I'm looking for a ragtop - What makes the MR2 so good?

[StuC]

Do we get anything for 50+ posts?!   s:D s:D  

Only when you have bought one!!  s;-) ;-) s;-)

The MR2 is starting to feel like a good bet, I'll just need to find a good one now. Unfortunately, N Devon is pretty remote, so I may need to take a few days holiday for a road trip!!

Excellent news  :-) :-) :-)

Keep an eye out for the For Sale section on here, you can be sure of a good car from a longstanding member on here, especially as the history is usually documented on the boards.
In the meantime if you see anything that takes you fancy, post up a link and we can help you.
If it is not local to you, and there is a willing member, we might even be able to look it over before you make travel plans.

Of what you have seen, are you happy to go for a normal one or do one of the limited editions (TF & Red) grab your fancy?

[loadswine]

There is a nice red one in the for sale section. I have actually seen that one and it looked pretty tidy, if that was the sort of thing you are after.

[ais]

Hi Timbo
Good to see you leaning towards the 2 – you won't be disappointed   s:D s:D  
As you may have gathered and as others have said, one of the fringe benefits is the support network on this forum.
I would be interested on your experience on the other forums – have they been as enthusiastic and helpful as those on here?

[Mightyquin]

I had the same decision to make last year, wanted a weekend 2nd car for fun, had to be a ragtop and had to be small to fit into my garage.

My immediate thought was an MX5 or an MGF. I started looking. I like the look of the original MX5, not so keen on the updated version, but could I find one which didn't have rotten sills? Rough looking patch up jobs excepted.

I turned to the MGF, always had a liking for them although I'd never driven one. I read up about the HGF issues and suspension problems (I'd had hydragas suspension cars before so wasn't worried about that). I very nearly bought a VVC from a dealer but when I turned up for a test drive, found out that the head gasket had blown that morning when they moved the car out of the showroom! I saw another nearby, phoned about it and guess what? They said it wasn't for sale just yet as it was having the head gasket done. I started gettting worried then.

Popped over to see my mechanic and mentioned what I was looking at. He pleaded with me not to buy the MGF, he hates working on them and says even if the HG is replaced they often blow again. He told me to look at the MR2. I hadn't even thought of one until that point. Subconsciously I probably thought they would be out of my particular price range (I was looking to spend no more than around £1500).

Anyway, when I looked at an MR2 close up I was really impressed with the design. OK the interior is a little plasticky compared to a specced up MGF but it's a nicer place than the MX5 IMHO. I knew there wasn't a boot but was quite surprised at how big the compartments behind the seats are.

Long story short, I bit the bullet, paid a bit more than I wanted and bought a nicely looked after MR2, and have been very happy with it. You don't see so many about which I like, and it has the makings of a real future classic if you intend to keep it. It's a car I really like driving just for the sake of it. It's comfortable for a sports car too, and although it's hibernating in the garage at the moment I can't wait to get back out and about in it, having made mental notes of must do roads I've driven on recently (always think "wish I was in the MR2" when I'm driving on a nice twisty B road).

I think the only drawback for the MR2 is if you think you need more luggage space, but as it's a weekend car I can't see why you'd need more than there is. Easy enough room for two squashy holdalls and the passenger can always stuff a bag down the footwell too.

[Tom_K]

Hi Timbo
Good to see you leaning towards the 2 – you won't be disappointed   s:D s:D  
As you may have gathered and as others have said, one of the fringe benefits is the support network on this forum.
I would be interested on your experience on the other forums – have they been as enthusiastic and helpful as those on here?

Would be interesting to see replies from owners of the other cars, any links to the threads?

Cheers.

[Timbo]

Hi Timbo
Good to see you leaning towards the 2 – you won't be disappointed   s:D s:D  
As you may have gathered and as others have said, one of the fringe benefits is the support network on this forum.
I would be interested on your experience on the other forums – have they been as enthusiastic and helpful as those on here?

The response on here has been really great, especially as you probably get loads of guys like me wanting the same sort of "what are they like" type info.

