MR2 Mk1 & Mk2 - Talk to me
Discussion
Hi All,
As some of you may know, I have been looking to add another classic to my fleet and the MR2's have caught my eye.
I love the retro look of the mk1 with zingy performance and I also love the look of the MK2 body shell!!??
So could someone give me some pointers. I want it to be a long term purchase (10+ years) with the ability to enjoy at the weekend (1-2,000 miles pa) as well as have an appreciating asset!
Prices range from £750 for rust buckets to £5,000 for pristine examples with low miles
Talk to me.
IceBoy
PS. Mk2 cars confuse me, the power output seems to vart from 120bhp/153bhp/173bhp....could someone please explain...UK cars?!
As some of you may know, I have been looking to add another classic to my fleet and the MR2's have caught my eye.
I love the retro look of the mk1 with zingy performance and I also love the look of the MK2 body shell!!??
So could someone give me some pointers. I want it to be a long term purchase (10+ years) with the ability to enjoy at the weekend (1-2,000 miles pa) as well as have an appreciating asset!
Prices range from £750 for rust buckets to £5,000 for pristine examples with low miles
Talk to me.
IceBoy
PS. Mk2 cars confuse me, the power output seems to vart from 120bhp/153bhp/173bhp....could someone please explain...UK cars?!
Edited by IceBoy on Wednesday 22 July 16:10
I've had 3x Mk1 MR2 - the Mk2 is a very different car, particularly early examples.
My last Mk1 was "concours" very low miles, very very nice.
The T-Bars are good, don't leak if you look after the rubber seals, though I have to say the sunroof (standard) model is great too - the glass roof can be removed and stored in the front boot.
The owners club was always good for advice and parts if needed.
There was (at least) one "investor" who bought some when new and stored them - a couple have come onto the market, but there are a few very nice cars about (£5k +)
I wouldn't touch an import Supercharged model, but purely down to personal preference.
Great car, great choice.
My last Mk1 was "concours" very low miles, very very nice.
The T-Bars are good, don't leak if you look after the rubber seals, though I have to say the sunroof (standard) model is great too - the glass roof can be removed and stored in the front boot.
The owners club was always good for advice and parts if needed.
There was (at least) one "investor" who bought some when new and stored them - a couple have come onto the market, but there are a few very nice cars about (£5k +)
I wouldn't touch an import Supercharged model, but purely down to personal preference.
Great car, great choice.
Good choice, regardless of which one you buy.
I've had both Mk1 & Mk2. The big problem with the Mk1 was rust, nothing exceptional when you consider they're all 25+ years old now but it was a big job to keep it going. I think the message is that if you go for a Mk1 then take someone who really knows the cars and pay money for a rust free example. If you like restoration then they are fairly simple constructions to rebuild, but it will be expensive if you have to pay someone else to sort it.
They are excellent to drive and rust apart ours was very reliable. We did 1200 mile tours round Scotland, Skye, etc and loved it. Luggage space is a bit tight, but it's still one of my all time favourites.
We've also had 2 mk2 models; one back in '93 which we bought new and ran for a few years, the second followed on from the Mk1. Power generally increased with every new variant, you will see references to "Revision 2" (Rev2) and onwards. There were originally 3 versions at launch date in the 90s, a low power version (forget the model) plus the GT & T Bar, same power just one had a sunroof & the other the removable panels. I think they dropped the lower power version as time went on, so mostly you will find GT & TBar. There are a few imported Turbo versions which are fast cars even by today's standards.
The Mk2 is the easier car to live with, especially on long journeys, and that was why we swopped the Mk1 for a Mk2. A very solid and comfortable car which was improved with every revision. We had Rev2 in the 90s, Rev3 until a year or so ago. That was a '96 car with no rust at all, basically you just put petrol in and drove it. Every year there would be the usual strip & clean brake sliders for the MoT but that was the worst problem, which is pretty good on a 20yr old car.
This is the place to look for Mk1 infor, a very knowledgeable and enthusiastic crowd
http://www.mr2mk1club.com/
and for the Mk2....
http://www.mr2oc.co.uk/ (also Mk3)
I've had both Mk1 & Mk2. The big problem with the Mk1 was rust, nothing exceptional when you consider they're all 25+ years old now but it was a big job to keep it going. I think the message is that if you go for a Mk1 then take someone who really knows the cars and pay money for a rust free example. If you like restoration then they are fairly simple constructions to rebuild, but it will be expensive if you have to pay someone else to sort it.
They are excellent to drive and rust apart ours was very reliable. We did 1200 mile tours round Scotland, Skye, etc and loved it. Luggage space is a bit tight, but it's still one of my all time favourites.
We've also had 2 mk2 models; one back in '93 which we bought new and ran for a few years, the second followed on from the Mk1. Power generally increased with every new variant, you will see references to "Revision 2" (Rev2) and onwards. There were originally 3 versions at launch date in the 90s, a low power version (forget the model) plus the GT & T Bar, same power just one had a sunroof & the other the removable panels. I think they dropped the lower power version as time went on, so mostly you will find GT & TBar. There are a few imported Turbo versions which are fast cars even by today's standards.
The Mk2 is the easier car to live with, especially on long journeys, and that was why we swopped the Mk1 for a Mk2. A very solid and comfortable car which was improved with every revision. We had Rev2 in the 90s, Rev3 until a year or so ago. That was a '96 car with no rust at all, basically you just put petrol in and drove it. Every year there would be the usual strip & clean brake sliders for the MoT but that was the worst problem, which is pretty good on a 20yr old car.
