Dark Blue Mark

Just wondering, they seem to ba capable of extracting a large amount of beef, but are they that bad in the wet?

A friend crashed his MK2 into a pub, while pulling away in the dry

Also, are they really that gay? Just considdering cheap options (as usual) and what the cheapest power around. Think the 200SX is deffo less gay.

MB

Danbo

All depends on how you can drive....... if you crash in the dry whilst pulling away...there is something wrong.

Stiff

I would imagine any powerful RWD car is gonna be a handfull in the wet, the 200sx is `apparently` renowned for it. Out of the box the MR2 turbo has the power advantage but you`d struggle to get one for less than 3.5k, the 200sx (s13) you can get for less than 1k upwards then tune. There`s a nice, cheap modded one on the SXOC BB at the mo. Go check it out. http://www.sxoc.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=84455

Dark Blue Mark

I dont want anything too cheap, so it would be an S14a Touring if I was going to go for one. Same for the MR2, £6-7k limit...

Agreed, mate who crashed his is a helmet

MB

RON

Mark,
it could be worth your while coming to a meet, one of the guys had a heavily modded 200sx, and he has a mate with an MR2 Turbo.
April 5th!.
he may not be at that meet though, as we're doing an airfield that day!

Ron.

Dark Blue Mark

Its not a black 200SX is it Ron? Ta for the tip off.

Surprised I got no grief for thinking of selling again

Imminent large mortgage...

MB

screechmr2

just a quick question, how can a rwd mid engined car capable of hitting 60 in 5.7 or 5.3 secs (depending on year) and go onto 160mph be gay?

you'd have to have absolutely no driving skill to crash it when pulling away in the dry like your mate did. and no they aren't as bad in the wet as people say, it's just lots of people try to drive them like a fwd car, i.e accelerating mid bend, or run the wrong tyres (same size all round and the like)

Dark Blue Mark

Ok, joking a bit about the gay thing, but 2 seaters do get tarred with that brush.

Can you tell me what the top one to go for is, and whether it has a T bar or not? And are they imports?

The performance figures are what impress me, but worried going to a car not reknowned for its wet handling, I might come unstuck! I am quite sensible so should be ok.

MB

RON

'I am quite sensible so should be ok.'


Yeah right, thats why you never keep a car more than ten minutes!!!!!!

Not black met, he sold his 200, got a scoob now, but could be good for info!

ron.

screechmr2

all official turbo models are imports. you can get them in t-bar and non t-bar, and come as gt or gts. the gt is the best spec one and has electric everything. all should have air con, the post nov '93 ones (round rear lights) come with 241bhp and with a chip and exhaust can see 300bhp, plus they had the tamer handling.

try mr2oc.co.uk and imoc.co.uk for more info

matt5cott

My 'gay' rev5 mr2 turbo...



http://www.bgbi.co.uk/gallery/MR2 (gallery)

Out of the box you get 241bhp as standard (rev3+) and are easy to mod, but I can't be arsed tbh.

RAF1

iTrader: (5)

Have owned several MR2 Turbo's REV1/2/3 all very good you can pick up an early rev-2 for around 2.5k onwards...
their not really that bad in the wet providing you drive sensibly..
later ones come wih traction Control as an option..... useful

Raf.
pics of my old ones.....
REV-3
http://images.fotopic.net/?id=2351947&outx=600&oq=0
http://images.fotopic.net/?id=2351948&outx=600&oq=0
REV-2
http://images.fotopic.net/?id=3074924&outx=600&oq=0

Muffleman

I just love mincing to trackdays etc in this



The 200sx and the MR2 Turbo are great cars and can be had for reasonable money.

All the best



Matt

Dark Blue Mark

Ok ok, I regret the gay comments I am from Bournemouth, so might fit my image

On a serious note, im getting quotes of around £600 for the top model one, which is quite inviting...

Just need to research the different models. With the T-Bar, how easy does it come off, and I presume it will go in the boot.

What Rev is that one Muffman? Look v tasty, as do the others...

Any more advice on Rev changes appreciated. Think basically the one to have is a post 93 GT...

MB

Dark Blue Mark

The GTS is about £590 and the GT is about £780 fully comp, protected NCB etc.

Must be a BHP difference?!

MB

screechmr2

no difference at all in power, suspension, drivetrain or anything like that. purely optional extras and seats.

round rear lights, one piece spoiler and manufactured after nov '93 is the rev 3 models with 241bhp. colour coded side strips and splitter.

dij

The targa roofs come off quite easy and stow behind the seats.

Very nice to own and drive,but they do spin out in the wet.
Dont forget its rear/mid engined so the weight of the eng+box add to the swing.

More like a go kart setup,so propper drivers love em.Me prefer AWD.

Poor mans ferrarri (or slightly more economical mans).

BTW a Testarossa kit is available which does make it even more Ferrari.

Anyone who says the back doesnt flip out has been plane lucky or is a very good driver,when it does come out its not easy to stop it spinning.The Turbo version is violent and I know of a lot of cases where the back wheel (nsr) has hit the roundabout or pavement.

Would still get one,turbo is probably the best one they made,even better than the MRS Rodster (in many ways)

J4CKO

iTrader: (1)

Nearly bought one but it was dog slow, must have been very poorly, H reg turbo and it didnt leave my Golf GTI convincingly hence no sale was made !

