Well, I originally was in love with MR2s and wanted one at any cost. I then realized that SC300s came in 5spd, and were easy to boost, and decided that was the best car for me. (EVERYTHING I want in a car) I then became obsessed with Lexus, bought another, and couldn't be happier.

However, I kind of still want an MR2 to play around with as a toy. What do you guys think of MR2s? I was going to get like a mint condition low mile MR2 turbo for like $10k, but now that I'm building the turbo SC I really don't think I need to spend that much. I'm considering buying a CHEAP MR2 non-turbo that needs some work , and making it my project car. It's white, and I would like to do some body work and custom paint... the interior is blue and I would like to convert it to black leather and do a custom interior... and finally I would like to drop a JDM turbo engine in the car. I figure if I want to have something to mess around with and have some fun, an MR2 would definately be the car since it has so many options as far as styling, building, etc. That and I think I can get the white non-turbo for around $1000

a white non-turbo for 1k is pretty cheap

I've always loved the AW11 (85-89 4AGE/GZE) and SW20 (MR2's 90-05 5S-FE & 3S-GTE) Not a big fan of the ZZW version. It's a fun chassis to work with and obviously mod. It's hard to find a non-modded SW20 3S-GTE nowadays.

Since I'm a big mid engine fan I really like the MR2. I aways wanted one before but ended up going a slightly different route. The MR2 was my 2nd choice though and I almost bought one :)

One of my old school favorties I'd say go for it :thumbup:

Thumbs up on the Mister2 :thumbup: :thumbup: Great little car

Don't forget about the MK1 MR2, I've driven a supercharged and they are an absolute blast. Pretty darn light, and from what I've seen, they hold up pretty well in crashes too. There is a good amount of aftermarket available for the 4ag(z)e from the AE86. The online community/message board (at mr2oc.com at least, which covers all MR2s) are really pretty mature, especially for a message board.

Again....like so many of my other recommendations...depends on what you want from a car. A friend of mine had a 1994 MR2 Turbo he loved....I had some experience with it. The Mister 2 is a blast on winding roads. Its rear weight bias tends to give it a lot more oversteer than front-engine cars, without as bad a tendency of some rear-engine cars like older Porsches to swap ends, but in any rear engine car without stability control you still don't want to enter a corner too fast and suddenly let up on the gas...that is just asking for trouble. The MR2 is a little skittish on a straight road for my tastes. While not really unstable, the rear-weight bias tends to not put a lot of weight on the 2 front wheels for stability, so my experience is that they tend to wander a little bit left and right and you have to keep twitching the wheel to stay in the center of your lane.....but this is minor, and not like the old Beetles that went all over the road. A little bit of toe-in on the alignment can also help this.

MR2's, like most Toyotas, are generally reliable. The engine tends to be noisy because it is right behind your back without a lot of sound insulation. There is not a whole lot of trunk space but it is better than some other small sports cars...you have a small trunk up front where the hood is on front-engine cars. The interior, like most small 2-seaters, is somewhat cramped for large people....( check this out before buying ) with a very low steering wheel that doesn't go up much, and reaching back to get at the snap-open vertical glovebox between the two seats can be awkward. The gauges and controls are well-done, like most Toyotas of that vintage.

They're bad-@ss cars!!! A few of my friends used to have some slightly modded ones. Another one of my friends has one which he claims is pushin' like 500hp...I don't really doubt him but he's never put it on a dyno or ran it on the quarter mile so I really can't be too sure about the #'s.

They are one of the most underrated cars out there. Too bad they're discontinued.

The 2nd gen MR2 was a fluke due to the heavy weight / lack of handling (when compared to the first gen and gen III).

Right now you can purchase a cheap gen III with a blown or high milage engine for under 10k add a 2ZZ + 6 speed (swap will run you 2-3k) and you'll have a dupe of the Elise (but a bit more heavy). You can also add a HASS turbo kit and easily get over 200 rwhp (which in a 2300 lbs is a LOT of fun).

Before thinking about purchasing the gen II - look at www.spyderchat.com and check out some of the cars on there.

