Getting my 205 cabrio ready for sale, a winter project, and starting to think of a replacement. Rather like the look of the old Mk2 MR2 T-Bar and there seem to be a few on e-bay around the £2k mark. Any of you guys have experience/advice to give on this car?
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your other car is a mondeo diesel?
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My daughter has a 1990/91 Mk2. (not T bar, though)
The engine seems pretty bullet proof, check for cam belt change and I think Aprilia recommends fully synthetic oil.
Check the cooling system over very carefully, there are some long pipe runs and a lot of pipe joints. If it looks like the cooling has been neglected then I would walk away. Acess to radiator and its fan is very restricted and the rad is quite exposed to damage.
The engine bay fan cuts in at quite a low temperature, I would check that this system works as well.
Non of the above is a killer in itself but may be a haggling point.
In the year and a half she has had it the battery, alternator, starter motor radiator and a gear linkage cable have been replaced, but I suppose that's just the luck of the draw. The cooling system was shot and caused most headaches. (It had been "bodged up" by a previous owner.)
For its age and mileage it seems to have lasted well, to be honest.
I have a workshop manual in pdf form which I found on the net, somewhere. If you are interested then I'll have a look to see if I can find the website again or I can burn one onto a CD.
I'm not an expert on them, this is just personal experience.
Oh, a door loom has some broken wires and makes mirror operation a bit haphazard.(I haven't touched that, yet!)
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I can see the attraction but it is a very average car to drive IMO. An old MX5 is more classy and a million times nicer to drive - I would say even more fun than a BMW Mini Cooper!
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I once had a 1993 MR2 T-Bar. I really liked the car, the low driving position and mid engine noise convey the feeling of driving something unusual and my yound nephew found the pop up headlights wildly amusing. It's comfortable over a long distance, spacious enough to fit my 6'2" frame but not as agile as you might imagine, mainly because it's surprisingly big. I had a problem with tyre wear and got through 2 rear tyres in about 4000 miles so it's worthwhile having the tracking of the rear suspension checked. The T-Bar is nice but I couldn't drive far with the panels removed due to massive wind noise above 40mph. It's also the only car I've ever managed to spin which happened on an extremely wet road and, if I'm being honest, I was probably going a little too fast for the conditions.
Problems? Well other than the tyre wear issue the stereo stopped working and Toyota refused to financially assist in buying a replacement so I had it repaired in a back street place. Interior is usual Toyota underwhelming but that was about it. The car even has a reasonable sized boot.
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Hi - I have owned an MR2 for the last 10 years - just about to upgrade to a Boxster! I am quite surprised by the negative reports on this site of the car - I have nothing but pleasure with the car. It handles absolutely beautifully and is a scream in the country roads with superb feel and a high degree of fun factors! certainly better than any Golf! The road to steering wheel is the best you will get second only to the Porsches and super-cars of this world.
I have the T Bar and as far as wind noise is concerned, I haven't noticed anything untoward. Whilst I only do about 6000 miles a year quite a bit is on motorways. You will not expect the quietness of a saloon car but then again it's a sports car. Also the speed is not in the Porsche range but it will rev comfortably at 5000 - 6000rpm since it doesn't "red-line" until around 7000 rpm.
Maintenance - In the 10 years I have owned the car (sorry, that my WIFE has owned the car!), I have replaced the radiator the cam belt - make sure that this is done at the proper intervals) and tyres.
Check the tracking at least 1-2 times a year since a knocks on the kerb etc can throw it out and affect tyre wear.
Tyres are the main expense - I use the Yokohama soft compound - they don't last as long but the extra grip and surety of drive is well worth the extra few pounds. Expect to pay around £95 per tyre back and £70 front (Back are wider.)
As far as buying, the turbos look a good deal but are usually imports and some garages (so I believe) will not have the parts if the turbo needs attention. (Not had personal experience since mine is the standard 2.0 T bar.
There are some great deals to be had - watch out for boy racer models - better to get the "1 careful lady owner from new" since they are generally looked after well.
All in all - highly reliable, fantastic fun for 2-3 grand.
Mine is 1992 K reg. Later models up to S reg I think have more power.
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