Found A Mk2 Mr2 Project

[john_p_b]

hi folks, as you can all see i'm new around here but thinking about buying this MR2 and need some pointers so thought this a good place to ask.

been offered a 1991 G-limited import, bloke wants £500 for it but it needs work doing.....quite a bit of work really but i'm a mechanic by trade and have family in the body repair buisness to nothing really that i can't get sorted but i just want a 2nd 3rd 4th opinion on it really.

basically it's a 1991 model

160,000km on the clock ( i make that 100,000 miles?)

5 owners

half leather alcantara interior which is ok condition just with some cracking to the drivers seat bolster but not torn.

16" alloys with half decent tyres

exhaust you could crawl inside of to clean if you wanted to

appears to be rust free with only a couple of minor "car park" dings in the doors which for a 17yr old car i was quite impresed with.

it's had a respray at some point in it's life that has gone a bit wrong (well a lot wrong actually) it appears to have been a dark silver/grey colour originally but has sinse been resprayed a very bright metallic blue, looks like they've poured the paint over it and then took it for a drive to dry it out though as it's rippled everywhere and is peeling off in places so i'd have to have a full respray.

engine wise, it's got a knock on it BUT it comes with a good spare engine (bloke says he knows where the engine came from so knows it's a good one (i can only take his work as i have no proof).

it looks to be a solid car thats just been bodged up. is the price about right considering he paid £400 for the spare engine that comes with it? am i leading myself into a minefield of problems? it'll cost me nothing to fit the engine other than my own time and to get it resprayed again will just cost me my time to prep it and then the cost of paint and what ever they charge me to use a spray booth.

other things i'd want to deal with though, the clocks are still in kms but with horrible little stickers on them pointing it out in mph......can these be changed for mph clocks? there are other little bits but they're just picky details that i'd deal with over time.

your thougts and opinions are very welcome and any advice will be gratefully recieved.

many thanks

john

[steve&tz]

Hi john , welcome im new here to .

The biggest problems i have found while working on my wifes MR2 has all been with the suspension . Can the dar be driven ? if so i would advise you do this , listen for knocking noises and feel for play in the steering , also check that the car is not weaving and swaying on bumpy roads . Make sure all yhe gears slect and stay in . Feel for any pulling to ether side undor breaking. Check the stearing rack boots that they are not holding fluid , if so the seals are gone .Also look in behind the engine bay heat shield for signs of coolent comming from the heater feed pipes these are c***s to change and they can crack. If you by the car i would change the T belt before the new engine is installed , its hard to access this later , also change the clutch these can thke alot off abuse due to some owners style of driving ! If the front bumper is commimg off for the respray it might be diffacult to refit cause i have found that the M6 bolts along the top edge and behind the side mouldings and reapeter lights can rust and snap off . These are only my opions from working on my wifes car , if i had the choise again i would have spent more and bought a much better car with good service history .

good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[john_p_b]

thanks for that.

general opinion i seem to be getting is it sounds like a decent deal but approach with caution and don't expect it to be easy. which to be honest i'm not expecting it to be easy at all, i work for a renault fleet operator though so i deal with stupidly awkward repairs most days!

[steve&tz]

thanks for that.

general opinion i seem to be getting is it sounds like a decent deal but approach with caution and don't expect it to be easy. which to be honest i'm not expecting it to be easy at all, i work for a renault fleet operator though so i deal with stupidly awkward repairs most days!

I have found that working on them is fairly easy its just the price of parts can be steep , like the bushings in the suspencion , most can't be bought from Toyota ,the whole control arm has to be changed !

[blz-8027]

hi folks, as you can all see i'm new around here but thinking about buying this MR2 and need some pointers so thought this a good place to ask.

been offered a 1991 G-limited import, bloke wants £500 for it but it needs work doing.....quite a bit of work really but i'm a mechanic by trade and have family in the body repair buisness to nothing really that i can't get sorted but i just want a 2nd 3rd 4th opinion on it really.

basically it's a 1991 model

160,000km on the clock ( i make that 100,000 miles?)

5 owners

half leather alcantara interior which is ok condition just with some cracking to the drivers seat bolster but not torn.

