MR2 Roadster or Supra mkIV n/a manual? (.. or Porsche)

[LasseV]

Hi!

I want to have a proper sports car in next year. As a driver, i am twisty road warrior, not so much highway puller/traffic light racer. I would like to go track too a few times in a year. I love TRD parts and i think that they could make those two cars a little bit special to own

So, my thoughts for those cars are:

MR2:
+ very, very light
+ great handling
+ good TRD support (yes, i love those parts)
+ easy to find good one
+ cheap to run!
- only two seater

Supra:
+ One of the most beautiful cars in the world
+ charismatic inline six
+ 2+2 seater (i think i need those two extra seats, but im not sure. We have a dog)
+ if i remember right, it has a good steering feel and handles reasonable well
+ Very good interior
- heavy,
- harder to find good one

I think performance of those 2 cars are quite the same, but im not sure is a Supra good car for twisty roads? What you think? Anyone own those cars and want to share their expressions?

Keep in mind that i'm going to buy a LHD-version and those little bds are quite expensive, so i want to make a right decision. Good MR2 is more than 10 thousand euros and good Supra is almost double. You sirs, have a very cheap toyotas in your island.

My other options are few different Porsches: Boxster, 968 and 996 c2. I love that Carrera, but im on the fence is it too expensive to buy and run, cos i want to buy a own house in the near future. Boxster problem is that i think mr2 is a better car, but it does have a proper boxer-six engine tho... 968 is a very strong option now, i think. I like it a lot, but i dont love it. It has inline 4 and it's not that much lighter than Supra.

Thanks!

[conkerman]

MR2.

If you can't afford a car with lots of power, get a light one. The N/A supra will drink fuel.

[Dakkon]

MR2's - don't forget the turbo MkII, also very good good.

As for Supra's get the twin turbo or don't bother, the NA really is nothing special.

Boxsters are good, the MkI's are now fairly cheap to buy.

Also consider S2000's, get a decent one for £5k these days, lovely engine and gearbox.

[300bhp/ton]

LasseV said:

Hi!

I want to have a proper sports car in next year. As a driver, i am twisty road warrior, not so much highway puller/traffic light racer. I would like to go track too a few times in a year. I love TRD parts and i think that they could make those two cars a little bit special to own

So, my thoughts for those cars are:

MR2:
+ very, very light
+ great handling
+ good TRD support (yes, i love those parts)
+ easy to find good one
+ cheap to run!
- only two seater

Supra:
+ One of the most beautiful cars in the world
+ charismatic inline six
+ 2+2 seater (i think i need those two extra seats, but im not sure. We have a dog)
+ if i remember right, it has a good steering feel and handles reasonable well
+ Very good interior
- heavy,
- harder to find good one

I think performance of those 2 cars are quite the same, but im not sure is a Supra good car for twisty roads? What you think? Anyone own those cars and want to share their expressions?

Keep in mind that i'm going to buy a LHD-version and those little bds are quite expensive, so i want to make a right decision. Good MR2 is more than 10 thousand euros and good Supra is almost double. You sirs, have a very cheap toyotas in your island.

My other options are few different Porsches: Boxster, 968 and 996 c2. I love that Carrera, but im on the fence is it too expensive to buy and run, cos i want to buy a own house in the near future. Boxster problem is that i think mr2 is a better car, but it does have a proper boxer-six engine tho... 968 is a very strong option now, i think. I like it a lot, but i dont love it. It has inline 4 and it's not that much lighter than Supra.

Thanks!

I like both of these. although I wouldn't really call a Supra a sports car, and while I think they look great, they are a 100 miles away from being beautiful.

Also logic would suggest, if you need more than 2 seats (as you've hinted at this), then the MR2 is a no go regardless...


In terms of handling, I love lightweight balanced cars. But there is something supremely satisfying in hussling a large GT trough a set of tight bends.

Not sure on your actual budget, but I suspect as you don't mind LHD, then you could look at something like a 4th Gen Camaro. A similar type of car in many respects to the Supra, but the V8 engine will give you TT levels of performance rather than the n/a Supra.

If you want lighter and more handling biased, then the RX-8 would seem a good candidate also. But all of these types of cars including the ones you listed are my sort of car.

[The Nur]

And why do you "love those parts"?

