hey all,

 

bro is looking 2 buy an mr2, ive tried to talk sense in to him but he says he cant aford to keep fixing a zed :D :D probably gets that from me :wack:

 

anyway, does anyone have any buing tips for me to look at or know of any probs these mr2 have,

 

thanks in advance!!

 

dewi.

heres a tip - dont buy one !! - but if u are make sure the head gasket is ok as i had one for a while and no signs of any problems then head gasket went on me for no reason at 45k miles!! i wasnt impressed , but just make sure u get it thoroughly checked over bud. ( dunno if that helped much) .

The coolant pipes that run front to back are a pricey job to replace and require the fuel tank to be dropped, i've been told by a local specialist they have ~10 yr life expectancy.

 

Check that they have been using the recommended coolant (toyota forlife IIRC - coloured like ribena).

 

The turbos are rumoured to eat ignition components.

 

T-bars can leak.

 

Accident damage from unintentional 'drifting' into things - check alignment at the front around the headlamps/inner arch liners for possible front end repairs. When I was looking for one I found a few with botched front end repairs (arch liners not put back correctly, headlamps fouling on bodywork etc).

 

The later cars had improved handling (round taillights from rev 3 onwards?).

 

Check www.imoc.co.uk - they used to have some good buying guides/faqs.

 

HTH

 

AD :)

Dewi tell him to get a Turbo version, I agree that the performance of an N/A is more than hairdresserish but at least the turbo versions have that bit more grunt.

 

Rev 1 is about 220 bhp but the Rev 2/3 is 241 bhp...'ave it!!! ;)

 

Turbo versions do eat dizzy caps and rotor arms, have replaced mine with TRD performance jobbies also fitted Blitz Iridium plugs and TRD rad cap. Still gotta fit TRD performance oil filter and thermostat. Thermostats give up the ghost which is quite common from what I've read on IMOC. Temp guages can be dodgey aswell, mine has stopped working altogether and my speedo has also packed up.

 

Running diags is a piece of p1ss, diag port is in the engine bay just need a paper clip and count the engine check light flashes on the dash for ECU error codes.

 

Check out Ben's website for buying guide and more at...

 

Click here!

 

HTH dude! Good luck to your Bro. ;)

I had an MR2 turbo before my Zed. Seriously quick motors. Not much I can say that Timmy has not already said. Although I was under the impression that Rev 1 and 2 were about 220ish bhp and the Rev 3 was 242bhp.

 

What he really wants is a T-bar rev3 turbo but good luck in finding one, I couldn't anywhere, they were all sodding solid tops! Guess what I got instead:D

 

Oh yeah, and once insurance time comes then Bell Direct is who he will be wanting to speak to.

 

For my info go to http://www.mr2dc.com

 

Good luck to him in finding a good'un:)

 

Justin

Although I was under the impression that Rev 1 and 2 were about 220ish bhp and the Rev 3 was 242bhp.

 

Justin

 

Edited mate! Although I'm still 1 bhp out on the Rev 3. LOL :)

Edited mate! Although I'm still 1 bhp out on the Rev 3. LOL :)

 

LOL,

 

I still miss mine even though my Zed is amazing. Although I have to say, I think the MR2 is a good deal more reliable in General. Have you found the same owning both?

some great help there fellas, cheers

 

nice to see ya timmi how is your mr2 coming along, sounds well modified!!

 

the mr2 is for my younger bro he is only 21 so the turbo would sting him on insurance!!

 

and i dont want him to overtake me LOL!!!

 

he has about £2000 to spend but they get sold straight away

Dewi, he would have a job to get a decent tubs for that price anyway but if he could raise a few more pennies to get one (3 grand for a good one) then he might get a good deal on insurance from Bell.

LOL,

 

I still miss mine even though my Zed is amazing. Although I have to say, I think the MR2 is a good deal more reliable in General. Have you found the same owning both?

 

Yeah mate I have found the MR2 to be reliable over the Z. I've had loads of Toyota's over the years and they are fairly bullet proof whether it be a Hi-Lux pickup abused by a farmer with no coolant in it half the time but still cracked on without complaining, a Celica Supra 2.8i which ended up written off and also a Mk III Soup Turbo which never let me down in the time I cained it up and down the motorway to work week in week out.

 

Owned one Nelson and well all I can say is...I love it but they're fragile to say the least! ;)

yeah i know what your saying timmi bud, i would love to have a supra though!! doh!! did i say that out aloud!!!

 

i meant skyline LOL!!

 

hope my bro has better luck with his mr2 though!!