Hi Guys, thinking MK3 now

[kanujunkie]

Paul, have a look at this for bodykits,

 m http://www.angelfire.com/space/mr-s/kitspage.html m

pass on the cost of the paint. If your looking for widebody kits then have a look at the Reckless site

 m http://www.reckless.co.jp/modify/item.php?id=474 m

[roger]

If I added a body kit in future is "Sable" going to be possibly the most expensive paint to buy and hardest to apply (is it a pearl/mica etc?)

Never heard of this, and when I had a panel done I received a quote before they even new what colour (Sable) it was. So I don't think this is a problem to worry about. If it does concern you, a quick call to a Toyota bodyshop should provide the necessary information.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the links and info. I suppose I can worry about paint colours when I actually come to get one  s;) s;)

So any mk1 owners moved to (or added) a MK3 and can give car ownership comparisions?

Mainly looking for the 'grin factor' rating and driver appeal comparisons...  s:) s:)  Most other stuff is already in the MK3's favour (newer, less rust, less seized bolts when working on it etc).

That link to the Black car with the reckless kit looked great. I've seen some really nice kits for the mk3 (there are NONE for the mk1 imo; though Toni may disagree with her kitted monster). It's almost as if Toyota wanted enthusiasts to buy the car as a reliable/handling base to customise whereas it's almost ruining things if you change the looks of the mk1!

[kanujunkie]

where do you live, perhaps someone can take you out for a spin, not literally though i hope

[Anonymous]

I had a mk1 for about 10 years and loved it, i also love my roadster, which do i prefer? Both!  s:lol: :lol: s:lol:

[Darth Paul]

Oh and this whole "Sable" thing... is it really that good that it puts the other colours in the shade? I was thinking of the lagoon blue (or a darker colour anyway) for me being a bloke... and that grey seems to fit the bill too.

If I added a body kit in future is "Sable" going to be possibly the most expensive paint to buy and hardest to apply (is it a pearl/mica etc?)

Obviously that is addressed to all mk3 owners if anyone can help.  s:) s:)

thanks

Wondering about Sable?  s8) s8)   Pearle as you say, and it shifts from grey to a browny colour to silver in bright light. Really stunning. Oh, and this one's for sale too!

http://www.mr2roc.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=16715

[Anonymous]

Oh and this whole "Sable" thing... is it really that good that it puts the other colours in the shade? I was thinking of the lagoon blue (or a darker colour anyway) for me being a bloke... and that grey seems to fit the bill too.

If I added a body kit in future is "Sable" going to be possibly the most expensive paint to buy and hardest to apply (is it a pearl/mica etc?)

Obviously that is addressed to all mk3 owners if anyone can help.  s:) s:)

thanks

Wondering about Sable?  s8) s8)   Pearle as you say, and it shifts from grey to a browny colour to silver in bright light. Really stunning. Oh, and this one's for sale too!

http://www.mr2roc.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=16715

Take it from someone who drove a 570 mile round trip to see this car, its fantastic! Alas i could only afford the hardtop, lots of other bits i would of bought had i had spare cash. Well worth a look, free coffee and pizza as well  s:D s:D

[tonigmr2]

Hi mate, only just saw this.  s:D s:D  

I got a MK2 as a cruising type car, it's no where near the 'go-kartness' of the MK1 or MK3, but I like it's brute power (at 420bhp at the hubs  s:D s:D  ).

I still love MK1s and have my 1987 SC which will be mine until I expire.  But it's my weekend car (if it ever gets out of the garage!).

So....I was looking around for a car I could just get in and drive.  Both my other MR2s are really not daily drivers (rollcage/buckets/harnesses!).  At first I was going to get a skyline (R34) but just couldn't justify the expense tbh, plus my husband just wanted something comfy...

So then I decided what I really really fancied was a soft top.  Started looking at S2000s, MX5s and lo and behold the MK3.  Started looking around at prices and realised the Mk3 is now a really good buy.  LOL I was looking at £6-10K examples.  The more I read up the more I realised there were various revisions particularly between 2003-2004.  So I looked at slightly more expensive versions - £10K-£13K.  Finally I noticed some pre-reg deals at Toyota dealers - brand new delivery mileage with approx £5K off list.  Spotted a sable with red leather interior and the rest is history...it's the best colour IMVHO  s8) s8)  

First impressions - the driving position is very different to the MK1.  The steering wheel feels lower somehow.  The interior was quite nice.  But as soon as I got going I knew I was going to buy it.  You will notice less torque on acceleration, and mid-range it can be slightly frustrating unless you are prepared to rev it up.  But it definitely has that go-kartness that I like.  s:) s:)    The steering is very direct, the car is very pointy and I have a lot of confidence in it after a very short time frame.

