This owner traded five Toyota MR2s for one Mazda Miata

Jeff Glucker

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Owning more than one example of a given car model shows that you’re a devoted fan of that vehicle. Owning five is a sign that you’re obsessed. For one retired college professor in Missouri, his vehicular devotion fell on the first-generation Toyota MR2 AW11. In fact, he set out to own one from each year of AW11 production and he did just that. From 1985 through 1989, there’s a version for everyone.

According to Japanese Nostalgic Car, these cars were just received on trade in at the COAD Toyota dealership in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Each is reportedly in great shape and only the 1985 yellow one has been modified. The rest are bone stock and, in fact, have already been sold off by the dealership.

Why trade in this collection of cars now? The original owner felt it was getting to be too much trouble to maintain this handful of aging machines. So he swapped them all for a 2016 Mazda Miata with 10,000 miles on its odometer.

Head over to Japanese Nostalgic Car to see more photos of this multiple MR2 trade in.

About

Jeff Glucker

Jeff Glucker

Jeff Glucker is the co-founder and Executive Editor of Hooniverse.com. He’s often seen getting passed as he hustles a 1991 Mitsubishi Montero up the 405 Freeway. IG: @HooniverseJeff

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18 responses to “This owner traded five Toyota MR2s for one Mazda Miata”

  1. 0A5599 Avatar
    0A5599

    I wonder what field of study that car-hoarding, eccentric professor taught?

    https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nC9ThWCrBKE/Vt17OuVQxnI/AAAAAAAAH9g/rLb-ohA2egI/s1600/18%2BGeological%2Bfacts%2Bthat%2BMight%2BSurprise%2BYou.jpg

    Reply
    1. mdharrell Avatar
      mdharrell

      I’m just a lecturer, not a professor, so I’ve never owned more than three at a time.

      https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2819/9399174487_dd0329d052.jpg

      Reply
      1. Manxman Avatar
        Manxman

        Those are sensible Swedish cars. That’s not hoarding, that’s being practical.

        Reply
        1. Lokki Avatar
          Lokki

          Yeah, SAABs are the Birkenstock shoes of cars, and those old two-strokes are just broken (in) ones.

          Appros of nothing –

          “How Did Birkenstocks Convince Us the Pain of Breaking Them in Was Worth It?”

          https://www.vox.com/2017/9/1/16145270/birkenstocks-breaking-in-pain

          Reply
      2. 0A5599 Avatar
        0A5599

        That other guy also has things relatively easy. Whenever he gets the urge for another one, he can look on ebay, take his pick from among multiple lots likely to be listed that day, and after he places the winning bid, fly out to the seller and drive his prize home.

        Reply
      3. 0A5599 Avatar
        0A5599

        1967 Saab 850 Monte Carlo

        Reply
  2. Fred Avatar
    Fred

    At 66 it’s not easy for me to get in and out of my Elan with the top up. With the top down (or off in my case) it’s a bit easier. That is the only reason I can think of why he did this.

    Reply
    1. outback_ute Avatar
      outback_ute

      Wouldn’t an MX5 be more difficult than an MR2 though?

      Reply
      1. Fred Avatar
        Fred

        It’s easier without a top.

        Reply
      2. outback_ute Avatar
        outback_ute

        The last line says he bought an MX5.

        Reply
        1. outback_ute Avatar
          outback_ute

          Ok, we are at cross purposes, I was making a comparison of access responding to Fred’s comment, and his response reflects that access waa not a driving factor here despite the gent’s age.

          On the maintenance front of course the new car isn’t going to have 30-year-old-car issues. Further I expect there are many things that are easier in the MX5 than an 86. Spark plugs and valve train would be easier with a single upright cylinder head.

          Reply
  3. Sjalabais Avatar
    Sjalabais

    Wait, a used Miata is worth as much as five nice, original MR2’s? A few of them were quite low mileage even.

    Reply
    1. GTXcellent Avatar
      GTXcellent

      That was my confusion too – a 2016 Mazda, even with that low miles, should book around $20k – so they gave him about $4k per MR2.
      I can understand just wanting to be done and out of them all together, but I think he got screwed.

      Reply
    2. outback_ute Avatar
      outback_ute

      Bulk discount?

      Reply
    3. 0A5599 Avatar
      0A5599

      Ok, so not an Economics professor. Maybe Liberal Arts?

      Reply
      1. Sjalabais Avatar
        Sjalabais

        Favourite movie scene:
        http://growth-scaling.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/burning-money.jpg

        Reply
  4. neight428 Avatar
    neight428

    Sounds like a rage trade. If I had five of my old project Corvettes laying around in my garage and someone offered me one Miata in exchange at certain points in that process, I would have jumped on it in a heartbeat.

    Reply
  5. Howard Rosenbaum Avatar
    Howard Rosenbaum

    Looks like this professor just traded roughly $40,000 or more worth of MR2’s for a 2 year old Miata – another good reason to reconsider a college education theses days …..!

    Reply