With a hard top and a 2zz / turbo - these cars are a great project / fun car.

i have a 2000 mr2 and I absolutely love it, nothing can compare to a mid engine rwd, its just a blast to drive. However the second gen mr2 is my favorite. It is simply a gorgeous car with timeless styling. Hurry up and get one of the remaining turbos in good shape while you still can. With any mr2 you wont be dissapointed.

Well, I originally was in love with MR2s and wanted one at any cost. I then realized that SC300s came in 5spd, and were easy to boost, and decided that was the best car for me. (EVERYTHING I want in a car) I then became obsessed with Lexus, bought another, and couldn't be happier.

However, I kind of still want an MR2 to play around with as a toy. What do you guys think of MR2s? I was going to get like a mint condition low mile MR2 turbo for like $10k, but now that I'm building the turbo SC I really don't think I need to spend that much. I'm considering buying a CHEAP MR2 non-turbo that needs some work , and making it my project car. It's white, and I would like to do some body work and custom paint... the interior is blue and I would like to convert it to black leather and do a custom interior... and finally I would like to drop a JDM turbo engine in the car. I figure if I want to have something to mess around with and have some fun, an MR2 would definately be the car since it has so many options as far as styling, building, etc. That and I think I can get the white non-turbo for around $1000

I think its one of the best 2 seaters ever made. Get one you won't regret it!

I've had 2, a Turbo and an NA. I like the 2nd gen personally.

Try to get a 1993+ for the bettery tranny.

Or get a 91 that someone swapped a Jspec 3rd gen into, 245hp. There are tons of swapped ones in So Cal for around 10k.

Thanks for the posts guys, I'm going to try to get it for about 1200... I'll let everyone know how it turns out. Yeah I was looking at some nice 93+ turbo models... I was ready to pay $9000 + shipping for a BEAUTIFUL custom painted mr2 with upgraded turbos, etc etc... but he sold it before I could pick it up. I then almost bought an orignal completely stock 91 MR2 with 30k miles for like 9500, but I let it pass.

This one has 108k miles and its stick... I'm not sure exactly what I want to do with it. If I keep it a turbo swap would definately be in the near future, along with a paintjob. I might just drive it for a few months and sell it for $3000 or so... or I may keep it for a year and give it to my little cousin when he turns 16 :thumbup:

I've always loved the SW20 MR2 as well. Timeless design, great power potential, and if driven right, great handling. You just have to drive it differently through a corner than you would a RWD, FWD or 4WD car. Trust in the rear traction and floor the baby. Great acceleration out of corners.

My friend had a 93 (revised suspension) N/A hardtop (rare), no power options (rarer), sold it for 3 grand. I thought long and hard about getting a second car then :p

This guy at work just told me he had a '92 MR2 with over 200k miles on it! He claims that running synthetic oil in it has kept it running so well all these years...... (not attempting to get into a motor oil debate!!)

Always liked that style....the little convertible things are lame-o.

As I understand it, the U.S. market will cease to get the MR2s. However, I was told by Toyota down here in Mexico they will continue selling it. :thumbup:

I have a few friends who bought them (wanted the looks of a Boxter without the price), but now they can get the power, too, as they are both going to turbo them.

They are beautiful cars.

Every so often, I see late 80s or early 90 models (brought in and later nationalized) and I almost bought an 88 as a second car down here once.

Sounds good... I'm going to definately try to pick it up tomorrow. I think the price may be closer to around 1300, but it's still a steal at that price. I've pretty much decided on making it my project to work on interior / exterior... while the SC will be built more for speed.

I put almost 230K miles on a 91 MR2 Turbo and you won't hear a bad word from me about them. Remember it is mid engined and I never found to have some of the unsettling characteristics that Porsches can bite you with. I put two clutches, a couple of timing belts, and more rear tires than I can remember. Hydroplaning on the front in standing water will get your attention real quick, never found any tires to eliminate it but Bridgestones were far and away the worst for hydroplaning on the front end. The red paint doesn't hold up well but then again, it turned into a beater and I didn't even garage it. I gave mine to charity and when the guy came with the tow truck I asked him if he wanted me to drive it on the ramps. He was flabbergasted that anyone was giving a car to charity, especially one that ran so well. Never burned any oil, pure synthetic all the way around. I put adjustable Tokico's on it and had a lot of fun with it as a commuter car. I am still amazed how comfortable the second gen MR2 is. It is a great, reliable car with nothing that comes close today IMO.

i think they are pimp and with all the profits toyota makes, they can afford to lose money on a sports car or two.

