Faults:

I did not have any major problems during the time I owned the car, there were a few things that had to be fixed, which is probably acceptable for what was a 15 year old car at the time I owned it.

The automatic antenna did not work when I got the car, upon inspection the nylon spine had snapped. Obtained a brand new replacement antenna and spine from Toyota, for a healthy $103.50 NZ. Quite easy to replace, which I did myself. The easiest way to do this is to turn on the radio (so the antenna is up), feed the spine in a bit, then simply turn the radio off - and it reels in all by itself!

Had to replace the rear tyres, which are an unusual size (205x60 14"), with each one commanding a higher price than more common 195 width tyres (which incidentally are the size for the front wheels).

Front suspension always creaked going over speed bumps... did not cause any issues at warranty of fitness checks though. Front wheels would 'skip' sometimes while turning at full lock too.

One rear wheel bearing was noisy too, it sounds a bit like having a helicopter following you down the road, never had this fixed, but its probably a few hundred dollars or so.

Targa Roof glass panels - a great extra for summer, but prone to leaking. This wasn't a huge problem on my car; regular cleaning and silicon protectant helped greatly. It only leaked on the driver’s side when I got the car; I managed to resolve the problem by realigning the window glass.

**The biggest thing though - was that the hairline cracks developed in the chassis near the front sway bar mounts! This did constitute a WOF failure, So always check here if you are thinking about buying one!! I had it fixed by a chassis repair specialist who informed me that this was a common problem for mk2 MR2's - LTSA have repair guidelines for them (The local Toyota service centre had no idea about it when I approached them though...) Black painted patches on the underside will indicate that the chassis has either been strengthened - or simply welded up, meaning that it may only be a matter of time before it cracks again.

Other than that it was only standard service stuff, most consumables are no more costly than your average car, except for the platinum spark plugs, the Nippon Denso replacements are $20NZ a piece from Toyota (with NGK's from Repco costing around $25). You can replace with normal copper plugs for around $7 a piece, but these don not last as long.

One thing though, I would imagine cambelt replacement and cooling system maintenance would be costly (It has 3 bleeding points and needs 12 litres of coolant!) due to the unconventional mid engine layout. The cambelt on my car was replaced at 50,000km when it was imported in to NZ in 1995; the need to replace it at 150,000km was minor factor that contributed to selling the vehicle.

General Comments:

The second generation MR2 is a very nice car, these days they are quite affordable, with most of the examples in NZ being used imports from Japan. The G-Limited models have all the gadgets – 7 speaker premium sound system (the CD player is too old to play non-commercially produced discs though) and cool yellow fog lamps that follow the road wheel steering position, to name, but a few features.

My MR2 was a bit of an impulsive buy, I was 18 at the time and didn't have a lot of money, that said I did take the time to find a tidy unmolested example. My short 1 year or so of ownership was a great experience; it was a bit of a learning curve and perhaps made me a better driver as a result.

Considering the kind of vehicle it is, I did not have any major problems with insurance (being a non-turbo variant), it never received any attention from traffic police, largely because it was 100% original (no rice/boy racer factor), being a metallic green/blue colour probably contributed too.

In terms of economy - my one returned about 500km per tank (refilling 50 litres each time) so that is about 10L/100km. I’m not sure what that is in MPG, nor do I care much in a metric world. It seemed to return about the same regardless of whether it was driven like Nana would, or driven a bit harder.

In terms of performance and handling, not many cars can top it for the few grand they cost these days, you cannot just get in one and throw it about however, the mid engine handling behaviour must be respected. You hear people rant about how dangerous they are and can just 'snap' and spin out of control without warning. I don't believe the car has a problem, it is merely a characteristic. It is more likely to do with those inexperienced and also drivers who tend to be uninterested in driving (i.e.: cars are for going from A to B types of people). What I'm trying to say is that they are a car for a 'thinking driver' not someone who gets in and tries to throw it about like a conventional FWD car, or those who could care less about driving.

