About to buy an MR2 Turbo - opinions
Discussion
Well, MAYBE about to buy an MR2 turbo.
The car in question is G reg, white, standard (other than the wheels - which are very nice), it's been converted to MPH (hence presumably delimited) and is advertised privately for £2,200 with tax and MOT till July. It's covered a little over 60,000 miles.
I'll be going to look at it today and subject to it looking/sounding/driving ok I'll arrange a loan during the week.
The car is local to me so I know that the same bloke has owned it for about 6 years (becuase I've been dribbling over it since I was in school). Through a friend of a friend I also know that he's getting an import Impreza Turbo (stage 7), which is apparently why he's selling it.
So the questions to you guys;
Does it sound too cheap to be true? I've been reading on here and you're all talking about £5-8k for one. I've seen them on Autotrader for this sort of cash but I obviously don't know what condition they're in.
Am I insane? I'm 23, full no claims and no incidents or points. Will I be able to insure it? I live in London so it'll hardly leave the drive, but that's not the point. I've been trying to get quotes all day but haven't found a site that works yet.
What should I look for? What will tell me if it's knackered? I test-drove an NA version a while back and it was obviously dying, (trouble getting 2nd & 4th gear, smoke from the engine bay etc) but is there anything more subtle?
Any opinions much appreciated!
The car in question is G reg, white, standard (other than the wheels - which are very nice), it's been converted to MPH (hence presumably delimited) and is advertised privately for £2,200 with tax and MOT till July. It's covered a little over 60,000 miles.
I'll be going to look at it today and subject to it looking/sounding/driving ok I'll arrange a loan during the week.
The car is local to me so I know that the same bloke has owned it for about 6 years (becuase I've been dribbling over it since I was in school). Through a friend of a friend I also know that he's getting an import Impreza Turbo (stage 7), which is apparently why he's selling it.
So the questions to you guys;
Does it sound too cheap to be true? I've been reading on here and you're all talking about £5-8k for one. I've seen them on Autotrader for this sort of cash but I obviously don't know what condition they're in.
Am I insane? I'm 23, full no claims and no incidents or points. Will I be able to insure it? I live in London so it'll hardly leave the drive, but that's not the point. I've been trying to get quotes all day but haven't found a site that works yet.
What should I look for? What will tell me if it's knackered? I test-drove an NA version a while back and it was obviously dying, (trouble getting 2nd & 4th gear, smoke from the engine bay etc) but is there anything more subtle?
Any opinions much appreciated!
Too cheap to be true?
No, but it does sound like a good deal.
Insurance?
It's a grey import - You'll have to call the companies up. My MR2 was the same. Insurance shouldn't be too bad to be honest.
Things to look out for?
The usual; rust, brakes etc. Flaky paintwork round the windows etc, scratched window glass, leaky roof if it's a T-Bar.
No, but it does sound like a good deal.
Insurance?
It's a grey import - You'll have to call the companies up. My MR2 was the same. Insurance shouldn't be too bad to be honest.
Things to look out for?
The usual; rust, brakes etc. Flaky paintwork round the windows etc, scratched window glass, leaky roof if it's a T-Bar.
Ah, damn, I could have done with that before I went round to see it but nevermind, I'll check next time.
The car was nice, a couple of stone chips was about all that's wrong with the body (and a rubber bung around the ariel that's missing). The targa top showed signs of leakage, the rubber wasn't split though and he said the vaseline trick works.
There wasn't any smoke at all out of it, the idle was smooth, though the Mongoose exhaust
(which he forgot to mention) could have masked any unfriendly sounds. The engine bay was clean and the whole car seemed well looked after.
I took it for a drive over some pretty bumpy roads and it didn't seem to mind at all, no odd noises or anything. It does 'follow the road' a bit but the tyres are pretty low profile so that's no suprise.
The temp gauge was normal; the boost gauge didn't do anything wierd, and what it was saying was verified by the noise from the turbine (though I didn't know exactly what to look for so I may be mistaken).
The turbo certainly sounded healthy, there was a nice crisp whistle. I've heard old, worn turbos before and this sounded nothing like those. He said something about it being a 40mm turbo by the way instead of a 35, does that mean anything to you guys?
There was some sign of tampering with the air-mass meter, he said the previous owner had tweaked it to give some more torque. Sounded plausible but I don't know much about these things.
