MR2, Still A Good Car?

[catman]

Hi all. My son is thinking of buying an MR2. As these cars are around 15-20 years old now, are they still a good buy?

I've seen some advertised with full service history which still look pretty good. So, are they a money-pit now, or still a sensible buy?

Also, what would be the main faults to look for? Thanks for any replies!

Cheers

Tim

[brocerslrd]

Well i bought my J reg one 8 years ago. My mum has had it for the last 7 years and i just picked it back up today. Filled it with petrol and pointed it at the A1 for 150 mile. No problem for the car but i'm not in my early 20's anymore. So I would say a decent one is a good buy yes. Also check out mr2oc.co.uk

[catman]

Hi, thanks for the reply! That's really helpful.

Cheers

Tim

[TheHeretic]

Still a lovely car. Bloody comfortable, good boot, very good engine, and still good performance despite their age. Looks, as with anything is subjective, but I love the looks. The driving feel is, in my opinion, fantastic. A very precise, and accurate drive, and it rewards it.

Any excuse for a pic...

[catman]

That looks lovely! I had the use of one for two weeks, when they were new. Very nice drive.

Cheers

Tim

[Red Devil]

catman said:

Hi all. My son is thinking of buying an MR2. As these cars are around 15-20 years old now, are they still a good buy?

I've seen some advertised with full service history which still look pretty good. So, are they a money-pit now, or still a sensible buy?

If FSH means a folder with every invoice, past MOT certificate, etc. then yes a good buy. One that has been properly looked after should be pretty much bullet proof.

catman said:

Also, what would be the main faults to look for? Thanks for any replies!

I assume you mean the Mk2. N/A or turbo?

Check the cambelt has been changed - needs to be done every 100,000km/60,000m.
Alternator vulnerable to water dripping from engine lid vents or any oil leak from cam cover gasket.
Suspension knocks from worn drop links, bushes, and top mounts - cheap to fix.

Jap reliability and excellent value. Working my way up the power ladder.

First


Second


Third

[catman]

Will be n/a. Nice to know that there aren't any major faults!

Thanks

Tim

[rb5er]

I remember my friend had to have all the shocks and springs replaced as his were knackered and it was near on a grand all in.

[TheHeretic]

rb5er said:

I remember my friend had to have all the shocks and springs replaced as his were knackered and it was near on a grand all in.

What did he buy? You can get suspension for a few hundred quid for shocks and springs.

[rb5er]

TheHeretic said:

rb5er said:

I remember my friend had to have all the shocks and springs replaced as his were knackered and it was near on a grand all in.

What did he buy? You can get suspension for a few hundred quid for shocks and springs.

Was maybe 6 years ago and perhaps there were other complications with the suspension, and i dont think he swapped them for cheapo pattern parts. Also labour comes into it as he didnt do the work himself.

Eta even on that camskill link shocks and springs are over £400 even today on an import 2.0 mr2.

Edited by rb5er on Sunday 11th March 10:58

[TheHeretic]

rb5er said:

Was maybe 6 years ago and perhaps there were other complications with the suspension, and i dont think he swapped them for cheapo pattern parts. Also labour comes into it as he didnt do the work himself.

Eta even on that camskill link shocks and springs are over £400 even today on an import 2.0 mr2.

Edited by rb5er on Sunday 11th March 10:58

And how much are suspension parts for a similar era MX5? It is the regular price for a full new suspension setup, (springs and shocks).

[rb5er]

TheHeretic said:

And how much are suspension parts for a similar era MX5? It is the regular price for a full new suspension setup, (springs and shocks).

I never said it would cost more than an mx5. Just said his suspension was knackered and it cost him almost as much as the car was worth to fix.

It could possibly happen on many cars unless the mr2 is particularly heavy on suspension components. I was merely commenting so the op can check and not end up with a big bill. Is that a problem for you for some reason?

[TheHeretic]

rb5er said:

I never said it would cost more than an mx5. Just said his suspension was knackered and it cost him almost as much as the car was worth to fix.

It could possibly happen on many cars unless the mr2 is particularly heavy on suspension components. I was merely commenting so the op can check and not end up with a big bill. Is that a problem for you for some reason?

No problem at all, but most cars or any age will have a similar bill when changing that many components. I don't see it as an issue. Have a look at most cars and it will be around the same sort of price for new shocks and springs all round, regardless of age.

[rb5er]

I think having a thousand pound bill on a car worth a similar amount is an issue personally, but if you dont then thats up to you. I think the op would be best checking these things out (on any car) rather than shelling out.

[Marf]

Yep, no surprise that a near 20 year old sports car might need a suspension refresh, nor is £1000 for a new set of black bilsteins, stock springs and top mounts excessive on a car that if sold in the UK would have cost in excess of £25k new.

Non turbo suspension is a fair bit cheaper, though it is a common upgrade for the N/A crowd.

You can get well made coilover suspension for £600, so cheaper than stock suspension by a long shot, with the ability to be as "soft" as stock suspension and have whatever ride height you want.

They're an incredibly well put together car, get a well maintained Rev3 car(late 94 on) and you'll have a fast, good looking car built in a time when Toyota reliability actually meant something.

I've put about 38,000 miles on mine since I bought it 4 years ago, some alternator issues immediately after buying it aside(dodgy plug shorting out killing the alternator) it's been utterly reliable. The only time it's failed to start on me was a couple of weeks ago due to a dead battery(same battery that came with the car), and maintenance aside, it's not wanted for anything.

Had its first clutch at 83k, and I've just replaced the brakes for the first time in my ownership.

Both the big ticket items(clutch, cambelt) can be done VERY cheaply at a the specialists dotted around the country(£200 for labour, plus parts) so no need to worry about getting your pants taken down when these need doing.

Get a good one, treat it right and it'll go on and on and ariston.

[TheHeretic]

Gaz. said:

RB5er could be including labour to remove and refit springs & struts ( The OEM struts are £150 each, OEM springs are another £150 - we are already up to £750 without labour, shall we say 2hrs at £50 to do all four corners? Ad Vat @20% and you've spent nearly £900 just on shocks and springs.

Well, on that link..

New gas inserts, 280 quid, plus 4 new spings is 105 quid. So parts are 400 quid, plus 100 quid, and 20 percentings, and you have about 600 quid. Regardless, it is all beside the point, because you would pay that on a 20 year old car, a 5 year old car, regardless of the price you bought it for, and will never recoup the money. the same can be said for any car of that budget.

[nunny]

hi guys . im new to the forums and didnt know where to post so i see this thread ! i have just bought a 1990 mk2 mr2 was imported in 2004. the question is have these cars got issues with the speedo ? as it says im traveling at 25 mph when actually its doing 30. has any one got any ideas as to why plz as i would like this to be sorted out so i dont get done for speeding

[Marf]

Are you running different wheels?

My speedo has always under read, except when on 17inch wheels with 40 profile tyres where it would be pretty much bang on accurate.

Any larger and I should imagine you'd start to under read rather than over read.

[nunny]

it has 16 " momo wheels on it.

[nunny]

will have a look at the tyres shortly to see what size they are ! thanks for the tip marf will look into it, as i wouldnt of thought of that