These early mk2's are around 150-160HP in naturally aspirated form (2 Litre, 3SGE, Japanese domestic models, The US 2.2 Litre is a bit less), which certainly provides ample top speed and acceleration, so it certainly fulfills its intended purpose. There seems to be a lot of automatic ones knocking about though, which I've always found a bit puzzling, it just seems to defeat the whole purpose really.

People of all ages always commented on how nice a car it was, and they do look good I must admit, though they are getting on a bit now and many haven't aged well (I've seen some real dogs).

Sadly I had to let my MR2 go, lack of money was one of the main reasons, the need for something more practical was a factor too though - I remember buying new rear tyres from a discount/wholesale type place, then having to drive a short distance to have them fitted. The guy in the car on the other side of the intersection in hysterics after seeing the tyres squashed into the passenger seat still sticks in my mind!

The boot is fairly good though, you can probably fit a set of golf clubs in there - and the engine will warm them up nicely! What a bonus!

Overall there pretty ace cars, pays to sift through the rubbish and get a nice example that has been garaged and used as a second/weekend car if possible. Definitely one that has clearly been looked after and not fiddled with and 'modded' by some Muppet.

There is an increasing cult following for them that is well deserved, much like the Mazda MX5/Miata. There is abundant information available for them on the net via forums and such.

Faults:

Let's begin with work that has been done and other events that have occurred since I acquired my MkII Mr2.

Firstly, I lost my gas cap. Cost $18.50 to replace. It was the first and hopefully is the last time I will lose a gas cap. I had happily used up most of the tank when upon refilling one day discovered it missing and had to temporarily use scrunched up paper towels.

Secondly, the car was nearing 100,000ks so I had the cam belt changed. This was quite a process. I took it to the Whangarei dealership and they used up most of the day, even working after hours to get it done. Apparently even a mirror has to be used in the process in order to see in the confined engine bay space! Anyway, I understand they were having some problems, but was happy to finally get the car back. After about half an hours drive I was very concerned. The car was very underpowered, jerky, and slightly noisy. It was the cam belt, and the timing was out. Took it back, and they fixed it good without charging extra.

Grill spotlight stopped working, took three visits to dealership to finally get it going. By the way, the bulb in the spotlight is high quality German material. cost = $10.00.

Clutch lever squeaks when used. Not a problem, but has been checked and remedied only to return.

Alternator belt replaced and started squealing shortly after replacement, but was tensioned again by dealer. Started squealing just recently, but my dad and I tensioned it ourselves and it's fine.

Cost $642.15 for the cam belt, coolant change, alternator belt, power steering belt, spotlight fix, and general check over. Not too bad really considering the troubles caused by the cam belt and spotlight.

Exhaust bracket gave out on my single exhaust (had been changed to a single exhaust for some reason). Easily fixed.

It would be good to mention that I live on about 7ks of gravel road. Yes GRAVEL. Mr2's do not like dust being mid engine. My Mr2 had the air intake system modified to a pod filter (HKS) which sucked up significant amounts of dust kicked up by the front wheals. I tried temporarily inserting foam pads in the air vents to stem some of the dust flow. I'm not sure it worked. Driving on the gravel nearly bought me to tears (well, not quite that bad, but you get the idea). Anyway the 'free flow' foam pod filter (mushroom type) was letting some dust through which I suspect was the cause of my next problem. The idling valve. The Mr2 would idle so low at times it would conk out. Very annoying and frustrating. Eventually the problem was analyzed and fixed not without me worrying. The air inlet system had to be removed to get at the valve which was then freed up. Cost = $84.00. Have since acquired a paper-type, cylindrical pod filter.

Power steering failed. I can tell you having no power steering in the Ford Telestar is very different to none in the Mr2. It is very hard to steer! Anyway, got the terminals cleaned (probably that infernal dust again) and it currently works at about 90% efficiency, can have a hint of stiffness occasionally when parking.

Cost from Albany Toyota to discover and fix and complete other basic tests = $81.55.