The thing that really struck me about the car was it's gearing. I never seemed to be in second. As soon as you left first it felt ready for 3rd. That might just be the power I guess. My current car will hit 60 in second, this felt like it'd blow up at 45, but that's probably my imagination - there's no way it's ratios could change is there?
There was no other suggestion of a gearbox problem, the shifts were smooth, accurate and clean.
The question I really want answered is this - it felt a lot faster than the NA version I've driven, but frankly I was expecting more. It had a healthy push and could make my stomach feel funny, but a friend of mine has a Rover 820 Turbo, and that can re-arrange your face; despite weighing about 700 tons.
It was definately faster than my current car (which does 0-60 in about 7) but still...
Certainly not slow, but certainly not gut-wrenching. Perhaps it's the big wheels? Any MR2 bearing PHers in London who'd like to offer a quick comparrison?
In summary it looks like a good buy to me (and my Dad who was with me). It's just had the air-con regassed, two new front tyres (reasonable rears) all the brakes are good, it's had a new handbrake cable MOT till July and taxed.
Short of anyone here finding a fault with what I've written (and if I can insure it), I'm buying it.
The car was nice, a couple of stone chips was about all that's wrong with the body (and a rubber bung around the ariel that's missing). The targa top showed signs of leakage, the rubber wasn't split though and he said the vaseline trick works.
There wasn't any smoke at all out of it, the idle was smooth, though the Mongoose exhaust
(which he forgot to mention) could have masked any unfriendly sounds. The engine bay was clean and the whole car seemed well looked after. I took it for a drive over some pretty bumpy roads and it didn't seem to mind at all, no odd noises or anything. It does 'follow the road' a bit but the tyres are pretty low profile so that's no suprise.
The temp gauge was normal; the boost gauge didn't do anything wierd, and what it was saying was verified by the noise from the turbine (though I didn't know exactly what to look for so I may be mistaken).
The turbo certainly sounded healthy, there was a nice crisp whistle. I've heard old, worn turbos before and this sounded nothing like those. He said something about it being a 40mm turbo by the way instead of a 35, does that mean anything to you guys?
There was some sign of tampering with the air-mass meter, he said the previous owner had tweaked it to give some more torque. Sounded plausible but I don't know much about these things.
The thing that really struck me about the car was it's gearing. I never seemed to be in second. As soon as you left first it felt ready for 3rd. That might just be the power I guess. My current car will hit 60 in second, this felt like it'd blow up at 45, but that's probably my imagination - there's no way it's ratios could change is there?
There was no other suggestion of a gearbox problem, the shifts were smooth, accurate and clean.
The question I really want answered is this - it felt a lot faster than the NA version I've driven, but frankly I was expecting more. It had a healthy push and could make my stomach feel funny, but a friend of mine has a Rover 820 Turbo, and that can re-arrange your face; despite weighing about 700 tons.
It was definately faster than my current car (which does 0-60 in about 7) but still...
Certainly not slow, but certainly not gut-wrenching. Perhaps it's the big wheels? Any MR2 bearing PHers in London who'd like to offer a quick comparrison?
In summary it looks like a good buy to me (and my Dad who was with me). It's just had the air-con regassed, two new front tyres (reasonable rears) all the brakes are good, it's had a new handbrake cable MOT till July and taxed.
Short of anyone here finding a fault with what I've written (and if I can insure it), I'm buying it.
Um... How embarrasing.
I've been all over the IMOC, the interweb and Adrian Flux looking for quotes. Cheapest so far is a rather fetching £1,200 with an £800 excess.
I knew it'd be steep but that would bankrupt me if I have a prang.
I'd budgeted for £1100 + about a 500 excess, which if I'm honest was rather more than was sensible. Looks like I'll have to wait till I hit 25.
In the mean time I'll re-focus my search on a UK spec non-turbo.
Thanks for the offer of a ride out Gazboy, I'd love to take it up, but
a) it'd ruin my enjoyment of a non-turbo car
b) you'd have to get a court order to remove me from the passenger seat!
Having read the other coments on here I'm starting to wonder about the health of the one I looked at anyway.
It was definately warm when I drove it (though it wasn't when I first arrived and he started it). The short second gear may have been my imagination but there was NO WAY it'd do over 70 in second.
I can't understand why that is, but on the budget I have I can't afford to take the risk...
I'll get back to you all when I find a decent non-turbo.
Cheers guys!
