Re: *WANTED* 1989-1990 MK1 Mint
Hi. I have a mint '88 white t-bar with perfectly retrimmed leather seats (perforated in the centres, as per original). I've just fully restored the car, a winter project (bodywork/spraying is my trade of 23 years). It has been done with 100% originallity in mind. New wings, arches, sill ends, rear lower corners & front bumper bar. Original decals applied. It is gorgeous! Only 88k, mechanically perfect also. Fully serviced & ready to go. I'm not asking silly money for it, but i'm also not giving it away (i've put about 150 hours into it, at a paltry £20 an hour that's £3000 in labour alone! Seats cost £700 when i had them retrimmed, & spent about £600 on parts & paint).
I really think you'll be hard pushed to find better. Tel 07739309373 if you fancy a peak. ;)
Re: *WANTED* 1989-1990 MK1 Mint
I didn't think finding an MK1 would get me so confused!
My 4 tick boxes are;
1) Low miles (i.e. less than 85k)
2) A1 condition
3) max £3k
4) low amount of keepers (everyone tells me to avoid high amount of keepers as these cars can be problematic.
Is original paint desirable over a resprayed vehicle? Does 8 years in between a service matter, even if little miles covered?
What should I be paying? There are only about 3 cars in the country upwards of £3k and I'm worried this is too much in case I ever need to resell?
Help!
Re: *WANTED* 1989-1990 MK1 Mint
Quote:
Originally Posted by magicrising
4) low amount of keepers (everyone tells me to avoid high amount of keepers as these cars can be problematic.
May I ask who "everyone" is? I don't think of these cars as problematic. My last car had 4 previous keepers, I was the fifth (I think, it may have been 5 and I was the 6th). 5 keepers over 20 years is okay.
I think the servicing is much more important but the problem with that is many owners service it themselves so there is no 'evidence'. I would rather buy an enthusiasts car than someone who just owns one.
Re: *WANTED* 1989-1990 MK1 Mint
Quote:
Originally Posted by magicrising
4) low amount of keepers (everyone tells me to avoid high amount of keepers as these cars can be problematic.
Is original paint desirable over a resprayed vehicle? Does 8 years in between a service matter, even if little miles covered?
On the low number of keepers; I thought the same. Mine has had 6 keepers prior to me if I remember right, and this was a little higher than I originally wanted. Then again, it was 18 when I bought it, so for the number of years that wasn't too bad. And it's not really caused me problems in the end at all (even with a lack of service history, but then I broke a fair few of my requirements for the car when i bought my MR2, but it was the right one for various other reasons).
8 years in between a service isn't great as things still age - i.e. it should still really have a new cam belt and alternator belt, etc, as these all should be replaced around every 5 years if I remember right. However, if it's since been driven more regularly by the current owner, then hoepfully all the niggles of sitting around with such little use for so long should have been sorted out.
Also depends how it was stored in between usage. For various reasons mine didn't do a mile for a year and a half while I was doing other work on it, etc. I still started it fairly often, rotated the wheels, etc. Didn't have any problems after that...
Re: *WANTED* 1989-1990 MK1 Mint
...someone who has approached me has 13 previous keepers on their car. People I have spoken to (enthusiasts, specialist servicing, specialist renovation etc..) all say avoid a car with this many keepers.
Re: *WANTED* 1989-1990 MK1 Mint
Hello. How goes the search?
I am very sadly having to consider parting with my white '88 T-Bar (E-Reg) after losing it's storage. I've had the car almost three years and have had it garaged for the winters or when not in regular use. It's getting MOT'd at the end of the week after having a 'sticky handbrake cable' adjusted. No other problems reported.
Having looked at your list of requirements it may not tick them all but it might be worth a look:
- 52K with most of it's service history.
- The V5 states six former keepers (Inc the one before me).
- Excellent condition. No rust anywhere (well, not that I can find).
- Completely original (Original Toyota radio, decals, roof slides & bags, jack, spare, tools).
- Blue cloth interior. No rips or stains (Slight wear on gear lever cover)
I really don't want to sell but the loss of garage will almost certainly see the car start to deteriorate- Plus, I hardly ever get to drive it these days- So I'd rather see her go to a good home. I'll be asking for £2500.
If you've found a good one - Happy motoring!
In the meanwhile - Happy hunting!
Re: *WANTED* 1989-1990 MK1 Mint
Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard79
Hello. How goes the search?
