Advice Please!

[__Nick__]

Hello everone!

I'm a new boy and was wondering if you nice people could help me out! I've been searching for a good/cheap mr2 (mk2, probably GT model - but am flexible) in the Edinburgh area and am struggling.

My budget stretches to about £2000 (because i'm 19, and insurance looks like it might cost the same again!)

Just wondering if anyone knows of any good ones up for sale? - I've been checking autotrader regularly, and the two I thought I would try and check out had already been sold. Got a bit stuck now, might have to go further out to find one, but obviously dont want to travel 100 miles to find out its a dud.

Any advice would be HUUUUGELY helpful and appreciated!

Thanks,

Nick

[Fidgits]

The best advice i can give you, is with your age - try and get a UK model - most insurers will charge half the price...

Now for the bad news - any MR2 for £2k or less is gonna be an older, or heavily worn model...

The best bet is to look through IMOC for sale pages - and hold out for a good rev 1, consider mileage rather than age - although bear in mind, they could have been clocked...

[__Nick__]

Cheers dude,

Yeah i found that one out the hard way, the first insurer i phoned told me i would have to be:

27 - clean licence

atleast 3 years no claims

car must be parked in a garage

:(

Managed to get a few more realistic quotes tho, CIS i think have screwed up - they offered me fully comp insurance for bout £300, i pay more than that on my car at the mo! (1.2 Corsa LS - Dont laugh - 35bhp)

Really need a new car!! - Love the MR2. I know mileage doesn't matter quite so much as long as it's been looked after, just have no idea how to know!

Anything i should test especially if i went and had a look at one?

[Jinxed]

theres a few buyers test articles around somewhere...the weblinks have been put up on here before and fair recent... if i can find it ill post it ...sure if someone else finds it first they will too :) maybe wait tho till you have a bit more cash .... if you get one that needs some jobs esp on engine almost straight away you might find yourself rueing the day.... in my experience with my tubbie .... very expensive those repairs. not sure how na ones are for repair costs but ... better to get a good nick one straight off

if your good with fixing cars tho and up for a challenge... such a challenge(you need a shoehorn with tubbies ) might be your thing

wish you the best of fortune with the 2 hunting tho... great cars

[__Nick__]

My biggest problem is that desperation has kicked in!! I dont think you realise quite how painful that corsa is!

[Fidgits]

mate - the worst thing you can do is buy a car in a hurry, youll end up with a dog most likely and it'll ruin the experience...

[cfc1]

Take your time and buy the right car.. not the 1st one that comes along

[chris202]

You really needa be careful , for that kinda cash your looking at a poor mr2 , i know the corsa is a bucket but hold out a month or two save a bit more cash mate ! it'll be worth it . Ever considered a celica slightly cheaper to run , insure and buy ??

You'll get a 94-95 gt for about 2grand if you look about - my 94gt was £1800 ! few probs with it but consider it !!

good luck

[Fitz]

Just keep the eyes peeled. Now is a good time for buying as prices have dropped for winter. I bought my 2 March just gone, though consider it a needle in a haystack. I decided a UK car was what I wanted but they command a higher price. I got hooked on a t bar, but couldn't find one. The one I found was a pile of rubbish. I found my sunroof version and called up but it was sold and decided to buy a celica instead when the guy called back and said he had been messed about, so I ended up with the 2. It's a rev 1 and at the time had no MOT and days left on the tax. Needed three tyres but the rest looked fine. Paid £1650, bought a set of rev 3 wheels and she sailed through the MOT. Full MR T service history to date and 116K on the clock. Probably one of the more tidy examples about but I could so easily have been driving a Celica now.

Just keep looking and dont rush, there are some dire coupes out there.

[__Nick__]

Heh, sound advice, kinda new it already, but was hoping for some kinda mirracle! (no idea how to spell that!)

If anyone lives in the Edinburgh area and spots anything for sale, could they please give me a shout? - Would be helping me out big style!

So who has the best 2? :P should be a fun question to ask! ;)

[JustJJ]

Hi hon.... hope you find what you are after...

As Fidgits said.. look for a prime example of a rev1... definate UK spec... as it will be less painful on the wallet...

I picked up my rev2 UK Zircon for a shade under 3k.... and insurance isnt too bad.. (tho I am 24 now)...

IMOC has a fantastic section on what to look for when buying MR2s... especially the older ones...

Please dont rush into it.... as you may have to end up shelling out far more on getting her mechanically/technically sound... which would hurt your wallet big time.

Good Luck!

[__Nick__]

Red MR2 SW20 with very low milage full leather and alcantera retrim 17" alloy wheels Alpine ice and loads more 4 months MOT and Tax please call for enquiries. This car has been lovingly cared for and cirtainly isnt shy a real head turner

64k miles - £1995

Not quite good enough at this game to know what a "SW20" means....anyone?

[Fidgits]

sw20 is the chassis type - it basically means Mk2...

(AW11 is the mk1)

[Flamby]

SW20 is the mk2 mr2 chassis code mate,

sounds good, you should have a look at the one.... I want leather and alcantera :D

*** oh woops fidgits got there first :)

[__Nick__]

Thankin ya muchly!