Noobie seeking guidance/assistance

[JohnBeLaze]

Hello everyone, My name is John obviously. Just thought I would introduce myself in here. I have 2 toyota supra's which have somewhat turned out to be horrible purchases because of the money situation I am currently in. I cannot smog either car and both need repairs to be even able to pass the new stricter smog we have in California. Also with this stuff in Iraq seems like gas prices wont be declining any time soon. I came accross this because I have recently become very interested in maybe selling the cars to get a CRX HF. If not that then I would love to learn some of the info I found on here already but is confusing as hell to me as of now. With respects to gear ratios and transmission replacements and specs im completely uneducated at all. I do learn fast and I have gotten much more into the repairs and things concerning cars since I have had these 2 cars. But basically im just completely confused on what I should do. So I'm trying to learn more about my options and see which is best for me.

Now that If you got through that boring essay above thank you for your time. I'm just basically seeking guidance or advice on the possible options I have.

* Repair/modify the supra either mk2 or mk3 not both
* Get crx hf and start enjoying great mileage
* Get motorcycle
* Give up having my own car until prices come down


Sorry to be so long with this first post but I didnt want to have to post many times since i dont come on very often. Thanks in advance for any help on the subject and I'm really glad I found a forum like this.

[GasSavers_Red]

Hi John, what kind of commute are you looking at?

[suspendedhatch]

Those prices are never going down.

Being that you have two, the obvious answer is to sell one. A motorcycle would be your most economical but least practical and safe option. The CRX HF is a good choice, but will require extensive work being that it's so old. They are also hard to find. I suggest getting any model 90 or 91 CRX (standard trans) and then swapping whatever SOHC motor you want into it. But you will need to use a cable transmission. 92 and up Civics came with hydraulic transmissions but the motor will bolt up to your cable trans.

I suggest you get a D15Z1 from a VX or it's JDM VTEC-E equivalent. Make sure to get the full OBD1 engine harness, the proper ECU, O2 sensor, and distributor. Get the longest geared SOHC cable tranny you can find.

Another option is the D16Y5 from the Civic HX. Again, make sure to get a full OBD2 engine harness, and the proper ECU. The OBD2 harness is harder to swap in, but you wont have a problem finding the O2 sensor or distributor as they are common to all 96-00 Civic motors. This motor makes considerably more power than the VX motor yet gives you the same mpg. It will also work better with a non-VTEC cable tranny's gearing than the VX will being that the VX prefers to cruise at extremely low RPM and the ECU is specifically tuned for that.

[JohnBeLaze]

To Red:
Well at this point I was lookin at a few different things going on. Was thinking of moving to New York with a friend also LA but for the time being I'm lookin for a new job im in the bay area near 92 and 101 but my commute is wherever my job will be and with these prices I want something with good all around mileage.

To suspended hatch: Thanks for the input really appreciate, but with a fewthings im not very familar yet. I was reading somethin on here before about changing with gears and other stuff I was wondering if that could be done with any car. Also what kind of mileage and price range were those suggestions you had because I'm mechanically inclined and learn fast but have no access to shop or things needed for swaps. I would definitely be getting manual transmission regardless of any car but I just figured the crx hf was a relatively cheap solution for the time being but so hard to find one thats runs and has a stock engine. Most I saw have swaps and only cheap one i saw was at http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/car/639710373.html
but i'll look around some more and try to research so i understand fully what you are talkin about thx again for the input hope to learn a lot more

[Lug_Nut]

Tell me if this is totally wrong, or if there's more than a little truth to it:
You're young, haven't a decent paying job, are unsure of what your transportation needs will be, haven't (at present) a lot of mechanical skills.
How'm I doin' so far?

If those are the conditions of your present situation, and were I in the same situation, and in such a suitable weather climate, I'd sell both Supra, and look into some low cost (purchase and operational cost) transportation. A 3 year old Kia Accent, as basic and as stripped as you can find, maybe with allowances for A/C but not much else, will be dirt cheap to buy, relatively frugal with fuel, and will likely have better reliability than an early-mid 90's Civic. Resale value will be in the toilet, so don't expect to make a cent should you ever attempt to re-sell it, but that depreciation is why it's so cheap now. The low initial purchase cost will allow buying a decent bicycle, too.

[JohnBeLaze]

Lug_nut, not to be rude or anything but maybe you should cut the little smug part out of your comments people other than me might take offense. I just laughed at first because all the points you made were extremely obvious even a child could come to those conclusion. My age is posted, said I was looking for a new job and I also stated and pretty obvious from the original post that I'm basically undecided about what I would like to do.

As for your suggestion I thank you for your advice but completely disagree. The hyundai accent is what I think you meant and just checked on craigslist saw some for around $8,000. Getting any older supra, civic crx with that budget and putting a fraction of that towards repairs and would be a way better solution. But, hey thats just my opinion thats why we all have different ones. And the fact that you see so many older honda's and toyota's its because they were made generally well and obviously way more efficient than the cars we have today with exception of their own hybrids.

Anyway thanks for your input hope you weren't offended.

[GasSavers_topher]

Never buy a kia they are made in korea. There is a reason scrap yards are littered with 2000 and up kia's.

IMO a toyota tercel is an awsome all around car. Even for me to drive being 6,2" and 215lbs I fit in there awsome. Plus they easily achieve 40mpg no matter what driving style(with in reason LOL)

Gas prices arn't going down they are actually right on track with fuel price projections done in early 80's. I budget my driving like gas is twice the price as what it is. Pennies add up in the bank faster that way. I don't understand people's mentality when they say I'm just going to wait for them to come down there not. Look at other countries we have it pretty good.

Supra's are awsome cars but a pain in the dick and very expensice 7mgte or 2jz either way it's a money pit(sorry to offend anyone but, it's true). I would sell them both and buy something economical and headgasket and bearing friendly

[JohnBeLaze]

Yea I would have to agree man kia's are garbage and Supras are great cars but if you get them like in my case and not already in great condition its a project to get them there. I was kind of curious about those HHO things and if one could work on my car. Never heard of them before this site, but researched it alot just recently looks like it can be used on any car but hard to sort through the bull**** sine some are legit and others look about as credible as a late night infomercial. About the tercel yea not a bad idea I'm 6'2'' also but I had a 84 corolla manual but didn't get such great mileage, still those cars are soldiers they run so much better and consistently without problems compared to most domestic and even foreign cars in my experiences with them.

[1cheap1]

Keep one of the supra's, sell the other. Plenty of guys here in socal would by it. No probs with smog. Get a safe econo car. Stay off motorcycle. I have a Protege which is very good on gas. I also have a 3000gt twin turbo vr4. At times i like driving a sports car. I use my econo car to get parts for my sports car. Thats just me. Anyway thats my 2 cents worth. Good luck and keep a positive attitude.

[GasSavers_RoadWarrior]

IMO Kia and Hyundai both stopped being so craptastic in about '05, they all got significant safety upgrades that year, got better mileage, and reliability and durability got kicked up several notches... If you want a nasty Korean car, buy an Aveo.