I've had x1 Mk1 MR2 and x9 Mk2 MR2's in the past and still have one of the last run out SW20 MR2 GT T-bar models in the two-tone silver and black on a W reg - it's in concours condition so I didn't want to use it loads for a few road trips over Europe and the UK because it's quite rare in this condition for that type of car.A friend of mine bought recently a 2003 MR2 Roadster
(pre-facelift 5-speed model) which looks great, which made me think. I didn't know too much about the mk3's so did a bit of research a found the facelift model a better buy as I liked the styling more. I didn't want to spend £4-6K finding a low mileage younger car as it was just for the road trips and supposedly not for keeps. I decided the MR2 Roadster would be the best car for the job with a budget of up to £2,500.It was initially to join my mate with his roadster, but then my other mates
(motorheads) all liked the idea and although like me having other cars like Porsche's and a Lamborghini they decided to join in and all buy MR2 Roadsters too! We have all found how addictive these small cars are, the drive, handling and character very similar to a Lotus. We have all being putting time and effort into cleaning and updating them as best as we possibly can trying to maintain a budget and not spending too much ...which is hard to be honest! First trip will be a whole day to Wales and then another trip into France for a few days. Hopefully later the trips will expand into more parts of Europe being Germany, Switzerland and Italy. We now have 5 MR2's 
The one I bought is registered on the 1st October 2003 as a late
'53' reg Facelift model with 102,000 miles. The colour is Crystal Silver Metallic (1E7) with red cloth interior (Acapulco). Although the mileage is seen to be high, against the age of the car a near 12 years old.. it's only done approx 8,500 miles per year. Plus it had a full service history with Toyota which was good. The car needed a few bits to tidy up on.
Over the years due to age and neglect it needed detailing and cleaning which I love doing but took time. A few missing screws and trim which was easily replaced. The headlights were cloudy, discoloured with green stains on the inner sides due to years of dirt build up. But strangely enough the overall general condition was good, the previous owners all seemed to look after it and it's hard to see it's done the mileage it has...looks like it's done less than half of that! A few pin dents here and there with the inevitable stone chips but all the panels fitted correctly and are true. All genuine Toyota glass still fitted and not replaced by copy glass. The seats are perfect with no wear or tears as per the roof which are the obvious tell tell signs of age and abuse. With the additive character of this car I now want to keep it which wasn't the plan!From new the Roadster was ordered with a hard-roof as the fitting kit is still fitted and it has
'air con'. It also comes with a genuine Toyota GB full body kit, front splitters, rear spats and side skirts which has been fitted and ordered when the car was new also which looks the business and makes the car look lower still. The engine bay looks really good too for a car with this mileage it's very clean and no bits are missing or damaged. All genuine keys and Toyota documentation from new have been kept and supplied.These are the items I fixed or updated:
New OEM fog lights with Nightbreaker bulbs
New TOYO T1-R tyres all round 225/40/16 rears and 195/50/15 fronts
(wider and lower profile).Refurbished standard OEM wheels hyper-silver
Painted hubs silver and calipers red with TTE decals
TEIN lowering springs all round
New badges as per the Japanese Spyder version
(steering wheel, alloys, front nose, roof pull etc).Gloss black vinyl wrap on windscreen surround and door mirrors
Chrome ball gear knob with red engraved 6-speed pattern
(Ferrari style)Silver 3M laser cut 3D interior trim around dash and doors
Chrome speedo push fit cluster rings
Front rubber splitter protectors
Replaced spark plugs to DENSO iridiums
Replaced air filter for K&N for longevity
Pin dents removed
Headlights cleaned and restored
Rear lights and high level brake light cleaned and restored
Whole body clayed, polished and waxed several times
Stone chips painted and corrected
3M clear protective film to avoid stone chips
BOSCH AERO wiper blades
Restored wiper blade arms to satin black
Rear Colour-coded Rounded Lip Spoiler for engine bay
Rear LED number plate bulbs
New Toyota dealer number plates x2
Granville Heavy Duty Rust cure and converter for suspension
Cobra exhaust with two pipes at the rear
(waiting delivery)Here's some pics to date of my car and the others.
Will keep you posted my mates car are having body kits etc done.
What sort of state is the rear subframe in?
](./images/smilies/eusa_wall.gif "Brick wall"){kind=small}
