Greetings everyone. My name is Mike and I live in the Tampa Bay area in Florida (Northern Pinellas County).

I find myself in an interesting situation which led me to this site. I love to tinker with mechanical and electrical things. I love to fix cars (actually, I love fixing anything). I have a daily driver car that is as reliable as an anvil, a 2000 Honda Insight (it's about as quick as an anvil too). Stone cold reliable and nearly 70MPG on my commute to work. I've had other "project" cars over the years that have all found their way into and out of my garage. I had a 1971 Datsun 240Z, a 1978 Datsun 280Z, two different 1984 Datsun/Nissan 300ZX, a 1993 Honda Del Sol Si, and the list goes on. I also messed with motorcycles.

Just this week I was within an inch of buying another car, a 2005 Honda S2000. This car was beautiful and low miles and barely a mark on it. Although it was a blast to drive, I realized that it was not just driving that I liked, but wrenching. This car needed no wrenching (and would have emptied a big chunk out of the bank account). I started thinking about what other older Japanese cars I could get that were unique, collectible, and still worth working on, which led me here.

I do have a 1988 Toyota MR2 Supercharged in the garage now that I am nearly finished with. It was an absolute mess when I bought it, but it has improved considerably with me owning it. There was some rust so I spent quite a bit of time cutting and welding and removing the rust. It still needs paint and a few other tweaks, but my eyes are already wandering.

I'm not sure what kind of rotary car I want. I will spend time reading through the posts, and hopefully I'll have enough general knowledge that I'll be able to help the occasional person. Once I earn access to the classifieds I'll start looking for a new ride. I've got the spot in the garage all ready for it.

Thanks for reading
Mike M.

 

Welcome, Mike!

Based on your previous cars, I think that a 1st gen 7 would be good for you. Perhaps a GSL-SE? Just depends on what you are looking for. We'll help you figure it out.

Kent

 

Active rotary community in Tampa. Check out the Tampa Bay Rotary Owners Club group on Facebook and come visit the SE section of this forum!

Welcome!

 

Thanks for the welcome guys.

I've been poking around some more and I think you are right on about the GSL-SE. I really like the 1st gen cars, but I'm not crazy about carburetors. So how hard is it to find a nice GSL-SE???

I'm not a facebook user (probably the last guy on the planet without a facebook account). I'll check out the SE forum.

I was also curious about parts availability for these cars. Is it getting difficult?

Thanks
Mike M.

 

Always remember driving an rx7 is like dating a supermodel.. the sex is great but they are extremely high maintenance..

 

That's funny! They say the same thing about the early Toyota MR2's. They do not have the "typical" Toyota reliability. I guess when you move the motor to the back and squeeze it in to a tiny space that things don't work the way they should. Then you've got those really long coolant and a/c lines that run all the way under the car to the front...

I've been looking around and haven't found a GSL-SE anywhere near here. Do they come up for sale often? I found a few but the closest was several states away.

Any suggestions on what I should expect to pay? I know that it vastly depends on condition but I'm looking for something that is very original.

Thanks!
Mike M.

 

It seems like I need to improve my craigslist skills. Not everyone knows what they are selling

Still looking, if anyone has any leads...
Thanks
Mike M.

 

Welcome