Muffleman

A totally standard MR2 Turbo will hit 60 in 6secs or less. I think it was Banzai that had an MR2 modded to around 300bhp which hit 60 in 4.97 on a damp airfield ! So yes I imagine that the 'H' plate one J4CKO tried was very poorly.

Mine is actually an early Rev 1, but it has been made to look like a Rev 3, and there's not much left on the car that hasn't been replaced !

Try and get a Rev 3 with LSD and ABS (which mine has), these help a lot. The tin tops are more rigid and weigh slightly less as they don't need the additional reinforcement that a T-Bar beeds, but a T-Bar really is pretty cool !

Useful site for finding out what's what is, funnily enough, www.mr2.com.

Incidentally, I've just put a stage 5 hybrid turbo on mine, basically the same spec as an RS500

All the best


Matt

screechmr2

talking of 0-60 there was one in redline records a few years ago running 300bhp that hit 60 in 4.2. and someone showed me a clip of one in uk running only 320bhp hitting 60 in 4.57, so with a good launch they can be very quick off the mark, being mid engined means they can launch well.

stage 5 turbo? what else you done mate, must be aiming for 400bhp in the future then

Muffleman

Hi Screech,

Yup, genuine 400bhp is defo the plan

Engine rebuilt with forged pistons, Group N head gasket, gas flowed head etc
HKS Induction kit, Blitz Nur spec exhaust and de-cat
Blitz ECU (for another 2 weeks, then something mappable)
2 stage Boost controller, currently at 1.4bar\20psi while stress testing, but aiming for 2bar
Ohlins coilovers, TRD ARB's, poly's etc, brakes uprated too.

Loads of other stuff, but a genuine 400bhp will be enough for me in such a wee car !

Incidentally, there's a guy in Scotland who has recently bought a VERY modified MR2 from Japan. He dyno'd it a couple of weeks ago and it hit 620bhp !!!

Now THAT'S lairy !!!

Matt

Dark Blue Mark

All sounds good, but im sure id come unstuck after coming from something that hadles like its on rails....

Is the 200SX less of an animal? I have driven one, but not hard...

MB

screechmr2

the back end on the 200sx is a lot more wayward, easier to catch and control a drift though, they're very popular for drifting because it's very easy to lose the backend. an mr2 can launch better and has greater cornering grip, plus the rev 3 ones aren't very wayward in the handling at all, they had many mods to tame them for unskilled drivers.

16vmarc

MR-2 Turbos are What they all should have been!!!!

fatherpierre

Beautiful cars.

I've had 3 MR2 Ts and done over 150k miles in them without a problem.

After owning a rev2 and 3 I'd go for a rev 2 and spend a bit of cash boosting it.

Rev2s handling is more lively and not sedate like the rev3. Granted, it's limit is less but that's what I like about the rev2. My 300bhp rev3 was boring to drive compared to my 270bhp rev2, and no quicker 'feeling'.

A bit like going from a a scoobie to a rev3. All the feeling and challenge were lost.

Midmotorsteve

so scoobys are more challenging than a rev3 MR2? i'm suprised at that comment, whats always put me off AWD is i thought they'd be boring. I've a rev2 n/a and thats great fun.

fatherpierre

I meant the complete opposite!

I drove a 320bhp scooby and it felt like a dodgem car compared to my Rev2. No challenge, feedback or relative enjoyment. The MR2 T is a car that needs respect and teaches you lessons. The scooby is the kindergarden of performance cars.

Dark Blue Mark

I dont think id share that opinion if I got out of shape at high speed! Scoob is where id want to be I think...

Still like to have a go in one though, until you try yourself you dont know if a lot of it is just scaremongering...

MB

stevev_ukturbo

can put a bit of input into this one.

I used to own a 300+ bhp scooby and sold it at the beginning of the year, fancied something a bit more involving in the driving experience so brought a 94 MR2 turbo.

one thing i will say is that it was sooooo much more fun to drive than the scooby, and what fatherpierre says is exactly true, with the scooby any muppet can get into one and drive fast, with the MR2 you really have to think about what you are doing in the driving seat. The same goes for Evo's, it's a bit of a idiots guide to performance cars and i dont mean that in a bad way because i loved my scooby to bits and without a shadow of a doubt will have another one.

I learnt my lesson the hard way, I ended up in a ditch facing the wrong way last wednesday night, cars been written off and im being driven round by my girlfriend. I'm not proud so will say that the mistake was mine, the conditions were wet and icy and I was in scooby mode, mid corner acceleration trying to get power down, back end stepped out and that was it gone, i'd like to think that i'm a pretty good driver but the is no way i was going to regain control of the car. Thats probably the biggest difference, the scooby et al. are forgiving cars, you can push the limits safely and a bit beyond with out too much problems and still regain control, the MR2 you just can't do that, if pushed to far that your going to be on the phone to the RAC and insurance company the next day.

do drive one, they are a hoot, but just show them a lot of respect and remember that the set up is completely different to a front mounted 4wd car.

Steve

Muffleman

Wise words indeed Steve, well said. MR2 Turbo's are a very different driving experience to a Scooby. Mine sits in the garage every winter, and so every spring is a learning experience - again.

I too have a Scooby and it's a great car, but it does flatter the average driver.

With the power now running through my '2, it tends to 'step out' on roundabouts when it's bone dry ! I don't even take it out in the wet.

But a standard MR2 turbo (or even sensibly modded) can definitely be an 'everyday' vehicle, and a great one at that. But just remember, when you get the bit between your teeth 'in the twisties', it requires much more focus and attention from the driver.....well worth it though

Matt