[Mk2] [Turbo] Considering my first MR2 Turbo

[olliermr2]

hi there im thinking of buying a 1993 rev 2 turbo, ive owned a mr2 sw23 (120bhp) a few years ago but it blew up 3weeks after i got it from a dealer, got my money back and went back to little hot hatches.

ive got a 106 gti 150bhp and a punto turbo 170bhp. i really fancy a Mr2 turbo but the servicing and being an import worries me.

are these cars reliable, fun to drive?

can the boost be adjusted easily and safely, these engines seem much more complicated that a punto turbo!

i gusess i jus need sum reassurance that imports are ok, i like to know alot about my cars, i have rebuilt the eninges in both of the above cars for fun.

i feel that an MR2 turbo is unchartered territory, i dont know if i ready for a big boys toy.
are these good car, do they feel powerful? incomparison to small turbo cars?
Ollie

[Nails]

Well in a way Im a bit like you, just came from the world of hot hatches except I was into N/A tuning, so the world of turbos was new to me, Ive always liked MR2's and I dont know why Ive never bought one until now.
But I have, and much to my dismay, theyre a xxx to work on, drink the juice, everything seems to go wrong on them, and they seem really hard to diagnois, usually seem to end up with blown engines, and parts are expensive. On top of that, are they really that fast and good handling.... maybes not as much as I remembered my mates to have been 5 years ago, Ive only had mine about 8 weeks and I bet Ive spent at least £1500 on a new alarm, tyres, brakes, service parts etc, I havent really bought anything exciting for it yet.
At the moment Im very jaded with mine and seem to have spoilt my rose tinted memories of them.

[olliermr2]

where did u get urs from mate? age, milage? what problems have u had?

[ryangt]

easy to turn boost up and mod if u have a rev3 model. more work and money to make a rev1,2 faster . A standard rev3 turbo with 245 bhp will be so much faster than your punto and 106 gti .!! also u have to treat these cars with respected unlike fwd cars which u can allways feel in control of , i found this when i got my first 200sx . makes u a better driver !

[olliermr2]

its a rev2 mate i dont wanna make it much quicker maybe jus tweek the boost and change the air filter.

wot are common problems with them?

are they suitable for everyday cars???

how have u got on with servicing?

[ryangt]

every turbo car i have had i service every 9000miles use good oil , and dont skimp any sports car will cost a bit of money to run hence why its a luxery. i dont use mine everyday only weekends , i have a shhhhh " corsab 1.6 sport for a work car " , as a everyday car its gets about 25mpg mr2 that is !

best bet is to find a local mr2 garage as they will offer u lots of good advice and prices , and use the search button to find the answers to your questions for turning up the boost

[dawolf]

That's just one bad experience. You'll find that the majority of people hardly have any problems. If you can go for a rev 3 as it's considerably more reliable than earlier ones and has more power to boot. Parts really aren't that much when you consider it's a toyota.

[James Junior]

I am on my second mr2 turbo and have found both cars to be very reliable.

As long as you get one with low mileage that has been well maintained you should be alright. (though many people on here would argue mileage is irrelevant both my low mileage cars have been flawless mechanically)

The problem is that because the cars are getting a bit long in the tooth now most out there are dogs.

I would go rev3 and onwards (1994) every time as these cars have the better engine (245bhp as opposed to the 220bhp rev1's and rev2's) out of the box and are easier to tune.

I hear 300 bhp is usually cited as the level of tune you can take the cars to without sacrificing reliability too much.

Out of the box though a good rev3+ feels great anyway, though like everything you get used to the power!

The cars handle well and I think they have a bit of a bad reputation which is mostly unfounded in my experience. They are said to let go suddenly when pushed to the limit of their grip, though unless you drive on the track or like a maniac you are unlikely to find that point anyway.

The cars are quite thirsty, but relative to their incredible performance out of the box, their fuel economy is better than most of their immediate stablemates. An MR2 turbo will probably return around 25 mpg with mixed driving. Compare that with the RX7/ Skyline/ Supra TT etc and suddenly the MR2 looks quite economical for the performance it offers as it is very close to these cars.

Parts can be pricey but there is a thriving trade for second hand parts on here and the MR2OC and you can usually get what you need without spending too much.

Also this owners club is about the bets you will find - period. So many great people, like minded enthusiasts and knowledgeable people all willing to share their experience.

Take a good rev3 turbo for a test drive and I bet you will instantly be smitten.

[olliermr2]

rev3 seem the way to go then.

this is the car i was looking at, i havent test drove one yet and the garage said i have to be over 25 to test it myself! im 20 btw.

it seems like a good deal although they have put the price up from 2,795

are these seats a factory option? they say the engine is unmoddified

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/ww ... x_mileage=

wot do you guys think?

[mattcambs]

rev3 seem the way to go then.


wot do you guys think?

Yes they are indeed the way to go

With prices as they are you would be mad to get a standard rev2. There's an absolute minter rev4 for sale on here for £3300.

