MR2 Spyder
- Thread starter richardg
- Start date
robs
should know how this works by no
MR2 - nice! Photos needed!
Just got my ragtop out of the shed for it's MOT this week (passed, after 2 years on SORN). Has a few more miles on the clock but only paid £275 for it in 2014 (with a hardtop!). Fun cheap motoring for the summer, £88 to insure, nearly twice that for road tax though!
Just got my ragtop out of the shed for it's MOT this week (passed, after 2 years on SORN). Has a few more miles on the clock but only paid £275 for it in 2014 (with a hardtop!). Fun cheap motoring for the summer, £88 to insure, nearly twice that for road tax though!
Congrats! I had an MR2 for 12 years, only traded it because I got a bad back.
Now I have a Boxzcter, lot's of problems you don't get with a Japanese car, like it's raining into the interior plus the smart German engineers did place a electronic control box right at the lowest point of the floor under the seat. One could even think it's an old British sports car...
Now I have a Boxzcter, lot's of problems you don't get with a Japanese car, like it's raining into the interior plus the smart German engineers did place a electronic control box right at the lowest point of the floor under the seat. One could even think it's an old British sports car...
robs
should know how this works by no
Yes, the MGF (and others!) has a bit of a reputation for trouble, but touch wood, mine has been rock solid so far. Doesn't do many miles though, unfortunately.
This thing just pulled up on the drive opposite - proper luvverly...
A little over budget though ..!
This thing just pulled up on the drive opposite - proper luvverly...
A little over budget though ..!
divedeepdog
pfm Member
Yes, the MGF (and others!) has a bit of a reputation for trouble, but touch wood, mine has been rock solid so far. Doesn't do many miles though, unfortunately.
This thing just pulled up on the drive opposite - proper luvverly...
A little over budget though ..!
Had to google that, replica's for £30k seems reasonable ? Guessing an original has another zero...
Couldn't agree more. I had a Boxster S in the mid-2000s... too heavy and not very reliable. Traded it for a 2 year old Honda S2000. Best car I have ever owned, good looking, fun to drive, bulletproof reliability, cheap to run (compared to a Porsche).... looking for another now.
Seeker_UK
Feelin' nearly faded as my jeans
IIRC, @stephen bennett runs one.
Smashing little thing, mid-engine, RWD and for £1700 not quite Boxster-like but close enough. You can't go wrong.
Why so cheap? They're a 20 year old Toyota.
On the plus side, they don't rust like the Mk1s and 2s and easier to find one that hasn't been riced up.
Smashing little thing, mid-engine, RWD and for £1700 not quite Boxster-like but close enough. You can't go wrong.
Why so cheap? They're a 20 year old Toyota.
On the plus side, they don't rust like the Mk1s and 2s and easier to find one that hasn't been riced up.
MVV
pfm Member
I’ve got a late 2005 one and really like it. It is the earlier ones that had trouble with the pre-cats. I just put a stainless after market manifold on which are cheap enough the alternative is just gut the standard manifold. It still passes the MOT.
Everything you will ever need to know can be found here: https://www.mr2roc.org/forum/index.php
MVV
pfm Member
Actually probably somewhere between 3 and 4 grand maybe a bit more.
It's the pre cats on them, I think it combines the failure of these with using the EGR system for the variable valve timing system and then ingests the particles of failed pre cats into the engine.
bor
queue jumper
It's a problem that also affects other brands, not just Toyota.
The close coupled catalysator disintegrates over time, sometimes caused by misfires causing unburnt fuel to detonate in the ceramic matrix and this ceramic debris is sucked back into the cylinders due to the pressure fluctuations during the combustion cycle(high pressure in exhaust manifold, lower pressure in combustion chamber before ex.valve closes).
The ceramic particle then cause bore wear/bore scoring.
The solution is to remove the pre-cats before this becomes an issue. (*as said above from MVV)
The close coupled catalysator disintegrates over time, sometimes caused by misfires causing unburnt fuel to detonate in the ceramic matrix and this ceramic debris is sucked back into the cylinders due to the pressure fluctuations during the combustion cycle(high pressure in exhaust manifold, lower pressure in combustion chamber before ex.valve closes).
