Toyota MR2 Mk1

The best small sports car on the planet. Totally reliable, comfortable and economical, it will leave a lot of more powerful cars for dead on the twisties. Never fails to bring a smile to my face when I drive it.

Lots are rust buckets, luckily mine had Honda aftermarket rust proofing and as far as I can see is pretty much rust free. Just waiting for the rest to rust away so that it becomes valuable.

I recently got my self a 1986 MR2-MK1-TBar .

I won't do a review as such as I have only owned it a few weeks. Although so far I think it's fantastic, fun to drive, quick and so far reliable, but what I will do is compare it to my MGB-GT.

Cost: My MGB cost my around £5k and still wasn't right, I resold at £2k, A loss of £3k! MR2, £1100 and spot on macanically (bit of rust around the arches however) I don't know the resale as I still own it, but as its not costing me anything to do up, surly I can't lose a lot on it, infact if I gave it away for free it would still have lost less cash than my B.

Reliability: The B, was highly unreliable British craftsmanship, I must say I would love to support the British motor industry... But I can now see why it failed. MR2, well my dad had one (that's the reason I got one rather than A MG-TF/MX5) and macanically not a lot needs doing, odd bits of maintence when you get to your MOT as any other car.

Look: I love the look of MR2, it's the good looking TR7, but I must say, my B was a better looking car, but as it spent a lot of its life in my garage awaiting another fix its looks were waisted in the dark.

Parts: Well, so far the bits I've needed have been quite easy, eBay usually does it. The B was easy to get parts for, but that's only due to the fact that evey week you need parts.

Speed: The B was as so slow it should be dropped from the Sports car category. The MR2 accelerates very quickly and unlike the Bs grown of stress the MR2 growls with excitement, a very enjoyable noice.

Handling: I think the B and the MR2 are about matched. Both seam the same in the wet, although the MR2 is going faster and still leavel pegging with the B if the B was up to the same speeds it might lose this one.

Insurgence cost: I'm in my mid 20s with a bump on my record, so insurgence ain't easy for me. The B is around the £250 mark, the MR2 is around £100 more, but that will be due to the extra speed, so I'm happy with that.

So, I recon the MR2 wins hands down. As I say, the MR2 only loses out on looks to the B, however, it's still a very good looking lad!

Toyota MR2 MK 1, Fantastic car, to own and drive,

delightfull gearchange, i had one 20 years

ago, and always promised myself one again i,m 55

now, and after taking early retirement from the NHS,

this is my present to myself, the car has had 4 previous

owners, fully documented service history, a folder full of

receipts, and every mot since new, loveley after market alloys,

cat 2 immobiliser, all for under £2,000 !!!! go on, you know you

want one.

Best fun for your pound by far. Cheap to buy (at the moment) cheap to keep on the road as many are being broken for spares. Buy now as they are going up in price every year. so hopefully no depreciation which is good news. Many upgrade options available for suspension,brakes and power increase making it more like driving a lotus. Mine is far from standard having spent some £2500 on parts and hundreds of hours in my workshop, so if you need any advise feel free to contact me on [email protected]

Bit of a Review and also a bit of a Buyers Guide. You'll want one after this! :)

Why the Mark 1 Toyota MR2? (1987-1990)

Firstly and fore mostly; they are seriously fun to drive! Just ask any Mk1 owner, and watch as a massive cheesy grin appears across their face. It will happen! :)

80's rocket ship styling

Removable glass roof (T-Bar model)

Very light weight

Engine revs up to 8,000 RPM

True sports car handling - refined by Lotus

Toyota reliability

Toyota build quality

Lots of electrical toys - EW, CL, EA, EM, etc

Light steering - Mid Engined

Excellent value for money

Excellent investment

Cheap Tax (£180 a year)

Very cheap to insure, even on a standard policy

Qualifies for 'classic car insurance'

Stands out from the crowd - a 80's Classic

So, what's the not so good stuff about these cars?

Rust - that's what kills most of them:

Wheel arches + wings front and back

Bottom of B-Pillar by door switch

A-Pillar by hinges

Sills

Exhausts

Many have had lots of previous owners (8-20!)

Many have very little history, due to the above.

Rarer leather interior fitted to the T-Bar model is often ripped and beyond repair.