Go drive it, as a MK1 owner I am confident you'll like it.  Keep an eye out for an LSD version is my advice (all UK cars, some imports).  Hardtop is also a must, the car is a lot more composed with it on...though I am looking at some bracing to improve that.  All in all recommended - unless you are very tall as I had to laugh when a mate got in it this weekend and his knees were either side of the steering wheel.  s:lol: :lol: s:lol:  

T

[rtbiscuit]

thats the whole point of the mk3 engine its power band is around 4500 rpm all the way up to 8000 rpm. thats where all the power is (its even better if you play with the engine)

so below 4000 rpm its a nice town driver, above that and it becomes more sporty, its all in the VVT-i. hence the pretty good mpg as well.

as for paint: paints for you is £10.99 a can of custom colour irigardless of colour (this is standard car colours, not special paints, so no worries sable is fine)

to spray up a full body kit in rattle tins is roughly £120 in paint (thats how much i've just spent, but thats for a ducktail spoiler as well), but you might also need fillers and wet and dry.

[Anonymous]

Hey thanks Toni!

Great to hear from the perspective of someone who has an SC esp.  s:) s:)

I can imagine less tourqe in the N/A but to be expected I guess. And the wheel feels lower? Do you feel higher in your driver position (is your head higher than in the mk1?). Could be they raised it up a bit, or perhaps it's cos the dash doesn't slope away like it does in the mk1. (Quite vertical/horizontal in the MK3 from what i've seen).

rtbiscuit and others > thanks for the paint advice. Sable looks very cool, though I admit I'm also very much into the blue (if it's dark enough) though I suppose that depends on year. And would defo put a hardtop on except for the 2 weeks a year when it's guaranteed to be red hot/sunny, I think it looks much better with the hardtop on (and gives the top half of the car some shape) and very plain from the A Pillar back with the roof down (A rear spoiler helps as does that all in one cosmetic roll bar; makes it look more targa ish.)

I will attemp to get a test drive in one from somewhere (used car dealer) within the comming weeks.. I have my other dream cars (that are a way off yet) but in the mid-term the mk3 looks like an excellent platform to have fun with (modding/styling and just driving).

Cheers all.

[tonigmr2]

Hey thanks Toni!

Great to hear from the perspective of someone who has an SC esp.  s:) s:)

I can imagine less tourqe in the N/A but to be expected I guess. And the wheel feels lower? Do you feel higher in your driver position (is your head higher than in the mk1?). Could be they raised it up a bit, or perhaps it's cos the dash doesn't slope away like it does in the mk1. (Quite vertical/horizontal in the MK3 from what i've seen).

.

rtbiscuit, yes I know on the VVTI, was just explaining it to an SC owner who is used to bags of torque low down.  s8) s8)  

On the seating position - it took me a little while to get used to it.  The steering wheel 'feels' low.  No I don't think the driver position is higher.  Not sure the dash is the problem either - I just think the steering wheel doesn't adjust very high.  Since the car has a 'low slung' feeling all round though you do get used to it.

T

[BenF]

Toni - nice one! When your month of cold turkey is up - have you seen all the different turbo options for the Mk3  s;) s;)  ?

grey lantern,

Just another take on mk1 and Mk3 - (and Mk2) ... I can see exactly where Toni is coming from.

My own view on the Mk3 vs a Mk1, is that a MK1 on original 14" rims with skinny 185s has a lot less mechanical grip, and with a Mk1 NA you do get a fair amount a roll-oversteer. Great fun to drive with the car at / on / over the limit, at not licence-loosing speeds unlike some modern cars.

My Mk1 is standard and mostly used for trackdays. The Mk1 does give lots of feedback to the driver, something that really does allow you to exploit it if you're feeling like it. Also, with a free flowing filter, the induction noise it sounds fantastic over 4k when you open it up.

Now, compairing it to a Mk3 - you're really talking about a car with eningeering and technology that is 20 years newer. Mk1 vs Mk3, the Mk3 is the better handling overall.

In standard NA form, a Roadster is exactly as fast a a Mk1 NA in a straight line (tested around a track with a friend) but has more rubber on the road and so grip than the Mk1. Feedback is also very good and well telegraphed, allowing you to enjoy driving it and never doubt how much grip there is actually left - you can feel it all the time through feedback in the steering etc. It 'feels' quite similar to a Mk1 in terms of handling on the limit.

As for me - I'm a torque junkie, so a Turbo conversion was the way forwards. I've got a small PE turbo fitted, providing 230bhp and 210 Ft/lbs of torque which is plenty enough to make the car very easy to drive on torque if you're cruising, but will also be very adjustable and responsive on track - you can drive the car neatly to be very quick, or enjoy exploiting the very progressive nature and sacrifice tyres to oversteer .. all excellent fun.

Ben.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the info Ben, it's very useful.  s:) s:)

I only drove my mk1 on it's stock wheels for a short time (it's now on 15"x7 + toyo tyres and lowered/uprated suspension)... and it's a modded sc conversion (pulley and weight loss etc). just for info purposes.

Yes the mk3 is 20 years newer so is bound to do pretty much everything the mk1 did and more (and more efficiently; save for engine size I guess).

