Toyota MR2 advice needed pls
Discussion
Hi all. Just looking for some help to decide if I should buy a particular car. This is the original MR2 circa 1985. I have asked the seller a couple of questions and got the following responses.
I have had the rear exhaust box replaced last year, and just had a genuine Toyota clutch fitted, so clutch and gearbox are fine. The engine has done 125,000, but they are pretty much bullet proof. There is a slight leak sometime from the top of the windscreen inside. Have been meaning to try and silicone it up, but it only happens sometimes. Not sure if an engine mount needs replacing as there is slight movement off the clutch.It went for its MOT last month but failed on corrosion to front passenger side, and drivers side rear suspension. Also passenger front shock is leaking so also failed on this. The garage reaconed about £200 - £250 worth of welding plus front set of shocks.
Now my question is will this car cause me no end of probs and if I were to pay say 550 to 600 quid for it and spend say the same again will I end up with a cheap fun car that will not cause financial pain?
Obviously I am only really looking for opinions here as I am not sure of how much something like this would go for. PS it is also on a private plate KBZ ( and a 4 digit no of no significance)
Many Thanks in advance and should I take the plunge?
I have had the rear exhaust box replaced last year, and just had a genuine Toyota clutch fitted, so clutch and gearbox are fine. The engine has done 125,000, but they are pretty much bullet proof. There is a slight leak sometime from the top of the windscreen inside. Have been meaning to try and silicone it up, but it only happens sometimes. Not sure if an engine mount needs replacing as there is slight movement off the clutch.It went for its MOT last month but failed on corrosion to front passenger side, and drivers side rear suspension. Also passenger front shock is leaking so also failed on this. The garage reaconed about £200 - £250 worth of welding plus front set of shocks.
Now my question is will this car cause me no end of probs and if I were to pay say 550 to 600 quid for it and spend say the same again will I end up with a cheap fun car that will not cause financial pain?
Obviously I am only really looking for opinions here as I am not sure of how much something like this would go for. PS it is also on a private plate KBZ ( and a 4 digit no of no significance)
Many Thanks in advance and should I take the plunge?
Do you think the guy was an enthusiast... do you think it's just been thrashed all over the place? (although the Mark 1 will happily take a thrashing!)
I'd say be careful because these cars can cause heaps of grief - especially with the bodywork. You're right, the engines are bulletproof and will happily tot up 200k on them, but that's with good oil changes and the respect they deserve - however, a car is not just the engine. Check the gear box bcos a prolific prob with these cars is that it will pop out of 5th gear.
In order to test this drive along in 5th whilst holding the gear stick - then come off the power fully, then depress it fully - feel the stick movement. Anything more than just a few mm and you should be careful - but use yr own initiate here.
You'll note that these cars typically sell for around the £600 mark, and that's with some - to full - MOT. In my experience, if you stretch yr budget to 1k then you will get yourself a much better model.
Do you have access to welding/painting equipment or can you get it cheap - if not then beware bcos as every Mk1 owner knows these babies will rust up on you like anything. There are ways to sort this however, as replacent panels can now be gotton hold off fairly reasonably, and it's not too difficult to have them done - but nonetheless, it's an issue to consider. Check the car for bubbling etc as this is a warning that it will prob break out in rust.
I suggest you also give the A & B pillars a squeeze and twist test - it you hear and gristly metal sounds then walk away from the car straight away - also, it's hard to detect without pulling stuff around, but the door sills tend to rust after 100k miles in general.
The shocks are no probs, and if I were you i'd uprate them for some stiff cheeky numbers anyway
hehe - get more of that go-cart feeling!!
As for leaky windscreen - if you can cope with it, then no probs, don't worry.
I would seriously knock the price down to about £400 with the car in this condition... there's quite a lot of welding work by the sound of things..
If you want more info on the price i'd pay, then PM me and we can get in contact.
Hope this helps
I'd say be careful because these cars can cause heaps of grief - especially with the bodywork. You're right, the engines are bulletproof and will happily tot up 200k on them, but that's with good oil changes and the respect they deserve - however, a car is not just the engine. Check the gear box bcos a prolific prob with these cars is that it will pop out of 5th gear.
In order to test this drive along in 5th whilst holding the gear stick - then come off the power fully, then depress it fully - feel the stick movement. Anything more than just a few mm and you should be careful - but use yr own initiate here.
You'll note that these cars typically sell for around the £600 mark, and that's with some - to full - MOT. In my experience, if you stretch yr budget to 1k then you will get yourself a much better model.
