few newb questions!

[Anonymous]

"(and if you kids are all paying 4 figure sums for insurance, my policy should cost me about £47.85 per year."

Im not sure i know what u mean enid   s:? :? s:?

lol, neither am i so i edited it out.  i think i was trying to make a reference to the cost of insurance for your end of the market. i think it is an outrage, and its no wonder there are so many people who are not insured on the roads.  i think it is absolutely ridiculous that you have to fork out that sort of money mate.  good luck with your purchase.

agreed. every time i see a spide in a corsa i want to stop my car and headbutt them (theyre not wholly responsible but theyre a major contributor if we're honest)




and yea i did get a lot of answers i was looking for from that post so thanks for that, dont think i could afford the 04 facelift model but i could probably save and stretch to the 03 with the 16s and 6speed, its a 50mile return jaunt to uni and back for me 4-5 days every other week (me and a mate take turns) so 6th gear would really save petrol.

when i sell my yaris my other car is a 2.3L volvo 940 estate so the less 50mile runs done in that the better   s:lol: :lol: s:lol:    s:lol: :lol: s:lol:

[enid_b]

if you are looking at saving petrol, the 6th gear will not really make much difference.  plus you will be so busy tootling round your part of the world and trying to find the long way round to get where you are going, you will end up using more.

honestly, 6th gear will not make a noticeable difference, its only purpose in life is to give you something to talk about down the pub !

[spit]

6th is arguably better for the engine at motorway cruising. The 1zz engine has some resonance issues at 4k revs so its nice not to be sitting there on the tacho for extended periods of time. Its a minor point though .... and I'm not sure why I'm making it   s:oops: :oops: s:oops:    s:lol: :lol: s:lol:

Oh, and welcome to the ROC  s8) s8)

[onion86]

Hi, weclome. There's been quite a lot of replies already i've somewhat missed the boat.

Just a bit of advice (not that you've mentioned looking into it yet) but don't get an import at your age as you won't be happy when you call the insurance company. The person you buy it from may not mention it only for you to find out later when you look more closely, or he does tell you but the fact it's slightly cheaper than other examples may interest you but come back to bite you.

Just as reasoning behind that, I'm 23 with 4 years NCB and in my 2nd year of '2 ownership. My insurance on a W reg J-Spec is currently £1155 and will be going up to £1400+ in 2 weeks  s:) s:)  (turbo). There is some slightly cheaper places but it's still a hefty wack on top of a UK model (plus I get my mods covered rather than "wow admiral you will give me up to £500 that will barely cover my wheels?!"). By contrast, my quote on the UK 04 plate I was going to get at the time (but didn't really want to spend £8,000) was £550. Also remember that if you do mod the car you have to tell the insurance company and it might will probably put the insurance up.

Also, if you click on my fuel consumption in my signature it will take you to a page showing my fuel consumption since about November. Ranges are between 28MPG (stop start to work) and 41MPG (motorway) with the average bang on 35MPG on standard 95RON unleaded.

[Kool PT]

Hey!
Im 19 with a MR2 Red Edition, the looks you get stepping out of a mr2 at a petrol station at the age of 19 is quite funny   s:lol: :lol: s:lol:  either they think you have stole it or are driving your parents car!
Ill let other members comment on the differences of the models but all I can say is that the Red Edition put another £500 onto my insurance from the quote of a standard mr2   s:o s:o
Hope you get one, best car I have owned!

nah, just rich and spoilt

[Kool PT]

Also, price depends on age, and time you buy it a little. I got a 2003 facelift model for £5,400, but that was a stonking deal, but you can pick up older ones for a lot less. Expect £6k for a 2003, especially in this 'heatwave'. If your willing to go older, a 00/01 can be had for ~ £3k.

I have not seen a roadster go for anything like £3k yet with a working engine.

In the south of england, yes there have been a couple going for around 4 grand inexplicably, but now that we are in july I doubt that will continue and trust me up in the north east of scotland you'd pay more like 5 grand for an early model. (I travelled 150 miles to get an X reg one for 5k this time last year, after a few months of looking). I am assuming that the latter figure is a more accurate price for someone in Northern Ireland...

[Anonymous]

Also, price depends on age, and time you buy it a little. I got a 2003 facelift model for £5,400, but that was a stonking deal, but you can pick up older ones for a lot less. Expect £6k for a 2003, especially in this 'heatwave'. If your willing to go older, a 00/01 can be had for ~ £3k.

I have not seen a roadster go for anything like £3k yet with a working engine.

In the south of england, yes there have been a couple going for around 4 grand inexplicably, but now that we are in july I doubt that will continue and trust me up in the north east of scotland you'd pay more like 5 grand for an early model. (I travelled 150 miles to get an X reg one for 5k this time last year, after a few months of looking). I am assuming that the latter figure is a more accurate price for someone in Northern Ireland...

ive actually seen quite a few 00-01 models around for about 4k here,

i was going to save and get a 6 speed but enid says its not worth it, and i think that most of the upgrades done in 03 basically stiffened the car up, which can from what i read be done pretty cheaply yourself. your £500 stage 1 mod thread was particularly interesting reading Kool PT. I probably wouldnt go just as far as you with all the mods but i would no doubt have some of the fundamental ones

how much did u end up spending in total?

