MR2 Roadster

So, I went for a test drive in one of these the other day... Way better than I expected. Felt like my old AW11, only convertible, way more solid (modern) and less of a huge pile of problems (though to be fair that was just my particular AW11). I was surprised to find they weight pretty much the same too, well done toyota. I don't like how they look but meh, that's not the end of the world.

I've been half-arsedly looking for a s2000 for a while now, and there aren't many about (uk) and the prices people are asking for 'em feel pretty high to me. They're always fucking miles away too... So I'm thinking about a stop-gap mr2 as my fun car for a while as I'm tired of owning a fwd understeer machine as my only car. Seems like £2-3k gets a decent facelift (6 speed and LSD) model.

Any thoughts Veeky Forums?

Yes. A 2ZZ from a Celica and a few other Toyotas bolts right in if you feel like it.

What is it about the looks you don't like? These grew on me and I saw a super sexy one a few months ago. It was white with a black soft top and black accents around the intakes. I wish I got a photo of it

I think it headlights and front end are not very attractive. Rest of the car is fine though

they are great fun cars

inb4 furfaggot sperging

Fiatposting is a surefire way to summon him, so I think we're safe here

>Driving across my island is too far
Nigga people in the US travel across states to buy cars, or sometimes even to other states
Your tiny-ass island is nothing to complain about

It looks like someone tried to sketch a second gen Porsche Boxster from memory, but couldn't remember all the subtle details of the body lines and proportions that actually make thhat design attractive.

The headlights are too big and rise up a little too high at the sides of the hood. It creates this perfectly straight, unbroken body line from the top of the headlights all the way to the rear taillights and gives the car a really weird side profile.

When you say "as my fun car", do you mean you have a daily driver? You'll need one. I have an '02 Miata/MX-5 and my friend has an MR2 Spyder. The Miata can work as an only car; its trunk space is decent. The MR2 cannot. He can fit a helmet in the front by removing the spare tire, but it's hard to get anything in the little cabinets behind the seats. Again, not an issue for everyone.

If you're tall, it's a better fit than most Miatas (the '06-'15 Miatas might be okay) and than the S2000. The '02-'05 Miatas are the worst in this regard.

Compared to the Miata and S2000, I'd say the MR2's gearbox is only okay. Avoid the sequential transmission, it's terrible. Not that big a deal; the tradeoff is engine noise behind your head and that's pretty awesome.

In terms of handling, I find the MR2 much easier to spin than the Miata - it takes longer to figure out when you're going to get understeer vs oversteer, or understeer followed by oversteer. The S2000 is known for snap oversteer too. If you drive like a maniac on the street and/or drive in terrible weather, consider the Miata. Tires and mods do help, though.

Don't have a picture but there was a spoiler by Toyota that actually helped the rear end's looks. Not the front, which is the awkward part, but it's not as bad in blue.

Wait, found a pic with spoiler and hardtop.

Silver's not its best color

OP here.. I can't quite put my finger on it, I guess I don't hate the looks, but they've never grabbed me. i suppose if pushed I'd say they're a little oddly proportioned? In standard form they sit too high, and I've never been much of a fan of dealing with insurance companies and their dickhead ideas about modded cars. I could certainly live with the looks though, and suspect if I bought one and bonded with it a bit they might grow on me a little too.

We definitely see distance a bit different over here, that's for sure. I think part of it is in my car buying experience i've found that the further I drive to see a car the more bullshit the seller has used in describing it as 'good condition' or 'not a total pile of shit'.

Yep I've got a (boring) daily... I could probably get away with it as my only car though, I had a MK1 mx5 as my daily or 3 years and pretty much only ever opened the boot to get the spare tyre out and change bulbs.

I noticed the gearchange wasn't as nice as my old NA mx5 on my test drive... Felt very vague in comparison. I'm sure I'd get used to it though. Also noticed the extra head room, I developed a permanent 'slouched' driving position in the mx5.

Have you driven a mk1 MR2 to compare the handling at the limit? I quite liked the way that oversteered - subtle little slides that straightened out smoothly and didn't feel like they sapped much speed.

That spoiler is kinda nice. All the uk ones i've seen with a spoiler are a sort of weird looking pic related thing which i think looks like dicks.

buy an NSX

1 million yen is 9 grand USD. what the fuck

What the fuck? That looks awful.

Dam right! Fortunately not many seem to have it - i mean, who'd tick that box on the option list?

Come to cardiff and sell me your aw11, I need front wings and an ashtray

It's years gone now. 27 MOT fails on a very scabby AW11 let me know it was time to pass it on to someone who cared enough to spend even more money on the (totally awesome) heap of shit. bad for my crappy old car stash but a very good thing for my bank balance.

May your MR2 have a good owner who will cherish it.

2zz swap is pointless tbqh, I don't know why so many people sperg out about that. The precats are a meme if you are a competent car owner.

If you want power with a turbo keep the 1zz or go k20 because both compared to the 2zz have much better aftermarket support.

If you want power from an n/a build go with a K20/24 or 2G.

this

>I don't know why so many people sperg out about that

because Veeky Forums is 99% autistic parrots

been dayling and tarcking mine for past few months. Facelift lsd 6 speed with some TTE mods.
I reccomend getting hardtop if you find one and TTE exaust, cause youre going to get a lot of road noise, it might as well be nice.
Overall fantastic car. Benefits heavily from good tyres and lightening.
Precats are an issue, make sure your mr2 isnt burning oil and then check precats, if they're still in there gut them. It's not hard.

i love my dark silver.