Do you have access to welding/painting equipment or can you get it cheap - if not then beware bcos as every Mk1 owner knows these babies will rust up on you like anything. There are ways to sort this however, as replacent panels can now be gotton hold off fairly reasonably, and it's not too difficult to have them done - but nonetheless, it's an issue to consider. Check the car for bubbling etc as this is a warning that it will prob break out in rust.
I suggest you also give the A & B pillars a squeeze and twist test - it you hear and gristly metal sounds then walk away from the car straight away - also, it's hard to detect without pulling stuff around, but the door sills tend to rust after 100k miles in general.
The shocks are no probs, and if I were you i'd uprate them for some stiff cheeky numbers anyway
hehe - get more of that go-cart feeling!! As for leaky windscreen - if you can cope with it, then no probs, don't worry.
I would seriously knock the price down to about £400 with the car in this condition... there's quite a lot of welding work by the sound of things..
If you want more info on the price i'd pay, then PM me and we can get in contact.
Hope this helps
Is this a T-bar? Leaky windscreen on a tin top or sunroof means that is rusting too. Check the rear wheel arches, and I mean get right down and look end on to the metal. They rust like a bastard and is not uncommon for them to need replacing - mine are due doing this year.
With the engine cold take off the pressure cap, look at the coolant. The pressure cap is located in the bottom right hand corner of the engine bay, connected by a small pipe to the coolant tank. It should either be red or red + primordial soup. If it is blue then they have not been using toyota coolant which some people argue helts the head gasket. Start and rev the engine using the throttle cable attached to the tripod thing on top of the engine, look for bubbles coming out of the coolant, signaling head gasket probs. Before replacing the cap, if the level has dropped just pull up the overflow pipe connected to the cap of the coolant tank and blow in it, the coolant will flow out of the tank and back into the top of the pressure cap.
If the cap on the coolant tank is cracked they are easy and cheap to replace.
Listen for air moving around the cooling system, the systems are a cow for getting air in.
Open both boots, take out the liners and look for rust.
Go round to the front, and look under the bumper for rust.
Look at how much rust is on the bottom of the A pillars, water leaking inside the windows drains there.
1985 car should be a mk1a, it should have an engine with blue lettering on (like mine), a side vent divided in half horizontally as opposed to about 5 vertical ones. It will have a slightly different air intake duct and airbox to mine as mine is the later revision (with an engine swap).
With the engine cold take off the pressure cap, look at the coolant. The pressure cap is located in the bottom right hand corner of the engine bay, connected by a small pipe to the coolant tank. It should either be red or red + primordial soup. If it is blue then they have not been using toyota coolant which some people argue helts the head gasket. Start and rev the engine using the throttle cable attached to the tripod thing on top of the engine, look for bubbles coming out of the coolant, signaling head gasket probs. Before replacing the cap, if the level has dropped just pull up the overflow pipe connected to the cap of the coolant tank and blow in it, the coolant will flow out of the tank and back into the top of the pressure cap.
If the cap on the coolant tank is cracked they are easy and cheap to replace.
Listen for air moving around the cooling system, the systems are a cow for getting air in.
Open both boots, take out the liners and look for rust.
Go round to the front, and look under the bumper for rust.
Look at how much rust is on the bottom of the A pillars, water leaking inside the windows drains there.
1985 car should be a mk1a, it should have an engine with blue lettering on (like mine), a side vent divided in half horizontally as opposed to about 5 vertical ones. It will have a slightly different air intake duct and airbox to mine as mine is the later revision (with an engine swap).
The main issues with an MR2 Mk1 are corrosion and gearbox. As mentioned check movement of the lever in 5th gear on/off throttle and also check for a crunch between 3rd / 4th which is a sign of worn syncros.
The rear arches rust from inside out (design flaw) so they will either have been replaced or rotten. The front wings also corrode but they just unbolt as does the front bumper bar. The rear sections of the sills also rot but can be welded up.
Corrosion also occurs at the top of the windscreen which may account for the leak.
Check for head-gasket problems
The rear arches rust from inside out (design flaw) so they will either have been replaced or rotten. The front wings also corrode but they just unbolt as does the front bumper bar. The rear sections of the sills also rot but can be welded up.
Corrosion also occurs at the top of the windscreen which may account for the leak.
Check for head-gasket problems
I would echo most of the comments previously made, but dont jump straight in at the first car, there were quite a few sold in their time so there is still a good few around if you look and are prepared to travel in some cases.
