Help me choose a car

Zach · 06-28-2000, 01:13 PM

Hey, look, my first post! (even though i have been coming to this board for months). Well, a couple weeks ago I felt the urge to tangle with a semi on the freeway, thus totalling my 1985 toyota pickup. And i was only 10k away from the 300k mile club.

Soooo, obviously, i have to get a new car now. i have been researching and debating, and the decision has pretty much come down to two cars: either a 1995 Toyota MR2 turbo, or a 1999 RS. Please feel free to tell me your opinions and technical knowledge on both.

* Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

jaybird · 06-28-2000, 01:21 PM

Very differrent cars man! Both good one though. Depends on what you want. MR2 more fun RS more practicle. If you want a used RS check the classified section and do a search there are a couple fs now.

Schwabe · 06-28-2000, 01:40 PM

Hi Zach,

I just read an article on the MR2 Turbo in either CAR or EVO. It was not very positive. If I can find the article, I'll post their key points. If I remember correctly, they basically said that it's a very fidgety, ill handling car.

AlphaDog · 06-28-2000, 01:55 PM

I wouldn't buy the MR2, simply because their production number is low and it is older. May make for a real headache when repair time comes. If I were you, and those were my only two options, I'd go with the RS...although I'm not you and I can think of other very competitive cars for the price range...

disorder · 06-28-2000, 01:57 PM

Ok,

I just come out and say it...

Buy the SUBARU!!!!

You ask the question and there is the answer....

Just joking around...
But, really, I would choose the RS over the MR2..

Tony

Fish · 06-28-2000, 01:58 PM

Thinking overall.. I'd take the RS..
I live in NE and a MR2 would not come close to cutting it here...

given the MR2 durring the summer months would be a little more fun...
the RS has the overall advantage of still being a blast to drive in the summer as well as the winter/crappy weather.

Both are great cars...

NeedaScooby · 06-28-2000, 02:05 PM

Not to knock the RS because I do have a special palce for them in my heart--awwwwww

but have you looked at the A41.8t -a 97 can be had for about or a little more then the Scooby.

Just a thought.

Good luck in what ever you get--hope that you were OK from your entanglment with the truck

samurai · 06-28-2000, 02:07 PM

You are in an Impreza club site and want to know from us which car to get??

J/K.. Anyways, which car interests you more?

In my opinion, I like the AWD cars more, basically the Skyline GT-R, the EVOs, the Carerra 4s and the Imprezas. Since the Imprezas are a good all-around practical car, I got the Impreza instead.

[edit] this is in addition to the fact that the Impreza is the only one of these list of cars that are affordable and are being sold currently in the US.

Tim

Tim

[This message has been edited by samurai (edited June 28, 2000).]

Zach · 06-28-2000, 02:20 PM

The '97 1.8tq was my first choice, but i decided that in the long run it would cost too much. insurance on a nice german car would be pretty expensive for a 19 year old, not to mention repair costs.

see, i'd probably go with the subie, but it costs more than the MR2. I make $10/hr working 30hrs a week.

Anybody around my age living in California want to let me know how much your monthly's and insurance premiums are? Sev?

N/A · 06-28-2000, 02:32 PM

My insurance in Maryland was less for my Impreza then for my Integra. The RS had more features, less of them on the road and the thought of $600 for the 30K tuneup was too much to deal with. The MR2 is a cool looking car but I'm not big on the thought of actually owning one. The RS is just way more practical then a MR2. Especially if you want to have a useable backseat. The optional Trunk Monkey is a really cool feature. You can also find a used RS in the classifieds section. You may also be able to find one that comes with some mods already done to it.

OG · 06-28-2000, 02:34 PM

IIRC an RS is less to insure than a Civic _EX_ so I'm sure it's less than an MR2. Either way, at your age you're gonna get screwed on either car.

HomerJay · 06-28-2000, 02:39 PM

I choose the Scooby!!

. Does anyone think I'm a little biased?

