MR2 : Opinions?

[FaT-DrunK]

what are YOUR opinions on the MR2?

engine/layout/chassis/etc
prices..? etc

[Phatmobile]

you looking for 89 Supercharge (AW11) or 91-93 Turbo (SW20)?

[FaT-DrunK]

SW20

[docomo]

the car sux... shitty handling... spin out easily... overall death trap... stay away...


J/K

[68style]

1) Good luck finding one

2) When you do find one, be aware that it's invariably been beat to death or been in at least one accident

3) prepare to pay out the NOSE for one unless you plan on importing one from the United States like I did


PRO's
------
Quick stock, can be very fast with minor mods. Handling of course is amazing, brakes are better than most cars even selling today -- not many cars can outbrake an MR-2. Engine is indestructible if maintained properly. The mid engine thing isn't really that cumbersome mechanically -- it's essentially a backwards front wheel drive. Steering is awesome, although I have one with power steering and all Canadian cars don't have that so I'm not sure if you'll find the Canadian ones as agreeable. Sound system kicks ass stock, 2 subwoofers in the car (an 8" under each seat) stock from factory. T-tops kick ass, but can bebad in the sun because it's actually hotter with them off than on

CON'S
------
Don't plan on ever picking up any friends again, especially if you have a significant other. Pain in the ass sometimes especially if you're a social person or have friends who don't drive. NO storage space -- yah you can fit a golf bag in the trunk behind the engine and maybe a box of krispy kreme in the frunk (front trunk) on top fo the spare tire but nothing much else. I have to take my t-tops off to transport anything from Ikea or what-have-you and stick it out the roof.

Also gas mileage is pretty sucky even if you're not dipping into the turbo + you'll be pumping 92 into the tank at a buck a litre so make sure you aren't afraid to spend between $150 and $200 a month on gas if you drive it daily.

SPIN SPIN SPIN stupid drivers get punished by the MR-2 in a big way. If you're an idiot or you like to push the limits of your vehicle, go buy a 240 because you'll die in this car even with the updated suspension 93+

Also, keep in midn the newest MR-2 you can get in North America is 9 years old so be prepared to spend money on maintenance things like gaskets and what-have-you.

[FaT-DrunK]

how much did you pay for yours? mileage? condition?

what kind of repairs? cost?

opting to buy the MR2 cause the 240s are played out..MR2 is moreso unique..and you dont see much REALLY modded ones out there..

[docomo]

Originally posted by FaT-DrunK

what kind of repairs? cost?

opting to buy the MR2 cause the 240s are played out..MR2 is moreso unique..and you dont see much REALLY modded ones out there..

This is coming from a 91 NA but repair cost are minimal, but that may be because my car isn't my daily driver. I've never had a problem with it because i've kept up to date or even moreso been replacing parts in advance of recommended dates to keep things in tip top shape so really depends on how intend to maintain it.

Word of advice, if you see a car going for NA going for less than $10K or a turbo less than $14K then there are probably some problems with the car. Either high mileage or something that the previous owner didn't want to deal with so that's why its up for sale. That being said, if your looking for a babied '2, expect to pay a premium.

There are alot of moded '2s out there, just not in the bodykit department; so maybe its not as noticeable. For the turbo guys, the mods are probably under the hood.

Anyways, if your serious about buying one you should get some advice from www.bcmr2.com forums or check out the international site www.mr2oc.com and learn more about the car before you buy it. I made the mistake of buying my car without an informed decision (before I found out about either websites/ mr2 clubs) but I was lucky enough to get away with a clean car but others aren't so lucky. So good luck dude.

[edit] I forgot to mention that the price of '2s haven't dropped for the last 3 years. What I paid for my car 3 years ago is what you'd be expected to pay now since their numbers are dwindling. In my honest opinion, there is no need to rush to buy one of these since the price is not going to drop down any time soon; but you might want to watch out for the prices to start rising in a few years once they are deemed "antiques"... haha

[Expresso]

That's cause there isn't many out there hehe.

Price can range from $12-20G for '91-93s.

Especially the '93s people sell them at a premium. Because they have the updated suspension, bigger brakes, better tranny, front lip, and 15" rims. Some other stuff too, but thats the gist.

Repairs/Costs same as any other car that is 10+ year old. Things that I had done are all my seals and gaskets replaced. Timing Belt, distributor rotor and cap, plug wires, and new plugs.

