Hi, Scotty.
I'm trying to buy my second car, I have a 2018 Camry because it has a 7-year 70k mile warranty that will end early if I keep driving it. I drive a lot every week now because I moved from AZ to TX, so I want a second car.
I want to buy a fun car, I'm an aerospace engineer, and I have some experience in car maintenance, such as all kinds of fluid changing， changing cv axles, changing wheel bearings, and changing brake discs and pads. I was going to go for a 90's civic but my friend who was a Toyota mechanic told me to buy an mr2 because if I was going to spend the time on a project car, the civic wasn't worth my time on it. But I think the price of mr2 is very expensive, and mr2 is more difficult to repair. My friend told me that mr2 will be more valuable in the future, and he is willing to work on mr2 with me. I also love the Miata, but its storage space is so small and I want a car that can do my daily groceries.
I will only buy manual transmission one
Finding a decent daily-driver condition Civic or Miata is a lot easier than finding good, unmolested MR2s - and many MR2 parts. The parts in common with other Toyotas, like engines, trans and alternators, aren't a problem, but MR2 specific parts require serious searching. But, they are great fun and the 2nd generation ones have room for groceries/luggage and tall people - good luck.
This is a good forum for parts/advice https://www.mr2oc.com/
thank you so much, I also think about 3rd gen mr2s because they are much cheaper and easier to find a good one. But 2nd gen looks much better.