Hold on for a nice rev3, you won't regret it. De-cat and increase boost to 1.1 bar ish. It's as simple as that to get to about 270bhp

[dbiagioni]

Mr2 turbos are ultra reliable. Just make sure you buy the right car

I think if you buy at the bottom of the market and you dont know what your doing then you will just pay up for it later in bills

Remember a car is only cheap for a reason.

Mint rev3 turbo carribean blue for sale...like new inside and out,67k miles with 10 mots to back up. fsh for last 10 years in uk, running 110% with no bad bits no scratches, ddents etc etc, 11 months Mot 6 months tax, modded to over 300bhp and its yours for £5k

Theres some pics in my garage lol

[Blacklightning66]

All im going to say is that they were near enough 30K new for a Turbo, you need to have the income to run a 30K car to be able to keep it at its beat.

a rev 3 car will still be 14years old min, so can require excess cash to keep them tip top.

Ive just been shopping for a NA MR2 for a mate of mine, avoid anything owned by some punk 19 year old student layabout. saw 4 cars that had just gone to xxxx because of the low income owner.

Found one today with 2 owners and a fully stamped service book since new knocked the guy down to £1150 from £1290.

If I was going to buy another turbo I would not buy anything unless it was bone stock for a high price.

I would not touch any cars that that have been excessively played with without a full book of receipts and quality fitments, they are prob on the verge of going bang.

I paid circa 5k for my car 5 years ago and have over the years had to replace, Clutch, Gearbox, steering rack , wheel bearings, head gasket, but then I do track mine so it not an example of a normal "daily commuting car" even though I do use it for work and pottering about as well, but if somthing needs doing its gets done no expense is spared!

[James Junior]

rev3 seem the way to go then.

this is the car i was looking at, i havent test drove one yet and the garage said i have to be over 25 to test it myself! im 20 btw.

it seems like a good deal although they have put the price up from 2,795

are these seats a factory option? they say the engine is unmoddified

http://search.autotrader.co.uk/es-uk/ww ... x_mileage=

wot do you guys think?

Can you get insurance? The lad that bought my rev3 turbo was 20 and going to pay £2400 for a 10 month bonus accelerator insurance policy! That was the cheapest he had found and he shopped around for ages.

I think the car looks nice and the milegae is very low, but perhaps suspiciously low for a 15 year old MR2.

Does it have a BIMTA milegae certificate?

Again as above, I would go rev3 and not spend that much on a rev2 when rev3's could be had for the same price.

[dawolf]

Cheap is not ALWAYS bad. I picked up my rev 3 turbo for £2650 last summer when they were still regularly fetching £3500 plus. It's been a great car with only a couple of minor issues. The bloke had to sell quickly as he was picking up a company car within a few days. Just check it over thoroughly and have a good long test drive. The owner won't mind if the car is good. The main important history is oil and filter changes.

[RobCrezz]

You should enjoy it. You just have to learn to drive it differently to your 106. With the little hatches you can more or less just chuck them into the bend, with the MR2 you have to be a bit more aware of what your doing. You have to be smooth and keep the balance.

Rev3s are much faster then a 106 gti, but I had a little play with a friends one which is modded to about 150bhp and because of the boost limit in 1st and 2nd, i didnt really pull away loads untill about 50mph, but from then the tubby just flys off. If you had a boost controller then you lose the boost limits in 1st and 2nd.

[Martin F]

. If you had a boost controller then you lose the boost limits in 1st and 2nd.

which makes an incredible difference, even though im just running around 290 bhp the rev3 will stick on the ar$e of an evo fq320

best to buy the right car first time round

[Mattc1981]

My opinion would be to definately shop around as you can get some stinkers out there, people pushing the boost right up without knowing what effect this will have on the overall engine. There are some really well looked after ones especially in the forums

I think as well you will be very lucky to get any sort of insurance below 2000 unless you go through your mum and dad at your age anyway

Also be careful when changing from front wheel drive to rear wheel drive as its a whole different animal, floor tubby in the wet round a corner and you will certainly know about it!

I bought mine after searching for a well looked after one, I can say that since I bought it I have used it every day and it hasnt missed a beat!There are also a few specialists around that are good value for money aswell. I cant agree more about service intervals treat it right and it will treat you right.

I have not a bad thing really to say about my wee MR2 as for petrol mine usually returns 25-30mpg but goes down if you boot it Id say you would be struggling to find more bang for your buck but I would say that

[olliermr2]

thanks for all ur comments, the milage of the car has been converted from the clocks that are still fitted atm, 66,786 km or sumthin close lol! i checked that out as i was suspicious! it has 6 months warrnty, new cam belt and service, and i really like the look of it, my first mr2 had the rev3 lights and rev 5 spoiler i think?! but this one has an old school class look about it.

as for insurance i have 3year ncbs and im looking at £920 fully comp. not too bad me thinks.

i dont really plan on modding it. and as for the test drive the garage say their insurance states i have to be over 25 to test it myself!

[olliermr2]

went to look at the car i mentioned, complete dog. the search continues.

[dawolf]

Lol. Yeah there will be a lot of bad ones due to their age but keep hunting round.