I have brake pads, ball joints, and caliper rebuild kits that need to be installed, and I probably need a new water pump soon too. After everything is said and done, probably looking at ~$2G worth of labour/parts.

It's good to look for a car that has most of it replaced so you don't have to deal with them. I remember there was a red one for sale in the RS buysell looked like a safe buy. But even in the end, besides engine wise you still have to worry about the Turbo . See if you can convince 68style to sell again lol! But man working on the MR gives me back aches.

[FaT-DrunK]

would it be cheaper to get a N/A in good condition, then change the engine..?

http://www.totaljdm.com/index.cfm/fu...dm_engines.htm

taht comes to about.. 2.8Gs to get it here..? install = to a near total of 4 Gs.. Mom and Dad sponsored

they made it clear..if i get a new car, they'll pay half
if i get a used car, they're gonna pay for repairs..
I doubt it.. but they might gimme a loan..

[Expresso]

Originally posted by FaT-DrunK
would it be cheaper to get a N/A in good condition, then change the engine..?

http://www.totaljdm.com/index.cfm/fu...dm_engines.htm

taht comes to about.. 2.8Gs to get it here..? install = to a near total of 4 Gs.. Mom and Dad sponsored

they made it clear..if i get a new car, they'll pay half
if i get a used car, they're gonna pay for repairs..
I doubt it.. but they might gimme a loan..

Evening finidng a good NA will take as much as time finding a Turbo IMO. Unless you start looking into the states, there seems be a lot of NA's or sale. Swapping is another route you can pursue as well. You may want to acquire some turbo brakes at the same time

[FaT-DrunK]

im not gonna rip the car around..im gonna be super cautious with my car

its gonna be show.. with SOME go..the 3SGTE gives me more go than the N/A engine would..

anyone else have opinions on this car? pros/cons?

im thinking.. 15-20Gs for an OK mileaged car, sell the stock engine/tranny for about 2Gs or so..and do the swap for bout 4Gs

anyone know what i can get if i sell the engine/tranny? if I get a turbo..im still gonna do the swap.. i want a lower mileaged engine

[impactX]

Just get the turbo, better brakes and stronger axle.

[bcrdukes]

A good MR2 takes a lot of patience to find. I searched for just about 2 years and still, my car's a piece of crap-total-rust-bucket-OMGWTFBBQ-beater-with-oh-so-many-problems-and-costs-an-arm-and-a-leg-to-maintain. DidI mention that mine's only a 1988 SC MR2?

They're totally fun cars and if you say that you're not going to tip into the boost - believe me, it's hard to resist. Like 68style said, the design and engineering of the MR2 was pretty well done for its age and manufacturer. I drive my car on weekends only and I cheat on my other daily driver every now and then to take the '2 out for a spin.

Keeping the MKII as a garage queen is quite a bad idea because like with any car, it needs to run every now and then. Keep in mind with the age of the vehicle, you can't just let it sit there forever.

Mind you, the 3S-GTE has a lot of go-fast-goodies for it and if tuned properly, it's able to munch a lot of the other fellas out there.

Of course, if you do plan on driving it more than 3 times a week, forget about driving your friends. They will hate you. Forget about going to the supermarket to buy your week's supply of groceries and forget about driving your kid sister to Metrotown.

Oh yeah - think you can be unique? Look at my sig!

[FaT-DrunK]

if i get the trubo.. which would bring the initial cost up to about.. 20Gs? how much would I be able to sell the engine and tranny for?
if it has high mileage, i wanna get a lower mileage engine, and swap it..therefore, eliminating the cost for any problems that would come with the old engine for a few years time..

i wanna get a SW20 owner's perspective on the repair costs, problems, and how much they bought it for, and its mileage

AW11 owner's perspective also needed, as they'll know the "later on" problems im gonna come across

TIA!

[docomo]

since you have like 20G's to play with...
why dont u just buy a high mileage NA from the US for like $3K then do a gen3 3sgte swap (245HP stock) and fix it up with whatever money you saved.

[68style]

I don't really want to post up how much I paid for my car, but I bought it with just over 70,000miles and it's in mint condition. I actually bought mine through E-bay (e-mailed a seller and struck a deal with him).

Mine is also a '94 which are super hard to find (only made 625 and I'm not sure how many of those were turbo's or not). Here's a pic of it:



The only repairs I have had are I did the valve cover gasket myself and I also rebuilt the distributor. Other than that I had a couple of warped brake rotors as the parking brake tends to stick on MR-2's and apparently I drove it a couple times with the back brakes dragging unbeknownst to me

I spent less than $700 on repairs.