How the hell do u offer the Celica all trac turbo, MR-2 turbo and Supra TT and then offer us nothing?

As I understand it, the U.S. market will cease to get the MR2s. However, I was told by Toyota down here in Mexico they will continue selling it. :thumbup:

I have a few friends who bought them (wanted the looks of a Boxter without the price), but now they can get the power, too, as they are both going to turbo them.

They are beautiful cars.

Every so often, I see late 80s or early 90 models (brought in and later nationalized) and I almost bought an 88 as a second car down here once.
turbo will make them smile, it works wonders for MRS, including mine ;-). As long as they buy some sticky tires, it will be awesome (F1's or S03's my reccomendation). Stock tires, while decent, got me dancing in 3rd gear, definetly not expected at that point of time.

i think they are pimp and with all the profits toyota makes, they can afford to lose money on a sports car or two.

How the hell do u offer the Celica all trac turbo, MR-2 turbo and Supra TT and then offer us nothing?
no time - both marketing and engineering. In Europe, we skipped few proper product launches since we simply had not time to do it, getting so many new models out. Same goes for US market. Imagine this - 2006 will see completly new Rav4. Yaris, Camry, Corolla and FJ.Cars that bring more than 1,000,000 sales per year for Toyota USA (not mentioning ES and LS, facelift of RX and new Thundra, facelift Highlander). They have to concentrate on those. So maybe in 2007, they have planned something in different genre.

From business standpoint, Toyota knows it doesnt have time for niche products, so rather doing them and doing them poorly, they will wait until time is right.

From business standpoint, Toyota knows it doesnt have time for niche products, so rather doing them and doing them poorly, they will wait until time is right.

That is a good quote. I'm going to use that next time my friends are bashing Toyota for not having anything to compete with the Evo or SRT4.

230k on an mr2 turbo? Not bad! I wouldn't have donated it though, but someone out there got a hell of a deal! I remember my friend telling me one day "oh by the way, the charity auto lot had an mr2 last week"... I was like "WHAT, you didn't call me right away!!" Turns out it was a black mr2 (we dont know if it was turbo or not, but it was t-top) and only sold for $800. So... when I pick this one up for $1200-1500 I guess it will make up for missing the other deal, lol.

The original MR2 was made to be Toyota's answer to the Ferrari 308/328. Although the 2nd gen MR2 has more power and IMO looks much better, I still prefer the driving dynamics of the original. I drove a pristine 1st gen SC'd MR2 about a year ago, and it was just as fun then as it was when it first came out. Sure it looks outdated, but nowadays, it's a classic. I'll stare at a clean one on the road, as the sight of a well cared for MR2 is now rare.

Great cars. :thumbup:

The original MR2 was made to be Toyota's answer to the Ferrari 308/328. :


You feel the MR2 was close to the Ferrari 308?

My impression of the car was that it was more of an answer to the Fiat / Bertone X / 1-9 and Pontiac Fiero....though with far better quality. Both the X / 1-9 and Fiero were garbage in the quality department.

Strange comparison of MR2 to the 308... I remember the ad campaign for the second gen turbo which quoted the performance as being better than the 308. It sounds impressive to beat a Ferrari, but really - the 308 was a bit of a turd. I drove one about a dozen years ago and was amazed at how un fast it was - the Porsche 944 Turbo in front of me pulled away - quite hard.

Get the MR2 - you can't go wrong with a vintage Toyota :thumbup:

got a 93 N/A. great commuter. beats racking up my mileage my gs and save on gas and less worries when i take it to work. 167k and still running strong!! :) you can put a BEAMS motor in it. same motor as the altezza / is200.

