(planning on) Buying a MR2!! woooo

[bklounge]

Hey All,
This place is great - I've been lurking for a while learning as much as I can about the oh so sweet MR2. My poor civic (RIP) was totaled off a few weeks ago, so I'm planning on replacing her with a MKII MR2. When i originally bought the civ in 05, I really wanted a MR2 for my first car, but they were too expensive at the time, which in retrospect is probably a good thing. But anyways, I'm going to check out a '92 2 tomorrow, but I've got a few questions regarding its condition.

According to the owner, this car has 51000 original km, and is in great condition, except for the interior. He sent me some pics, and the interior looks like it's been to hell and back. I've attached some pics to illustrate this. Is this kind of wear common of a '92 MR2? Especially with 51000km? My dad, who's a mechanic, is going to look it over, but it looks great some minor rust in two of the wheel wells. Also, it's over priced IMO, but it sounds like the owner is willing to negoitiate. What do you guys think?

Here's a link to the ad:
!-!. 92 JDM TOYOTA MR2 GT/TURBO .!-! (Priced Reduced!) - Saskatoon Toyota Cars For Sale - Kijiji Saskatoon

[Raptor13x]

The pics you linked are tiny- I can't really see anything wrong with the interior.

[fidget]

The interior looks fine to me? That does seem a bit expensive to me though.

[jc5spd]

51000km..around 31 700 miles!.. not bad

I agree the interior doesnt look bad from the picture
looks better than mine when i bought it.

And dont let a little rust stop you from buying..i didnt.

Just make sure you take of the intake piping and check for oil in it.

And if you can do what i did and do a compression test. Should be around 165 for the 3s-gte.

Also i'd jump on that being a hardtop.

[Raptor13x]

Originally Posted by fidget

The interior looks fine to me? That does seem a bit expensive to me though.

^ Canadian dollars.

[bklounge]

I've attached some more detailed shots of the rust/interior. The wheel and shifter look beat, and I took that as a reflection of the entire interior but I'll find out in a few hours if it's actually bad. Also, the AC doesn't work, but it seems like that's pretty common.

Which leaves me three main three bargaining points:
-rust
-AC (how much does this cost to fix?)
-interior wear
Besides compression testing and checking for oil in the intake piping, is there anything else major checks i should do?

Also, I thought the t-top model was more desirable to the general community. No?

PS I unintentionally double posted this thread on the MK 2 MR2 - SW20 board, so maybe a mod could take that other thread down.

[Raptor13x]

That sort of wear and tear on the leather seats is pretty common. I'd just grab a new shift knob and an aftermarket steering wheel for the other bits. Either that, or look for a different 2.

Why do you care about the A/C? You live in the frozen tundra of the north.

[jc5spd]

as far as interior do what raptor said..also grab some seat covers if its that bad

As for the A/c..depends on whats wrong...the expansion valves are known to go out on our cars..test for leaks also.

or do what i did on take your compressor, lines, condensor, and everything else..who needs that anyway

and for the major checking besides looking for oil leaks, boost leaks, and smoke from the exhaust thats all i can think of right now..check the belts..all the lights..basic stuff

also if you do get it i'd invest in a valve cover bolt set from twosrus.com if he still has the phillips head bolts on there..
since torque is limited on them the valve cover tends to leak

and the hardtop is more of rarity within the mr2 family
has a ton less of body flex.

[mr29180]

LOL dude that is a nice find that 2 look great and plus it's a right hand drive!!! Just a Lil armoroil and it will look new!!

[Mark_Dorman]

The interior isn't bad. You can get new leather upholstery for your seats for pretty cheap. The fact that it's a black on black hardtop turbo is freaking awesome. Plus low miles is an added bonus.

Definitely do a compression check. There is always blowby in the intake tube. Just clean it up once you buy it and add a catch can .

[jc5spd]

if you get a different steering wheel i want your old one

[fidget]

Do you desire a T-top more? Cause I'll trade you shells any day of the week ^_^

[bklounge]

The Good:
I ended up buying it for $6500, which I'm pretty pumped about. There's absolutely no rust except for a chip on the door that I wouldn't have noticed if he didn't mention it. The car seems to be mechanically sound, and was regularly maintained with a wad of bills to prove it. I've only been driving around today, but this car feels freakn' awesome and is a lot of fun to drive.

The bad:
There's a small crack in the rad causing some minor fluid leakage, so that'll need to be replaced sooner than later. Also, the tires are on their way out, but should be good for a while longer. The A/C doesn't really work, which isn't a huge issue, but I'm gonna get it looked at to see what's up.

Overall, considering the low milage and condition, I think i did pretty good. The RHD doesn't feel awkward like I thought it would, but speeding tickets may become an issue. mmmm boost

[bklounge]

Originally Posted by jc5spd

if you get a different steering wheel i want your old one

Is it possible to get the steering wheel upholstered? Has anyone done this? I haven't looked at any of the wreaking yards for old mr2's yet, so maybe i could just score a newish wheel from there.

[jc5spd]

yea ive done it a few times..took me about 2 days to redo one for a friend.. i tore the leather off and the padding and inserted a extra gel padding that i had left over from redoing my bike seat..had to do some trimming then i restiched it with some new leather i had bought from an upholtsery shop

takes some effort but can be done.

[jc5spd]

and all the steering wheels ive seen so far when i go scouraging through junkyards for my 2 arent worth even stealing

u might get lucky though