Darn, that's sad to hear, Danny. I even didn't know you don't own a Prius yet. I think Victor has a good suggestion, if it's really not that expensive to get a second hand engine in, do that, sell the MR2 and get yourself a Prius. Keep us posted!
Thanks to everyone for their kind words of support. Not only do I have a useless MR2 in the driveway, Enterprise is out of cars in all of their locations across the city. So, no rental car yet. The hits just keep on coming... But, the good news is that I've found a Corolla engine with about 20k miles for $550 that I can swap my engine with. The work can probably be done between my Dad & I, but if I can find a local shop to do it for a reasonable price, I think I'll just let them handle it. So, right now I'm thinking about fixing the MR2, getting it nice and pretty, then start working on selling it and using that money to finish paying off the MR2 and then the rest toward my Prius. That's the current thought process, but it seems to change with the wind and unfortunately these 75 degree days in Columbia are making me miss that top being down already. I'll continue to keep everyone updated.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(daniel\";p=\"61593)</div> If not free, then at cost. I'm sure there are a BUNCH of people here that bought their Prius after reading all the info and advice being reassured about any concerns. Of course, if there were no PC, the cars still would have sold, to people on waiting list who never heard of PC. Toyota should be MAD at Danny for increasing the wait lists. No, wait, that isn't right, what got into me??
Danny... Let me pile on to the "bummer" bandwagon. While this may not sway you, it might be worth a curious mention: Whenever I see someone talk about their self-built, purely electric cars, they say the biggest challenge is to find a car to start from. The problem, it seems, is that there are plenty of cars with rusted out bodies and perfectly good engines, but what an electric enthusiast wants is exactly the opposite -- a great frame with no engine to speak of. (They're gonna throw it out, anyway.) It seems that that is exactly what you have; you're sitting on an eco-commodity. So why bother with a dinosaur-burning Prius at all, when you're in prime position to install more battery power than any of us have ever dreamed of? (Also, you could plug it in. ) Or, you sell it to a like-minded feller. I look forward to meeting you on ElectriChat real soon. Brad
I'd sign it! Danny, I really hope everything works out for the best! You deserve your 2005 #6 Prius! I hope you'll have it in your driveway sooner than later.
Think seriously about fixing the beater and driving it while saving up for the Prius. If you do, five years from now you'd have a lot more money in the bank. I know it's hard to wait...
Boy if you can swing a inexpensive motor swap that would be great. My wife fried the engine in her Windstar and a used engine was going to be 2K we had to junk it. I had hoped to move her into a Escape Hybrid but it was not part of the "A" plan. Her brother is a Ford Exec. She is working again and needs to get to work what ever the conditions (she is a nurse and she and I take that sort of thing seriously, old school I guess) so we got a 4wd Escape for her. 2 K seemed too much just for a engine for miles on it. The install would have been extra. Stay in balance. We sold the car to a kid mechanic who did the work on his own time and then sold it, good for him and us. Fix it, sell it and move on.
I shouldn't have cited a specific period. Saving up the entire purchase price would be ideal, but anything that reduces the amount borrowed will leave him ahead. Fixing up a used car (until the frame starts to rot) is almost always cheaper than buying a new one. Hey, besides, in five years we can buy Diesel hybrids and run them on converted castor oil.
Danny, I also had an MR2 Spyder (one of the few converted to Turbo at the time). I'm familiar with the failed pre-cat issue. What did your dealer say about this? Seems like Toyota is aware of the problem by now.
Well, I ended up picking up that engine out of the Corolla and today was Day 1 of swapping engines. Things went pretty well, though there is probably at least 2 more days of work left. I'm going to go after Toyota once I have the car fixed, I can't afford to take it to them while it's sidelined and I'm without a car. This is a well-known MR2 issue and Toyota should not sit on their thumbs just because there are only 1,500 of them sold every year.
Why didn't you get it fixed under warranty? Do you have more than 80k miles? Emissions equipment is covered for 80k miles. Were you running NOS or something?
No, everyone at Spyderchat has said that Toyota won't cover the pre-cat issue under the emissions warranty since it's hard to trace that as the source. Call it laziness on my part, but I really didn't want to have to tow it over to Dick Dyer Toyota, pay them to tell me that no, it won't be covered under the emissions warranty, then have it towed back to the house and then find an engine and start working on it. I just want to be done with it.... Joel - has it been tough moving from the Spyder to the Prius? End of day 1..... [Broken External Image]:http://www.spydermagazine.com/files/DSCF0716.jpg
Danny, I believe I may have identified your problem. It appears as though someone has installed an engine in your trunk.
Went from Spyder to Lexus IS300 to Prius. The Prius is so much more feature rich and "right up my ally" that I really don't look back much. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Danny\";p=\"62542)</div> No, everyone at Spyderchat has said that Toyota won't cover the pre-cat issue under the emissions warranty since it's hard to trace that as the source. Call it laziness on my part, but I really didn't want to have to tow it over to Dick Dyer Toyota, pay them to tell me that no, it won't be covered under the emissions warranty, then have it towed back to the house and then find an engine and start working on it. I just want to be done with it.... Joel - has it been tough moving from the Spyder to the Prius? End of day 1..... [Broken External Image]:http://www.spydermagazine.com/files/DSCF0716.jpg[/b][/quote]
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(TonyPSchaefer\";p=\"62620)</div> Now this is something everyone needs to read on a Monday morning! Check out the pic, then the quote. Made my Monday! Tim
