Discussion
A friend of mine is selling his MR2 Turbo at the moment, by all accounts he loves it. Very quick, reasonable fuel economy for the performance, and it really does shoot off down the road when the boost comes on. Plenty of load space too, the boot is huge for a rear engine car and it still looks great in 2012.
In terms of performance to price ratio, the MR2 Turbo is probably as quick as you can get for so little money.
In terms of performance to price ratio, the MR2 Turbo is probably as quick as you can get for so little money.
I've had a lot of enjoyment from my MR2 Turbo (though I am now selling to buy an Impreza or an Evo). It's a fantastic car, and as mentioned, is very quick indeed. What is surprising though is how comfortable and practical it is. Despite being mid-engined, the boot is a good size and the seats are very comfortable and supportive, easily some of the best I've sat in (easily a match for S60's seats).
The handling is decent, though it does demand some respect, especially in the wet. Mine has been a lot more benign since I got new tyres on it, the rubber that was fitted when I bought it was fairly worn down and the grip was easily overcome. You just have to squeeze the power on smoothly and it reveals itself as a very quick car. The turbo delivery is very linear, so you can balance yourself on the throttle through corners and power out smoothly without too much worry of bucking the car sideways.
Overall, it's been a great car, I've used it as my daily driver and found it be pretty good for day to day use. There were only a couple of times I struggled with it, when we had some very high winds the car could get blown around on open dual carriages. Generally, it has turned my daily commute into a great deal of fun, I love whizzing into work coming on and off the turbo. What a joy!
The handling is decent, though it does demand some respect, especially in the wet. Mine has been a lot more benign since I got new tyres on it, the rubber that was fitted when I bought it was fairly worn down and the grip was easily overcome. You just have to squeeze the power on smoothly and it reveals itself as a very quick car. The turbo delivery is very linear, so you can balance yourself on the throttle through corners and power out smoothly without too much worry of bucking the car sideways.
Overall, it's been a great car, I've used it as my daily driver and found it be pretty good for day to day use. There were only a couple of times I struggled with it, when we had some very high winds the car could get blown around on open dual carriages. Generally, it has turned my daily commute into a great deal of fun, I love whizzing into work coming on and off the turbo. What a joy!
Marf said:
You've not owned it long, why jumping ship so soon?
I always change cars every few months, I always want to try new things. Started last year with an MX5, bought an S60 when I needed something bigger, bought an MR2 Turbo when I didn't and wanted something fun. Now I have another year's NCB and can afford to insure an Impreza at a reasonable price. Despite being both being group 20, the MR2 Turbo is half the price of an Impreza for me to insure this year. But then I've always wanted an Impreza, so I might as try one of those now.
I'm looking at an old special edition like an RB5 or a Colin McRae Series. No doubt I'll miss that super straight line grunt of the MR2 though. You'd have to spend some cash to get something that feels faster! 5.1 seconds for a 0-60mph is impressive enough, but the impression of speed is further magnified by the sports car seating position. I still love it's ability to suck you back into the seat when you put your foot down, and as I always say, I can only commend Toyota for being brave enough to stick the Celica GT4 ST205 engine into a two seater coupe!
I'm probably just looking for WRX power. Anything more and it'd be too fast for my day to day road use. I like to push on in cars, but STi power is so effortless I'd be flying before long. At least the MR2 balances it's superior power with some challenging mid-engined handling dynamics, meaning you can't just drive it flat out everywhere. With a WRX or similarly powered Impreza I could get more foot to the floor time! 
Best of luck with your search too mate.
Best of luck with your search too mate.
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