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Help Needed: Cross Country Road Trip + Purchase

1K views 8 replies 4 participants last post by  razor7 
#1 · (Edited)
Hey all,

I’ve not posted much here, but the time has finally come to buy an MR2 Turbo, a car that I’ve wanted for as long as I can remember.

I’ll be turning 30 on September 14th and decided that my gift to myself is to buy a 1993 Toyota MR2 Turbo in red from another state and drive it back to CA.

On September 11th I’ll be flying out to Atlanta, Georgia to buy a 93 Turbo that’s had all maintenance done (timing belt, water pump, oil pump, gaskets, valves timed, distributor, plugs, wires, etc.) has most of the original paperwork from the sale, and has some goodies installed (wheels, tires, suspension, intercooler, downpipe, muffler, etc.) and driving it 2,442 miles home over 4 days. I can’t imagine a better birthday gift to myself as it includes a mini vacation and a car!

Here’s where I could use your help - some of these states I haven’t been through yet (depending on route: Kansas, Missouri, Utah, Mississippi, Arkansas, Alabama, Oklahoma, New Mexico), so I would love recommendations.

Along the way I’m also hoping to source (some) of the parts needed to get it CA compliant - I have a WTB thread going here: https://www.mr2oc.com/73-1990-1999-...ons-hardware-intake-downpipe.html#post6804732

Otherwise, just follow along! I should be able to post some pictures here of the trip and of any people I’ve met along the way. As a long time Subaru owner (see my build thread here: https://www.rs25.com/forums/f145/t224125-ca-bar-approved-ej207-version-6-build.html) I’ve learned that there are some amazing people within each sub community of car enthusiasts.

Thanks!
-TC
 
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#3 ·
Sweet! Post it here when you get it!

My dad is now flying out with me to buy the car and drive it back - the first road trip we’ve taken in 10 years. Now I won’t be stuck with just my own thoughts for 4 days.

The cities we will be hitting, in order, are: Atlanta, Birmingham, Memphis, Little Rock, Oklahoma City, Amarillo, Albuquerque, Flagstaff, Barstow, Bakersfield. Basically, route 40 all the way back.

Looks like OEM downpipes and midpipes are a bit tough to find - anywhere specific I should be looking?

I did buy a new keyless entry remote, hopefully I can get it to sync up when I’m there. I’ll bring a paper clip.

-TC
 
#6 ·
The seller took it off Craigslist once I booked my flight, and the only picture I have is with older wheels and it’s been compressed a few times.

It’s a stock exterior red 1993 turbo with the 2 piece rear spoiler and t-tops. Has Works CR Kai wheels on it and it’s been dropped a tad, but still usable for DDing.

I’ll post a picture once I pick it up with my dad.


ive started a 'build' thread in the general section on me and MR2s so far and will update when I pick up tomorrow and beyond
Totally. Just add a picture in here too if you wouldn’t mind. I’ll be digging into build threads in the not-too-distant-future, but would love to see what you picked up earlier than that!

-TC
 
#7 · (Edited)
So far we’ve gone from Atlanta to Little Rock, Little Rock to Amarillo, and today we’re inbound to Flagstaff.

I’ll either get home end of day Saturday or sometime on Sunday. The difference is 5 hours of driving (Sunday arrival) or 12 hours of driving (Saturday arrival).

I’ll get some pictures up soon. So far the car has driven amazingly with no faults. Rides way better than expected. Can’t wait to dig into it and do some small adjustments - the throttle cable has too much resistance, my guess is it’s frayed internally - but every “issue” is so small that it could be overlooked for more time.

-TC
 
#9 · (Edited)
The car is back home and I've started a build thread:

https://www.mr2oc.com/6-mkii-90-99-na-turbo/680294-mint-1993-mr2-turbo-build.html#post6806132

I'll be posting there now with status updates. But, here's what you'll be reading about:



The car is mint - original black leather interior and paint. A/C and cruise control still work. Everything ran great for the 2,500 miles with the temp gauge not budging even in the Mojave desert. It's the prefect time capsule back to 1993, but with some upgrades thrown in for fun (Works CR Kai wheels, DGR coilovers, berk downpipe with magnaflow mufflers, manual boost controller set to 15psi, to name a few).

-TC
 
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