Also keep in mind mine came with a new transmission, new clutch, new waterpump and the timing belt was just done before I bought it -- so I've got a long time to go before I need to do any maintenance on it and a lot of that work is major$$$.

No matter what the mileage is you dont have to worry about much, the bottom end of the 3SGTE is pretty much invincible provided the car hasn't been boosted like crazy. You'll have a lot of problems if you start dicking around with JDM engines and whatnot unless you really know what you're doing. Things like the turbo itself and grinding transmission are going to be problems long before the engine decides it's time to leave this world.

[FaT-DrunK]

3Gs american? if so.. i can spend a years worth of saving to get it...import

did the math...and i came up to about JSUT below 10Gs a year.. given I get paid $8/hr..which is below minimum wage for what im getting hired for..
if i work at my mom's friends warehouse thing.. ill get paid about.. 9-10/hr..doing the math in lower circumstances, i'll get 8/hr 8 hr weekends, and about..2 hr weekdays

ill have about 900 a month with tax deductions and stuff shaved off already..in a years time, ill have about.. 10Gs? with summer full time hours included, ill have.. 13Gs or so.. tahts 5gs left for the car.. i use my parents car for a bit, and ill have enough for a pretty good mileaged 18G MR2 Turbo..

now.. if i do nightshifts, ill get around double.. so.. 17Gs with nightshift summer.. i can get my car!!

i dunno how much insurance is.. but im gonna say, its about 3 Gs for insurance, and 2gs for gas, thats 5gs a year to keep it on the road..

year 2, i can fix the car up, replace EVERYTHING, and have about 3Gs left for rims or something.. given, i change EVERY part.. turbo, everything that might break on me..

year 3, i can get my car's exterior finished, new paint, tires, rims, suspension....kitted.. basic exterior mods finished..

now.. i need a job to get me started.. cause i gotta wait till January, when they're hiring again

EDIT: ill be done with my car by the time im 21..

[bcrdukes]

^

Oh man.

I'll tell you know that working on a minimum wage job and going to school is not going to get you an MR2. I speak from first hand experience. There have been times where I had to give up on the my poor AW11 when hard times hit me.

Having an SW20 shouldn't be any different than having an AW11 - a car is a car.

[FaT-DrunK]

how much was ur AW11?

[bcrdukes]

^
Too much.
Repairs? - Too much. I restored it.
Mods? - Way too much. I blew away a huge wad of cash just recently. I'll update my project on RS in a few weeks.

Overall? MR2 = Cars where kids with rich parents can truly afford. (General statement but you get the point.)

Edit: My car's beside 68style's MR2 on the right. You can't see much of it.

[FaT-DrunK]

im keen on my plan....unless something comes up, im keeping it

worst comes to worst, ill use my parent's car..then the ins money that would've been used would go into fixing the problem..

but otherwise, im keen on it

[68style]

Originally posted by FaT-DrunK
im keen on my plan....unless something comes up, im keeping it

worst comes to worst, ill use my parent's car..then the ins money that would've been used would go into fixing the problem..

but otherwise, im keen on it

One thing you may not have factored in is insurance, at least for the MK2 it's kind of expensive.

I have a 43% discount w/roadstar and it still costs me just a hair under $2,000 to insure the MR-2.

Assuming the age in your profile is accurate you're looking at no discount almost $4,000 for insurance. It would still be $2g's even if your parents put it under their name for you (not advised, but most peopel do it anyway).

It costs me about $350 a month to run my MR-2 currently as a daily driver between insurance and gas.

[FaT-DrunK]

still hell bent on it..college is paid for..so,..ill have money left over to keep it on the road..

[F1]

it will probably take you awhile to find a very good condition mr2 so be prepared to be patient. of course you can get lucky and find one quickly or you just might get impatient and buy any mr2. i think that lately, i have seen more mr2's for sale too.
but ya, like 68style mentioned, insurance might be quite expensive for yourself. i pay about the same as he does for my mr2.
its a very reliable car but they are getting quite old now and even if you do find a low kms car, you have to take good care of it maintenance wise.
handling can get tricky even with the revised suspension in a 93, gotta watch out for the rear coming loose. no power steering in canadian mk2 mr2 but its not that big of a deal.

[Veilside Ryder]

That's cause there isn't many out there hehe.

Price can range from $12-20G for '91-93s


overpriced cars imop but its nice lookin ride .