As a long time mk1 fan (years before I even got one), I would have eventually upgraded to the mk3 (mk2 never did it for me though of course it's a great car, I just saw them EVERYWHERE in the 90's), while I was too young to see MK1's on every corner back in the late 80's (in other words I just didn't look at cars), mk3's dynamics and performance were never in doubt just it's looks even though it looks pretty amazing even stock.

So anyway, a 'perfect' modern replacement for the mk1 is obviously the mk3 which has improvements all around. It's just the slightly soft styling (again, kits are brilliant on the mk3 thankfully) and the fact it's a full convertible which means it would spend 90% of it's time with it's hardtop on (If I got one with it/could source one). I couldn't run around in one stock looking for long as I feel the mk1 had very agressive/futuristic (now old fashioned but still eye popping in the flesh on a nice colour without rust) looks that appealed to me but I have to admit it's getting pretty long in the tooth by now. Mk3 looks great from most angles but the rear lets it down, it's a nice rear but the amount of people who say to me when I mention getting one "It's a girls car" really p*sses me off  s;) s;)

While we are all used to "hairdressers car" comments since the mk1, i've never seen such strong opinion that an mr2 is a females car than with the mk3. I've seen some very cool looking mk3s out there that don't look like a typical mgf/mx5 alternative but a proper "drivers car".

So basically i've been mulling over the total costs of getting a cheaper mk3 + kit + mild mods (small turbo sounds sensible just to get it into the revs) and whether this would work out more than my more expensive cars choices (Honda S2000, VX220 N/A)... I admit I'm going round in circles with it and would just like to own all 3 of them (and keep the MK1 and FTO aswell!)... I can dream  s:) s:)

edit > I should point out the insinuations of who or what a particular type of car is "meant" to be for hasn't been exclusively applied to the MR2/mk3; the S2000 and the VX also apparently get similar stick (from reading their forums) about being somewhat 'feminine' cars (seems like a constant insult to women to always say it as if it's a bad thing too), I wouldn't call the harsh VX or the Mad engined S2000 'soft' at all. Seems to me the mk3 can easily be made to have the power that it's handling is fit for and that is plenty to silence the 4 door/ugly car brigade...  s:) s:)

[BenF]

Heh, I know where you're coming from. Personally, I like to keep my '2s as standard looking as possible - if you feel like it, it can be fun to surprise some seriously expensive machinery.

One thing I'd say - do make sure you drive all of the cars you're considering.  Before getting the Roadster, I did try the 350Z and S2000 - neither 'handled' as I would expect them to. The S2000 was quick on cam -but you would be only on cam at well above licence-threatening speeds. Below that, excepting the brakes ... it just felt 'average'. The 350Z was a big, heavy, car - driving it the steering was over-light for my tastes, and I had trouble really getting the measure of the feedback. Lovely soundtrack from the V6 engine though.

The Roadster is much more progressive, and later facelifted cars are more setup for understeer with the tyre sizing -but I've found doing trackdays with an earlier set of 15" alloys does give the most balanced handling. For the Road, later wheels with Elise Advan Neovas are astonishingly good. Even with the turbo, you get lots of feedback as to how much and where the grip is. If you did get one, one of the first modifications I'd do would be an under-body brace to stiffen it up and a front strut brace - that will reduce any scuttle shake there may be.

[freak_in_cage]

also the s2000 is about as tuned as you can get- not so with the mr2

like someone said, to get into vtec mode your doing above 70mph anyway, unless your in 1st gear!

mr2 good mpg

MCH cheaper insurance on mr2- s2000 is alsways high regardless of your age it seems

mr2 has hard top option too   s:) s:)  

there is a vid on here somewhere of a 190bhp mr2 hammering a s2000, nissan 200 and 300 sx around a track

[Anonymous]

thanks again. Yeah i'm aware of the s2000s lack of grunt down low (some fit a small turbo similar to Ben to get it into the vtec range quicker; but I understand it's a bit clinical and doesn't feel as all round good to drive as an mr2). Also some put in superchargers (similar to the mr2 but I agree it seems less suitable for them in the first place).

I liked to keep my mk1 stock because imo there were no bodykits/spoilers that made it look any better (because it was so weird/purposely functional looking to start with) but with the mk3 it appears that a lot of kits/add ons actually improve it and look very nice. As I said previously, it appears that Toyota anticipated people wanted to customise their cars with the bolt on panels which is what got me properly interested in the first place. Just seemed like the most fun car to buy (and cheap) and turn into you own unique vehicle (I don't mean completely transforming it but just some tweaks here and there, or poss gt300 look).

Anyway, on a hot day like this (with my mk1 in the garage awaiting welding) I envy you mk3 owners... today would be a good day for some proper roof down action  s;) s;)

[tonigmr2]

That's the real reason I bought it, just really really fancied some summer driving.  s:D s:D   I've been pleasantly surprised at it's handling abilities on the way!  

But it does need engine mods for power.  s:twisted: :twisted: s:twisted:  

T
(p.s. had some friends round last night, let slip they fancied a convertible, showed them mine, they're going for a test drive now.  s:) s:)  )