They're bad-@ss cars!!! A few of my friends used to have some slightly modded ones. Another one of my friends has one which he claims is pushin' like 500hp...I don't really doubt him but he's never put it on a dyno or ran it on the quarter mile so I really can't be too sure about the #'s.

No offense, but I'm skeptical of your friend. How did he tune the car to make 500hp if he's never dyno'd it and he's never been to the track? Sure, you can street tune them, but you generally don't street tune a car for 500hp.

The 2nd gen MR2 was a fluke due to the heavy weight / lack of handling (when compared to the first gen and gen III).

While I like both other generations, this comment is a myth. The MKII MR2 actually handles BETTER than the MKI. People get the false impression that the MKI handles better because it FEELS like it handles better due to it's smaller size and more go-kart-like feel. If you look at magazine tests, the MKII outperforms the MKI. As proof, I rode in my friend's 93NA at an MR2 meet in Vegas in 2003 on a road course, and he was passing up every single MKI that was on the course at the same time, including the Supercharged models which have more power than the MKII NA. As far as the Spyders, I won't argue with you there. :) They're just too underpowered from the factory, IMO. I'd still love to have swap a 2zz into one and turbocharge it.


As for me, I've owned 3 MR2's (all MKII aka SW20). My first one was a 91NA and I had 2 93 Turbo's up until I sold one just this morning. Personally, if I were to buy another one, there's no chance I'd buy anything but a 93+ Turbo model. They have better suspension geometry (longer control arms in the rear which makes the car more stable in the corners and less apt to "snap oversteer"), stronger synchro's in the tranny as well as an LSD option (most 93 and up Turbo's have the optional LSD), and better brakes that stop the car from 60-0 in 106ft. The braking record for Sport Comact Car magazine's Ultimate Street Car Challenge is currently held by a 93 MR2 (V6 swapped) with factory 93 Turbo brakes and rotors. He had stainless brake lines, and better pads and fluid and some R-Compound tires and made 60-0 in 99ft. I'm part of the mod staff on www.mr2board.com if you want to come check it out and get some more info (hope that's not against the rules here.) I use the same name there. Otherwise you can feel free to AIM me at TunaMR2 and I'll answer any questions you may have. :) Sorry for the lengthy post.

I will admit to not having any sort of inside information but my understanding is that what killed the MkII MR2 or whatever you want to call it, was the beancounters. It was too expensive to manufacture and the third gen is not as expensive to build. I haven't driven the third gen but I think the market voted pretty loudly on it. Toyota doesn't like to do niche cars but it was and probably still is compared to the competition, is still great. I had really nervousness over a turbo motor and, once again, Toyota proved that what they sell works for a very long time.

MR2 was meant to compete with the 308? That is about the most absurd thing I have seen posted in a long time although I haven't read a lot of posts so maybe there are some other extremely poorly informed opinions running around. I think that opinion demsonstrates a severe lack of understanding of Toyota's understanding of their position in the market. Could they compete with Ferrari? No. Ferrari is a low volume mfr, Toyota is not. Most of Ferrari's value is because of the limited volume, something Toyota is not interested in.

A big factor in why the SW20 3S-GTE died was inflated insurance costs. super compact, Turbo, 2 door 2 seater sports, high risk and expensive parts are insurance premium inflators.

As for the ZZW30, that was not a real MR2 in my opinion. It lacked the soul of the previous AW and SW and the 1ZZ-FE was weak and had marginal styling which is why it sold poorly. If Toyota released the ZZW30 with at least a 2ZZ-GE that it should have had (instead of letting Lotus use it for the Elise), then things could have been a little different.

i love my 91 turbo :thumbup:
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a381/mr2turbo12/mr2%20pics/DSCN0585.jpg

What sideskirts are those? The only problem with mine is one of the vent covers is missing... and I'd like to take care of it by getting possibly a tasteful body kit (though i havne't seen many I liked). I do like yours... the front lip sets it off and doesn't look "rice"

What sideskirts are those? The only problem with mine is one of the vent covers is missing... and I'd like to take care of it by getting possibly a tasteful body kit (though i havne't seen many I liked). I do like yours... the front lip sets it off and doesn't look "rice"

bomex sides and greddy front lip