[LasseV]

Nope, no turbo cars for me. I love good and sporty n/a engines, their sound, simplicity and throttle responsiveness.

I'v read that Honda S2000 has a numb steering feel, and i don't want that. Sure, it's a fabulous and well build sports car, but only third choice if i pick up a roadster.

Yeah, Supra is little bit of mixture of GT and sports cars. They are fairly light if you look at modern sports cars but still heavy. I was thinking, if they could loose some weight without stripping the interior. I don't want that cars value will drop. Maybe changing lightweight alloys, exhaust, front seats.. What else? They weight 3215 lbs (1440 kilos) so maybe they are not totally hopeless?

My budget will vary, but i am searching a long time keeper. Everything between 10 thousand euros to 25 thousand. Prefer cheaper of course, but i want a good car and cheap one is very rarely a good one..

I's gonna be a all year dd, but we are going to have a bigger car as a first car. So thats the reason why i'm thinking between 2 seater roadster and 2+2 coupe.

The Nur said:

And why do you "love those parts"?

They are parts which doesn't drop yours car value. They are good quality and expensive parts, and they are very sought after. For example MR2 with TRD full exhaust and TRD Sportivo suspension is very a good car, sounds lovely and that suspension is great. It could be cost even more than stock one, when usually tuned cars are much cheaper than stock ones. This is especially true, when you look at Supra values.

For me, they make car a little bit of special and more valuable

[The Nur]

LasseV said:

They are parts which doesn't drop yours car value. They are good quality and expensive parts, and they are very sought after. For example MR2 with TRD full exhaust and TRD Sportivo suspension is very a good car, sounds lovely and that suspension is great. It could be cost even more than stock one, when usually tuned cars are much cheaper than stock ones. This is especially true, when you look at Supra values.

For me, they make car a little bit of special and more valuable

Fair play, you know what you want

[J4CKO]

350Z ?

[pti]

It would have to be the Supra TT for me (might be my next car) as I currently have a MK2 Turbo MR2. Don't discount the FI engines.

If you really like decent NAs I think you may be looking in the wrong place? Honda maybe?

ETA - I have no previous with the NA Supra lump.

[LasseV]

J4CKO said:

350Z ?

No, its as heavy as Supra (or even heavier) but only 2 seater. And, it is ugly. Fairly cheap tho.

[Heartworm]

I had a Supra phase, bought 2 of them, then an accident damaged third. The N/A was after the TT and felt dreadful, it was slow, and really missed having a 6 speed box. It wouldn't have been so bad, but it used very almost as much fuel as the TT, and felt slow on the back roads.

The TT was one of the most amazing cars I've had, still wish I never sold it, new owner crashed it after a fortnight.

[Dakkon]

LasseV said:

Nope, no turbo cars for me. I love good and sporty n/a engines, their sound, simplicity and throttle responsiveness.

I'v read that Honda S2000 has a numb steering feel, and i don't want that. Sure, it's a fabulous and well build sports car, but only third choice if i pick up a roadster.

Yeah, Supra is little bit of mixture of GT and sports cars. They are fairly light if you look at modern sports cars but still heavy. I was thinking, if they could loose some weight without stripping the interior. I don't want that cars value will drop. Maybe changing lightweight alloys, exhaust, front seats.. What else? They weight 3215 lbs (1440 kilos) so maybe they are not totally hopeless?

My budget will vary, but i am searching a long time keeper. Everything between 10 thousand euros to 25 thousand. Prefer cheaper of course, but i want a good car and cheap one is very rarely a good one..

I's gonna be a all year dd, but we are going to have a bigger car as a first car. So thats the reason why i'm thinking between 2 seater roadster and 2+2 coupe.

The Nur said:

And why do you "love those parts"?

They are parts which doesn't drop yours car value. They are good quality and expensive parts, and they are very sought after. For example MR2 with TRD full exhaust and TRD Sportivo suspension is very a good car, sounds lovely and that suspension is great. It could be cost even more than stock one, when usually tuned cars are much cheaper than stock ones. This is especially true, when you look at Supra values.

For me, they make car a little bit of special and more valuable

I would strongly urge you to test drive an S2000 rather than just accept some bloke on the internet says they have numb steering, I have owned one and driven others, and I have never ocne thought the steering was numb.