I've driven both cars and I drove an MR2 for a couple of weeks solid. It's a fun well balanced car. But you got to look at some of the factors of what you need the car for. If you have been driving a truck, you'll probably be used to having two seats, but there is very little storage in an MR2. The trunk is tiny. The Scooby has a large trunk and good rear seats for a car of this class. Also, the option of four doors. If the MR2 is a turbo, it has gobs of power for the weight of the car. The scooby has lots of low end torque and you can drive it in the snow. The MR2 doesn't have this cool web site. As for the Audi Needascooby suggested, severly underpowered.

It's a pretty good car though.

NeedaScooby · 06-28-2000, 03:34 PM

Yeah the Audi is a bit underpowered but that is Very easaly fixed

Also full torque at just 1750rpm's can't be all bad

VALENTA · 06-28-2000, 04:10 PM

Definetely the 1999 RS!

The_extreme · 06-28-2000, 04:16 PM

Hey - I'd go out and get a Civic CX or DX hatch at your age (no offence meant) then I'd wait a few more years - save my money and get a really nice WRX when they ever decide to bring them over ........

I made my fair share of mistakes with cars when I was your age - so waiting a couple more years won't make any odds

If I'd have done that I'd be driving round in a 911 or Skyline by now

Just my 10 cents worth

Cheers

Jeff

Gambit · 06-28-2000, 04:19 PM

OK OK...it's FWD. But it's prolly the cheapest and very tunable. - Golf 1.8T....

Overtime · 06-28-2000, 06:04 PM

As one of the many teenage drivers in an RS, all I can say is that it's a great car...but if you make a mistake in one, be prepared to wait, and wait, and wait for the parts to come in...and don't be surprised if your insurance shoots up and you find yourself broke.

If I could do it all over again, I'd go with the RS, but man...it's been an adventure!

Zach · 06-28-2000, 10:33 PM

Civic cx or dx hatch? yuck. i make good enough money to afford something a little better than that. I have decided that my next car is going to be a car that I can have fun in/ with. A car that I am going to enjoy driving.

A golf 1.8t would be nice, but to get the 1.8t engine i'd have to get a brand new one, which i can't afford - even if it is the "cheap" VW.

The_extreme: what kind of mistakes are you referring to?

SubaruDriver · 06-29-2000, 06:53 AM

I choose you Subaru...

MR2 and a RS, I was actually going to get an MR2 until I drove the RS.

My roommate let me borrow his MR2 N/A for about 2 weeks to see if I liked it... It was a blast, you get just as many looks as the Subaru, and you can kick out the back end when ever you want. He has about 200K miles on that thing and it is still running awesome. Toyota makes a good quality car. Not to mention T-tops, I love T-tops. I have considered getting an MR2 just for a fun car, come to think of it.. maybe I should look right now... hmmm...

I chose the RS because when it rains, it handles like a champ; the MR2 doesn't handle very well at all. In fact, while driving in the rain once... I spun the car all the way around, had to put the car in reverse, gas it, and spin it back around... it was crazy... The MR2 has no room in it, how are you gonna fit all your friends in there, I went from an S-10 to the RS... Having room is awesome... Besides, you can fit 4 girls instead of 1-2 girls in the car. Bonus.

I really don't know what else to say, Subaru fun and practical... MR2 Fun, but not that great on handling.

Besides that, it is hard to find a 95 Turbo where I am at, 91-92 is the best I could do. The 95's usually run for about 15-20K same as the Subaru, but it is 5-6 years old. Not to mention buying a Turbo from someone not knowing how they treated it.

That's it.. I think that is about .73 cents worth.

ColinL · 06-29-2000, 01:07 PM

Okay, here's one.

I'd buy the MR2 turbo if I lived in Southern California and WASN'T going to mod the hell out of an Impreza. Obviously stock for stock is no comparison.

Btw, the pre-94 MR2's were more "lively". After that, Toyota dialed in a lot of understeer to keep the rear end behind novice drivers who like to lift when they realize they've charged a corner too fast.

Maintenance can be pricey on the MR2 because of hellacious labor to replace... well, a lot of stuff due to the tiny engine bay. They are generally reliable vehicles, but watch out for modified ones.