Al. ( disappointed )
I've been all over the IMOC, the interweb and Adrian Flux looking for quotes. Cheapest so far is a rather fetching £1,200 with an £800 excess.
I knew it'd be steep but that would bankrupt me if I have a prang.
I'd budgeted for £1100 + about a 500 excess, which if I'm honest was rather more than was sensible. Looks like I'll have to wait till I hit 25.
In the mean time I'll re-focus my search on a UK spec non-turbo.
Thanks for the offer of a ride out Gazboy, I'd love to take it up, but
a) it'd ruin my enjoyment of a non-turbo car
b) you'd have to get a court order to remove me from the passenger seat!
Having read the other coments on here I'm starting to wonder about the health of the one I looked at anyway.
It was definately warm when I drove it (though it wasn't when I first arrived and he started it). The short second gear may have been my imagination but there was NO WAY it'd do over 70 in second.
I can't understand why that is, but on the budget I have I can't afford to take the risk...
I'll get back to you all when I find a decent non-turbo.
Cheers guys!
Al. ( disappointed )
admiral said:
Sorry!
We are unable to provide a quote for you because of the following reasons:
We are experiencing technical difficulties - please call us
If you would like to return to your quote details to change an option, please click on the "Back" button below.
While we are unable to offer an online quote, we may be able to give you a quote over the telephone. Please call us on 0800 052 6116 Mon - Fri: 8am - 10pm; Sat: 9am - 5pm; Sun: 10am - 4pm. Your client reference number is 19721027.
They always say this. So do elephant.
_Al_ said:
They always say this. So do elephant.
You need to phone them up.
When I started looking for an MR2 I didn't think i'd have any chance of getting a Turbo and started looking at the NA versions. Got a quote from Admiral on a UK NA and thought I'd get a quote on a Jap Turbo at the same time for a laugh. The turbo was only £300 more expensive.
The online quote systems didn't say the same story.
There is an owners club (www.mr2dc.com) who have an arrangement with Dorset insurance group (www.dorsetinsurancegroup.co.uk) and you aren't charged any more for a turbo, than you are for an NA. Membership is around 35 quid. The policy they give you is Norwich Union i think, as well, so not some Mickey Mouse company. Give them a try.
If/when you do take the plunge on an MR2 Turbo, the MR2DC/Dorset Insurance deal is very good value.
Cam belts need to be done evry 60,000 miles and as suggested earlier, the car won't make full boost from cold. Tired exhaust wastegate springs are a prime cause of lack of boost so if the car feels less than punchy that's often the reason.
I had my Tubby dynoed and it was making 189bhp at the crank as a result of a tired wastegate spring. A Grainger valve and a chip change knocked that back up to 227bhp.
Cam belts need to be done evry 60,000 miles and as suggested earlier, the car won't make full boost from cold. Tired exhaust wastegate springs are a prime cause of lack of boost so if the car feels less than punchy that's often the reason.
I had my Tubby dynoed and it was making 189bhp at the crank as a result of a tired wastegate spring. A Grainger valve and a chip change knocked that back up to 227bhp.
For what its worth i used to have a MR2 Turbo from about the age of 21 and insured it with Elephant. After emailing them with details of the car (stating clearly it was imported and a turbo) provided a quote which was about £800. Then i received the policy schedule and it detailed a non turbo. After some angry phonecalls and pointing out that legally they quoted based on accurate information provided so as i accepted they are bound to that quote, i qot the policy.
Anyway, in the following couple of years they always came up cheapest. The guy who bought it off me then insured it with Footman James if it helps.
Great car is the MR2 Turbo, sad day when i sold it.
Anyway, in the following couple of years they always came up cheapest. The guy who bought it off me then insured it with Footman James if it helps.
Great car is the MR2 Turbo, sad day when i sold it.
Ok - now I am taking the plunge (assuming I can find the right car) 
Gazboy has answered a lot of questions for me already, but a few more that are open to the floor....
What are the service intervals? How much needs to be budgeted for each one? Will I get a decent car for a budget of 4 - 4.5k?
Does anyone know of any specialists in the Midlands? I assume its better to buy from a dealer?
And finally...
How big is my grin going to be?
Gazboy has answered a lot of questions for me already, but a few more that are open to the floor....
What are the service intervals? How much needs to be budgeted for each one? Will I get a decent car for a budget of 4 - 4.5k?
Does anyone know of any specialists in the Midlands? I assume its better to buy from a dealer?
And finally...
How big is my grin going to be?
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