Dont worry too much about age and mileage , a good service history and/or wad of recipts is what you really want as if properly maintained, these cars will go on for ever.
Lastly, for the sort of price range you were looking at, potential cars will either have body/rust problems or mechanical problems. In my experience, I would rather have a car with a good, solid body/chassis that required some tlc to the engine/gearbox and suspension. It will almost always be cheaper to sort out these mechanical faults (as parts are much easier to come by) than trying to get a hold of second-hand panels which can be a nightmare!
You wont regret it if you get the right car.
Ross
Dont worry too much about age and mileage , a good service history and/or wad of recipts is what you really want as if properly maintained, these cars will go on for ever.
Lastly, for the sort of price range you were looking at, potential cars will either have body/rust problems or mechanical problems. In my experience, I would rather have a car with a good, solid body/chassis that required some tlc to the engine/gearbox and suspension. It will almost always be cheaper to sort out these mechanical faults (as parts are much easier to come by) than trying to get a hold of second-hand panels which can be a nightmare!
You wont regret it if you get the right car.
Ross
In reading buyer's guides for these MR2s (one of several cars I might buy in the summer), the main problem concerning their rust is, oddly enough, the bodykit and use of plastic panels.
Apparently, what happened was that Toyota, in the name of smoothness and joint insualtion, packed foam padding at the back of the bumpers, I suppose to stop the metal and plastic body panels from scraping against each other under duress. Unfortunately this meant that when it rained, any water that found its way through these panel gaps soaked into the foam padding and stayed there, accumulating and eventually rusting the car out of sight.
'70s Lotuses had a similar problem - their chassis was insulated with felt but not galvanised of undersealed, or indeed protected in any way from road grime. Cue water getting soaked into the felt, five years later - rotten chassis.
They're great cars but are you sure it's wise to spend such a small amount on such a sophisticated car? My rationale has been, in compiling my 'cars I might buy' list, that cars seem to fall into two camps - the 'usually reliable but cost a fortune when it goes wrong' (ie the Toyota and Colt Sapporo), and the 'reputation for rust but mechanics basic enough to be fixed by a monkey with a spanner' (Capri, E21, X1/9 etc)
And personally I wouldn't buy either kind for less than £1k.
Apparently, what happened was that Toyota, in the name of smoothness and joint insualtion, packed foam padding at the back of the bumpers, I suppose to stop the metal and plastic body panels from scraping against each other under duress. Unfortunately this meant that when it rained, any water that found its way through these panel gaps soaked into the foam padding and stayed there, accumulating and eventually rusting the car out of sight.
'70s Lotuses had a similar problem - their chassis was insulated with felt but not galvanised of undersealed, or indeed protected in any way from road grime. Cue water getting soaked into the felt, five years later - rotten chassis.
They're great cars but are you sure it's wise to spend such a small amount on such a sophisticated car? My rationale has been, in compiling my 'cars I might buy' list, that cars seem to fall into two camps - the 'usually reliable but cost a fortune when it goes wrong' (ie the Toyota and Colt Sapporo), and the 'reputation for rust but mechanics basic enough to be fixed by a monkey with a spanner' (Capri, E21, X1/9 etc)
And personally I wouldn't buy either kind for less than £1k.
There is nothing especially sophisticated about the MR2, not anymore anyway, so I dont see the difference between that and an older Ford for instance, just that the Toyota's are generally (or were??) a bit over-engineered than the equivalent american brand car.
The original MR2 uses pretty much the same chassis as corolla's of the same generation, just that the engine is in the back rather than the front, as well as the same engine and very similar suspension and brakes. You wont get a mint or even very good car for under £1k, but you can still pick up a decent example that requires a bit of TLC.
I think it should be on any list of fun cars under £1k, there are no other cheap mid-engined cars for the money and cant think of any car, off the top of my head, with the handling for that sort of money, probably why Ive had 2 off them!
The original MR2 uses pretty much the same chassis as corolla's of the same generation, just that the engine is in the back rather than the front, as well as the same engine and very similar suspension and brakes. You wont get a mint or even very good car for under £1k, but you can still pick up a decent example that requires a bit of TLC.
I think it should be on any list of fun cars under £1k, there are no other cheap mid-engined cars for the money and cant think of any car, off the top of my head, with the handling for that sort of money, probably why Ive had 2 off them!
gofasterrosssco said:
there are no other cheap mid-engined cars for the money and cant think of any car, off the top of my head, with the handling for that sort of money, probably why Ive had 2 off them!