[This message has been edited by ColinL (edited June 29, 2000).]

Wrx31 · 06-29-2000, 05:26 PM

I'd pick the MR2 over Impreza any day, except when it snows.

The_extreme · 06-29-2000, 05:35 PM

Hey Zach - I mean the type of mistakes as a kid like sinking thousands into RS2000's, Lotus Cortina's, Mini Coopers, Renault 5 Turbos - That Kinda thing ......ya know exhausts, cams, wheels, cranks, etc etc etc. Not to mention the glint in the insurance agents eyes when he asked me to hand over thousands in premiums each year because of my age at the time -

At least now I make enough money to be able to kiss goodbye a few thousand here and there on goodies.

But I'm sure that if you're anything like me when I was younger you'll go through the same thing

Only natural I guess

Damnn I thought I was going to be able to pull that one off

nah just fooling - go for the sooby for definate - better built even if they are slow in stock form

Jeff

Zach · 06-30-2000, 12:34 AM

Thanks SubaruDriver, good points. especially the part about more girls

svxxx-26 · 06-30-2000, 12:57 AM

BUY THE SUBARU (hey, look around you - you were expecting anybody to say MR2?)

jasony · 06-30-2000, 12:58 AM

I agree that waiting for the turbo Impreza is a good idea. That's what I'd do in your situation...

Maybe buy a decent car that you can trade in and at least break even on it... It should be less than a year before the Turbo comes out. I would almost certainly choose the upcoming Impreza turbo over the MR2. The RS versus MR2 I would say is more of a matter of preference... I don't like convertibles that much though...

As for making enough to afford it... That's all relative. I know someone who makes twice as much as you, but doesn't like the monthly payments...

If you don't mind spending half your income on car payments though, more power to you. You'll be paying from 150 to 200 a month on the RS for insurance too, probably...

My 2 cents: Just wait a year for the Turbo Impreza (WRX).

Oh, but you only said 95 MR2 or 99 RS... well, between those, I wouldn't know... don't know much about the 95 MR2 from experience.

[This message has been edited by jasony (edited June 29, 2000).]

06-28-2000, 01:13 PM	#1
Zach Scooby Newbie Member#: 1760 Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Southern California	Help me choose a car Hey, look, my first post! (even though i have been coming to this board for months). Well, a couple weeks ago I felt the urge to tangle with a semi on the freeway, thus totalling my 1985 toyota pickup. And i was only 10k away from the 300k mile club. Soooo, obviously, i have to get a new car now. i have been researching and debating, and the decision has pretty much come down to two cars: either a 1995 Toyota MR2 turbo, or a 1999 RS. Please feel free to tell me your opinions and technical knowledge on both. * Registered users of the site do not see these ads.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Help me choose a car now with more pole...	2k2	Off-Topic	40	09-14-2008 01:05 PM
Help me choose a car for $XX,XXX	markman	Off-Topic	31	06-24-2008 08:46 PM
Help me choose my car!	CatfaceType-R	General Community	7	07-04-2005 07:41 PM
Help Me Choose A Car CD Player	FuzzyNips	Off-Topic	16	06-29-2004 01:22 AM
Help me choose a car!	HalfBaked	Off-Topic	88	04-23-2003 05:12 PM

06-28-2000, 01:21 PM	#2
jaybird Scooby Specialist Member#: 875 Join Date: Feb 2000 Location: Irwin, PA	Very differrent cars man! Both good one though. Depends on what you want. MR2 more fun RS more practicle. If you want a used RS check the classified section and do a search there are a couple fs now.

06-28-2000, 01:40 PM	#3
Schwabe Scooby Newbie Member#: 1745 Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Mississauga, Ontario Vehicle: 2000 2.5RS BRP	Hi Zach, I just read an article on the MR2 Turbo in either CAR or EVO. It was not very positive. If I can find the article, I'll post their key points. If I remember correctly, they basically said that it's a very fidgety, ill handling car.

