I'm in London most of the time so if you know any places round here that stock scoobies and consider MR2 trade-ins I'd appreciate you sharing.
Rather than buying a cheap/knackered car and getting up to rally spec yourself, its usually far cheaper to buy one that someone's already converted to a rally car, or an unfinished project thats being sold cheaply by someone who can't afford to finish it - if you can find one that had the expensive/important things done and just needs some finishing touches to be useable you may be able to get it pretty cheap.
Ah - don't get me wrong guys, I know the rally car will have to be sound mechanically, I meant I'm not concerned about the bodywork (it'll get battered anyway).
Mechanically the car needs to be pretty damn good - there's likely to be enough money spent on repairs without it being stuffed full of latent defects.
Thinking about it, one normally points to the other so I'll up the car budget a bit (i.e. buy a cheaper 'sensible car'.
I did take a look at ready-made rally cars on a few sites but nothing appealed. I'll keep checking back. There's plenty of time, I'm not planning the first event till January.
Aside from Newera are there any trustworthy importers I should talk to?
Mechanically the car needs to be pretty damn good - there's likely to be enough money spent on repairs without it being stuffed full of latent defects.
Thinking about it, one normally points to the other so I'll up the car budget a bit (i.e. buy a cheaper 'sensible car'.
I did take a look at ready-made rally cars on a few sites but nothing appealed. I'll keep checking back. There's plenty of time, I'm not planning the first event till January.
Aside from Newera are there any trustworthy importers I should talk to?
Right...I'm back...
I wouldnt rule out option 2 to be honest. I have a friend living in london who has a sensible car, did direct access, rode an SV650 for a year, and is now about to buy a GSXR600. The bike makes so much sense living in london - you can use the snotter when you need to move stuff, and during inclement weather, whereas you commute on the bike when its not raining cats and dogs.
Of course, the other advantage of the bike is that they are bonkers fast and super cheap! My mate is spending under £6500 on a GSXR and thats brand new!
I wouldnt rule out option 2 to be honest. I have a friend living in london who has a sensible car, did direct access, rode an SV650 for a year, and is now about to buy a GSXR600. The bike makes so much sense living in london - you can use the snotter when you need to move stuff, and during inclement weather, whereas you commute on the bike when its not raining cats and dogs.
Of course, the other advantage of the bike is that they are bonkers fast and super cheap! My mate is spending under £6500 on a GSXR and thats brand new!
Hi Russ, how's things?
Long time no see!
It's the 'bonkers fast' part of bikes that appeals to me, but on the flip side the MR2 spends plenty of time wagging its' tail and it was only accidental on one occasion.
Put simply and honestly I think my female friends are right on this; I lack the self-control for a powerful bike. The fact that both my grandfathers almost killed themselves on low-powered bikes seems to supply evidence to that effect...
There's also the time I watched a biker get pushed into the railings by a bus as I walked through central london. He wasn't hurt, but if the real wheels of the bus had been 1 foot to the left he'd have been sliced into neat, leather-wrapped biker nibbles. That sort of thing can seriously harm your appetite for motorcycling.
The self-control thing forms a (tiny) part of the reason I want to move on from the MR2, it's going to get me in trouble one day. It's just a matter of deciding between the written law or the ones Issac Newton came up with.
This is why a rally car seems to make sense. That way I get a roll cage and I won't be at risk from the police any more...
Long time no see!
It's the 'bonkers fast' part of bikes that appeals to me, but on the flip side the MR2 spends plenty of time wagging its' tail and it was only accidental on one occasion.
Put simply and honestly I think my female friends are right on this; I lack the self-control for a powerful bike. The fact that both my grandfathers almost killed themselves on low-powered bikes seems to supply evidence to that effect...
There's also the time I watched a biker get pushed into the railings by a bus as I walked through central london. He wasn't hurt, but if the real wheels of the bus had been 1 foot to the left he'd have been sliced into neat, leather-wrapped biker nibbles. That sort of thing can seriously harm your appetite for motorcycling.
The self-control thing forms a (tiny) part of the reason I want to move on from the MR2, it's going to get me in trouble one day. It's just a matter of deciding between the written law or the ones Issac Newton came up with.
This is why a rally car seems to make sense. That way I get a roll cage and I won't be at risk from the police any more...
Hi Al,
from the stuff you've taken from the turbo, im surprised you lasted this long
tbh mate, you'll struggle bang for bucks wise, this side of an RX7.
classic scoobs can be a pit for money (a mate paid 2.5k on one, and ended up spending almost double puttin it right)
but they look the coolest IMHO and sound great
from the stuff you've taken from the turbo, im surprised you lasted this long
tbh mate, you'll struggle bang for bucks wise, this side of an RX7.
classic scoobs can be a pit for money (a mate paid 2.5k on one, and ended up spending almost double puttin it right)
but they look the coolest IMHO and sound great
_Batty_ said:
classic scoobs can be a pit for money (a mate paid 2.5k on one, and ended up spending almost double puttin it right)
I thought they were reliable...
I love the RX7s but they scare me - rebuilds, insurance, running costs... High expense seems to be their trademark.
Sadly any plans to replace the MR2 this week have been set back by some chavs throwing a block of concrete at me earlier today. It only hit the edge of the tyre but at 60mph that does quite a bit of damage. It's MORE money that I need to throw at the damn thing...
Hi Al, I remember talking to you on MR2OC when you first got the 2. I went from a UK MR2 mk2 to a Impreza STI. I've found mine to be reliable, although you do hear alot of scare stories on scoobynet of engine letting go, but normally you dont get all details like if the car was warmed up or if the oil has ever been changed.
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