My brother has a Toyota MR2 with about , miles—no kidding. Apparently the only real repairs have been some clutch replacements and the head replaced—no engine rebuild. My question is, do the MR2s of that vintage have a reputation of super-reliability? Or is just his unusual? Toyotas were very well built at that time, and they were also fairly simple machines, making them cheap to fix. To give you an idea of durable 80s Toyotas, there is a Celica running around town here with 1. Congradulate your brother on his good car care, since without that, not even the best car will go that far.
Many vehicles will go that distance without a rebuild with a bit of luck and no real abuse. An old Mercury of mine had k miles on it and was still running well when sold. Not as many were built as most cars, and then a lot of them got wrecked because people tend to overdrive them sometimes. I never owned that model but I put , miles on an '84 Corolla. I changed the oil a lot and the timing belt twice. The Toyotas of the eighties were tanks. Only thing slightly unusual is that it is not burning oil.
Used Toyota MR2: what is it like to own one? In , the project was revived and given a new sense of direction: Toyota would produce another affordable sports car akin to its Sports of the s, spurred on by a hastened desire to launch exciting new models into the rapidly-expanding market in North America.
The enthusiasm within Toyota was so great that many engineers famously gave up their summer holidays to contribute to the project. A major reworking of the previous SA-X prototype, the SV-3 was so visually close to its production form that only the front and rear spoilers were redesigned for the production model for better aerodynamic stability in crosswinds.
In the domestic Japanese market the MR2 was initially sold in three grades and with two engine options, the highlight being the iconic bhp 1.
Later in its life, the options expanded to include a T-bar roof panel and a new headline powerplant, the bhp supercharged 4A-GZE. Even so, with its mph top speed and ability to sprint to 60mph in just 8. It was never in doubt that the MR2 would maintain its mid-engine layout and fun-to-drive nature for the second-generation model.
But the remit of the next MR2 expanded to include a more refined and stylish design, improved ergonomics, a higher quality interior, and a range of larger, more powerful engines. For Chief Engineer Kazutoshi Arima, who had been second-in-command on the original MR2, the second-generation MR2 had to take the model further upmarket. As was common at the time, design briefs were given to studios and teams within the Toyota organisation.
Chief Designer Kunihiro Uchida also credited with the Lexus LS then refined the chosen design into a car that bore more than a passing resemblance to scaled-down Italian sports car exotica. The svelte new MR2 went on sale in Japan in October , almost five-and-a-half years after the launch of the first-generation car. The new model had grown in size, being mm longer, 30mm wider and with an 80mm longer wheelbase, but retained a sleek profile with a 10mm decrease in overall height.
Again, either coupe or T-bar body styles were available. For the American market, a 2. This MR2 had an incredible ten-year lifespan, reciving only minor refinements throughout. Within the enthusiast market, versions are often more clearly identified by the specific period in which they were built, from Revision 2 through to Revision 5.
This latter limited edition also included a gentle phase one bhp tuning upgrade of the 3S-GTE engine, and was clearly inspired by the broad-shouldered stance of the MR2s competing successfully in the Japanese GT Championship. Many pundits were convinced the MRJ was the third-generation MR2 in all but name, even predicting its on-sale date and projected price tag.
Everything about the new car would be smaller — overall proportions, engine size, power, kerb weight and price.
It would also be much simpler to produce, with all markets sharing a similar specification. Market anticipation was high that the next MR2 was going to be a pure, genuinely exciting sports car geared toward a new generation and new century. It bore the same MR-S name as the earlier concept, appropriate given its new open-top construction.
Incredibly, the new model weighed significantly less than the first-generation car from kg while also offering a substantial specification level, a feat partly achieved by deleting the rear boot and therefore the fifth bulkhead.
Instead, luggage capacity was improved by adding a full width, litre storage space behind the seats. With bhp on tap the new car was decently rapid, boasting the highest power-to-weight ratio in its class, and was particularly praised in the motoring press for dart-like responsiveness through the major control systems and its outstanding handling dynamics. Like the previous generation car, the MR-S experienced a fair amount of attention from Toyota-affiliated tuners and the Japanese aftermarket.
This marked the first time that a sequential gearbox was fitted to any Japanese car, and because the clutch engaged automatically, it allowed the driver to change gear without having to lift off the accelerator. A global slowdown in the sports car market in the New Millennium had a clear effect on sales of the MR2.
Annual sales figures that were initially counted in the tens of thousands slowly dropped to thousands and then into hundreds. What Car? Share review. What are the most common problems with a used Toyota MR2 sports?
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