MR2 TURBO OR CORRADO VR6 WHAT WOULD YOU GET?

[Umar B]

I CAN NOT DECIDE BETWEEN THESE CARS AND ITS DRIVING ME NUTTY!!!

>>> Edited by Umar B on Thursday 17th January 17:32

[Jason F]

Probably an ordinary MR2....

[Umar B]

why an ordinary mr2?

[ATG]

What are your criteria?

Both are great cars. MR2 more sporty, Corrado more practical. I used to borrow a colleagues's company mkII MR2 (non-turbo) and it was great fun. Not much power, but go kart handling. I'd have thought the turbo would allow you to unstick the tyres and get even more out of the handling. Mid engined, rear wheel drive ... sounds pretty good to me. However, the styling might be a bit offensive to your taste, there is no storage space, the insurance will be tricky (import) and it didn't feel too stable at motorway speeds (it had an adjustable wing, don't know if it would have had any real impact). VR6 is a nice engine (my ageing Mum had one in an automatic Passat ... which was a bit of a waste, but certainly helped it to shift) and the Corrado is reputed to have great handling. Much more understated than the MR2, with a boot and more seats. Probably more civilised on longer journeys.

Edited by ATG on Thursday 17th January 18:21

[Umar B]

AAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!

that is good advice but:

with the toyota

1. i dont have a girlfriend/wife/bit in the side (dont have the time/strength/Patients for all that) therefore i don't need a lot of room

2. insurence is not a problem through specilalist insurence

3.proper sport cars lay out - mid engine rear wheel drive = lot of fun IMHO


with the corrado:


1. Its a VW so thing are bolted together better than toyota in my experience

2. very quick and a good motorway mile muncher

3. looks very sleek


LETS HAVE A CONTEST: SEE WHO CAN PERSUADE TO BUT WICH CAR. THE WINNER GET A FREE PICTURE OF MY NEW MR2 TURBO/CORRADO

[rob.ellis]

Corrado with out a doubt.

Reasons:

1. Looks - understated style, especially in a dark metallic colour
2. VR6 is terrific engine
3. Handling
4. Germanic build quality (although mine rattled)
5. Lots of excellent (german) quality tuning available - suspension, engine etc.
6. Its not a hairdressers car
7. Its not japanese

Anyway - toyotas are naff. Everyone knows that, especially some dodgy jap import with a drainpipe exhaust

I thought the MR2 handling was pretty pants too....

just my .02p

[ATG]

Hmmm. Must say in my experience Toyota build quality is bulletproof. As good as VW.

I'm not sure how anyone can conclude that MR2 handling is pants. The Mk1 MR2 is ridiculous. Try following one through a roundabout. Mk2 is not as good, but it is still in a different league to most cars.

Only sensible criticism of Jap sportscars IMHO is that they (a) the styling is dreadful, (b) the engineering is so good as to make the experience anodyne and just generally too easy.

Cheap thrills and bullet proof build: import Supra MkIV. Look for the Japanese Import Centre's website. £16k will buy outrageous performance as standard and give lots of options to increase performance to plain stupid levels. For God sake avoid the body kits...

[JonRB]

I think I might be qualified to comment. I've owned (and still do) a Corrado VR6 as my daily driver for 5 years, and my brother-in-law drives a Mk2 MR2.

He's a very spirited driver and has done about 160,000 miles in his L-plate MR2 (so the MR2 is good for big miles too!), but when I took him out in the Corrado recently and let him drive, he only had 3 words...

OH
.
.
MY
.
.
GOD.


(He was impressed, BTW).

I'd go for the Corrado, but I'm biased of course.

Regards
Jon
(Check out my profile for more info)

[manek]

Me too: Corrado VR6. Part-ex'd one for the TVR, nearly broke my heart as it was a top civilised motorway muncher as well as being fun round the twisty bits while having a kind of Q car status. Fab motor.

-Manek-

[kevinday]

Corrado without a doubt. BTW the corrado was the only VW with the 2.9 V6, the Passat, Golf and girly SUV (Sharan) were all 2.8.

[Nightmare]

Corrado vote from me too....colour very important tho - looks very 'Essex' in the wrong colour (apologies for any insult )

sounds much better than MR2

Mk2 MR2 is astoundingly cramped inside - even if you are on your own - and frankly they're a bit slow IMO

[Jason F]

quote:
why an ordinary mr2?

A guy I know that imports them (got me mine!) who has reliability problems with the Turbo ones. The non turbo ones are bullet proof IMHO. Had 3 (Mk1s and MK2)of them, only had one problem in about 3years of owning 3 diff cars.
The MR2 has Fantastic handling, no it is not rocket fast, but it is blinding fun down the twisty bits. I used to drive the MR2 instead of the Chimaera on occasion. Also, the Roof comes off. The boot is not fantastic, but you can get enough clothes in for a w/e away for two. It also looks like a sports car to me.
I have never driven a Corrado VR6 so I am biased but when I tried to buy a VR6 years ago they were very thin on the ground.

[stig]

Well, I've owned a 16V and a VR6 Corrado and today (because my trusty 4x4 has a knacked alternator), I've borrowed an MR2 Turbo (with various bolt-on goodies including 17" wheels) as a courtesy car - don't ask!

There really is NO contest. The Corrado VR6 pisses it in every department and if you follow any of my other postings, you'll know that I'm a big Toyota fan (paid to be too!). You won't have to have an import then either.

Marks out of ten
Corrado VR6 - 8
MR2 Turbo - 4

Enough said.

Stig

www.locost-racing.com

Car No. 13

[pjg]

another point is that the Corrado has virtually stopped depreciating... prices of good ones have hardly budged in the last five years...!

[VTECDave]

Take note that this is coming from a Jap car owner:

Buy a Corrado VR6. No contest!

pjg is right about values. One of my VW mates (mk2 Golf GTI) reckons that the minters are even starting to increase in value.

[elise160]

How would a MR2 compare to something like the S1 elise in handling ?

I know that the Elise is really in a different league but just wondered.

[Umar B]

Thanks everyone i thing i will go and buy an E reg nissan micra...i white one

Edited by Umar B on Saturday 19th January 13:08

Edited by Umar B on Saturday 19th January 13:08

[McNab]

Corrado certainly. Nothing against Toyota - rate my Supra among six best cars ever owned - but Corrado was an all-round success. Only peculiarity was behaviour on sheet ice; needs caution. Otherwise great handling and performance and dependability.

Warning re imported Supras. Much poorer spec than UK cars - read the Supra Owners' Group website:

www.supras.co.uk

Edited by McNab on Saturday 19th January 14:28

[anonymous-user]

Re.MKIV Supras, the uk spec Twin Turbo has 324bhp whilst the jap imports had only 280bhp.(Smaller turbo I believe).
You also got a bonnet air scoop on the uk ones and uprated brakes.
The Jap spec ones you can get as a Targa top though.

I drove an MR2 and thought it was good fun, the later uprated 2.0 from about 94 seemed less refined than the earlier 90-94 models.
I can't comment on the Corrado, I am a bit biased though as its front wheel drive, and I won't buy anything front wheel drive.

Jeremy Clarkson once said something along the lines of "Front wheel drive smacks of cheapness, it smacks of mini!!"

[ATG]

"only 280bhp" ... hahaha, what a hardship! Think the japanese ones have poorer brakes too. Certainly the stock imports have less power than the UK models, but they have loads of potential to be enhanced even with relatively inexpensive items like sports air filters.