Shed of the Week: Toyota MR2 Roadster
If all you need is one engine, two seats and four wheels, the MR2 could be the car for you!
It could be that the designer of this week's Shed, a W30 Toyota MR2 Roadster, or Spyder as it was more excitingly called in the US, was into this type of outing himself, because he didn't bother including any cargo space in the dinky little convertible's layout. Well, that's not strictly true: you could ram some underpants into the gaps around the under-bonnet spare wheel, and there are two lockers behind the seats that were big enough to house a few real spiders.
This is an early example, effectively from the model's first year on sale given that production didn't start until October 1999. It followed on from the more mature and curvaceous W20 of 1989 and marked a return to the paper-dart simplicity of the first 1984 W10.
Some think that the MR2 name comes from Mid engine, Rear wheel drive and 2 seats. The 2 seats bit is right, but MR actually stands for Midship Runabout. That sounds a bit like Magic Roundabout, which conveniently brings us to the handling. With that mid-engine layout and rear-wheel drive, this is predictably ace, but it's that slightly twitchy, rotatey, Elise kind of ace. It's very pointy, but once it loses grip you'll need to work fast to get it back. For this reason you probably wouldn't choose one for drifting, although if you could somehow master the technique you would most likely be the only MR2 driver on the drift circuit, and therefore in receipt of additional attention from the opposite sex.
The 2000 model is a little bit short of perfection. You don't get fully independent suspension, so things can get a bit roly-poly when pressing on through the twisties, and there was no limited slip diff option until the 2004 car. But there's a lot of aftermarket knowledge out there that can help you turn your MR2 into a fab little thing. Adding pretty basic stuff like coilovers and a front strut bar will give you an appreciable improvement in handling for not much money.
There's plenty of other stuff that's good about an MR2. It launches hard, with good traction, the gearshift is nifty (short-shift kits make it even better), and it's a Toyota, so reliability is generally excellent. It's a convertible, obviously, and the hood doesn't really take up any of your precious cargo space. It's small, so it's easy to park. And it looks good, even now.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about the W30 though, is that there aren't many of them left, and certainly not many with a rust-free undercarriage like this one says it has. The ad is about as comprehensive and transparent as you could ask for. A lot of the MR2's 'points to watch' are in here between the lines. MR2 pre-catalytic converters are a bit notorious for failing, which can be a problem if the bits get sucked into the engine. A weird exhaust note or excessive oil consumption might be clues to that. Pre-cat delete is a popular mod in MR2 land.
You'll have noticed that Toyota is sneaking steadily back into performance motoring. The shouty, bouncy little Yaris GRMN is reputedly the first in the new Gazoo-driven wave, and there have been persistent rumours about a proper new two-seater. We can but hope, because the idea of an affordable and reliable sportster worked pretty well for Mazda. It's not hard to imagine plenty of people stumping up for a new-era MR2.
In the meantime, Shed won't be making inquiries about this MR2 as his two-seater days are over. Mrs Shed still lives in hope of a jolly open-topped life, but there will probably be some decency laws against it...
Here we have my 2000 MK3 (W30)
Bought this as a project car, I've got most of the way through what I needed to do but sadly working away means I haven't got it 100%.
The Private plate is included.
Let's go through the specification first.
- UK Car (Not an MR-S or an Import)
- 2 Keys (One Remote and One Spare)
- Remote Central Locking and Alarm
- Chilli Red Paint
- A/C
- Double Din DAB/USB/Bluetooth CD Headunit
- Electric Windows and Mirrors
- 15'' Staggered Alloys
- Power Steering
- Leather Bucket Seats
- Aluminium Sports Pedals
- Heated Glass Rear Window
In terms of condition;
- Paintwork is good (could do with a mop and polish)
- Dent in bonnet
- Slight rust scab on windscreen pillar
- Undercarriage in good condition
- Crossmember is solid on this example (common problem)
- Interior is in good condition (both leather and carpets have no holes, burns etc.
- Soft top is in good condition, has a very small hole that I've sealed with weatherseal to prevent it getting any bigger, it is watertight.
- All electrics work
Recent work carried out:
- Seafoam/MMO engine flush (they're known for sticking oil control rings)
- Fitted 4 Brand New Tyres
- Renewed Rear Discs and Pads
- Engine Oil and Filter Change (5W 30 Fully Synth)
- New Radiator and Coolant Flush
- New NGK Spark Plugs
- New Electric Aerial
Work left to carry out:
- Change Auxilary Belt (Have included in Sale)
- Change Gearbox and LSD Oil (Have included high performance 75w-90 in sale)
- Few interior trim screws to replace (from fitting new headunit)
- Fit Rear Shims to Brakes (Slight Squeal) (Have included in sale)
- Machine Polish with G3 and a good wax sealant
- Refurbish the alloys (Not terrible but these roadsters are about looking great)
Haven't put enough miles on it to know if this example uses oil but in the 1,000 miles I've driven it I haven't noticed any excessive consumption issues, similarly I'm unsure if the pre-cat is still in place on this one either.
Honest Straight Car, Starts First Time, Plenty of Power, Revs well, Stops and Steers as it should, a little bit of fettling and it will make someone a great summer runabout.
It's even got a full tank of Petrol!
In terms of previous owners its had 10, which I don't think is unreasonable for an 18 year old convertible, they generally get swapped around quite a bit with the nature of the car.
Has service history, receipts, manuals, locking wheel nut etc.
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I keep meaning to give it some TLC but every April it comes out of the garage, gets polished, new oil, starts first time, passes it's MOT and provides fun driving for 6 months. Next year it'll get some upgrades.........
Whats not to love?
I found it to be delightfully chuckable and disagree about the 'twitchy description. Even the girlfriend used to slide the arse out on it at will.
It needed a replacement engine due to precat disintegration resulting in high oil consumption. If I was doing that now, I'd drop the Celica 190bhp engine in which i think would make it truly quick.
Ben
Fantastic car on the road, they ride really nicely too on the standard wheels. I found it a bit too twitchy on track but some people turn them into a great poor man's Elise, especially when fitted with the engine from the Celica T-Sport for 190bhp.
Great shed but the write up wasn’t so good this week. Is the normal author on holiday?
These are great little cars very under-rated when new.
Take one for a drive and you will be very impressed, not very quick but the way they drive soon makes up for that.
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