Honestly an NA Supra is really not worth it, you will end up wasting a lot of money trying to make it quick.

[J4CKO]

LasseV said:

J4CKO said:

350Z ?

No, its as heavy as Supra (or even heavier) but only 2 seater. And, it is ugly. Fairly cheap tho.

Same weight, standard 350Z has between 276 and 313 bhp versus a N/A Supras 220, you didnt mention 4 seats and suggested an MR2 as an alternative. The N?A Supra is generally regarded as a bit slow, most are Auto as well, the turbo is wher eit is at, alledgedly 376 - 300 bhp but they made more like 330/340 and few are standard now.

[LasseV]

Heartworm said:

I had a Supra phase, bought 2 of them, then an accident damaged third. The N/A was after the TT and felt dreadful, it was slow, and really missed having a 6 speed box. It wouldn't have been so bad, but it used very almost as much fuel as the TT, and felt slow on the back roads.

The TT was one of the most amazing cars I've had, still wish I never sold it, new owner crashed it after a fortnight.

How they did handle in twisty roads? Keep in mind, that i am looking LHD -version, so good manual TT
will cost 40 thousand euros or so in germany. Then i have to import to finland. It is much more expensive car than 996 Carrera is... So no go at the moment.

I don't need high hp, but i would like to have a good p/w ratio and reasonable good performance.

Honda makes great engines for sure, but honda is FWD and i dont want that...

[Daston]

Had an NA supra for 6 months before getting a TT, it was all show and no go. 220bhp and nearly 1.5 tons is not a good ratio.

I also found the powersteering to be too overpowered and it seemed to lack some feel because of this (same on both cars).

[LasseV]

Daston said:

Had an NA supra for 6 months before getting a TT, it was all show and no go. 220bhp and nearly 1.5 tons is not a good ratio.

I also found the powersteering to be too overpowered and it seemed to lack some feel because of this (same on both cars).

Did you have a manual or automatic? I did test drive automatic, and that transmission was a st! Engine did rev nicely and sounded good, but transmission was horrible and did destroy everything. I think it was a bad unit, cos it didn't change gears properly and when i did try a hard acceleration, revs did go up (and down) but the transmission couldn't get a gears on. Other than that, i liked n/a Supra, turn in was better than i expected.

No one owns a MR2 roadster?

[aka_kerrly]

Dakkon said:

I would strongly urge you to test drive an S2000 rather than just accept some bloke on the internet says they have numb steering, I have owned one and driven others, and I have never ocne thought the steering was numb.

Honestly an NA Supra is really not worth it, you will end up wasting a lot of money trying to make it quick.

Quite.

I was genuinely quite shocked to read the suggestion that a S2000 has numb steering as i don't recall ever seeing that anywhere else. Also whilst we are at it the Supra "not a sports car" - jeeez is this another of those occasions where we pigeon hole a sports car as a 2 seater open top car even if it couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding.

If you car considering the Supra it would also be wise to look at the Nissan 300ZX , a short wheel base 2 seater version is available in turbo and non turbo formats with or without a T top and a BMW Z4 3.0

[LasseV]

aka_kerrly said:

Quite.

I was genuinely quite shocked to read the suggestion that a S2000 has numb steering as i don't recall ever seeing that anywhere else. Also whilst we are at it the Supra "not a sports car" - jeeez is this another of those occasions where we pigeon hole a sports car as a 2 seater open top car even if it couldn't pull the skin off a rice pudding.

If you car considering the Supra it would also be wise to look at the Nissan 300ZX , a short wheel base 2 seater version is available in turbo and non turbo formats with or without a T top and a BMW Z4 3.0

Well, steering feel is the only major gripe in this forum:
http://www.s2ki.com/s2000/topic/916414-s2000-steer...

Nice car, but not for me i think. Future classic for sure!

Nissan 300z is a gorgeous looking car. It could be a one option, but i prefer supra and 968 over it.

[RedAndy]

Half way between a supra and an MR2 roadster is surely the Celica 190?

4 useable adult seats - check
practical hatchback -check
light and nimble - check
trd bits available - check
insurance and fuel friendly - check

meets your brief perfectly

[Dusty964]

How about a 928