Faults:

On route home from purchasing my new MR2 a bird flew head first in to the radiator, it successfully punctured it and lead to my engine over heating. After splashing out nearly £350 to get it sorted it is now running perfectly. An unfortunate accident I suppose.

General Comments:

General fuel consumption is quite good.

Rear wheel drive is great fun in the wet and in my opinion is a lot safer than your usual front wheel drive motors.

Expensive to repair, but very rarely does a Toyota go wrong.

Not fantastic speeds, but will have most cars in a 0-60 thrash (e.g escort GTI and VW Golf etc)

If you find a mint condition MR2, do not let it pass you by.

Faults:

All I needed in the entire time I owned the car was a new clutch which cost £400 fitted by a local specialist.

Absolutely nothing else went wrong with it not even a blown bulb.

The suspension is very hard indeed and no good if you have a back or loose filling in your teeth.

General Comments:

This car is standard 0-60mph in about 5 seconds and is amazingly quick. Will continue to accelerate in every gear up to 150mph+.

Very firm suspension, but you get used to it.

Handling is great apart from in the wet when the power is a real handful.

Had Tom scoops fitted which made it a real head-turner. It was drop-dead gorgeous.

Needed a car to fit a pushchair for baby so had to sell... still upset...

Faults:

Clutch - £350.

Cam belt was due £350 from local garage.

Other than that, perfect.

General Comments:

MR2 GTi-16.

It's simple, you can tell if you want one by looking at it. You don't have to be that close, hell you don't even have to drive it, hear it or get in it ñ you just know. Because you know it has Ferrari looks, mid engine and rear drive. There is only one way it's going to drive and it's exactly what you are expecting, it's fast at low revs, quick in the mid range, trouser tighteningly quick at the top end and flat as a pancake through the twisty bits basically if you are cornering and accelerating in the top end you are just holding on. I could bore you by telling you that there isn't much luggage space, only two seats and the servicing is going to be expensive, but if you need me to tell you that you are buying the wrong car, like I said ñ look at it. That's what you need to know. So now you have made your decision go buy one while I bore the rest of the class with the details.

If you can get one without power steering, mine has it and it's the only thing I'd change, it just removes some of the feel. T-Bar is good for posing and bad for structural rigidity and hence cornering. Buy as much power as your budget allows; the car goes all the way to the turbo nutter version which is pretty much supercar territory. Mine is about 175Bhp and feels quick, but composed enough to take more. I don't know if the original flavour coupe with 119Bhp is enough, you'll have to decide for yourself.

Toyota created this car to offer an experience that a hot hatch could not, for the same price and the car is still doing it, even against today's hot hatches none of them can offer the religious experience of Mid-engined, rear drive sex that MR2 does, not even close. As a bonus knicker-snapping ability comes as standard in all models. Could have saved myself a whole review with that line.