Having said that, I had a very similar experience from the folks on the MGTF forum I joined, a lot of very entusiastic members, all willing to give advice freely, willing to look out for and initially scope potential TFs for me. We recently bought an X Trail to pull Mrs T's horse box, and if I had a pound for each time I asked a dealer/seller "Is it really that good, good enough for me to travel an hour+ to view", only to be hugely disappointed later, I'd be a rich man!

[Timbo]

There is a nice red one in the for sale section. I have actually seen that one and it looked pretty tidy, if that was the sort of thing you are after.

Which one?

[AndyM]

 l viewtopic.php?f=30&t=43423 l     s:?: :?: s:?:

[trickyD]

Looks a nice tidy example to me and by the sounds of things has been well looked after.
The only thing it's missing for me is the AC.

Oh and I suppose the OP could use his budget to get a "tighter" one with fewer miles, should he wish.

[AndyM]

Oh and I suppose the OP could use his budget to get a "tighter" one with fewer miles, should he wish.

Or... £2k of mods   s:bounce: :bounce: s:bounce:

[Timbo]

Looks nice, but I must admit if I had to describe my perfect model, I would go for as late a model as budget would allow, dark metallic blue with a cream leather interior. However, I have no idea if that colour/interior option was ever offered! AC would also be pretty near the top of the list of extras, hard top would be nice as well.   s8) s8)

[trickyD]

Lol  s:) s:)

There is also a TF300 (ltd ed) available at a Main dealer in Durham (on auto trader) advertised at £5k
2006 year, 52k miles, TTE twin exhaust (factory option), alcantata seats.
Might be a nice late low miles example?

Or there is a "red" edition also on autotrader with just 35k on the clock! Also 5k.

[trickyD]

There is a lovely metallic blue though its not the most common colour.
Pretty sure you can only have red or black seats in cloth or leather.

AC is fairly rare but I managed to find one, ironically not even advertised as having AC.

[Tom_K]

AC is fairly rare but I managed to find one, ironically not even advertised as having AC.

Is it? Not being pedantic just never thought of it as rare.

[trickyD]

Maybe rare is the wrong word? They aren't Unicorn cars.

Drawing on my experiences, I searched for about 3-4 weeks to find a £3-4k car within 150 miles of me with AC.
Looked on every site, right down to Gumtree and at probably about 50-100 cars?

I would estimate around 10-20% were advertised with AC

[smarty72]

AC is fairly rare but I managed to find one, ironically not even advertised as having AC.

Is it? Not being pedantic just never thought of it as rare.

From the adverts I've seen it looks like the AC went 'hand in hand' with the hardtop option when buying new?

[AndyM]

From the adverts I've seen it looks like the AC went 'hand in hand' with the hardtop option when buying new?

I believe the hard top variant always came with A/C but it was also available as an option on other cars.

[trickyD]

Yes I think all Hardtops have AC but potentially non-hardtop cars can also have AC?
Mine doesn't have the hardtop clips but has AC....

[Wabbitkilla]

If you look at the history of the roadster.
All cars ordered with hardtops came with AC
Cars ordered without hardtops had the factory option of AC
Some cars (like mine) were retrofitted with hardtop but don't have AC

AC is as common as non-AC cars, if you fail to find a selection, you're just unlucky.

[trickyD]

Good luck finding one with AC

[Timbo]

And just when you thought you'd made a choice of which marque to go for, a helpful friend sends you this link to really mess with your head:

 m http://forums.mg-rover.org/showthread.php?t=506186 m

That appears to be a lot of car for not a lot of cash!!   s:o s:o  

Decisions, decisions!

[trickyD]

I don't get it?
:/

It's a joke? Irony?

[Wabbitkilla]

As has been said, test drive each car and then decide.

[mrzwei]

That appears to be a lot of car for not a lot of cash!!   s:o s:o  

If you like it then JFDI! The only crime is not to make a decision. it's only a car so if you don't like it then change it.   s:lol: :lol: s:lol:

[Timbo]

If you like it then JFDI! The only crime is not to make a decision. it's only a car so if you don't like it then change it.  :.:

JFDI? Sorry!