£256 MR2 Roadster 'gamble'
Discussion
With a road trip up to the highlands due in May and nothing suitable to take up and inspiration from the PH Readers Rides forum. I started to look for a 'roadster'.
A bit of previous on me; having come close to an S1 Elise in late 2018 but bottling it and regretting it since, and a previous owner of a MX5 NA close to a decade ago small soft top motoring appeals to me - and the OH, a couple of TT's and Mini convertible prior to parenthood left us with an itch to scratch. My daily is an Alfa GT JTD- and it's a very honest motor, does everything I need doesn't owe me much, if anything at all! I've got a 1275GT which, arguably could have been a candidate to take on the trip but with a 45 DCOE and a final drive not at all suited to motorway miles I had an excuse!
MR2's appealed to me, mainly due to the well documented 2ZZ option to consider and generally they seemed to be cheap, plentiful and Japanese..
I found a non-runner advert on ebay- and figured if it was dead then a 2ZZ could just be first on the list - however, a relatively clean MOT history showing only a few hundred miles covered over the last 3 years and it being a non runner since a jump start was attempted made me think it was worth a cheeky bid...
|https://thumbsnap.com/PH3bup7u[/url]
Boom.
Arranged it to be delivered for another £128 and it arrived in the dark and wet. On first impression it was straight, a bit grubby but the leather was in good nick even though the roof will need replacing at some point, the wheels were a bit scruffy and a headlight will need a bit of attention to clear up. Oh, and there was nothing on the key, at all.
|https://thumbsnap.com/whOYrQKX[/url][url]
First on the list was to check the master fuse (including cameo from the Mini!)....
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Hello! Battery placed on charge overnight, trip to the autofactors in the morning and £3.20 spent... I went home after work the following day and....
It lives!!
£259.20 (plus delivery) and I have a working, MOT'd MR2!
I then set a rule; Nothing I buy for the car can individually cost more than the purchase price.. seems like a good way to keep it honest..
Next on the list; service, tyres, a once over and open top motoring!
A bit of previous on me; having come close to an S1 Elise in late 2018 but bottling it and regretting it since, and a previous owner of a MX5 NA close to a decade ago small soft top motoring appeals to me - and the OH, a couple of TT's and Mini convertible prior to parenthood left us with an itch to scratch. My daily is an Alfa GT JTD- and it's a very honest motor, does everything I need doesn't owe me much, if anything at all! I've got a 1275GT which, arguably could have been a candidate to take on the trip but with a 45 DCOE and a final drive not at all suited to motorway miles I had an excuse!
MR2's appealed to me, mainly due to the well documented 2ZZ option to consider and generally they seemed to be cheap, plentiful and Japanese..
I found a non-runner advert on ebay- and figured if it was dead then a 2ZZ could just be first on the list - however, a relatively clean MOT history showing only a few hundred miles covered over the last 3 years and it being a non runner since a jump start was attempted made me think it was worth a cheeky bid...
|https://thumbsnap.com/PH3bup7u[/url]Boom.
Arranged it to be delivered for another £128 and it arrived in the dark and wet. On first impression it was straight, a bit grubby but the leather was in good nick even though the roof will need replacing at some point, the wheels were a bit scruffy and a headlight will need a bit of attention to clear up. Oh, and there was nothing on the key, at all.
|https://thumbsnap.com/whOYrQKX[/url][url]First on the list was to check the master fuse (including cameo from the Mini!)....
[url]Hello! Battery placed on charge overnight, trip to the autofactors in the morning and £3.20 spent... I went home after work the following day and....
It lives!!
£259.20 (plus delivery) and I have a working, MOT'd MR2!
I then set a rule; Nothing I buy for the car can individually cost more than the purchase price.. seems like a good way to keep it honest..
Next on the list; service, tyres, a once over and open top motoring!
stargazer30 said:
Please break your rule on the tyres especially this time of year. Mr2s are unforgiving on cheap tyres in the cold.
I'm struggling to find 1) consistent reviews, 2) relevant reviews on a particular tyre for the car and 3) The same tyre in both sizes.. e.g Michelin PS3 don't do a 205 or 210 R15, only a 195. I'd be more than happy with a set of these having run them on my Clio Trophy but tyre stagger seems to be a hot topic on MR2 forums, so a 'square' set up is out of the question and would result in me heading straight into the first ditch I see... What are thoughts on this?Any advice appreciated! I know how sensitive particular cars can be to tyre choice so want to get it right first time!
Jonny-Jimbo said:
Do you have the handbook? That will surely state what tyres are recommended for the car by Toyota? Manufacturers spend a LOT of time and money ensuring they have the right tyre for the car for best driveability, balance, fuel economy etc. Yes, they are a compromise, but unless you're only spending time on a track etc, then your own driving is also a compromise.
