Its official!

They say you become practical very fast once your start your own family.   And money gets really tight too esp. when you have montessori tuition to pay and college funds to save up for.   So for now, I've given up the expensive sports car and cruise around in a minivan.   But I still have to have a toy.   So what does this man do?

I just signed the papers today and I am now a proud owner of a 1986 Toyota MR2!

This car has been sitting in my neighbors driveway for the longest time.   I've been bugging him to sell it to me but he is pretty attached to it.   Unfortunately (or fortunately for me) he recently moved and he didn't have space in his new house.   After going back-and-forth for a week, we decided to seal the deal at $1300.   I'll have to update quite a bit of stuff since this baby is now 23 years old.    But overall, she is in great condition, and considering her age, I think she can still keep up with the best of them. :-)

I'll keep this blog updated as I fix her up.   For now, here are some of the things I have planned for her:

1. General tune-up.  Change oil, plugs, wires, and cap.  Also various filters that are probably a few years old.

2. Replace the catalytic converter.   I took it to the shop the other day and it failed CA smog test.   An old cat converter is the likely culprit and possibly a bad O2 sensor since the check engine light turns on intermittently.

3. Replace hoses and cap that goes on the coolant overflow canister.  Also, flush and replace coolant.

4. Fix oil leak around timing belt and valve cover area.

5. Fix leak around driver side axle.

6. Redo suspension with possibly some nice coilovers.   She still turn corners pretty tight but I can tell the ride is getting a little tough.

7. Replaced worn out steering; found a nice momo wheel for sale on CL already.   Might pick this up tomorrow.

8. Get front and rear bumpers repainted.   This baby has got to have back--and front too ;-)

And who knows... I can tell this is going to be a never ending project!