Spottings November 2010

[supunna_picta]

2 MKI MR2's around Bowles and Wads. Blk MKI gawked and I flashed the '2' sign but he thought I was giving him the British bird...

MKII, red, on Huron and Tufts, 1 block from my house - no clue what a Spyder was - just drove through oblivious.

MKIII, silver - Santa Fe and Oxford - piece of crap covered in stickers - no wonder other gen MR2 owners ignore MKIII drivers... see above....

Always cool to see other MR2's on the road but at this point who gives a shit if they're not enthusiasts.

[ZephyrSefira]

hah, I thought it was the MKIII drivers who ignore everyone because theyre too rich to care! (don't get me wrong, <3 the MkIII)

Anyway...It's good to see some more twos being noticed. Got a black Mk.I here, myself, but between myself and my partner I don't think we've been on wadsworth recently. She does work off of Colorado Blvd. though and I let her use the deuce to save gas (that and her celica is a bit...smokey right now.) but yeah, not sure.

[Fubba]

I agree with you. I've seen a few deuces around but the don't seem to care so I kinda stopped going out of my way to meet them. I figure if they don't care to know me I don't care to know them.

[ZephyrSefira]

I want to apologize for my earlier comment. No one got angry at me or anything, but I kinda took a step back and was a bit ashamed of myself. I will admit that I have grown some preconceptions after lurking around in different forums.

The Mk.I crowd seems a good mix of tight-knit individuals and the occasional kid who picked it up cheap and has no clue what they are doing. I'm kinda glad to be a part of it, because there are a great many mature individuals who have had these cars for years and are very knowledgeable, with a desire to share.

The Mk.II crowd seems younger, and more oriented toward talking about their turbos and their huge rims. If anything, they remind me a bit of the Supra crowd, but with way less of a crankshaft shoved up their posteriors. (and no ranting about how awesome their 2JZ is)

The Mk.III crowd seem aloof, to be honest. For example just the other day I saw a thread on a different forum about italian leather shift knobs and all I could think to myself while cracking a grin is "do the cows moo there with an accent?" This is kinda my fault though, and after a bit of a step back, I would want to dress my baby up as pretty as she could be and spoil her rotten if I had one as well.

Remember, these are just observations I've been able to make. Unfortunately I've never had the pleasure of meeting another AW11, SW20, or ZZT30 owners personally, something I would rather love to do.

My point is, we all draw preconceptions based on observations. The Mk.II and Mk.III crowd see us Mk.I owners as thrifty people on a budget with a poor man's sports car. The Mk.I and Mk.III crowds see the Mk.II guys as a bunch of street racing kids talking about their turbos. The Mk.I and the Mk.II crowds see the Mk.III owners as too rich to give a damn.

Once you take a step back, you begin to see that the Mk.I people are fond of their machines because of how zippy and fun they are, even if a lot of them don't look like the most beautiful things to hit the road. To quote Han Solo: "She doesn't look like much, but she's got it where it counts!" The Mk.II crowd have good reason to love their babies as well. They are built more comfortable, with a grand tourer style more in mind. A longer body, an awesome engine, (I love 3S-GTEs as well, my girlfriend has a 4th gen celica all-trac) and quite a lot of thought and engineering that went into its design. The Mk.IIIs are cute. Yes, cute. They returned to the smaller wheelbase and compact design, their 1ZZ engines are potent and they are flirty enough to be able to put their top down with a little persuasion. If I had one, I'd want to spoil it rotten too, and if you think about it, they're still a comparatively young car. They've kept their value for a reason.

So...looking at things a bit impartially, we do see ourselves in perhaps not the right light. It's an interesting social experiment to take a look and see just how we see each other, but I do find myself coming back to the same conclusion. AW11, SW20, or ZZT30...we're all MR2 drivers and lovers. That's what matters the most. Next time you see another MR2 owner, same generation or not, give a nod, say hi, just reach a hand out in friendship. Our cars are a common bond, we all love them for very very similar reasons.