Yes I do, can't find the OE tyres for sale though so am looking for alternatives in the correct sizes.. There are options out there but as you say, there is always a compromise!5harp3y said:
Always feel a tinge of sadness for the previous owners when something so simple needs to be done
Yes, there was a little bit of guilt I will be honest - but it wasn't a little old lady, and sold via a no-reserve auction from a trader so I just imagined Mike Brewers face every time he looks to camera after selling a car to someone and the guilt was gone! 
To answer a few questions!
I've ordered the new TR-1, DT had a good offer on them so thought i'd try them out.
Roof is looking very sorry for itself - struggling to get it down actually which defeats the purpose somewhat. Appreciate the heads up for Jack R. Smith, I was surprised at how much aftermarket roofs were, i replaced my MX-5 roof after it was slashed years ago and that only cost £200 from memory! Will certainly give him a look!
I won't be taking much - 2 vans are going up with motorbikes so plenty of space for my bag in them!!
I'm looking forward to getting on the road with it, although the more I read about them the more they appear to want to throw anyone driving them off the road!!
I've ordered the new TR-1, DT had a good offer on them so thought i'd try them out.
Roof is looking very sorry for itself - struggling to get it down actually which defeats the purpose somewhat. Appreciate the heads up for Jack R. Smith, I was surprised at how much aftermarket roofs were, i replaced my MX-5 roof after it was slashed years ago and that only cost £200 from memory! Will certainly give him a look!
I won't be taking much - 2 vans are going up with motorbikes so plenty of space for my bag in them!!
I'm looking forward to getting on the road with it, although the more I read about them the more they appear to want to throw anyone driving them off the road!!
interstellar said:
I had a 1275GT in that colour. It’s not 822S at the end of the reg by chance?
No its not! Amazingly I was parked at the Goodwood members meeting a few years back and got back to the car with a picture of it from the '90's under the wipers and a note saying if I wanted to sell to give them a call as they missed it..Still never worked out why someone had a picture of their old car with them!! I did text them thanking them for the pic and info but never heard back from them!!
Here it is... Love it to bits!
MinotaurBarbellClub said:
Getting rid of the pre cat manifold and fitting an aftermarket manifold is a precautionary measure. Better designed ones also boost low end torque and get rid of the need to rev the car so much. Peak bhp is allegedly rated at anywhere from a 5-10 gain depending on who you believe. Dyno plots on Spyderchat and MR2oc corroborate this.
Changing the oil regularly is a very good strategy. The oil drain plug is not magnetic but you can get one on eBay for a few quid . It is M12 X 1.25.
What are your thoughts on this..Changing the oil regularly is a very good strategy. The oil drain plug is not magnetic but you can get one on eBay for a few quid . It is M12 X 1.25.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/STAINLESS-STEEL-SPORT-D...
Seems cheap!!!?
I've just done an oil change, was surprised that the drain plug wasn't magnetic, oil colour was a pleasant surprise though!
Bit of an update- been tricky to keep progress up to date..:
In preparation for getting it on the road I have been going over the car and getting some of the basic maintenance done..
Aux belt was replaced as it was looking well past it's best - less than a tenner and less than 10mins to swap so well worth it!
I did this with an oil and filter change and air filter:
Rear Discs and pads swapped out, I also gave the rear disc heat shields a bit of a spruce as well whilst I was in there:
Front struts have been removed to replace the dust covers and bump stops, on removal the springs and top mounts are also past their best so will replace these as well.
I have been giving the wheels a little bit of a freshen up too...
Should hopefully get the Tyres, Front Pads, brake lines and other suspension bits by the weekend to get it back down on the floor so it can be tracked and taxed!!
In preparation for getting it on the road I have been going over the car and getting some of the basic maintenance done..
Aux belt was replaced as it was looking well past it's best - less than a tenner and less than 10mins to swap so well worth it!
I did this with an oil and filter change and air filter:
Rear Discs and pads swapped out, I also gave the rear disc heat shields a bit of a spruce as well whilst I was in there:
Front struts have been removed to replace the dust covers and bump stops, on removal the springs and top mounts are also past their best so will replace these as well.
I have been giving the wheels a little bit of a freshen up too...
Should hopefully get the Tyres, Front Pads, brake lines and other suspension bits by the weekend to get it back down on the floor so it can be tracked and taxed!!
I'll give it a bit more force next time I try then if thats the norm...!
Bit more progress over the last couple of days, front shocks removed and refreshed for new springs and top mounts, rears off still to be cleaned up for new springs and I checked the precats- both appear to be complete but that's only looking via the lambda bosses. At least they aren't completely destroyed so I have some confidence in using the car as is for a while! Plan is to have it in one piece for 1st Feb.. pics to follow!