I am very sadly having to consider parting with my white '88 T-Bar (E-Reg) after losing it's storage. I've had the car almost three years and have had it garaged for the winters or when not in regular use. It's getting MOT'd at the end of the week after having a 'sticky handbrake cable' adjusted. No other problems reported.
Having looked at your list of requirements it may not tick them all but it might be worth a look:
- 52K with most of it's service history.
- The V5 states six former keepers (Inc the one before me).
- Excellent condition. No rust anywhere (well, not that I can find).
- Completely original (Original Toyota radio, decals, roof slides & bags, jack, spare, tools).
- Blue cloth interior. No rips or stains (Slight wear on gear lever cover)
I really don't want to sell but the loss of garage will almost certainly see the car start to deteriorate- Plus, I hardly ever get to drive it these days- So I'd rather see her go to a good home. I'll be asking for £2500.
If you've found a good one - Happy motoring!
In the meanwhile - Happy hunting!
PM'd you, thanks
Re: *WANTED* 1989-1990 MK1 Mint
Quote:
Originally Posted by magicrising
I didn't think finding an MK1 would get me so confused!
My 4 tick boxes are;
1) Low miles (i.e. less than 85k)
2) A1 condition
3) max £3k
4) low amount of keepers (everyone tells me to avoid high amount of keepers as these cars can be problematic.
Is original paint desirable over a resprayed vehicle? Does 8 years in between a service matter, even if little miles covered?
What should I be paying? There are only about 3 cars in the country upwards of £3k and I'm worried this is too much in case I ever need to resell?
Help!
1) A 20 year old car with 85000 miles on the clock means it has done on average 4250 miles per year. That is unlikely unless it has been sat around doing nothing for a lot of its life, this is bad for any car.
2) Not sure what A1 condition is it is too subjective, your idea of A1 would probably differ to everyone else.
3) Sellers want as much for their cars as they can get, it is up to the buyer to decide whether the car is worth buying.
4) The number of keepers is a good measure but it can be very misleading. Mk1 MR2's are often bought as a summer car and then sold on so 6 keepers over 20 years is not ridiculous.
Automotive paint will deteriorate over time so a car that has been resprayed properly should be better than original.
Finally if resale value is important to you then I would suggest you don't buy an MR2 Mk1, they may increase in value in the future but then again they may not. They are great cars to drive but no one I know has ever bought one as an investment :+:
Re: *WANTED* 1989-1990 MK1 Mint
Quote:
Originally Posted by coverco
Quote:
Originally Posted by magicrising
1) A 20 year old car with 85000 miles on the clock means it has done on average 4250 miles per year. That is unlikely unless it has been sat around doing nothing for a lot of its life, this is bad for any car.
2) Not sure what A1 condition is it is too subjective, your idea of A1 would probably differ to everyone else.
3) Sellers want as much for their cars as they can get, it is up to the buyer to decide whether the car is worth buying.
4) The number of keepers is a good measure but it can be very misleading. Mk1 MR2's are often bought as a summer car and then sold on so 6 keepers over 20 years is not ridiculous.
Automotive paint will deteriorate over time so a car that has been resprayed properly should be better than original.
Finally if resale value is important to you then I would suggest you don't buy an MR2 Mk1, they may increase in value in the future but then again they may not. They are great cars to drive but no one I know has ever bought one as an investment :+:
There seems to be plenty of low mileage cars around, but I've seen some right dogs with only 48k on the clock so perhaps this isn't the be all and end all. I agree with you re pricing, but there must be some benchmarks i.e. is £3400 for a mint 1989 with re trimmed leather, FSH, 4 owners too much? Resale value is only important because my business is very up and down and if it ever comes to it, I might have to sell it to pay the mortgage!. I am a petrolhead, recently given up biking, and need something to indulge myself in at weekends - I love valeting cars and driving. I've had a few MR2's (the last Mk1b in 1997) most recently a MK3b that had the personality of a wet fish.....
Regarding the number of owners, I've been approached with a superb car but has had 13 previous keepers.
Condition wise, I want a rust free car with a very clean interior. I've got a few cars on the shortlist at the moment. But they keep on coming!
Re: *WANTED* 1989-1990 MK1 Mint
Personally, I wouldn't pay £3500 for a MK1, even if it is in "A1" condition.
But then, everyone has a different opinion and will pay what they want to pay. