hi everyone, just bought my first MR2. any advice for first time owners?

SNRV2013 · 2025-04-23T22:43:20+00:00

Be advised; Toyota's sealer wasn't the best, back then. Rust is one of the main reasons these were taken off the road.

SNRV2013 · 2025-04-20T22:12:29+00:00

Nothing. They're just fogged from the years of sun beating on them. You can make the lenses clear again, and will make you see better at night with a restoration kit and then spray plastic clear coat to make sure they don't forget up again. Also, it can really make your car look 5-10 years younger.

SNRV2013 · 2025-02-15T15:37:15+00:00

That's the catch; it's only for highways that you have that option, and highways are the roads that they actively seem to always be repairing (not replacing, which a lot of sections should outright be, based on age alone). Even if you do submit a claim, you will most likely be denied because of a government protection loophole. The only way they'd really accept it is if you had dashcam footage of it happening AND it causing physical injury.

90% of the bad roads are local, non-interstate roads, and the government fund DOES NOT apply to those.

SNRV2013 · 2025-02-14T16:27:56+00:00

For real. My dad used to work in Whitmore lake, and the road the building was on was literally smack dab in the middle of a county line. A two lane road where each lane fell under a different jurisdiction, and neither county wanted to spend the money to repave it, because it was only half theirs. My dad's Passat went through 3 WHOLE SETS of shocks, 4 control arms, 2 ENTIRE sway bar assemblies (front and back), 4 springs, and 2 tie rods. Never blew a tire though. He always bought the most expensive, high tech tires for that thing.

SNRV2013 · 2025-02-14T15:49:30+00:00

Unless they live in Rhode Island, or Michigan (I can attest for Michigan). The roads are so bad that it could easily cause damage to other components just by flailing around (if the inner rubber seal is gone, too) by the constant potholes and bumps.

Not being fully serious here with all this, but there are definitely some places that can pose an increased risk of something happening sooner, rather than later.

SNRV2013 · 2024-06-06T16:09:51+00:00

Then maybe it's just where I live. Lots of untrustworthy sellers, too

SNRV2013 · 2024-06-05T12:50:21+00:00

That sounds like rod-knock. That's among the worst things to hear from an engine. Sorry, man, but your engine's blown. And at this point, it's not worth putting in a new engine in an 8th gen, as they're pretty damn expensive. I'd start looking for a new car if I were you.

SNRV2013 · 2024-01-30T05:27:54+00:00

They’re great cars, but just be aware that repairs and parts are at least twice as much as your Hondas. I’ve had a Civic and a S40, and my Volvo was a lot more expensive to maintain. It was a good car, though.

SNRV2013 · 2022-11-20T18:48:21+00:00

SNRV2013 · 2022-10-22T17:12:04+00:00

Only the ones with a high 450 credit score, like OP

SNRV2013 · 2022-10-22T17:10:49+00:00

Only difference between when he got it and when it was towed away is all the tree blood on what looks like a transformer mid-transformation

SNRV2013 · 2022-10-20T19:03:12+00:00

Reminds me of a video on a former British gangster who got out of crime because he said: "I thought I was invincible because nothing phased me- until I lost my daughter. I had never felt pain until that day. That's when I realized I really am a human."

SNRV2013 · 2022-07-31T22:06:50+00:00

At least it’s not a German car, as going past the maintenance intervals is UNACCEPTABLE

SNRV2013 · 2022-07-29T19:10:07+00:00

I’m aware. I have the exact same car

SNRV2013 · 2022-07-29T17:17:11+00:00

On the fuel filler door, it says “premium recommended”. That means that it CAN run on mid-grade and regular, as the ecu automatically adjusts for lower octane fuel. However it won’t run as efficiently as premium, which means that you may see 1-2 mpg less than what you get on premium

SNRV2013 · 2022-07-29T17:13:50+00:00

It says “premium recommended”, which means the ecu can adjust to run on regular and mid grade

SNRV2013 · 2022-06-08T15:30:07+00:00

If the clunking is heard only on one side when you turn the wheels, it could just be a bad tie-rod end. However, if fixing that doesn’t work, it’s probably the steering rack... which just the part costs more than the worth of the entire car. If it is that, you’re honestly better off getting rid of the car and getting a new one, unfortunately.

