Owning a Toyota MR2 MKIII]
Simon Mcmurray
Simon Mcmurray bought the 2002 MR2 pictured eight years ago. He says, ‘I had to look at quite a few to find a good one because there are a lot of ropey cars out there. It was worth it though because the car is just so fabulous to drive. It’ll cruise on the motorway comfortably but it’s on more challenging roads that it really shines. Handling-wise, it’s the equal of some much more prestigious sports cars. Despite what you might think given its age, it’s a very Diy-friendly car. I save a lot of money by doing virtually every routine servicing job on it myself. Parts availability is superb. Admittedly most new bits are costly, but everything for these cars is available second-hand. Obviously, that may not be the case forever though. ‘There are lots of tatty examples out there that just need some TLC. Even a knackered engine isn’t a death sentence because second-hand units are plentiful – the same engine went in the Yaris, Auris and Avensis. Although many owners take this opportunity to switch to a 2ZZGE engine, as used in the Lotus Elise. It’s stronger, more reliable, tuneable and more powerful, and slots straight in, although one of the four mountings needs to be adjusted.’
Sam Dawson, Cambridgeshire
Classic Cars’ News Editor Sam Dawson runs a MKIII MR2 as a second car. He’s well-versed in ownership because he’s had three MR2S, one from each generation. ‘I keep coming back to them,’ he says. ‘Nothing else for the money has engineering and handling quite like an MR2. They offer daily-driver reliability, and yet the MKIII in particular is like the product of a low-volume specialist sports car firm, designed more like a Lotus than, say, a Mazda MX-5. ‘Tyre choice is absolutely crucial – they get alarmingly unstable on the wrong rubber. Also beware aftermarket electronics. Mine had a faulty aftermarket alarm that kept draining the battery, and it cost in excess of £200 and several visits to garages to trace it. ‘Don’t be overly put off by superficially scruffy ones. The body panels simply bolt to a semi-spaceframe chassis and are easily replaced. Beware rot in the rear subframe though. The exhaust, which burns off the rustproofing, also does a good job of hiding rust. It was only when I replaced my exhaust to remove the pre-catalysers that I found a 50p-sized hole in the rear crossmember, and suddenly the job was £150 more expensive!’