Pics of my new MR2 - red NA rev1 T-bar!

[OwenK]

Evening all

Been lurking for a while, have made a few posts but kept quite low-key as I've been stashing money away slowly but surely so I can buy my own '2.

So finally after a month or two, I've just bought a UK-spec rev 1, my first MR2 - and my first "proper" car (after two Puntos and a leaky beach buggy).

Taken her for a good spin around the country lanes these past few days now it's all taxed insured and on the road - love the way it handles, in comparison to what I've been used to in the past. Good bit of punch to it even though it's not a turbo - enough to see off most overtaking manouvers without flinching - and looks gorgeous. What more can you ask for?


Pic the day I brought it home - look at that spoiler!




And then after 3hrs with a mate today of washing, T-cut all over and wax...







The tramp is a lady! Can hardly tell that spoiler used to be white! It could probably do with a paint at some point - but for now you wouldn't even notice until you're standing right behind the car. There's also one or two dents on one of the rear quarters which need popping out at some point, and there's a wee scrape on the driver's door that could do with a paint. Other than that, it's perfect - not bad for an 18 year old car! Drives perfectly, feels like it rolled out of the showroom last week. I was a bit worried on the test drive, as I'd bought the car from ebay sight unseen - but she drove like a dream. T-bar seals are great, no play anywhere in the suspension, engine runs well and pulls hard - pleasantly surprised after all the absolute dogs I'd looked at in the previous weeks. 68,000 miles, 12 months MOT, 1990 model - for £800, can't argue with that methinks.

Only problems are the dents and paint on driver's door as previously mentioned, and the speedo doesn't work - at all. Had the clocks out yesterday and there was a cable behind them unplugged that fits into a socket directly behind the centre of the speedo dial, which I presume was the right one - it doesn't fit anywhere else - but when I plugged it in and took it for a test drive, it just slowly rose at a constant rate and went all the way round the dial until it got stuck on the shroud. Any ideas?


Anyhow, dead pleased with it so far, no body mods planned for the future really except maybe replacing the spoiler - it's never going to be perfect and if it's going to need painting anyway I might as well upgrade to one that looks a bit more modern - dunno which one though. Air filter and exhaust will be on the list after the speedo is sorted and I can get an aftermarket headunit in - much as I like sticking with OEM parts, and I'm hardly an audiophile, but cassette deck and radio just doesn't cut it for me

I'll be coming out to the New Forest run next month so I look forward to meeting some of you guys in person, kicking some tyres and having a blast down the lanes with the roof out


Now who wants to go for a drive?

[marc GT Turbo]

good purchase ! sounds like the drive in the clocks has gone , but you can pick replacement clocks up easily if them clocks are true ! 68,000 miles is mega low for its age looks good on the rev 3 wheels , and as you say relatively untouched , which does suggest it hant been driven hard over the years enjoy your new motor we like the red ones

[OwenK]

Had a bit of a blat around the past couple of days as well, really enjoying MR2 ownership finally! I was concerned about the mileage yes, but having done a bit more research I reckon it's geniune. It came with 12 months MOT on it and as we know, it wouldn't pass MOT with a broken speedo. The chap said it conked out the day after he had it done - which seems to be consistent as the mileage reported on the MOT certificate is about 10-15 miles less than what the odometer in the car has stopped at.

But maybe I'm just kidding myself - anyway, it doesn't matter much as it runs sweet as a nut. Want to change the cambelt shortly for my peace of mind as I don't know when it was last done. Guess I'll keep my eyes peeled for a new set of clocks too. Cheers!

[HighwayStar]

Nice looking 2 there Owen. Toyota really did build these to last. My rev1 has done almost 3 times that mileage without any significant issues.
You leaving it standard or do you have plans?

R.

[OwenK]

Thanks HS. I know they're built well and will probably outlive me - I've never been one that's been too fussed about mileage, to be honest. The most important part is if the car runs the way it should, and if the wear items - belts, bushings, etc - have been replaced when they should have been. My previous cars have always been average to high mileage just because it means that, if you check it over properly, you can get a perfectly decent car for much less money than a low miles example

Only really vague plans for mods in the future. My exhaust needs repairing anyway after an encounter with a particularly vicious speedbump (never taking THAT road again...!) so will probably use that as an excuse to upgrade to something a bit more interesting sounding... After that, eventually a de-cat and a new air filter, and some new suspension goodies wouldn't go amiss.

But all that has to wait, I'm off to uni of Hertfordshire - just up the road from you, I believe? - in just over a month (starting a course in motorsport engineering ) and the car is staying down here in term time.

Though to be honest I'm a bit bored of the colour, I wanted a bit brighter shade of red than it actually ended up being, but I quite fancy white too...

I really like your little mod putting the plate between the lights combined with de-spoiler, think it would only work well on a white or black car though, certainly not on my red. It's very Esprit-esque

[HighwayStar]

Thx mate.
It's the little mods that please the most I find. Got new rear spats going on at the bodyshop in the next couple of days... homemade from 2 sets of standard spats... think they're going to look great... subtle but great.
Also considering asking the shop to fabricate a vented bonnet from a 2nd hand one I have.. just for the aesthetics.
Anyway, hope it all goes well with the 2 and Uni. You're right about them outlasting you if you look after them. I've given mine regular servicing (every 6k for rev1s) and run it pretty much problem free for over 9yrs now. There are regular Herts meets every first Tues of the mth if you want to meet the local 2s crews. Details in the events section.

R.