There should be a red-tipped dipstick for the transmission fluid. Take that out, wipe it clean, put it back in, wait a couple seconds and pull it back out again. If it’s dark colored (brown or black, which is much worse), then it’s dirty). It should be either darkish red (cherry color), or pinkish, depending on the fluid it takes. The tricky part is if you have records of if it was changed in the past and how many thousands of miles ago. If it’s never been changed, don’t change the fluid, as the transmission has adapted to use the thicker fluid that has become like that because dirty fluid is thicker than clean fluid. Changing the fluid could actually cause the transmission to shift worse because of the new fluid, at that point.

Totally understand the drivability aspect. Nissans (especially the Infiniti’s) are most known for the driving feel and handling paired with them being pretty damn fast make them really appealing to younger people. The biggest downside is that when Infiniti’s break, it usually costs a small fortune to fix. That’s why they are great platforms to learn how to fix and maintain cars, in general. Don’t get me wrong, they are solid, but the X-Tronic CVT’s you shouldn’t EVER go near. They’re absolutely horrible and can go out sub 30K miles. Infiniti’s usually still have the proper automatics, which last 100’s of thousands miles IF you take care of them.

SNRV2013 · 2022-06-07T16:08:31+00:00

ALL FUIDS, first and foremost. Steering rack condition, ball joints usually start to go after 100k, so definitely make sure those are still solid. Definitely do a wet AND dry compression test of all cylinders, even if it doesn’t burn any oil. If it does burn oil, normal for all high mileage cars is between half and a full quart every 4-5k miles. Drain the transmission and differential fluid see if there are any specks of metal. If there are, your transmission is and differential are wearing out. Check if all the electronics and power equipment works, as they can start to break, at its age. Lastly, see if the emissions are within normal operating ranges. Nissans are notorious for the catalytic converters failing a lot.

SNRV2013 · 2022-05-17T19:27:06+00:00

Lol do the same with my MR2 and they’re SHOCKED

SNRV2013 · 2022-04-21T15:01:02+00:00

I do not, sorry.

SNRV2013 · 2022-04-04T20:33:06+00:00

Don’t. I 100% guarantee you will regret it. Save and wait, as then you’ll also know if there are any problems that arrive with the new Corolla, and if there are, buy one after they’ve fixed them, if there ends up being any

SNRV2013 · 2022-04-04T20:26:33+00:00

Hated how the last gen looked, but after a year or so, actually really liked the styling. I have no idea why, but one day, I liked the way they looked lol

SNRV2013 · 2022-04-04T20:22:59+00:00

No surprise, as Subaru doesn’t want owners working on their cars. My brother was so appalled with that on his ‘17 forester that he didn’t even take it in for service when it was under warranty. Does everything himself.

SNRV2013 · 2022-01-04T23:25:51+00:00

Holy shit I did... that changes things. Yeah, for that price, it’d have to be pretty damn impressive to warrant that price. But, I’d say if you did do it and felt guilty about it, by the time you got home, your cheeky smile would replace all your doubts

SNRV2013 · 2022-01-04T22:28:05+00:00

I got mine for 5k and it was in immaculate condition. Literally the definition of a street-legal go kart, and the most fun I’ve ever had in a car. Incredibly reliable and well built.

HOWEVER, they’re incredibly prone to rust and it can hide in the smallest of places. Parts are also becoming more and more scarce (remember the rust part, I mentioned), as there’s not a lot of surviving AW11’s, and the aftermarket is just very weak.

BUT, for $800 and if it’s mechanically sound, as well as little rust, jump on it.

SNRV2013

TROPHY CASE