16" alloys with half decent tyres

exhaust you could crawl inside of to clean if you wanted to

appears to be rust free with only a couple of minor "car park" dings in the doors which for a 17yr old car i was quite impresed with.

it's had a respray at some point in it's life that has gone a bit wrong (well a lot wrong actually) it appears to have been a dark silver/grey colour originally but has sinse been resprayed a very bright metallic blue, looks like they've poured the paint over it and then took it for a drive to dry it out though as it's rippled everywhere and is peeling off in places so i'd have to have a full respray.

engine wise, it's got a knock on it BUT it comes with a good spare engine (bloke says he knows where the engine came from so knows it's a good one (i can only take his work as i have no proof).

it looks to be a solid car thats just been bodged up. is the price about right considering he paid £400 for the spare engine that comes with it? am i leading myself into a minefield of problems? it'll cost me nothing to fit the engine other than my own time and to get it resprayed again will just cost me my time to prep it and then the cost of paint and what ever they charge me to use a spray booth.

other things i'd want to deal with though, the clocks are still in kms but with horrible little stickers on them pointing it out in mph......can these be changed for mph clocks? there are other little bits but they're just picky details that i'd deal with over time.

your thougts and opinions are very welcome and any advice will be gratefully recieved.

many thanks

john

Sounds a decent price but I had a 1991 G-Limited in immaculate condition apart from some lacquer flaking here and there

and only got £800 for it when i sold it to buy my turbo

so at £500 + a respray, plus work involved changing unknown engine ,Unless you intend to keep it for a long time ,you might be better buying something like this

http://www.imoc.co.uk/forums/viewtopic.php?t=99959

Not trying to put you off though just pointing out there are others about that might need less work and at £500 plus another engine it isn't too bad a price

[JappyBeast]

I'm gutted how the price of Mk2's has hit rock bottom!!!

[john_p_b]

thanks for the info folks.

the price of them may have hit rock bottom but what goes down must come up is my theory with cars, ok so they seem to yoyo a bit but my saph cosworth, once you could pick a mint one up for 3k, mines just been valued closer to 8k so it's a case i think with older cars or biding time and the price will come right.

[Pitts Pilot]

hi folks, as you can all see i'm new around here but thinking about buying this MR2 and need some pointers so thought this a good place to ask.

been offered a 1991 G-limited import, bloke wants £500 for it but it needs work doing.....quite a bit of work really but i'm a mechanic by trade and have family in the body repair buisness to nothing really that i can't get sorted but i just want a 2nd 3rd 4th opinion on it really.

basically it's a 1991 model

160,000km on the clock ( i make that 100,000 miles?)

5 owners

half leather alcantara interior which is ok condition just with some cracking to the drivers seat bolster but not torn.

16" alloys with half decent tyres

exhaust you could crawl inside of to clean if you wanted to

appears to be rust free with only a couple of minor "car park" dings in the doors which for a 17yr old car i was quite impresed with.

it's had a respray at some point in it's life that has gone a bit wrong (well a lot wrong actually) it appears to have been a dark silver/grey colour originally but has sinse been resprayed a very bright metallic blue, looks like they've poured the paint over it and then took it for a drive to dry it out though as it's rippled everywhere and is peeling off in places so i'd have to have a full respray.

engine wise, it's got a knock on it BUT it comes with a good spare engine (bloke says he knows where the engine came from so knows it's a good one (i can only take his work as i have no proof).

it looks to be a solid car thats just been bodged up. is the price about right considering he paid £400 for the spare engine that comes with it? am i leading myself into a minefield of problems? it'll cost me nothing to fit the engine other than my own time and to get it resprayed again will just cost me my time to prep it and then the cost of paint and what ever they charge me to use a spray booth.

other things i'd want to deal with though, the clocks are still in kms but with horrible little stickers on them pointing it out in mph......can these be changed for mph clocks? there are other little bits but they're just picky details that i'd deal with over time.

your thougts and opinions are very welcome and any advice will be gratefully recieved.

many thanks

john

Dont touch it with a barge pole, you are a mechanic - you know its not worth the effort

Look around, perhaps on e bay. There are lots of decent cars about for that money

By the way beware of the rev 2 - I consider the road holding dangerous - if you realy want to drive it like a sports car then get a rev 3

Good luck

Dave

[Automodellista]

Love the optimism on the price returning to higher dwellings man, well with you. All good, but wouldn't wanna comment on the prospective purchase, sorry!

Ta

m

[JappyBeast]

This thread is 2 months old!