Buying An Mr2 Gti/ Mr2 Turbo

[TOYMOTA]

Hi ya peeps,

I'm starting to get major withdrawl symptoms not having a fast car any more. i need to get another, and it has to be a Toyota.

As the Corolla GTI's are getting a bit too old for my likeing now, I thought i'd start looking into getting an MR2.

What sort of prices are the GTI's and Turbo's going for these days??

Are there any things i should keep my eye out for when looking round one. One of my mates used to have a Turbo and the roof leaked like mad. Is that a common fault, and is it easily rectified?

Also, how hard would it be to fit a Turbo engine into a Uk spec GTI? Has anyone done it before? What sort of price to do the job? If I can find a GTI with a nackered engine would it work out cheaper to get a 3S-GTE off Jon at http://www.jbmotorsport.co.uk/ and have it fitted by someone.

Thanking you in advance.

jake

[dawolf]

Good choice of car first .

Prices vary quite a lot, mk2's sell for anything from £1000-£8000ish depending on the age, revision, condition etc. My 1993 imported N/A cost me £3500 back in July. Turbo's obviously tend to fetch a fair bit more than N/A's. Can't really comment on the t-bar leaks coz mine's a tin top.

You can upgrade N/A's to turbo's although you need to change a lot of the parts. I got a quote the other day actually, was told all the parts would cost £1600 without fitting, so you're looking at nearly 2 grand altogether. Probably better off just buying a turbo.

[JappyBeast]

Best time of the year to buy an MR2 is now when its cold and raining, they go for more in the summer.

Rogue do a Tubby transplant but like above, its costly.. you might want to just buy a tubby straight out.

Anything from £800 for a dogs leg upwards.

Most T-Bars leak but its worth it for when summer comes round.

Happy Shopping!

[TOYMOTA]

Cheers guys.

Are there any problems to look out for when shopping for one?

Gearbox probs, engine probs, RUST?

Anything's I should look and steer clear of??

[TOYMOTA]

BUMP!!

[dawolf]

Well it's common sense really, you need to check all round the car, especially by the arches for rust. The mk2 doesn't seem to rust anywhere near as much as the mk1. Red paintwork can fade on older revisions though.

Drive the car and see how it feels. It should drive straight and smooth with easy gear changes although when cold the gears can feel notchy, this is normal. Look out for excess smoke out the rear, check the brakes all round for wear, check the coolant and oil levels after the drive and check the cap for any whitish gunk (head gasket). The engines are very solid as long as they're serviced, they are apparently good for 200k miles. Also check other usual stuff like electric parts coz there are a lot of these on MR2's such as aircon, electric windows/mirrors, door courtesy lights, auto aeriel, pop-up lights etc.