[Michaelmr2]

As these cars get older, I see the demographics changing. I have owned my MKII Turbo for 13 years and agree when I first got it I fit the stereotype. Now that I am older and the car is older, I feel more like the MKI guys. I see the MKI guys more like the serious collector and I find myself saying, She doesnt look like it but shes got it where it counts.

Funny how things change.

[IntenseJohn]

I agree with you. I've seen a few deuces around but the don't seem to care so I kinda stopped going out of my way to meet them. I figure if they don't care to know me I don't care to know them.

I know what you mean. A week ago I saw a Gen 2 and I pulled up right next to it at the Horsetooth and Timberline intersection and tried to greet the driver. I rolled down my window and waved but it was just a girl driving the deuce who was too occupied with her phone. It was a black 2 with a sunroof, non turbo. Doubt that she was gonna be here on the forum so I didn't bother to post the spotting.

[Swanson]

The Mk.I crowd seems a good mix of tight-knit individuals and the occasional kid who picked it up cheap and has no clue what they are doing. I'm kinda glad to be a part of it, because there are a great many mature individuals who have had these cars for years and are very knowledgeable, with a desire to share.


I resent this slightly. AW11 owner, 19 years old. In my defense the only thing that I have trouble with on the car is the supercharger. I'm used to turbos and Weber carbs. Also, my 2 is one of the youngest cars I've owned.

[ZephyrSefira]

I resent this slightly. AW11 owner, 19 years old. In my defense the only thing that I have trouble with on the car is the supercharger. I'm used to turbos and Weber carbs. Also, my 2 is one of the youngest cars I've owned.

Wasn't pointing fingers really. I wasn't very clear about what I ment really. I hear from time to time about how someone picks it up and then ends up driving it right into the ground. My intention wasn't to convey an aggrivation about those who don't know much about their car, it's more towards those who do not care, do not know what they are doing, and end up killing the car from neglect because they don't care enough to ask questions and speak to someone knowledgable. It's just sad to see time to time when someone ends up blowing up their engine or killing the car some way because they didn't care. It takes another AW11 off the street and drops another potential member from our ranks. You are here and you are talking to us, which is saying a lot more than those off the forums who are treating their deuce like it's some honda or like it's an appliance. I can definately respect you for taking the time to appreciate your car. :)

[Swanson]

Wasn't pointing fingers really. I wasn't very clear about what I ment really. I hear from time to time about how someone picks it up and then ends up driving it right into the ground. My intention wasn't to convey an aggrivation about those who don't know much about their car, it's more towards those who do not care, do not know what they are doing, and end up killing the car from neglect because they don't care enough to ask questions and speak to someone knowledgable. It's just sad to see time to time when someone ends up blowing up their engine or killing the car some way because they didn't care. It takes another AW11 off the street and drops another potential member from our ranks. You are here and you are talking to us, which is saying a lot more than those off the forums who are treating their deuce like it's some honda or like it's an appliance. I can definately respect you for taking the time to appreciate your car. :)

Yes, it just annoys me when people assume that because I'm young, I know nothing of cars and thus I'm not worth helping. I had that problem when I asked about a problem with my car on a different forum. I never got an answer out of it and had to use trial and error to uncover the source of the problem. The worst part is that it's a forum that probably everyone on here uses.

Before I got my 2, I had a 1970 Triumph GT6 with triple Weber racing carbs. People always doubted me when I told them that I had done the wrenching myself.

Oh and for the record guys, Blue is off the road until I get the problem fixed, it was far worse than I had thought. :(

[ZephyrSefira]

Sorry to hear that you've had trouble with that.

[Fubba]

I kinda fit the MKII stereotype. Meaning I want to evenutally swap a 3sgte into the car. But for now I'm happy fixing the car and getting it to where I want it. But I have noticed those observations as well. Especially at the meets, not that its a bad thing, just amusing.

Overall I think we have a great community here and so far everyone I have met or talked to has been super helpful and I have been able to learn a lot from all of you. Thanks!