Faults:

Nothing to list apart from it needed a new battery; got a new one for 40 quid, and it now runs perfectly.

General Comments:

This car is three words a-maz-ing. It's the best car I've ever had!! So fast for a 1.6. Costs about 22 quid to fill a tank.

For a sports car there's so much leg room, unlike my Audi TT. The seats are like arm chairs with lumbar support!!! Acceleration is brilliant; people wouldn't know it's a 1.6 considering I've beaten an RS Turbo! Brilliant!!

Faults:

New exhaust (don't buy a cheap and nasty from KwikFit as was originally fitted to mine)

Two new batteries.

T-bar roof leaks (Once a year make sure a you clean and apply some silicone to the rubber seals)

Handbrake cable (the hand brake cable can freeze in place at low temperatures)

HT leads.

Needs new radiator (not yet completed)

General Comments:

This car was the one I always wanted as a kid. It has lived up to every expectation.

The handling and performance are superb. A decent set of rubber is essential if you are going to push the car to its limits.

I find the driving position extremely comfortable and supportive. My car has been to Italy and Switzerland in recent years and I never feel tired after the drive from the UK.

Luggage space is restrictive, but you will learn how to cope. There is a surprising amount of space in the bonnet and even behind the seats. On trips to France I have had 20 bottles of wine and a case of beer behind the seats!

Servicing is recommended every 6000 miles which can become costly if you use the car regularly. Don't use Toyota dealerships. Other running costs are good, 44mpg on long motorway runs, group 14 insurance and good reliability for a car of this age.

Tin worm (rust) is a big problem. If you are looking to buy check rear wheel arches and the top of the windscreen. My car has also rusted the radiator mounts right through (not sure how common this is?)

Buy a T bar model and you will also get leather seats as standard. The red cars seem to lose their colour and gloss.

My girlfriend owns a new Mini and the MR2 always turns more heads.

Faults:

The alternator seized in 1998.

Rust is beginning to show on the rear nearside wheel arch.

General Comments:

Bought the car at 2.5 years old (15,000 miles) and still own it 10 years later (now 100,000 miles).

I can't imagine any other car offering so much fun and reliability in one car - it looks good, does not leak, is easy to get in an out of and it can contain a fair amount of luggage, so long as you use the bonnet, the boot and behind the seats - don't even think of using a suitcase.

It's a ball of fun in the snow, especially down remote country lanes. It handles very well with Pirelli P600s and sticks like glue in the dry, but in 10 years I have met the limit a couple of times - the front starts to lighten and the only solution is to floor the accelerator to push it round the bend.

Here's to the next 10 years.