(Edit - did have a photo linked but forum rules wont let me! '99 Rev 5 sonic shadow, FYI, bleonged to 'jonny c' iirc )From a known forum member on here.
A proper solid, well kept car. I'm currently in two minds whether to keep it or not, let me explain - Previously I had MX-5s for years before hand, did all sorts to them, so this was quite a change.
Active member on all the forums, lots of meets, lots of events and drives, lots of modding, tinkering, playing etc, good old fashioned car fun.I've not done any of that since the Toyota though, with a new more pressured job, my first house, etc etc.
All I've really done with the Toyota is drive it to work, down busy, shockingly rough, dark muddy roads, which is no fun. Its nearly always filthy, it rarely gets its legs stretched etc, and as such - I hadn't originally gelled with it. I even don't really like the colour, I much prefer a nice bright red car or whatever, especially for a sports car, but you simply can't be picky with 2nd hand cars. I've since flirted a bit with
selling it for another MX-5, or maybe a MR-S Roadster. I'm also likely to go to two cars again soon, with a snotter old shed for driving to work. This is to stop me spoiling my 'fun' car, and also having two cars makes projects and tinkering a lot easier.Recently there's a few things that are swinging back in the Toyotas favour though, I've managed a couple of little trips out in it, theres been a handful of mild dry days.
As I start to think about spring and summer I also reckon it must make an excellent road-trip car, round the highlands or the Alps with the tent in the boot.
It would be a massive shame to sell it as its fundamentally such a good car
- solid body, solid mechanics, sorted suspension and brakes. I've put a new clutch and alternator in, there's just only niggles that stop it being perfect. And I like that its a Rev 5, just than teeny bit rarer and unusual. I've not even had it a year yet either, I feel like 80% of the driving I've done in it has been to work and back, and/or in the dark and p1$$ing rain, and that's a shame!
If I keep it
(and your going to tell me I should!), what should I do? Should I mod it? Its a slippery slope...! There's a few bits I don't like - I don't think the OEM dampers are very well matched to the springs, and I don't think Toyo T1's are a good tyre for it, way to soft and squirmy and I hope that a stiffer tyre and/or 16" wheels would bring back a bit of sharpness to the handling. Should I, in fact, turbo it? Part of me thinks, its such a nicely kept one, its the ideal base.
I couldn't find a Turbo in anywhere near as good nick when I bought it, hence ending up with the N/A. I know its a whole other argument in itself, but I wonder whether a punch in the back of boost is the little extra that gives these cars their character. Also, every car I've had has been handling first, power second (Peugeot GTis, MX-5s etc). I've never had a car where the engine and the shove dominates the drive. Is it going to come alive and get its own character? Hopefully when not having to use it daily it should immediately feel a bit more special anyway!Bear in mind, the reason I drive stupid old Jap sports cars and not a financed 3yr old Golf TDi, is I like the whole ownership experience
- Cars are a project, I like to work on them myself, experiment, go places, meet fellow owners. Sorry this is a bit of a rambled nonsense post, but I wonder if anyone here has any thoughts or wisdom!
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