Last summer I bought this
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(Edit
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- did have a photo linked but forum rules wont let me!
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'99 Rev 5 sonic shadow, FYI, bleonged to
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'jonny c' iirc
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)
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From a known forum member on here.
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A proper solid, well kept car.
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I'm currently in two minds whether to keep it or not, let me explain
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Previously I had MX-5s for years before hand, did all sorts to them, so this was quite a change.
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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.
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I've not done any of that since the Toyota though, with a new more pressured job, my first house, etc etc.
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All I've really done with the Toyota is drive it to work, down busy, shockingly rough, dark muddy roads, which is no fun.
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Its nearly always filthy, it rarely gets its legs stretched etc, and as such
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- I hadn't originally gelled with it.
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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.
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I've since flirted a bit with
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selling it for another MX-5, or maybe a MR-S Roadster.
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I'm also likely to go to two cars again soon, with a snotter old shed for driving to work.
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This is to stop me spoiling my
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'fun' car, and also having two cars makes projects and tinkering a lot easier.
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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.
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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.
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It would be a massive shame to sell it as its fundamentally such a good car
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- solid body, solid mechanics, sorted suspension and brakes.
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I've put a new clutch and alternator in, there's just only niggles that stop it being perfect.
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And I like that its a Rev 5, just than teeny bit rarer and unusual.
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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!
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If I keep it
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(and your going to tell me I should!), what should I do? Should I mod it? Its a slippery slope.
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.
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.
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! There's a few bits I don't like
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- 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.
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Should I, in fact, turbo it? Part of me thinks, its such a nicely kept one, its the ideal base.
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I couldn't find a Turbo in anywhere near as good nick when I bought it, hence ending up with the N/A.
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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.
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Also, every car I've had has been handling first, power second
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(Peugeot GTis, MX-5s etc).
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I've never had a car where the engine and the shove dominates the drive.
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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!
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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
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- Cars are a project, I like to work on them myself, experiment, go places, meet fellow owners.
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Sorry this is a bit of a rambled nonsense post, but I wonder if anyone here has any thoughts or wisdom!