Ok, so it's not the usual GTR upgrade that I've seen a lot of evo owners on here do. I kind of went the other direction, the complete other direction to be precise.

In response to the episode of Top Gear where they purchased cheap cars to use in rally cross instead of playing golf. Having been to the driving range and doing 18 holes of mini putt that morning I thought "that sounds a **** load cooler".

So I decided on an AW11 MR2 and started saving and investigating. If my calculations are correct (they will be BTW) I will save $2000 a year in petrol by driving an MR2 instead of my evo to work (just work!). The cost to keep the car on the road (maintenance, fitness checks, insurance etc.) is $600. So that's a bonus right there.

Yesterday I bought this for $1200:





It is in good shape, it has been cared for but not loved. Minor rust that I will take care of well before it becomes a problem. I discovered that the engine has been swapped for a later model version, an increase from 112bhp to 140bhp. Here's a list of repairs before it is legal to drive on the road:

Washer jets (done)
seat belt buckle and stork do not match (done)
Secure Battery (done)
secure RL rack boot (done)

None of this needed doing:
RF brake is locking
Exhaust manifold has a leak
LF brake hose perished
Lower engine mount broken
Way bar link rod and bushes worn
lower outer ball joint has play

No majors there, just a bit of effort. Once that stuff is taken care of I intend to put in the latest generation 4AGE (20 valve 160bhp) and a C160 six speed transmission, as well as an aftermarket ECU. I want to strip it but I'm not 100% about it yet, we'll see. As I am going to be using it from daily driving I won't be modifying it much further than that. I also intend to hit the track occasionally.

I actually ended up going back to the driving range again today anyway

Hit me with your comments and suggestions!

 

I like MR2's. I haven't driven that model, but I have the next gen turbo model and they are a lot of fun.

 

They are heaps of fun. Not overly practical for much, but I'm happy with that trade off. I chose the AW11 for the 4AGE and it's near invincibility and the option of the later model engines.

A friend of mine has two MK2s, both turbo models. Both a lot of fun.

 

Still misses my MR2s I used to own. I had an AW11 SC, as well as a '95 SW20. In fact, my car was featured as the MR2 of the Month on MR2OC!

http://www.vegasmr2.com/mr2ocotm/oct2006mr2otm.htm

Eric

 

Nice buy.

 

I love that engine bay, I want to eat a fine meal off the valve cover.

A couple of SC versions were available to me but I avoided them because it would defeat the purpose of being an economical daily driver. Now my brother has a 4AGZE and a LSD E58 sitting in his garage that he's not using. So so tempting.

 

Washer jets - fixed.
Battery - secured.

Any halfway respectable mechanic would have done those for free.

I had a look for the supposedly broken engine mount and all 4 of them appeared to be in good shape. I inspected the brake hose that was supposed to be perished and that was fine too. I'm starting to think the mechanic who did the fitness check was trying to deceit the guy into getting repairs he didn't need.

So with that all good I took it out for a bit of a spin and I love it, it's spectacular.

 

How do you like driving it? After reading so much about the MR2, I finally got a chance to drive a fairly nice example about 10 years ago. It wasn't what I'd thought.

 

I haven't driven it very much as it's not supposed to be on the road at the moment. But from what driving I have done it definitely feels very light. It does feel like it moves around a bit at highway speeds. The pull is quite solid once the RPM gets up and it doesn't run out of juice at the higher end of the RPM range. I haven't pushed any cornering yet, the tires on it are extra budget and I need to get used to no power steering.

Did you drive a MK1 or 2? What did you expect? What was it actually like when you drove it?

 

friend of mine used to have one, blast to drive...

 

I drove a MK1. I'm not sure what it was, exactly, that I expected. I guess I thought it would feel very immediate and utterly tossable, and it didn't. It was kinda cumbersome to drive. It lumbered around corners allowing the pilot less confidence than expected. I was hoping for an extension of my body, as I had with a '76 Scirocco, a number of A1 and A2 GTIs, and of course my IX. What I really hated, and I mean hated, was the driving position. The transmission tunnel's placement was such that one's arm had to rest several inches about its comfort zone in order to shift. Awkward. (I'm ~6'/180lbs.) Hopefully you have a better example.

 

I'm 5'6"/185lbs and the sitting position is great, I can sit my arm without putting any tension on the gear lever. I find it very responsive and it does what I want when I want. Definitely a lot easier to drive than my IX. Probably because the limits are so much easier to reach.

So I genuinely really enjoy it, I haven't driven a huge variety of cars though. Each to their own.

 

The right steering rack boot was not attached but it is now. Repair checked.

The engine mount is still getting to me. I've inspected it, I've had a mate look at it and they look fine to both of us. Image links: Rear 1 Rear 2 Front 1 Front 2.

 

great car there!

 

I just took it for a fitness test this morning and it failed on one of it's headlights being out of alignment. So it will be on the road tomorrow.