Bit more progress over the last couple of days, front shocks removed and refreshed for new springs and top mounts, rears off still to be cleaned up for new springs and I checked the precats- both appear to be complete but that's only looking via the lambda bosses. At least they aren't completely destroyed so I have some confidence in using the car as is for a while! Plan is to have it in one piece for 1st Feb.. pics to follow!
Update time.
The wheels are now rattle can fresh - not perfect by any stretch but they'll do and have been wrapped in the Toyo TR1s I purchased. I'll be interested to see how these fair - the sidewalls seem quite soft, whether that will help compliancy or give me rubbish feedback I will see - I do need to remind myself of the car's purpose though - to enjoy on the road and not demand 10/10ths from it.
I fitted the Tein springs, new front top mounts, bumpstops and gaitors. Rears all seemed perfectly serviceable. Gave the shocks a spruce with some stone chip type paint too... because I had some in the garage!
Bit of a lack of pictures up to this point but i'll get some of them fitted!
New front pads fitted - I opted for EBC YellowStuff as these seem to get good reviews on the MR2 forums for road/occasional track use. I hate boiling brakes or crap pads so an upgrade here should be worth it. I also fitted the braided brake lines - the old flexis were looking a little past their best.
I have also fitted a Bluetooth/DAB head unit I bought ages ago, for the £3 it cost for an ISO lead set this should be well worth it - again, pics to follow!
Up to this point it has cost more than the £256 it was purchased for but hopefully the bits I have changed will ensure it feels fresh and stops well and for the money it is still a bargain.
Only the brakes to bleed before its back on the road at which point I will get the tracking done and hopefully get some good use out of it and sort any niggles and a new MOT out before the trip to Scotland! Oh, and it may get a wash and freshen up- and if its worth it a new roof!!
The wheels are now rattle can fresh - not perfect by any stretch but they'll do and have been wrapped in the Toyo TR1s I purchased. I'll be interested to see how these fair - the sidewalls seem quite soft, whether that will help compliancy or give me rubbish feedback I will see - I do need to remind myself of the car's purpose though - to enjoy on the road and not demand 10/10ths from it.
I fitted the Tein springs, new front top mounts, bumpstops and gaitors. Rears all seemed perfectly serviceable. Gave the shocks a spruce with some stone chip type paint too... because I had some in the garage!
Bit of a lack of pictures up to this point but i'll get some of them fitted!
New front pads fitted - I opted for EBC YellowStuff as these seem to get good reviews on the MR2 forums for road/occasional track use. I hate boiling brakes or crap pads so an upgrade here should be worth it. I also fitted the braided brake lines - the old flexis were looking a little past their best.
I have also fitted a Bluetooth/DAB head unit I bought ages ago, for the £3 it cost for an ISO lead set this should be well worth it - again, pics to follow!
Up to this point it has cost more than the £256 it was purchased for but hopefully the bits I have changed will ensure it feels fresh and stops well and for the money it is still a bargain.
Only the brakes to bleed before its back on the road at which point I will get the tracking done and hopefully get some good use out of it and sort any niggles and a new MOT out before the trip to Scotland! Oh, and it may get a wash and freshen up- and if its worth it a new roof!!
Agila b 6yr 6k said:
I think if you look in the handbook it states not to be lowered in 7 degree temperature or less to avoid risk of splitting the roof.
Mine never got lowered less than 16 degrees, at 25+ it was easy.
Interesting... I presume if I got one of the mohair type roofs then this wouldn't be an issue? I used to love having the roof down and the heater up on cold days in the MX-5!Mine never got lowered less than 16 degrees, at 25+ it was easy.
200Plus Club said:
Teins and as good alignment as you can get will have it outcornering lots of cars.
Get the adjustable camber bolts etc.
Chassis brace was a good mod.
These are all things on the list - Teins fitted do you remember what your alignment settings were with the camber bolts fitted?Get the adjustable camber bolts etc.
Chassis brace was a good mod.
Thanks for input!
Brakes bled last night with the help of the wife and toddler, just got the undertrays to wrestle back on and get it back on the ground and driven! Next will be a new roof and something i'm not familiar with, polish! I know plenty of people enjoy it but I can't bring myself to use the phrase 'detail' so it;ll be a good old fashioned wash for me
List of other bits to do..
Camber bolts
Underbody brace
ARB bushes
Exhaust - get rid of pre-cats, hope the rest of the exhaust copes with removal/refit
drive it - if there are service bits that crop up i'll take them as they come.
...
keep an eye out for suitable 2ZZ donor vehicle.
List of other bits to do..
Camber bolts
Underbody brace
ARB bushes
Exhaust - get rid of pre-cats, hope the rest of the exhaust copes with removal/refit
drive it - if there are service bits that crop up i'll take them as they come.
...
keep an eye out for suitable 2ZZ donor vehicle.
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