Fiat X1/9?
Considering this car can be bought in good condition for £1k, think about this:
-Its chassis is a direct development from the Lancia Stratos and was developed by Giampiero Dallara, who put chassis under the classic Lamborghinis, the DeTomaso Pantera, the Stratos and several F1 cars including the current Jordan.
-It was designed by Marcello Gandini of Bertone in the same classic year that he turned out the Stratos, the Countach, the 308 GT4 and the Urraco. And design cues from all these classic supercars are all over it, inside and out.
-Abarth tuned one to go Group 4 rallying. It wouldn't take many tweaks here and there to replicate the spec - certainly less than the massive overhaul to replicate an MR2 to Group B spec - remove the bumpers, bigger wheels, bubble arches, Abarth bits on the engine, a rear air scoop and a two-tone Rosso Corsa and Verde Mushio paint scheme and you're off.
In short, it's the closest thing you'll get, on a miserly budget, to a piece of classic exotica from that Italian styling nirvana of the late '60s and early '70s. They're all targa-topped, the insurance is lower than the MR2, the servicing costs are lower, it uses lots of bits still found in the Uno and MK1 Punto, and if you find the right model you'll find it's got its own bespoke leather luggage set. How Monaco.
In my eyes it's equal in merit to the MR2. What the MR2 lacks in looks inside and out and supercar heritage it makes up for in reliability. Having said that, compare the price of insurance and parts and you'll see why I'm beginning to err back towards the Fiat camp once more. I just can't begin to wonder how much repairing that T-VIS engine would cost, considering the fact that my Dad's at some point taken apart and put back together most Fiat engines with a set of spanners before now and the Toyota engine would leave him scratching his head.
And yeah, the X1/9's a bit slower, but not with an Uno Turbo engine in the bay!
Each to their own I suppose! I have never driven, or even seen for that matter, a fiat x1/9, so cannot really comment on the running, handling etc. of the car.
What is obvious though is that there are far fewer about. This creates problems with supply of parts and spares, and fiats aint exactly the most reliable cars now are they. The original MR2 was designed in part to replace the X1/9 but offer a more reliable package whilst being cheap to run; the MR2 parts bin is bigger than the fiats I would think.....
Also, anyone who is used to rebuilding a specific engine is going to be pretty good at it, as you said your dad is, but I doubt he would have major difficulty with the 4A-GE, its a relatively simple engine. The T-VIS system is extemely reliable and rarely fails; basically a set of butterfly valves that open at around 4000ish rpm.
Theres no way the X1/9 looks better than the mk1. Sorry, no. And looking at the original post, the original request was for a cheap car. I doubt money for bigger wheels and bubble arches were top of the priority list, but if your going that route, theres a heap of stuff available for the MR2. Iam biased obviously!
If you want more speed, again, theres many options, from superchargers, 20V engines, 2 liter turbo's and V6's (all if you got the money I suppose)
As for insurance, 23, 2years no claim, parked outside my flat, aberdeen, £390 fully comp with AXA. Thats pretty cheap as far as im concerned.
As I said, Im biased.
What is obvious though is that there are far fewer about. This creates problems with supply of parts and spares, and fiats aint exactly the most reliable cars now are they. The original MR2 was designed in part to replace the X1/9 but offer a more reliable package whilst being cheap to run; the MR2 parts bin is bigger than the fiats I would think.....
Also, anyone who is used to rebuilding a specific engine is going to be pretty good at it, as you said your dad is, but I doubt he would have major difficulty with the 4A-GE, its a relatively simple engine. The T-VIS system is extemely reliable and rarely fails; basically a set of butterfly valves that open at around 4000ish rpm.
Theres no way the X1/9 looks better than the mk1. Sorry, no. And looking at the original post, the original request was for a cheap car. I doubt money for bigger wheels and bubble arches were top of the priority list, but if your going that route, theres a heap of stuff available for the MR2. Iam biased obviously!
If you want more speed, again, theres many options, from superchargers, 20V engines, 2 liter turbo's and V6's (all if you got the money I suppose)
As for insurance, 23, 2years no claim, parked outside my flat, aberdeen, £390 fully comp with AXA. Thats pretty cheap as far as im concerned.
As I said, Im biased.
I bow to your fiendishly technical and detailed knowledgeGassing Station | Japanese Chat | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff