Fred's 1994 Type R Mazda Lantis

[Fred]

Fueled up, thanks to bad running and constant abuse if being used at all, it got this abysmal usage rate:

https://twitter.com/FredCookeNZ/status/ ... 7633338368





And of course, I gave it some more abuse :-)

[Fred]

Haven't posted here for a while, but this bloody thing is still going. It has had a broken window a new wing mirror (again) and some oil topped up into it. Due (overdue) for a proper oil change in 500km or so. But I was driving it the other night and I thought:

This car is on its last legs. Exhaust is leaky and it may not make it through another inspection or if it does, another two. What should I do with it? Well, I have a few possible ideas:

1) Bring it in, strip the good mechanical bits off it, sell the rest, crush it
2) Strip it a month or two before the end of the next WOF and drive it around with: no rear/passenger seats, no side glass, no interior panels, no bonnet reinforcing, etc etc, basically try to get it down to 1000kg from the 1200 it's at now and enjoy a short-term street pocket rocket before doing 1.
3) Ship it to the USA as is, let some mazda nut enjoy the JDM rareness :-D I have one guy in mind...

So I'll keep trying to keep it on the street but the first major work required = dead. I do not want to put time/effort into muffler repairs on this pile of junk, no way. I love driving it, but I've had my fun. Ready to let it go 5.5 years later, 1680nzd is about 300 per year if I get zero from it and 450 including street legality, not bad motoring, that's only 5 tanks of gas per year to match/exceed.

So, next thing you see might be a stripped car and videos of it on onramps revving hard, or a truck taking it away with no engine/box/axles/hubs/struts/wheels. We'll see.