looking to pick up a daily driver that get decent gas millage but fun too and looks nice so been looking at like a EA86 but a little too old so now looking at a 1991-92 MR2 turbo. need to do my research but dose anyone own one or has had experience with one? reliable? worth getting? thanks

 

Good luck finding an unmolested one. Try to find a 92/93 with revised suspension to help combat snap oversteer.

 

Why not look at a 00-05 MR2 Spyder? Light as heck, great gas mileage, and rails like a go kart. Parts and mods are very cheap for it (unless you're looking for astronomical powers) and makes a great daily driver.

 

Reliability depends on how was the car maintained and driven. I bought my 91 turbo from a teenager and I knew the car wouldn't be in tip notch shape, but it as the beast deal I could find at the time. Gas mileage is ok. I get about 20mpg in the city and about 28-32hwy. My mr2 now has over 206k, but it's been sitting in my driveway for over a year because I registered it as a PNO. It was having some idling issue in which I suspect it might be due to vacuum leak(s). But for the two years that it was running, it was fun to drive and pretty comfy as well. I'm just waiting to pay off my bimmer by early next year and I will start working on my mr2.

It's also a pain to work on because of the cramped engine bay.

MR-S' are great cars, but have no trunk. If you need a trunk, you might not like it.

Check out www.mr2oc. com.

 

i have been driving mr2's for more then 16 years.i have had 2 86's and a 92 and i would take a mk1 over a mk2 anyday.much more fun to drive and excellent gas milage and rock solid dependable.problem is finding one thats in excellent condition.the ones that are will be pretty expensive.i just turned 73k miles on mine and i would drive mine cross country and back without worry.

 

Buy this one:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Super...#ht_500wt_1064

 

Always want one as a toy, never able to find a clean one. Every MR2 I came across for the last 3 years is either heavily modded or riced out.

 

Been contemplating getting one for a while. As mentioned before, It's really hard to find a clean one, and the clean ones go for a good deal of money. I love the way they look though. Except for the most recent model.

 

That car is outstanding, and 11 grand is not that bad considering the car is in near showroom condition. You would probably not have to spend a dime on the car fixing it. Ooops, just noticed the reserve is near 20 grand, I would not pay that.

 

Wow nice find. That owner must've really loved that car for it to still be in that kind of condition. But i still wouldn't buy it for that price.

 

Way too much, 8K maybe, not 20K.

 

I remember when I lived in Mexico, that when the MR2 stopped being sold in the U.S., we actually got it down there for one more year. If I were going to get one I'd get something like a 91 or earlier so I could throw a 1MZFE like the one in my RX300 (actually would use one like in the ES300).

 

Depends on a number of factors, the most important being your age, physical size, your driving needs/habits, and how much insurance you can afford.

In my experience, I have found the MR-2 a blast to drive on tight, curvy roads in light-traffic......its handling, under those conditions, is excellent. But MR2s tend to be noisy, uncomfortable, stiff-riding, and sit very low to the ground, making it difficult for older, taller persons to get in and out of. The weight/mass of the drivetrain back behind the cabin and the ultra-light-weight of the front-end make for quick, darty steering and relatively poor stability on long, straight Interstate roads...particularly in windy or cross-wind conditions. You generally need to fiddle with the steering to keep it on a straight line. It can carry very little luggage, even with two separate front/rear compartments. The engine, particularly with a heat-producing turbo, often runs on the hot side because the engine loses some of of the cooling-air flowing around it (even with the cooling-slots) that front-engine cars have right behind the front-grille and radiator. Last, being a two-seater, insurance companies usually charge extra for premiums......especially for the Turbo versions and risky drivers.

So, unless you are in good physical shape and spend most of your time lightly-loaded on tight/curvy two-lane roads, where the car really shines, IMO, the MR2's negatives, IMO, outweigh its positives.

 

Toyota should bring back the MR2. An inexpensive, mid-engine sports car. Hopefully Toyoda San is serious about bringing sportier models into production.

 

Good luck, fun car!