This is the place to look for Mk1 infor, a very knowledgeable and enthusiastic crowd
http://www.mr2mk1club.com/
and for the Mk2....
http://www.mr2oc.co.uk/ (also Mk3)
Hi
Just some random thoughts from me. I owned a mk1 MR2 for almost seven years and completed almost 70k miles in mine. Travelled through much of Europe in it (MR2s were never very popular in France due to their name in French being translated poorly)
It was a late mk1 T bar with leather. It is probably the best car I have owned and would readily own another despite not having mine for over 12 years now.
We took my Mr2 from 60k upto 130k. In that time we had 1 battery replaced, 1 exhaust and that was all (other than brakes, tyres and servicing - as to be expected)
Unfortunately the rust was the biggest downfall. Ours rusted on the rear arches to begin with, but the sills were crusty (under the plastic bodywork) and the front cross member was pretty bad too. None of it MOT failure stuff but just an annoyance. I have not seen many others with the front cross member as bad as mine - so maybe there was some 'history' associated with mine??
We would often go camping with the MR2 - went to France, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Holland and Belgium. The boot, front boot and behind the seats can hold a surprising amount of luggage in squishy bags.
The ride, handling and fun factor is unrivalled against other cars I have driven/ owned (including VX220s, S2ks, Smart Roadster, R53 MCS, a 1991 mx5). The on-the-limit handling (yes I was a hooligan in it!) was brilliant and confidence inspiring at speeds that were not licence threatening. In the snow it was brilliant fun too. Biggest mistake I made was putting Pirelli P6000 tyres on - these just seemed to ruin all the lovely traits it had.
A mate had similar feelings about a mk2 MR2 but his was a later one ('P' Reg), but I felt the delicacy the mk1 had was missing from the mk2 cars.......
Mike
Just some random thoughts from me. I owned a mk1 MR2 for almost seven years and completed almost 70k miles in mine. Travelled through much of Europe in it (MR2s were never very popular in France due to their name in French being translated poorly)
It was a late mk1 T bar with leather. It is probably the best car I have owned and would readily own another despite not having mine for over 12 years now.
We took my Mr2 from 60k upto 130k. In that time we had 1 battery replaced, 1 exhaust and that was all (other than brakes, tyres and servicing - as to be expected)
Unfortunately the rust was the biggest downfall. Ours rusted on the rear arches to begin with, but the sills were crusty (under the plastic bodywork) and the front cross member was pretty bad too. None of it MOT failure stuff but just an annoyance. I have not seen many others with the front cross member as bad as mine - so maybe there was some 'history' associated with mine??
We would often go camping with the MR2 - went to France, Switzerland, Italy, Germany, Holland and Belgium. The boot, front boot and behind the seats can hold a surprising amount of luggage in squishy bags.
The ride, handling and fun factor is unrivalled against other cars I have driven/ owned (including VX220s, S2ks, Smart Roadster, R53 MCS, a 1991 mx5). The on-the-limit handling (yes I was a hooligan in it!) was brilliant and confidence inspiring at speeds that were not licence threatening. In the snow it was brilliant fun too. Biggest mistake I made was putting Pirelli P6000 tyres on - these just seemed to ruin all the lovely traits it had.
A mate had similar feelings about a mk2 MR2 but his was a later one ('P' Reg), but I felt the delicacy the mk1 had was missing from the mk2 cars.......
Mike
Edited by mike9009 on Wednesday 22 July 20:48
Sate story here about mk1's. Mines never let me down and apart from a gear linkage going has never missed a beat.
But rust. The arches are going and need to investigate sills. Most of the window seals have now gone. Funnily enough it's near enough mint where it counts!
Sitting on my drive (soon to me moved to dads garage) as it's been replaced with a gt86. Gonna be a keeper and I can't wait until I have the money to fix the bodywork properly. I've had a mk1 for the past 12 years and it really is the perfect antidote to any modern car.
But rust. The arches are going and need to investigate sills. Most of the window seals have now gone. Funnily enough it's near enough mint where it counts!
Sitting on my drive (soon to me moved to dads garage) as it's been replaced with a gt86. Gonna be a keeper and I can't wait until I have the money to fix the bodywork properly. I've had a mk1 for the past 12 years and it really is the perfect antidote to any modern car.
Hi there, I sold my mk2 Mr2 in february this year. I had a 1995 rev 3 Tbar. I thought it was a great car all round. More of a gt car than a sports car and surprisingly practical. Not massively fast but it had enough poke to keep you entertained. It was the most reliable car ive ever owned despite the fact it was around 19 years old when I bought it. Only thing that packed up was a brake caliper and a slightly leaky t bar seal which was not cheap to replace. Aound £200 if I remember correctly. Despite that it was the best £1900 I ever spent. If you get one make sure its red as they are faster! And take it easy in the wet! Any more question then just ask. Good luck. Obligatory pic;
Also with ragards to power outputs and model changes as far as Im aware the rev 3 had revised suspension over the rev 1&2 to counter the "snap oversteer" and the rev 3 onwards where also the most powerful of the uk cars. The turbos were obviously more powerful but are imports. There is also a version with a 190-something bhp n/a engine known as the BEAMS engine which was also JDM but is quite sought after and they command a premium.
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