06-28-2000, 01:55 PM	#4
AlphaDog Scooby Newbie Member#: 1759 Join Date: Jun 2000 Vehicle: 2001 Mazda B4000 Black	I wouldn't buy the MR2, simply because their production number is low and it is older. May make for a real headache when repair time comes. If I were you, and those were my only two options, I'd go with the RS...although I'm not you and I can think of other very competitive cars for the price range...

06-28-2000, 01:57 PM	#5
disorder NASIOC Supporter Member#: 668 Join Date: Dec 1999 Chapter/Region: MWSOC Location: Ann Arbor, MI, USA Vehicle: 2005 Legacy GT Protuned RBP	Ok, I just come out and say it... Buy the SUBARU!!!! You ask the question and there is the answer.... Just joking around... But, really, I would choose the RS over the MR2.. Tony

06-28-2000, 01:58 PM	#6
Fish RIP Sirkbac Member#: 869 Join Date: Feb 2000 Chapter/Region: NESIC Location: Nashua NH Vehicle: 1987 GPZ-750 TURBO 90' MX-5/11' DGM STi Sdn	Thinking overall.. I'd take the RS.. I live in NE and a MR2 would not come close to cutting it here... given the MR2 durring the summer months would be a little more fun... the RS has the overall advantage of still being a blast to drive in the summer as well as the winter/crappy weather. Both are great cars...

06-28-2000, 02:05 PM	#7
NeedaScooby Scooby Specialist Member#: 1179 Join Date: Mar 2000 Chapter/Region: Tri-State Location: Valhalla: Odin is a cool cat Vehicle: 2010 Audi A4 S-line Ibis White	Not to knock the RS because I do have a special palce for them in my heart--awwwwww but have you looked at the A41.8t -a 97 can be had for about or a little more then the Scooby. Just a thought. Good luck in what ever you get--hope that you were OK from your entanglment with the truck

06-28-2000, 02:07 PM	#8
samurai Scooby Newbie Member#: 696 Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Union City, CA USA Vehicle: 2005 WRX STi Aspen White	You are in an Impreza club site and want to know from us which car to get?? J/K.. Anyways, which car interests you more? In my opinion, I like the AWD cars more, basically the Skyline GT-R, the EVOs, the Carerra 4s and the Imprezas. Since the Imprezas are a good all-around practical car, I got the Impreza instead. [edit] this is in addition to the fact that the Impreza is the only one of these list of cars that are affordable and are being sold currently in the US. Tim Tim [This message has been edited by samurai (edited June 28, 2000).]

06-28-2000, 02:20 PM	#9
Zach Scooby Newbie Member#: 1760 Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Southern California	The '97 1.8tq was my first choice, but i decided that in the long run it would cost too much. insurance on a nice german car would be pretty expensive for a 19 year old, not to mention repair costs. see, i'd probably go with the subie, but it costs more than the MR2. I make $10/hr working 30hrs a week. Anybody around my age living in California want to let me know how much your monthly's and insurance premiums are? Sev?

06-28-2000, 02:32 PM	#10
N/A Scooby Specialist Member#: 133 Join Date: Aug 1999 Location: Maryland (not by choice) Vehicle: 2003 Echo-daily car silver	My insurance in Maryland was less for my Impreza then for my Integra. The RS had more features, less of them on the road and the thought of $600 for the 30K tuneup was too much to deal with. The MR2 is a cool looking car but I'm not big on the thought of actually owning one. The RS is just way more practical then a MR2. Especially if you want to have a useable backseat. The optional Trunk Monkey is a really cool feature. You can also find a used RS in the classifieds section. You may also be able to find one that comes with some mods already done to it.

06-28-2000, 02:34 PM	#11
OG Scooby Newbie Member#: 41 Join Date: Jun 1999 Chapter/Region: Tri-State Location: Centerport(L.I.),NY,USA Vehicle: 2005 Black LGT wagon 2000 Silverado	IIRC an RS is less to insure than a Civic _EX_ so I'm sure it's less than an MR2. Either way, at your age you're gonna get screwed on either car.