[uktotty]

Knowing what I know now, I would not buy a pre facelift as I have turned my car in to a facelift with lights, bracing etc anyway!

[Anonymous]

yea thats what i was thinking i could do, and probably with less money!

[Wabbitkilla]

You then just have to make sure you get one with a good engine and look after it ... or one cheap enough with a crap engine and replace it. Either way it spreads the cost out for you.

[Kool PT]

Also, price depends on age, and time you buy it a little. I got a 2003 facelift model for £5,400, but that was a stonking deal, but you can pick up older ones for a lot less. Expect £6k for a 2003, especially in this 'heatwave'. If your willing to go older, a 00/01 can be had for ~ £3k.

I have not seen a roadster go for anything like £3k yet with a working engine.

In the south of england, yes there have been a couple going for around 4 grand inexplicably, but now that we are in july I doubt that will continue and trust me up in the north east of scotland you'd pay more like 5 grand for an early model. (I travelled 150 miles to get an X reg one for 5k this time last year, after a few months of looking). I am assuming that the latter figure is a more accurate price for someone in Northern Ireland...

ive actually seen quite a few 00-01 models around for about 4k here,

i was going to save and get a 6 speed but enid says its not worth it, and i think that most of the upgrades done in 03 basically stiffened the car up, which can from what i read be done pretty cheaply yourself. your £500 stage 1 mod thread was particularly interesting reading Kool PT. I probably wouldnt go just as far as you with all the mods but i would no doubt have some of the fundamental ones

how much did u end up spending in total?

i got a bit fed up with my plan as it was too restrictive!

i have spent less than a grand on mods themselves though.

I would stick to the basics personally, best ones I did were the intake, exhaust, short shifter & front strut brace. the springs finish off the look but if i had known how much they'd cost to fit & the lifespan of them I would have just saved up and got bc coilovers first. glad the prices are low where you are, makes this car even more of a bargain and with a bit of TLC it really does look like it's worth a whole lot more.

[Anonymous]

yea was on autotrader there, theres 2 near me for 4.5-4.7k, both 01's, one silver with red leather, and the other dark blue with grey cloth upholstery

is it worth it to go for the leather?? lol

the silver w/ red leather is 4.5k and 1 lady owner from new but its a private sale so i couldnt p/x my car.

blue one is trade and is 4.95k

edit. neither has a hardtop - anyone have a rough idea of how much ud be looking at for one?? i see on ebay ur talking like £300  s:( s:(   s:( s:(  lol

[carl_evs]

Hey!
Im 19 with a MR2 Red Edition, the looks you get stepping out of a mr2 at a petrol station at the age of 19 is quite funny   s:lol: :lol: s:lol:  either they think you have stole it or are driving your parents car!
Ill let other members comment on the differences of the models but all I can say is that the Red Edition put another £500 onto my insurance from the quote of a standard mr2   s:o s:o
Hope you get one, best car I have owned!

nah, just rich and spoilt

Get off your high horse you a***.
Do you know anything about him? No. Do I? No.
My friend from school is a self made millionaire now - yes, I'm 29 but he was earning in the region of about 40k a year at 18 and that has rocketed since. Yes, the people that are able to do it are few and far between but the guy may have his own money and be able to afford one. Hell, i had a brand new 206 when i was 19 and that was 12k and every penny was paid by myself.
Your post just smacks of either a bit of trolling or plain old jealousy.  /rant over.

[roger]

djbenny, welcome.

TBH you are asking too many questions where the answers are members own personal opinions, thus giving you no real benefit at all.

For my views.... +03 every time ****, no need for leather or hardtop (allow around £600 with fitting kit 2nd hand but can vary tremendously) or air conditioning.

**** not least the engine / pre-cat issue. And if you don't know about that, have a look in the Maintenance stickies.

[Anonymous]

Benny have u ever driven/had a ride in a mr2?

Ive got a silver pre-facelift with leather

If ur ever up near belfast gimme a buzz and i may let u sit in it  s:P s:P , no but seriously if u wna check one out before buying just let me know

[aaronjb]

edit. neither has a hardtop - anyone have a rough idea of how much ud be looking at for one?? i see on ebay your talking like £300  s:( s:(   s:( s:(  lol

£3-600 for the top and if it doesn't come with the fitting kit then another £1-200 for that depending on how lucky you get.

[Kool PT]

Hey!
Im 19 with a MR2 Red Edition, the looks you get stepping out of a mr2 at a petrol station at the age of 19 is quite funny   s:lol: :lol: s:lol:  either they think you have stole it or are driving your parents car!
Ill let other members comment on the differences of the models but all I can say is that the Red Edition put another £500 onto my insurance from the quote of a standard mr2   s:o s:o
Hope you get one, best car I have owned!

nah, just rich and spoilt

Your post just smacks of either a bit of trolling or plain old jealousy.  /rant over.

  s:cry: :cry: s:cry:    s:cry: :cry: s:cry:    s:cry: :cry: s:cry:    s:cry: :cry: s:cry:  

Both actually!

