Looking for a car.....

mm1ut1

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I gave my car to my daughter when hers was totaled in September. Using the wife’s Subaru until at least spring. Because of Covid and being retired I can get away with not having one, especially since I am a morning person and wife works second shift. This convinced me I really don’t need a reliable new-ish car and I could buy something a little more interesting.
I want a three season car, something fun to cruise around with the wife but would be stored winters. It should be borderline collectible, small, and if possible a convertible. I ruled out a Miata (I owned two) as I wanted something with a back seat and found the Mustang too big. I currently have two candidates but am open to other possibilities. First choice is a Toyota Celica convertible, late ‘90s. It is pretty much the ideal vehicle for me.
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Second choice is a Mercury Capri.
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The Capri was made in Australia with a Mazda engine, turbo and non. I have found several in the area with relatively low miles. Although the Celica is my first choice the Capri has a hard top and is relatively cheaper. I also looked at older VWs, Metros, and Suzuki.
Anyone with any other suggestions or feedback on these cars would be appreciated!
 
The Celica is always a cool car. We just got rid of my wife's Matrix XRS, the XRS had the Celica 2ZZ-GE 180hp motor with the 6spd manual. It was a blast to drive, sadly it was way past its prime so we got her a new Subaru Forester. While the Subaru isn't near as much fun to bang through gears with "paddle" shifters its not 17 years old with to many miles on it.
 
Following, maybe you should rename this the late life toyz thread since many of the guys doing this dance are mid 60's or "further along" and starting to think about the end of motorcycling coming up.
I been looking at convertibles for at least 6 months now. The way things are now is fine just want different AND better, a privilege of age? Hey I like looking for and trying different vehicles. While snagging bike parts I ran into a guy with a Capri, he had sold a Miata and Mustang same reasoning as yours and was happy.
We know why your brain sez Toyota but you heart wants something a little "snazzier" LOL And we all live in fear of a cool German or god forbid, British car that will drain our bank accounts with some simple but pull the motor to fix issue. Cafe Phil has finished up a really nice MGB but, well you know. Started working on the Norton, a motorcycle is PLENTY of old British engineering and manufacturing. I've always really liked the looks of the Solstice but it shares the zero room for stuff and my long legs issue. I actually found a really nice one, only hold backs, a wifely meh, and long cross country trip to acquire, I let it slip away.
I gotta say it, once you get a back seat there are few convertibles that have strong curb appeal. At least in the affordable car class.
I'll keep following along.
 
If the Mustang is too big for you, I suppose the Camaro and Challenger are too.

No Miata eh? How about a Mini Cooper, especially the older ones and maybe the newer too.

Mercedes and BMW have quite the selection to choose from.

Oh, go Corvette!
 
BMW Z3 or Z4? Back in 2016 I bought a 2003 Z3 for my wife as an "anniversary gift" with 12000 orig miles. Those straight sixes sure sounded perty and that thing was quite peppy and fun in the corners. Paid $1 per mile for it. Didn't drive it as much as we thought we would. Put only 4000 miles on it and sold it for a small profit a couple years later.
 
Now that certainly covers a lot on the wish list, different , sporty, collectible, both a convertible and a hard top. But you better hurry, only 6 hours left in the auction! :laugh2:
Read all the auction comments so you know what you're potentially getting into.
Stopped and looked at one on a Wisconsin car lot, they are kinda cool, but that one was a goner, body rust.
 
I've had these same thoughts, but there are a number of issues in addition to financing.

1. Size. I'm 6 foot and 210 with 11.5 feet. I drove a friends Miata, and it's a blast to drive but I feel like a sardine. And that was with the top down.

2. Access. At my age, folding myself into and out of a car where yer derrière is 6 inches off the ground is not just difficult, it's painful.

3. Storage. Such a car would be driven on nice days when I had nothing better to do. 2-3000 miles a year would be a lot. The rest of the time it needs to be in out of the weather and the sun. No such place exists on my ranch, and would cost as much as the car to build.

A Gen5 Mustang would probably get me past #1 and #2, but financing and #3 are major roadblocks.
 
In my favor wife is all for a convertible. She rode a lot with me on my motorcycle this year, but having once been on the back of a Gold Wing she was pushing me towards a much bigger bike than the V-Strom . She wants back rests, luggage, full wind protection. We sat on a Yamaha Road Star (?), the big V4 and I said the bike is so heavy I might as well get a convertible. She readily agreed.
My wife’s Subaru had it’s 60,000 mile service in May. We just turned 62k last week.
I don’t expect to put many miles on the car I buy and don’t expect to drive more than a hundred miles from home. Retirement means drive or ride because it’s fun, not because I have to be somewhere!
I actually thought about getting another VW Thing but prices are just too high and it probably would push the marriage boundaries to the edge.
 
If I could buy this, I think I could be done with motorcycles. A Triumph Spitfire, not the most powerful, but a true British sports car. I love the tilt front hood that would allow you to get right in there for easy motor work, and the interior is classic little sports car. I broached the subject with the Mrs. a few years ago but she was convinced it would be a money pit. Probably true.
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If I could buy this, I think I could be done with motorcycles. A Triumph Spitfire, not the most powerful, but a true British sports car. I love the tilt from hood that would allow you to get right in there for easy motor work, and the interior is classic little sports car. I broached the subject with the Mrs. a few years ago but she was convinced it would be a money pit. Probably true.

All kinds of fun and still very reasonable. The following for these little cars is pretty strong (like the XS650) so parts and advice are plentiful. As for the reliability, it's better than advertised.
 
It should be borderline collectible, small, and if possible a convertible. ...found the Mustang too big.
'87 to '93 Mustang would fit the bill well. It is smaller. Available in 5.0 V8 that roars and gets good mileage. I enjoyed mine a lot. An LX version looks best. Mine was black. I think they're very not prone to rust. Mine never had a spot. Can carry 4 if two have short legs
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As a plus, Vanilla Ice wrote a song about it...
 
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In my favor wife is all for a convertible. She rode a lot with me on my motorcycle this year, but having once been on the back of a Gold Wing she was pushing me towards a much bigger bike than the V-Strom . She wants back rests, luggage, full wind protection. We sat on a Yamaha Road Star (?), the big V4 and I said the bike is so heavy I might as well get a convertible. She readily agreed.
My wife’s Subaru had it’s 60,000 mile service in May. We just turned 62k last week.
I don’t expect to put many miles on the car I buy and don’t expect to drive more than a hundred miles from home. Retirement means drive or ride because it’s fun, not because I have to be somewhere!
I actually thought about getting another VW Thing but prices are just too high and it probably would push the marriage boundaries to the edge.
Unless you want to do maintenance or pay for it, I myself wouldn't have a European car with few exceptions. If you're never going to depend upon it, that's different. All those little broken plastic things on a BMW cost huge money. IMHO, hold out for the Celica. Import one from the South.
 
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