RE: PH Fleet: Toyota MR2
Discussion
We've all been there.
I remember buying a Mk2 Escort RS2000 with my student loan back in the 90's (when they were cheap), the head gasket went before I got it home and come MOT time it needed so much welding it had to go...
Unfortunately you cant be sentimental about these things unless you have a big pot of cash!
I've seen much worse examples saved, for not a huge amount of money. Sure, it may not be worth it on the value of the car, but what jobs are when they get to that price?
Pop over to the MK1 section of IMOC with some detailed photos of your undercarriage
Loads of people on there have had the same issues and can point you in the right direction.
Pop over to the MK1 section of IMOC with some detailed photos of your undercarriage
Loads of people on there have had the same issues and can point you in the right direction.
Sorry to see this.
With hindsight, what you should have done is buy one from one of the several owners clubs where long standing experienced members will be able to advise on particular cars etc etc.
Thats what I did with mine. It had photo restoration, with new sills, arches, floor repairs and a respray for not very much (really not much) more than you paid for yours. Decent ones are out there and they should be cherished - just get the right advice from the right people and don't go for it just because its shiney.
My 2p worth is, sell it for whatever you can and get onto the owners club for advice on a decent replacement.
With hindsight, what you should have done is buy one from one of the several owners clubs where long standing experienced members will be able to advise on particular cars etc etc.
Thats what I did with mine. It had photo restoration, with new sills, arches, floor repairs and a respray for not very much (really not much) more than you paid for yours. Decent ones are out there and they should be cherished - just get the right advice from the right people and don't go for it just because its shiney.
My 2p worth is, sell it for whatever you can and get onto the owners club for advice on a decent replacement.
Paul Baker of Paul Baker Custom Metalwork, repaired similar damage to my MX5 for about £900. You can find him here;
http://www.pbcm.co.uk/
He's a proper perfectionist and will properly cut out ALL the rust and manually make repair panels to OEM + Quality. Top Man.
I'd only recommend this route if the rest of the car is in good nick!! Worth thinking about.
http://www.pbcm.co.uk/
He's a proper perfectionist and will properly cut out ALL the rust and manually make repair panels to OEM + Quality. Top Man.
I'd only recommend this route if the rest of the car is in good nick!! Worth thinking about.
RichTBiscuit said:
Paul Baker of Paul Baker Custom Metalwork, repaired similar damage to my MX5 for about £900. You can find him here;
http://www.pbcm.co.uk/
He's a proper perfectionist and will properly cut out ALL the rust and manually make repair panels to OEM + Quality. Top Man.
I'd only recommend this route if the rest of the car is in good nick!! Worth thinking about.
I agree^^^http://www.pbcm.co.uk/
He's a proper perfectionist and will properly cut out ALL the rust and manually make repair panels to OEM + Quality. Top Man.
I'd only recommend this route if the rest of the car is in good nick!! Worth thinking about.
So long as you prioritise the repairs over time & want to keep the car for a few years, there's no reason that rotten sills & arches should mean the end of this.
There aren't a great deal of these left - worth thinking about keeping it going if it's not completely dead. The chances are from the engine trouble symptoms sound like it could be simply the head gasket, which means the cambelt and gasket can be done as one job (not difficult either). 
It's a tough one Alex, for sure.
The sensible thing to do, of course, is to ditch it.
However, sometimes, we're not always ruled by common sense are we? Otherwise, we'd all run round in base spec Vectras/Mondeos and nothing else would exist.
I myself am well past the point of financial common sense with one of my cars, but you know what? I like the thing, I like driving it and I can afford the odd expense on it so sod it - I'm keeping it. Hang the fact it costs me more annually in maintenance than I bought the thing for in the first place. It's now like Trigger's Broom - and I just don't care.
Alex my son, only you can decide, but if you do stick with it you must forget the fiscal arguments. If you can do that, you'll always have a bond with that car.
And sometimes, bondage with cars requires no explanation.
The sensible thing to do, of course, is to ditch it.
However, sometimes, we're not always ruled by common sense are we? Otherwise, we'd all run round in base spec Vectras/Mondeos and nothing else would exist.
I myself am well past the point of financial common sense with one of my cars, but you know what? I like the thing, I like driving it and I can afford the odd expense on it so sod it - I'm keeping it. Hang the fact it costs me more annually in maintenance than I bought the thing for in the first place. It's now like Trigger's Broom - and I just don't care.
Alex my son, only you can decide, but if you do stick with it you must forget the fiscal arguments. If you can do that, you'll always have a bond with that car.
And sometimes, bondage with cars requires no explanation.
Keep it as a parts car; Buy another using the new knowledge you've acquired so you don't make the same mistake again.
It's a strong bet that ANY MR2 you buy again will be worn in areas, so part out your old rot box, sell the shell for scrap and recondition some of the old parts.