You're right, he might be a rags to riches type. But he's probably not!   s:D s:D  most people who 'buy their own' overpriced cars at that age may well earn enough to pay it off, full time minimum wage would pay for that, as long as you didn't have mortgage & bills to pay as well!

[Anonymous]

yea roger i realise that, but from reading each persons response you can usually split the people up into groups and i will know which group i fit into, and so whose answers are the ones i need (if that makes sense) lol

and spyder its funny u shud say that lol, i had my first ever sit in one today, went to see one thats for sale in Auto trader, its in for 4695.

loved it lol, litereally FELL into the seat i had no idea it was so low   s:lol: :lol: s:lol:    s:lol: :lol: s:lol:  and i was quite shocked by the size of the storage thing at front, it was bigger than i expected (honestly!!) didnt get the guy to take me for a drive tho tbh he didnt seem that interested in selling it lol

one thing i would say though is that instead of lowering it if i got one, id likely just put some 17s on it and leave it at that. its plenty low for me as it is assuming it doesnt roll about in corners!

edit. what you guys think of this??

in my budget and its been facelifted to look like the new model. was cat D damaged but thats classed as "light damage" and could have been as little as a single dint or a broken lock. its somewhere in lancashire but i have an aunt there who i could stay with if i flew over to get it   s:lol: :lol: s:lol:

[aaronjb]

one thing i would say though is that instead of lowering it if i got one, id likely just put some 17s on it and leave it at that. its plenty low for me as it is assuming it doesnt roll about in corners!

I'm betting you'll end up wanting to lower it - you soon get used to how low it is, and the arch gap looks hideous.. then again, if your speed humps are like the ones down my road, lowering it can be a bit of a problem (though I just end up annoying other motorists by crawling over all 6 of the damn things!  s:lol: :lol: s:lol:  )

BTW the Autotrader pic link didn't work  s:( s:(

[Thudd]

Cat D plus new bumpers etc sounds like a front end shunt to me. Personally i'd steer clear but then I like my wheels pointing the right way  s;) s;)

[Anonymous]

03 every time, i changed my 02 for an 06, and have never regretted it.
Remember spending money on bracing etc to get an older car as good as a facelift is all very well, but you still have an older car. Buy the best you can possibly afford, rather than buying older and spending money on it.

[Anonymous]

yea speed bumps are an issue, we have speedbumps going into work (quite nice and smooth but still there, the kind i used to not even slow down for in the clio), and the ones at uni are absolutely BRUTAL, my yaris is lowered 35mm and i have to take the ramps at speed to stop the chassis banging off them lol, rough but effective

it wasnt just the front bumper that was changed in that car, it was rear aswel and headlights, pretty much everything to make it look like facelift model is the impression i get tbh

and yea ino but a newer mr2 is totally out of the question fact is i just dont have that kinda money! im not really worried about the age of the car, im sure ud all agree that a well looked after toyota will last a lonnnng time, ya just have to look at how many old mr2s and celicas etc are out there still!

i could maybe scrape enough for an 03, but thats really pushing it, id probably rather spend less on an 00-01 and have some left for mods

nelix whats your opinion on the 5 speed vs 6 speed? seeing as uv had both? much difference in economy? and are the ratios 1-5 the same?

[toyotasi]

nah, just rich and spoilt

Your post just smacks of either a bit of trolling or plain old jealousy.  /rant over.

  s:cry: :cry: s:cry:    s:cry: :cry: s:cry:    s:cry: :cry: s:cry:    s:cry: :cry: s:cry:  

Both actually!

You're right, he might be a rags to riches type. But he's probably not!   s:D s:D  most people who 'buy their own' overpriced cars at that age may well earn enough to pay it off, full time minimum wage would pay for that, as long as you didn't have mortgage & bills to pay as well!

I would just like to point out to the more nosey members which seem to not beable to understand how a 19 year old can afford this type of car, that some 19 year olds work damn hard and with no other big outgoings can afford this type of car. I could have wasted my money on drink and drugs like everyone else at this age, but i decided to do something decent.

so am i rich and spoilt..NO did my mum and dad pay for it..NO have i paid alot on insurance..YES, but i feel it has been worth every penny!  s:D s:D

[Anonymous]

Tbh having the sixth gear has never really mattered to me, but i don't do a lot of motorway driving.
I prefer the look of the facelift, and the bracing is better. Plus the rears are 16inch, uprated internals etc.

[Anonymous]

yea im with u si, fair enough my mum bought my first car (01 clio) for me but insurance tax etc was all me, havent had any help since.

yaris all my own money and so wil the mr2 if i get one  s:D s:D


and yea nelix, i agree with you about the looks to a degree. i wasnt really impressed with the grey plastic bits of the bumper on the 01 model i saw today, and also the grey plastic side vents. also the wheels also looked sooo small lol, cant understand why they wouldnt go for 16/17s standard!! as it happens i was also at a ferrari garage and the rims on one of them were 20s lol, mr2s deserve that kind of treatment!