Is Buying A Turbo Really Worth It?

[Bibbs]

I've had a UK sunroof and now have a T-bar tubbie ..

it's Turbo all the way :)

[ZeroBlade]

go for the N/A fella.

I bought mine when i was a yr ago when i was 19, insurance was still harsh (just under 2G w. me as names driver, 1 yrs exp., and mum as main policy holder, no NCB), dropped by 40% after the first yr. Now i'm nearing 21 i've decided to get a tubby, jsut having to actually wait til i'm 21 b4 i can get insurance!

But basically u want to find a nice cheap car, cos you'l eventually be selling it. But for the time being u can get used to it, and get sum NCB, + exp under your belt.

This is where is get tricky tho.

Cos you prolly WILL make a loss on the car if you modify it, then sell it on. As it stands i'll prolly lose about 3G what with mods, + labour, + other stuff. Then again i paid 2G for it.

if you have a fair bit of exp & confidence tho go for the tubby.

Insurance will be ridculous (i know AA will insure me on one now for 3G) but...

thinking about it, its a grand more expensive than insurance on an n/a,

but considering the money u'll prolly lose when it comes to selling the n/a to buy a tubby it evens out, or actually ends up being more worthwhile!

And erm u can't really drift in the 2, (one reason i'm considering an rx-7 instead of the tubby :!Removed!:)

-Z

[Bibbs]

I saw yesterday that you CAN drift a '2 ..

it's just hard work ..

[ZeroBlade]

yeh i know u can fela, hence the "u can't really".

Cos imo u have to be pretty darn gud to drift a 2. But i don't reckon you can maintain the drift like an FR, tho i'd love to be proved wrong!!!

-Z

[Bibbs]

It's why I'm tempted to get a cheap FR car as a trackday throw about ..

[ZeroBlade]

It's why I'm tempted to get a cheap FR car as a trackday throw about ..

its VERY tempting cos then u don't havta bother with road tax/insrance etc, but i know that i couldnt jsut drive on trackdays, the temptation would be too much for me!

Plus i'd annoy me if my car looked like a banger and i'd prolly end up spending loads just to get it in good nick again, lol

-Z

[qwertyuiop]

Good advice so far. I see what your saying, I do already have 2 years bonus, I'll check to see if that factors. I aint to bothered about the pose aspect, more the drive, suppose what my question is, which is the better drive? (I know your all going to say turbo as well)...decisions...

[qwertyuiop]

Quick question - is there a big difference in insuring T-tops to hard tops?

[ZeroBlade]

well better drive...

can't say tbh m8, depends on how you drive.

if u want to go STRAIGHT from A to B then the rush of full boost is awsome, if u wanna wang the car round twisties then the n/a can seem more fun cos u can go faster round em! (again it depends on the driver, but i'm generalising here)

Not sure about t-top versus tin-top but depending on the car revision it can make a difference. i.e. a rev2 is cheaper than a rev3 insurance wise.

-Z

[qwertyuiop]

Suppose you can't really say that, the better drive - like you say, depends how you drive - I wouldn't get one otherwise. Im having no luck finding insurance on a Turbo, I've got it around £1300 on an NA though. Am I right in saying they both have decent pull, i.e. down shifting at high speeds, I read somewhere the NA isn't that much different to other 'regular' cars nowadays, where as the Turbo shoots.

[ZeroBlade]

the difference isnt massive anymore with the n/a i spose, specially with the type r's etc around, but its still competant against ur run of the mill saxo's, pug's etc, specially in the higher bands :D

-Z

[qwertyuiop]

Okay I just found one 8 miles from me.

1993 TOYOTA MR2 Coupe GT T-Bar Sports 2dr

GT-S TURBO, Unmodified & Original. Excellent Condition, Garaged. alloys, C/L, E/W, E/M, A/C. Sony twin stereo & graphic. Tax & Test. 39000 miles. £4650.

(It's red)

That sounds alright, considering the mileage (if genuine). How can you tell if it's a MkII or III model? And what the hell is twin stereo & GRAPHIC?

[Bibbs]

Sounds expensive ..

the easiest way to tell rev2 vs rev3 is look at the engine ..

Twin stereo will be the double size and graphic equaliser ..

[qwertyuiop]

What would you guys pay for a Turbo? Say 1992-1995 era, very good condition (unmodified).

[ZeroBlade]

Sounds expensive ..

really fella?

that sounds like a good price for what's supposidly a very well kept, low miler tubby, with optional doo-da's, and t-bar... <_<

qwertyuiop: Where about r u exactly m8?

-Z

[midmotorsteve]

Okay, I know some of you may have heard this question a thousand times, but what the hell.

