Thread: New commuter with a twist!

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Both of our daily commuters were killing us with gas milage, and are getting up there in miles. My wifes 1993 Toyota 4x4 gets 20 mpg, has no modern day safety equiptment, no intermittant wipers, cruise control, etc...just a extremely reliable 4 banger with 192 k on it going strong. Our newer commuter is 2003 Highlander(I know all japanese Toyotas, but heck it has more american made stuff on it than some Fords not to mention it was made here!) anyway the Highlander gets 23mpg and has 140k on it. We both commute with coworkers trading driving days, but still wrack up miles fast. So I have been bugging my wife for two years about getting a cheap Toyota with good gas milage, only problem is I hate the Prius(which isn't cheap) and the Yaris which is a good car, but yuck! So I started doing research on the old MR2's. It seems the 2000-2005 years got good gas mileage, around 26 city, and 33 hwy. It also turns out since these years were rag tops, people bought them for weekend fun, not commuting. As a result, there are a ton of them out there with very low mileage. So I decided to keep an eye on Craigslist and see what popped up locally. Well last Friday I came across a 2003 6sp with sequential paddle shifters, alarm system and car cover, cruise control and airbags, in mint condition for 10,995 with only 25k on it. I tried to get a hold of the owners, but no luck, so I copied the ad for reference and ran the insurance info with our guy, as well as a used car loan with the credit union. My wife was actually surprised how inexpensive the loan would be, and the insurance. Meanwhile I figured the car sold, so we looked at a second one 2000 5sp, no cruise, 41k for 8750. It was nice too, but had some funky issues with steering due to the aftermarket wheels. We decided to get it, since to 2003 seemed to be sold. Well it turns out the Credit Union won't issue a loan on a car older than 10 years(banks nothing over 4-6 depending on the bank) so we were bummed out, yesterday, but then I got a call from the 2003 owner who said they were away for the weekend, in a remote area without cell service. I saw the car, and purchased it thru the CU no problem for less than asking price.
My wife loves it. I know it's not a hot rod, but it drives like a dream, grips the road and has a healthy power plant that looks new!
Here are some shots

Steve,
You did GREAT! Congratulations are due, for sure. MR2's are neat little cars, and not only did you get a more efficient commuter you have the weekend ragtop for fun, too! Just don't leave valuables in plain sight, since a pocket knife is all that's needed to access the interior.

great looking little car.

And next week we'er putting in a BBC HAHAHA

Neat little car! I've got to admit to looking at a Mazda Miata the other day!!!!

Originally Posted by Dave Severson

Neat little car! I've got to admit to looking at a Mazda Miata the other day!!!!

....as a donor for a Monster Miata conversion??www.monstermiata.com

Nope, just as a neat little economy driver. Small, compact, good looking car, probably pretty cheap to travel in.

Yep that's the idea Dave. I drove it to work tonight, what a blast that was. That little sucker is very responsive. It handles like a dream, and the 6sp sequential shifting tranny works fantastic once you get used to it. Should of bought one of these years ago!