Buying A New Shape Mr2

[The Red Man]

My Sister is after a new shape MR2, has approx £5k to spend and asked me to ask you lot for some advise being Toyota ENTHUSIASTS and all!! LOL

I know my stuff when it comes to Gen 6 Celica's but I have never even driven a MR2 ever, do they handle well and whts it like to live with ie shopping etc.

I was also wondering was about the engine, I presume its the same as the 140bhp Celica gen7 engine which is meant to drink oil like a champ, does it suffer the same problems??

Also trim levels, does it have any or is it mainly cloth or leather interior???

Does it have any known faults or areas I should be checking for issues as no doubt I will be dragged along to look it over.

What year do you think a good condition MR2 will fetch. I dont mind helping her out if she is only going to be able to afford a sh!tter!! LOL

[compressor mad]

yeah thats the engine that eats oil and also o2 sensors

id make sure its the later spec mr2 because they came with fatter rear tyres due to people dancing of roundabouts

the sequential boxs can be a bit off sometimes and pron to failure of the control motors

interiors are pretty basic red or black cloth or leather think thats it

the rain channels in the back fill up with silt/muck off the soft top and block up causing waater to pour into the rear storage areas then into the cabin

buttttt they are a good laff to drive

hope you find a good one m8

[The Red Man]

Thanks for that mate.

I now have no idea what to tell her lol They Sound like trouble especially the Oil thing (she is a women after all((Joke)), and as a student she wont be the one paying for it lol!! Anyone out there got one?

[compressor mad]

i wouldnt go as far to say its a bad car lol im sure people who own them on the forum love them

[The Red Man]

I dont mean bad, I just mean the financial side is a big factor. My love of older Toyotas is what made her go for one, but it seems they dont quite make them like they used to. Maybe a late older shape one may be a better option.

[Andie_M]

when u say new shape? do you mean the roadster?

if so theres plenty of members on here who own them who would sing their praises. me being one. never had any major issues with mines *touch wood* and i have owned it almost 3 years now.

[GIDDLEPIN]

My Sister is after a new shape MR2, has approx £5k to spend and asked me to ask you lot for some advise being Toyota ENTHUSIASTS and all!! LOL

With the way prices are dropping and the time of year you will be looking at something around 2001 to even 2003 (if your lucky)

I know my stuff when it comes to Gen 6 Celica's but I have never even driven a MR2 ever, do they handle well and whts it like to live with ie shopping etc.

I've had mine for six years and for the first few it was our only car, shopping was easy (I just sent Anne out on her own), there are lockers behind the seats that hold a *cough* reasonable amount and a laughable "Fronk" (front bonnet) that will carry a little. Having said that we went to Corfu last year in it CLICKY and we managed quite well with the space available.

As for handling, there are the obvious quirks with a light RWD car, least of all in damp, slippery conditions but on the whole there is nothing to touch it (well maybe the MkI ;) ) You have probably seen this before but here's how much fun they are to drive CLICKY

I was also wondering was about the engine, I presume its the same as the 140bhp Celica gen7 engine which is meant to drink oil like a champ, does it suffer the same problems??

My 2002 at 75,000 miles (Dealer serviced from new) doesn't use a drop of oil or water from one service to the next, even the nearly 3000 miles driven on the Corfu trip, loaded up to the gunwales and not driven sedately, it was never necessary to top up.

I'm not saying they don't have problems but how a car has been treated always has a reflection on it's condition.

If at all possible look for something no later than 2002 because this is around the period where the pistons were modified, you might hear scare stories about "Pre-cat" failure and how they destroy engines, this is not the case as early problems with pistons caused the oil ways to clog leading to oval bore failure, leading to heavy oil consumption, leading to the destruction of the cats, leading to the destruction of the engine!

I'm sure you are mechanically minded enough to know what a worn engine smells and sounds like, just bear that in mind when looking ;)

Also trim levels, does it have any or is it mainly cloth or leather interior???

They do come with various options, leather seats, air-con, hard tops etc; but if you go for a Japanese import they might have a higher standard spec but don't have LSD as standard, also you will pay more insurance .

Does it have any known faults or areas I should be checking for issues as no doubt I will be dragged along to look it over.

You might find this section helpful CLICKY

Hope this helps

Les

[The Red Man]

Thank you Les thats really helpful mate. ;)

[Penelope Pitstop]

But they do look as good as this...this i bought brand new on an 05 plate,,,had no trouble with it.this was the latest in the MR2 Roadster before its demise........

[The Red Man]

TBH I think the older shape one was far prettier, from all angles. Thats the problem with buying new, you loose so much. Must have been circa 18k new and now you could probably buy that for 6.5k - 7k. So 12k hit in the pocket or 3 GT4's LOL

[Penelope Pitstop]

No i disagree,,i dont like any of the other shapes its just personal opinion,, i also have the hard top to go with it and it looks just great .. I was considering selling it for a different roadster/boxter but that idea has gone from me now.....I agree you loose money from new buys thats no secret , it was a treat to myself for all the hard work that had paid off that year xx sometimes you have to reward yourself so you can enjoy your hard earned money xxand this car being a result of it xx good luck in your search though. I think with all its extras that i bought with it , it wasnt far off 21k........its worth it , it has kept a smile on my face for 3yrs