The ceramic particle then cause bore wear/bore scoring.
The solution is to remove the pre-cats before this becomes an issue. (*as said above from MVV)
philsparks
pfm Member
https://mr2oc.co.uk/forum/42/144537.html
The issue isn't really the cats, it's the piston rings on the early cars. They aren't quite up to the job and end up wearing the cylinder bores oval. In turn oil then gets into the pre-cats which start to break down and then get sucked into the engine. Loads of discussion on the various forums, eg. above. Toyota changed the engine design in 2002-03 so all facelift cars have the new engine. Facelift cars have 6 not 5 gears, fog lights on the front bumper, the round lenses on the rear lights. There are plenty of older cars with huge mileages, so it doesn't impact all cars, but the safest thing to buy is a post facelift car.
I have a 2004 one and love it, it's not at all pristine, but makes me smile every time I drive it. Only paid £2.5k and I reckon it's worth the same or a bit more now.
Weak points are:
- the original vinyl hood, eventually goes brittle, especially if parked outside. A real replacement if pretty pricey, but there's a bloke in Swansea that will make you a new one for £350 or so
- handbrake - the route of the cables is a bit tortuous and the handbrake is just a bit rubbish. It can be adjusted but at some point not enough to pass the MOT, and then you need to drop the fuel tank to fit new cables.
- power use, the alarm, clock etc all use a bit of power so if you don't use it often the battery can run down. I fitted an always-on cigarette lighter socket and leave a solar charger on the dash which keeps the battery topped up.
- luggage space, obviously. But then if you wanted a sensible car you'd buy an s-max. I think of my MR2 like having a motorbike with paniers and 2 extra wheels. It's still better than a caterham!
enjoy it.
Phil
The issue isn't really the cats, it's the piston rings on the early cars. They aren't quite up to the job and end up wearing the cylinder bores oval. In turn oil then gets into the pre-cats which start to break down and then get sucked into the engine. Loads of discussion on the various forums, eg. above. Toyota changed the engine design in 2002-03 so all facelift cars have the new engine. Facelift cars have 6 not 5 gears, fog lights on the front bumper, the round lenses on the rear lights. There are plenty of older cars with huge mileages, so it doesn't impact all cars, but the safest thing to buy is a post facelift car.
I have a 2004 one and love it, it's not at all pristine, but makes me smile every time I drive it. Only paid £2.5k and I reckon it's worth the same or a bit more now.
Weak points are:
- the original vinyl hood, eventually goes brittle, especially if parked outside. A real replacement if pretty pricey, but there's a bloke in Swansea that will make you a new one for £350 or so
- handbrake - the route of the cables is a bit tortuous and the handbrake is just a bit rubbish. It can be adjusted but at some point not enough to pass the MOT, and then you need to drop the fuel tank to fit new cables.
- power use, the alarm, clock etc all use a bit of power so if you don't use it often the battery can run down. I fitted an always-on cigarette lighter socket and leave a solar charger on the dash which keeps the battery topped up.
- luggage space, obviously. But then if you wanted a sensible car you'd buy an s-max. I think of my MR2 like having a motorbike with paniers and 2 extra wheels. It's still better than a caterham!
enjoy it.
Phil
Suffolk Tony
Aim low, achieve your goals, avoid disappointment.
My accountant has one of these MGs, which he loves, had it for ages. I often pass a garage-full of these in a garage on the A1 somewhere...
There are two luggage spaces, one in the front and one behind the seats, so you can put in a briefcase AND a shopping bag. Then it's filled up. My current Bocksteer is hardly larger.
As Phil said, enjoy it. For the money you will have great fun.
Mongeddavid
pfm Member
I tried to buy one about 7 or 8 years ago now after owning 3 mk1 MR2s all bar 1 that i test drove had issues and the one good un was bright yellow with wolfrace wheels etc so was a tad too much for me. Ended up getting a Mk 2.5 Nevada MX5 of which I have had two alongside a Porsche Boxster. The Spyder felt lower down than the MX5 and more go kart like as per the original. MX5 was more refined with a boot both are great fun.