Look at it this way, you'll have a spare engine and gearbox; Take your time and re-build it over a few weekends as a hobby, tune it up, fit a new clutch to that and then swap out your old lump from your new car. You'll have a quicker car than standard, and you'll still have a spare engine/gearbox, with a box of other spares.
If you sell your rot box, you wont get much for it, plus if you buy another MR2 and that needs parts, you've just given a load away! costing you even more money; Hence a money pit! oops!
It's a strong bet that ANY MR2 you buy again will be worn in areas, so part out your old rot box, sell the shell for scrap and recondition some of the old parts.
Look at it this way, you'll have a spare engine and gearbox; Take your time and re-build it over a few weekends as a hobby, tune it up, fit a new clutch to that and then swap out your old lump from your new car. You'll have a quicker car than standard, and you'll still have a spare engine/gearbox, with a box of other spares.
If you sell your rot box, you wont get much for it, plus if you buy another MR2 and that needs parts, you've just given a load away! costing you even more money; Hence a money pit! oops!
muckyman said:
Sorry to see this.
With hindsight, what you should have done is buy one from one of the several owners clubs where long standing experienced members will be able to advise on particular cars etc etc.
Thats what I did with mine. It had photo restoration, with new sills, arches, floor repairs and a respray for not very much (really not much) more than you paid for yours. Decent ones are out there and they should be cherished - just get the right advice from the right people and don't go for it just because its shiney.
My 2p worth is, sell it for whatever you can and get onto the owners club for advice on a decent replacement.
That might work in most cases but I bought my second Galant VR4 from a long standing member of the owners club only to find it was well and truly buggered rustwise. Annoyingly it was all hidden away and I spent more time test driving it instead of poking around and ended up falling for the idea that it was sound as the owner appeared to be legit. After discovering the true state of the car I contacted the owner an heard nothing back. Given that he moved on to a R35 GTR I'm guessing he had no issues with cutting his links to the VR4 owners club. Absolute With hindsight, what you should have done is buy one from one of the several owners clubs where long standing experienced members will be able to advise on particular cars etc etc.
Thats what I did with mine. It had photo restoration, with new sills, arches, floor repairs and a respray for not very much (really not much) more than you paid for yours. Decent ones are out there and they should be cherished - just get the right advice from the right people and don't go for it just because its shiney.
My 2p worth is, sell it for whatever you can and get onto the owners club for advice on a decent replacement.
. That being said the rest of the members on there are a decent bunch. I ended up selling it on with the problems listed, I suggest you do the same as it will probably cost too much in the long term to get it up to scratch.Dreamspeed said:
Keep it as a parts car; Buy another using the new knowledge you've acquired so you don't make the same mistake again.
It's a strong bet that ANY MR2 you buy again will be worn in areas, so part out your old rot box, sell the shell for scrap and recondition some of the old parts.
Look at it this way, you'll have a spare engine and gearbox; Take your time and re-build it over a few weekends as a hobby, tune it up, fit a new clutch to that and then swap out your old lump from your new car. You'll have a quicker car than standard, and you'll still have a spare engine/gearbox, with a box of other spares.
If you sell your rot box, you wont get much for it, plus if you buy another MR2 and that needs parts, you've just given a load away! costing you even more money; Hence a money pit! oops!
The sensible thing I would assume is to just get rid. If the car has got under your skin though, keeping it as a parts donor seems to rescue some dignity from disaster............. until you have two donor cars that is?It's a strong bet that ANY MR2 you buy again will be worn in areas, so part out your old rot box, sell the shell for scrap and recondition some of the old parts.
Look at it this way, you'll have a spare engine and gearbox; Take your time and re-build it over a few weekends as a hobby, tune it up, fit a new clutch to that and then swap out your old lump from your new car. You'll have a quicker car than standard, and you'll still have a spare engine/gearbox, with a box of other spares.
If you sell your rot box, you wont get much for it, plus if you buy another MR2 and that needs parts, you've just given a load away! costing you even more money; Hence a money pit! oops!
Only way you'll get the majority of it back is to break it. Is that feasible?
Or go all out crazy on it, get the whole thing welded back and stick a big engine in it. You'll still be out of pocket, that's just old cars bought without full inspections though.
Check the front wheel wells, where the ARB bolts onto the front of the chassis. If it's rusted through there, forget it.
Or go all out crazy on it, get the whole thing welded back and stick a big engine in it. You'll still be out of pocket, that's just old cars bought without full inspections though.
Check the front wheel wells, where the ARB bolts onto the front of the chassis. If it's rusted through there, forget it.
Just to say, ta for the sympathy and the good advice issuing forth here, ladies & gents. Definitely some options to think about here that I hadn't considered. To be honest, I think I'm probably in the process of falling out of love with it, but I'm going to go home tonight, take a good, long, hard look at it, indulge in a spot of bondage (I'm sure that's what that means) and try to decide whether I want it enough to stick with it.
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