Oh, and the targa tops leak a little behind the right driver and left passenger shoulders, and also can be quite noisy when removed. With the windows up the noise decreases about 40%. Nevertheless I enjoy targa tops very much, the feeling of freeness is great.

The red paint has faded a little on the driver's side, but generally the paint is extremely good when compared with other red Mr2's. Note that pre-1992 Mr2's had issues with the red paint, fading, spottiness, etc.

Have changed oil with my father's help. This is fairly easy.

Replaced rear tyres, and managed to squeeze 225 wide tires on the aftermarket alloys. My GT doesn't have a limited slip diff so taking off around corners can lead to the inside tyre spinning if you're not careful - increases needless ware and tear.

From the above you may think that the dealers were abit dodgy. Let me tell you that the Whangarei people are very professional and fair. In my experiences them, I am generally impressed. From what I've seen, Toyota dealers have good, professional staff.

General Comments:

I purchased this Mr2 GT from a guy in Christchurch. I live in near Whangarei so the process involved a flight and a long road trip back up North.

Having researched Mr2's for a good couple of months beforehand, saving money for much longer, and pretty much devouring all MkII information I could get my hands on, I was absolutely hyped about finally going get myself a Toyota Mr2 of my very own. Essentially, this car was my dream car that had filled my imaginations for quite awhile. In the mean time I was patiently driving a sturdy, reliable 1985 Ford Telestar.

If you know much about Mr2s, I'm sure you're familiar with the whole "MkII Mr2's are very liable to have the back whip out in the wet" comments. I have never had this happen to me, and being a turbo it is more likely to happen when putting the power down. Watch it when braking or letting up on the gas while ripping around a corner though because I have read that this may cause the rear to come loose.

The handling is absolutely marvellous. After a few years of the Ford I was nearly agape at how well this car corners in wet and dry. On one occasion I involuntarily managed over-steer. A very unusual, foreign and somewhat unnerving feeling. However, give me abit of over-steer rather than under-steer any day. The Ford under-steered relatively easily. If were to go back to that environment I'm sure it would drive me nuts.

Power is breathtaking at first, then gradually becomes the norm. I find the twin-entry single ceramic turbo system very smooth. Often you hear people talking about cars giving a "kick in the back" when the turbo gets going. I don't find this with the Mr2 at all. The turbo responds very sensitively with throttle movements, and a faint hiss can be heard when it gets spinning. The turbo Mr2 is the only way to go as far as I'm concerned. Overtaking is pretty much a breeze, and high speeds (180+ without limiter) within easy grasp.

The seats are very nice. The leather in mine has stood up to time with moderate wear showing only on the drivers right side support. The lumber is abit overkill and also a bit high for my liking. All in all the seats keep you snug while careering around those tight bends.

Luggage room has never really been a problem for me and is quite adequate. I'm single though; so a couple may have issues. My father and I managed to survive without any trouble on the few days it took us traveling back north.

The ride is firm and reassuring. Suspension is not overly hard. Wind noise is pretty good with the Mr2 having a low wind coefficient of.31.

My Mr2 has a front spoiler. This was installed when I purchased the car. I did not take this into account when I purchased the car, but think the looks are improved. I feel that the standard front of a 1990 Mr2 (Revision 1 air dam) can tend to have a slightly 'chinless' look from some angles. The spoiler really has an effect on this. I'm not saying the standard Mr2 doesn't look good, because it is a beautiful car. However, a front spoiler seems to enhance things a little.

This is a great car. Any issues that relate to two seater cars I label "delightful inconveniences" when my friends comment on the lack of seats, boot room etc. These are things that you are just eager to 'put up with' if it means owning an Mr2.

Another attractive aspect I find about MkII Mr2's is the size of the car. It's smallish and maneuverable with excellent visibility. Also the engine is a 4-cylinder allowing economic fuel consumption if needed. At one stage I got 36 miles to the gallon on the way back from Christchurch! This is mostly travelling at 100km/hr, but also through towns including overtaking etc. Great stuff.

This is a good quality vehicle and if anything happened to my current Mr2, I would definitely look at purchasing another one. A great car.