Okay, Im about to buy an MR2, however i've seen a few between 4k and 6k. The ones Im looking at are all in pretty much excellent condition. They are all Rev 3 models and are all bright red. (1994+)

So, my questions:

1. Personally I don't mind the coupe version or the T-bar version, is they're any reason that T-bars are sort after or is it just a preference thing? Are the problems with T-bars really that common, and can you paint them to match body paint?

2. (and probably more importantly) Is there any real need to buy a Turbo version? If you were in my shoes, I'm 19 years old with 2 years bonus, and I can get decent quotes on the GT version rev 3 model. I'm yet to find a quote where I am actually allowed to be insured on a turbo model (turbos are ALL imports right?), any one i've tried says 21 is the minimum age. Whats the interior difference, performance difference, running cost difference. I'll be mainly using the car for work (*which is a fast drive through long back roads*) and obviously domestic use. I can't say i'll be bringing it onto a runway any time soon.

Any advice is appreciated.

unless you have a deep wallet forget the turbo your going to be looking at £2000 fully comp to insure it if you can find anyone who'll insure you.

[midmotorsteve]

It's why I'm tempted to get a cheap FR car as a trackday throw about ..

its VERY tempting cos then u don't havta bother with road tax/insrance etc, but i know that i couldnt jsut drive on trackdays, the temptation would be too much for me!

Plus i'd annoy me if my car looked like a banger and i'd prolly end up spending loads just to get it in good nick again, lol

-Z

i looked into this, thing is getting to track so you need another car and a trailer, and car trailers are expensive, it would wouk out lots cheaper to tax insure and drive to the track

[qwertyuiop]

I'm up north (near middlesbrough). I'm actually looking at distinctive cars york at the moment, and they appear to have a very good one. Take in mind I will haggle.

1992 TOYOTA MR2 GT Turbo T-Bar

2 Doors, Manual 5 speed, Coupe, Petrol, 69,596 miles, Unmarked Bright Red. New in from Japan be the first owner in the UK. Full 12 months mot, 6 months tax, fully serviced. Mileage conversion, rear fog, stereo expander, air-conditioning, climate control, electric windows & mirrors, t-bar roof, 16" aftermarket alloys wheels, up-rated bilstein shock absorbers. Superb condition throughout. Click link for pics.

http://www.japaneseimportspecialists.co.uk...dexjapst22.html

Here's another one:

TOYOTA MR2 GTS TWIN ENTRY

TURBO, K reg. 64000 miles, T&T, HKS exhaust, dump valve, performace sparks, leads, pies & discs, Konin adjustable ride, Veil side kit, Khan 17alloys. £3,995. (This looks the ****, especially with the veil side kit.)

[Titto]

Hey! Dont forget guys mines still up for sale at a bargin price of £2000!!!

http://toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.p...opic=19326&st=0

The pics are further down mate!

[ZeroBlade]

unless you have a deep wallet forget the turbo your going to be looking at £2000 fully comp to insure it if you can find anyone who'll insure you.

qwerty: that red t-bar seems a bit expensive at £ 4985...

-Z

2G fully comp on a tubby, bargain, lol!

thats how much my n/a cost me tpf&f when i got it fella!

qwerty has 2yrs NCB so that's gonna be pretty helpful.

[qwertyuiop]

Hardly, just done one, third part fire and theft, 1992 Turbo T-bar = £3700 inc tax.

If it's going to be like this Im opting for the NA, thats £2400 cheaper to insure.

[qwertyuiop]

At the moment I think I'm best looking at an NA, the price difference is phenomenal. I just hope I can push it. How fast is yours ZeroBlade? Can you still slaughter the regular traffic?

[qwertyuiop]

At the moment I think I'm best looking at an NA, the price difference is phenomenal - also if I'm going for an NA, I may as well get a damn good looking one. I just hope I can push it. How fast is yours ZeroBlade? Seriously, what has it got on say a Focus/Astra (im trying to think of 'regular' cars) a Ford Ka and the likes?

[qwertyuiop]

Double post (post whoring message came up). My bad.

[Fizz]

At the moment I think I'm best looking at an NA, the price difference is phenomenal - also if I'm going for an NA, I may as well get a damn good looking one. I just hope I can push it. How fast is yours ZeroBlade? Seriously, what has it got on say a Focus/Astra (im trying to think of 'regular' cars) a Ford Ka and the likes?

as i said before matey... 0-60in about 7 seconds for the N/A... not many astras/saxos/clios can do that matey...

the Tubby ont he other hand... specificly the Rev 3 tubby should be able to hit 60mph in 5.2 secs...

but like i said.. stick with the N/A.. makes sense...