Talk me out of this MR2!

So.... I found this MR2 on CL. Its an 88 t-top car with a 5 speed. It has minor rust in the rear fender lips and the paint is toast. It has 169k miles and runs great. The T-tops "leak a few drops in heavy rain" and "the interior is good". He wants hardly anything for it. I have yet to see the car in person, but have exchanged a few emails with the owner. Seems legit...

Buuuuuut... I have 3 vehicles already. 2 that run and drive on an almost daily basis and one that sits in my work parking lot that runs but that's it.

I love older Toyotas... I had a 1980 Celica liftback (my first car evar) and a 1984 Supra P-type. The MR2 pushes all the right buttons for me. Manual, RWD, fun to drive and gets better gas mileage than my Ram.

So, GRM braintrust, what should I do? I'm having a moral conundrum...

Linky: MR2

I had an 88 SC MR2. The rust on the rear quarter wheel wells is normal. Also is the discoloration on the plastic front bumper.

I'm doing no good in stopping you from getting it. I would get it, though it's SWMBO's final decision...

So, it's rusty, old, has skipped maintenance, and will leak on your crotch when it rains. It probably needs better tires and a clutch. Offer him $1200.

So it sounds perfect?

Who's ad is this?

Another MR2

Sounds like he would fit in in this crowd LOL

You want us to talk you out of buying a 25 year old mid engined car?
That's not what we do here son.

You really must obtain that car! It's the only sane thing to do.

OK, maybe "talk out of" was a stretch... How about "why shouldn't I?" I'm not expecting a showcar, just a decent daily driver that I can mess with (silvertop swap?) and not get into too much trouble...

Plus, gas is killing me in my truck. It's either drive my 2011 truck or my black Mustang GT with no A/C and bad powersteering...

No. In fact, I think you should go get them both. So there!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTpVP7v6XA4

I feel sorry for people who don't own MR2s. But yeah, you should probably pass. We'll have all the mid-engined fun for you.

Unless you happen to be married, there isn't a single logical reason NOT to buy that car.

Well, if he is married and he buys the MR2, that will solve that problem. Again, I see no reason not to buy it.

SWMBO left me almost 3 years ago... so its just me now... Yay single life!

Any other major issues I should watch out for beside rust and leaky t-tops?

Ah berkeley. Now I feel bad.
I've never owned one or even driven one but I've looked and them and read about them and I do think they're a car that's worth owning.

Haahaaa... decent daily driver? You're not fooling us.

A friend owns one of the same vintage. Absolutely a riot as a track car, but it consumes turbos like crazy.

In reply to mazdeuce:

Don't worry about it... More money for cars!

In reply to Lesley:

I guess I can't BS this crowd at all

stanger_missle wrote: SWMBO left me almost 3 years ago... so its just me now... Yay single life! Any other major issues I should watch out for beside rust and leaky t-tops?

Use that money to go out and bang lots of young women?

I have an '87 that I drove daily for 2 years (3 seasons and parked in the snow). It was a great car, then I got a little crazy with it. Dropped in a supercharged JDM engine, coilovers, big brakes, now she's an autox and track toy, but much less of a good street car as a result.

Good car, but the price is kinda high for what it is. At that mileage, head gaskets blow. Make sure the timing belt is new, or use that as a good bargaining point (I did the TB and WP in about 4 hrs IIRC). T-tops leak (mine is a sunroof). Mine has never left me stranded, and I can only say that about 1 car out of the 7 I've owned in the past 10 years...

mazdeuce wrote: You want us to talk you out of buying a 25 year old mid engined car? That's not what we do here son.

+1 This is Say What material right here.

T-top leak is caused by clogged drain tubes.
In a quick search I found this about Mk2 versions.
http://www.mr2.com/forums/mk-2-mr2-sw20/Toyota-MR2-24262-water-leak-wet-rear-floor-pan-t-top-drain-tube-help-please.html

On the Mk1 version I think the tube runs down the b-pillar and dumps at the rocker panel. Look up from under the car to find the exit area.

In my experience, a minor leak is more likely to be the seals. Honda Shin-Etsu Grease can help quite a bit. Good stuff. If you live in a cold climate, it keeps the seals from freezing to the doors too. Shoot, I need to get more of that stuff.

rotard wrote: Use that money to go out and bang lots of young women?

Panties DROP at the sight of an 88 MR2.

mazdeuce wrote: You want us to talk you out of buying a 25 year old mid engined car? That's not what we do here son.

that's headed for the quote column....

They make fun dailies - been using mine in such a fashion for 6 years now. MPG in the low 30's, no matter how you drive it.

What to be prepared for:

• If you need a safe, stable highway car, be prepared to replace ALL of the wear items on the suspension (struts, bushings, ball joints, tie-rod ends). Due to the weight distribution they seem especially sensitive to "bad" alignment settings and/or changes due to faulty components. Directional stability suffers mightily.

• Like any older car, parts are getting hard to find in some cases. Mostly aw11-specific body parts though. Luckily they put the 4age motor into a ton of vehicles, so no shortage of drive train stuff.

• Speaking of, the motor won't make any appreciable power with bolt-ons. You'll need to do full rebuilds with cam & headwork at a minimum to see anything. Like you mentioned before though, engine swaps are the easy answer.

• IMHO, the aw11 community is incredibly cheap. This is a double-edged sword of course. There aren't many companies making parts for the car due to the market, but you will find a ton of guys who are parting their cars and/or have cheap oem stuff for sale.

• Make sure to look for rust in the hidden places like under the mat in the frunk (front trunk) and under the carpeting in the boot behind the engine. I'd also take a gander at the suspension fasteners to see just how much fun you'll have getting it apart.

• Obviously, it's an old car. Be prepared to occasionally replace whatever rubber seal or o-ring has decided that it's functional time on this earth is over. Including the suspension bushings, it's really the rubber bits that cause all the problems in my experience. The actual components seem to last a relatively long time.

That said, they're incredibly fun, rewarding cars to drive. It's really fun embarrassing just about anything on a highway cloverleaf. Incredibly tossable and not as oversteer-happy as some would believe. Also damn reliable as soon as you replace all the 20+ year old rubber in the car. Despite what some people will say about the mid-engine layout, I haven't found them to be especially hard to work on.

Have fun!