Even the best T-Bar example will leak a little in heavy rain - THEY ALL DO! Manny T-Bars will leak a lot, but this can be dramaticly improved with the right know how. Beware of sellers who claim they never leak

A common fault is that some will pop-out of 5th gear, there is a good technique to test this. Always ask.

Name badges, stripes and stickers on bumpers and wings missing. Indicating a re-spray, but on a tight budget as not to replace these items.

Electric aerials often to not work and are very costly to replace.

I think I'd like to try one of these, any other advice?

As with most cars and particular with classic cars - You get what you pay for. Always buy the best example you can afford, this will ultimately save you money in the long term - even make you some. That's a lesson learnt many years ago. Buying from a Mk1 MR2 specialist - such as ourselves - can safe you a lot of heartbreak, time and your hard earned pay. A good specialist will only buy the best cars available, and they will know their onions, or Mk1 MR2's in this case. Example of a potentially very good Mr2:

1989 Toyota MR2 T-Bar, AW11

3 Previous Owners

Excelent original leather interior

Original Bill of sale!

MOT 8-12 Months

82,000 miles

Extensive folder full of service history - Mainly Toyota

15 Old MOT's to verify the mileage

Original Handbooks and roof shades and bags

3 Month Warranty

A very original example in superb condition. Viewing welcomed, call me anytime if you have any questions or to arrange a viewing or test drive.

Tell tale signs of a potentiality sub-standard MR2:

1989 Toyota MR2, T-Bar

8 Owners

Average condition leather seats

No leaks from T-Bar roofs, ever

6 Months MOT

135,000 miles

Not much rust

Had full history but the last owner didn't pass it on as his next door neighbours, uncles mate misplaced it. Then the fish ate it. But it's like a new car!

Very good condition. (Photos taken at night, in the rain or when car is wet(to give the illusion of a good paint finish) - beware!)

Note: There are a lot of bad cars out there that people claim are in very good condition, BEWARE. If in doubt - then go and check it out. And check peoples feedback for other cars they have sold. What did the customer say?

Conclusion

I hope that this guide will be useful to you, it's taken me about 2 hours to put together! Let me know if it is, I would appreciate that :). If you are after just a good condition MR2 Mk1 then happy hunting, there are some out there but they will undoubtingly need a bit of cash spending on the body, gearbox and the usual areas that these cheaper less cared for examples have perish. HOWEVER, if your after a near Concourse condition Mk1, a low mileage 'Minter' or even just an exclent everyday car that will be the envy of all your friends - get in touch and check to see if we have your MR2 in stock today! Our official website adress can be found via our E-Bay Profile, and be sure to check out our e-bay items.

*For complete peace of mind contact us about our Mk1 MR2 Warenty Program.

Best Regards

D. Crisp

Managing Director

Superb Classics and Sports Ltd

www.superbclassics.co.uk

The Toyota MR2 Mk1 is a simple, reliable, nimble, frugal, zippy, tiny 1980's 2 seater, mid engined, 1600cc bundle of fun fun fun.Faster in Supercharged form (1986 onwards....), but not so much fun fun fun fun.SO much more REWARDING TO DRIVE than some latest greatest turbo FWD honda hatch type R or GM VXR thing, Where will the typeR's and VXR's be in 25 years time?

Always fast for a 1600cc car (I own the supercharged) always goodlooking, always reliable (it can work all day) very comfortable for a two seater,good driving sense. Nice steering. And of course the t-bar makes it special for the summer time.

if you want to be forever young buy a mr2 mk1!

Well I paid £260 of eBay and I drove 160 miles to pick it up.Once on the motorway the car drove brilliantly comfortable. Apart from the spotlights this car is in amazing condition and the interior is dated but still in good tact I can't think of any car this old were you have sincere fun driving it I just worry were I am going to get parts from when required.

The best small sports car I have driven for a long time. It handles like a dream and has never let me down (unlike the X19 I had).

This Toyota MR2 Mk1 is the best car I've ever owned and I'm 64 years old.

One owner I spoke with had a problem with his water pump which failed at 95,000 miles and stranded him on the highway. I have tried to find if there is a pattern to this but have found none. Does anybody have any input on this?