06-28-2000, 02:39 PM	#12
HomerJay Scooby Specialist Member#: 1135 Join Date: Mar 2000 Chapter/Region: BAIC Location: BAICED Vehicle: 2005 WRX WAGON Silver	I choose the Scooby!! . Does anyone think I'm a little biased? I've driven both cars and I drove an MR2 for a couple of weeks solid. It's a fun well balanced car. But you got to look at some of the factors of what you need the car for. If you have been driving a truck, you'll probably be used to having two seats, but there is very little storage in an MR2. The trunk is tiny. The Scooby has a large trunk and good rear seats for a car of this class. Also, the option of four doors. If the MR2 is a turbo, it has gobs of power for the weight of the car. The scooby has lots of low end torque and you can drive it in the snow. The MR2 doesn't have this cool web site. As for the Audi Needascooby suggested, severly underpowered. It's a pretty good car though.

06-28-2000, 03:34 PM	#13
NeedaScooby Scooby Specialist Member#: 1179 Join Date: Mar 2000 Chapter/Region: Tri-State Location: Valhalla: Odin is a cool cat Vehicle: 2010 Audi A4 S-line Ibis White	Yeah the Audi is a bit underpowered but that is Very easaly fixed Also full torque at just 1750rpm's can't be all bad

06-28-2000, 04:10 PM	#14
VALENTA Scooby Newbie Member#: 888 Join Date: Feb 2000 Location: Montreal, CANADA Vehicle: 2011 STI White	Definetely the 1999 RS!

06-28-2000, 04:16 PM	#15
The_extreme Scooby Newbie Member#: 1520 Join Date: May 2000	Hey - I'd go out and get a Civic CX or DX hatch at your age (no offence meant) then I'd wait a few more years - save my money and get a really nice WRX when they ever decide to bring them over ........ I made my fair share of mistakes with cars when I was your age - so waiting a couple more years won't make any odds If I'd have done that I'd be driving round in a 911 or Skyline by now Just my 10 cents worth Cheers Jeff

06-28-2000, 04:19 PM	#16
Gambit Scooby Specialist Member#: 102 Join Date: Jul 1999 Location: The meeting place	OK OK...it's FWD. But it's prolly the cheapest and very tunable. - Golf 1.8T....

06-28-2000, 06:04 PM	#17
Overtime Scooby Specialist Member#: 1346 Join Date: Apr 2000	As one of the many teenage drivers in an RS, all I can say is that it's a great car...but if you make a mistake in one, be prepared to wait, and wait, and wait for the parts to come in...and don't be surprised if your insurance shoots up and you find yourself broke. If I could do it all over again, I'd go with the RS, but man...it's been an adventure!

06-28-2000, 10:33 PM	#18
Zach Scooby Newbie Member#: 1760 Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Southern California	Civic cx or dx hatch? yuck. i make good enough money to afford something a little better than that. I have decided that my next car is going to be a car that I can have fun in/ with. A car that I am going to enjoy driving. A golf 1.8t would be nice, but to get the 1.8t engine i'd have to get a brand new one, which i can't afford - even if it is the "cheap" VW. The_extreme: what kind of mistakes are you referring to?

06-29-2000, 06:53 AM	#19
SubaruDriver Scooby Newbie Member#: 490 Join Date: Nov 1999 Location: Bedford, TX Vehicle: 99 2.5 RS	I choose you Subaru... MR2 and a RS, I was actually going to get an MR2 until I drove the RS. My roommate let me borrow his MR2 N/A for about 2 weeks to see if I liked it... It was a blast, you get just as many looks as the Subaru, and you can kick out the back end when ever you want. He has about 200K miles on that thing and it is still running awesome. Toyota makes a good quality car. Not to mention T-tops, I love T-tops. I have considered getting an MR2 just for a fun car, come to think of it.. maybe I should look right now... hmmm... I chose the RS because when it rains, it handles like a champ; the MR2 doesn't handle very well at all. In fact, while driving in the rain once... I spun the car all the way around, had to put the car in reverse, gas it, and spin it back around... it was crazy... The MR2 has no room in it, how are you gonna fit all your friends in there, I went from an S-10 to the RS... Having room is awesome... Besides, you can fit 4 girls instead of 1-2 girls in the car. Bonus. I really don't know what else to say, Subaru fun and practical... MR2 Fun, but not that great on handling. Besides that, it is hard to find a 95 Turbo where I am at, 91-92 is the best I could do. The 95's usually run for about 15-20K same as the Subaru, but it is 5-6 years old. Not to mention buying a Turbo from someone not knowing how they treated it. That's it.. I think that is about .73 cents worth.

