Toyota MR2 Turbo

[wol]

Discuss...


No really, looking for a new car (as i have been for ages). The Morris has now been sold so my NCB is burning a hole in my pocket.

Looking at an Impreza or one of these beauties.


any hints or tips? (im sure Philz will )

What phase should i look for? T-bar or non? Should i be worried about high mileage?


Wol

[[GSV]Trig]

Had a poke about on the toyota owners club website...?

[wol]

Just having a look now thanks

Wol

[Jiff Lemon]

The cars Rox...... A pure and utter beast of a car.

My mate had one for about 4 months (before it was stolen from his driveway - not nice story).

The only minus points:

Tyres - It'll eat them and you can't even swap then front to rear to even out the wear as they're different sizes.

Insurance - NCB or not, it's not going to be pretty

Age - you're prolly looking at a nearly 10 year old motor now, buy VERY carefully.....

[wol]

Hmm yeah, had a quick look at the insurance and its only slightly less than a MY00 impreza turbo wagon! Think ill stick with the scoobies!

Wol

[Vimeous]

Wait, then buy the new MR2 Turbo armed with 195bhp and 0-60 in the low-fives or even early four's!

[philz]

Hi Wol

Hmm..........where do I start.

Early MR2 turbo's were 220BHP (G reg - K reg - Revision 1 & 2), the later ones were 241BHP (L reg onwards - Revision 3,4,5)). 0-60 is 5.7 for the Rev 1 & 2, 5.2 for all of the later ones. 1/4 mile is around 13.6/13.7 depending on who you believe.

The Rev 3 onwards ones are the best of the bunch, the suspension is scary on the earlier ones for us mere mortals, race drivers love it but I'm not good enough to exploit it! Remember that not only is it RWD but mid engined too so don't expect it to handle like a FWD car (ie. don't lift off mid corner unless you wanna see where you've just come from)

If you're planning on modding them then definitely get a later one, 300BHP is available for next to nothing, an earlier model will require a bit more money to this that sort of power. I've seen a few 300BHP ones do 0-60 in 4.5 so they're not too slow.

When I was looking for mine I wasn't bothered about a T bar but now I've got one there's no way I'm going back, I love it! Expect to pay a bit of a premium for one though, they're pretty sought after.

There are some pics of mine on my web site
<pimp>
http://www.philz.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/
</pimp>

[philz]

Originally Posted by wol

Hmm yeah, had a quick look at the insurance and its only slightly less than a MY00 impreza turbo wagon! Think ill stick with the scoobies!

Have you tried Dorset Insurance (through the MR2 Drivers Club)?

I was getting quotes of around £1400 for an Impreza but I only pay £700 for my MR2 (with all mods declared and an agreed value of £9,000)

[Russ]

my uncle used to have 1, T-bar, absoloute sex, so so low to the ground, u'd be higher siiting on the pavement. god i loved that car.

[philz]

Nice video (MR2 vs RX7) which might help you make up your mind

[wol]

Wow thats quite low! Im getting around the 1500 for a standard MY00 wagon fully comp with covered NCB.

Ok i'd like to get a rev 3, what price shall i look at? Is mileage a problem? Ill have a look at the drivers clubs websites when i get home.

When did the Mk3's start in production?

Ive never actually been in a mk2 mr2 (my dad had a mk1 for a bit). What are they like for space? The reason i ask, i may be being picky here, is that i want to be able to take it away for car weekend jaunts etc. Im guessing theyre a little small for lugage etc? (told you it was picky!)

[philz]

The Drivers Club has a deal with Dorset, pretty good rates IMO.

If you can afford it then a Rev3 is definitely better (the engine/turbocharger and suspension were the main differences). Price wise you're looking at £6k for an entry level Rev3, there are some cheaper but they're cheaper for a reason if you know what I mean. I paid over £9k for mine but it does have some tasty extras though

Milage isn't really a problem, Toyotas as you know are renowned for their reliability (as long as they're serviced). I've had mine coming up to 2 years and not a single thing has went wrong with it.

Space isn't too bad for the type of car it is, just don't expect to fit a couple of suitcases in the boot though.



You've also got a bit of space under the bonnet too for smaller things if you were really short on space. The only time I've had problems was when I tried to fit a DELL server in the boot to take home, I had to put it on the passenger seat.

[Rave]

I have a Mk1 as my only car, and I often end up having to borrow my Mum's Polo to transport stuff about. I did once fit three 17" monitors in the front seat/footwell though- a very tight squeeze, and it was a bit frightening to drive it like that!!

An alternative to a Mk2 Turbo would be a MK1 Supercharger if you can find one. Only about 140bhp as standard, but loadsa torque and light weight mean it'll do 0-60 in about 6.5s. I reckon that'd be a lot cheaper than a turbo to insure. Plus Mk1s are cooler.

Rich :¬)