06-29-2000, 01:07 PM	#20
ColinL Scooby Guru Member#: 114 Join Date: Jul 1999 Chapter/Region: MWSOC Location: Wichita, KS and Whoring, OT Vehicle: '03 Evo, Rice White '01 Erion CBR 929	Okay, here's one. I'd buy the MR2 turbo if I lived in Southern California and WASN'T going to mod the hell out of an Impreza. Obviously stock for stock is no comparison. Btw, the pre-94 MR2's were more "lively". After that, Toyota dialed in a lot of understeer to keep the rear end behind novice drivers who like to lift when they realize they've charged a corner too fast. Maintenance can be pricey on the MR2 because of hellacious labor to replace... well, a lot of stuff due to the tiny engine bay. They are generally reliable vehicles, but watch out for modified ones. [This message has been edited by ColinL (edited June 29, 2000).]

06-29-2000, 05:26 PM	#21
Wrx31 Scooby Newbie Member#: 994 Join Date: Feb 2000 Location: Burnaby, B.C. Canada Vehicle: '99 Impreza RS/RBP '88 RX-7 (resting)	I'd pick the MR2 over Impreza any day, except when it snows.

06-29-2000, 05:35 PM	#22
The_extreme Scooby Newbie Member#: 1520 Join Date: May 2000	Hey Zach - I mean the type of mistakes as a kid like sinking thousands into RS2000's, Lotus Cortina's, Mini Coopers, Renault 5 Turbos - That Kinda thing ......ya know exhausts, cams, wheels, cranks, etc etc etc. Not to mention the glint in the insurance agents eyes when he asked me to hand over thousands in premiums each year because of my age at the time - At least now I make enough money to be able to kiss goodbye a few thousand here and there on goodies. But I'm sure that if you're anything like me when I was younger you'll go through the same thing Only natural I guess Damnn I thought I was going to be able to pull that one off nah just fooling - go for the sooby for definate - better built even if they are slow in stock form Jeff

06-30-2000, 12:34 AM	#23
Zach Scooby Newbie Member#: 1760 Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Southern California	Thanks SubaruDriver, good points. especially the part about more girls

06-30-2000, 12:57 AM	#24
svxxx-26 Scooby Newbie Member#: 1645 Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Sissonville, WV, USA	BUY THE SUBARU (hey, look around you - you were expecting anybody to say MR2?)

06-30-2000, 12:58 AM	#25
jasony Scooby Newbie Member#: 1238 Join Date: Apr 2000 Chapter/Region: MWSOC Location: Westerville, OH Vehicle: 1996 Explorer XLT Red	I agree that waiting for the turbo Impreza is a good idea. That's what I'd do in your situation... Maybe buy a decent car that you can trade in and at least break even on it... It should be less than a year before the Turbo comes out. I would almost certainly choose the upcoming Impreza turbo over the MR2. The RS versus MR2 I would say is more of a matter of preference... I don't like convertibles that much though... As for making enough to afford it... That's all relative. I know someone who makes twice as much as you, but doesn't like the monthly payments... If you don't mind spending half your income on car payments though, more power to you. You'll be paying from 150 to 200 a month on the RS for insurance too, probably... My 2 cents: Just wait a year for the Turbo Impreza (WRX). Oh, but you only said 95 MR2 or 99 RS... well, between those, I wouldn't know... don't know much about the 95 MR2 from experience. [This message has been edited by jasony (edited June 29, 2000).]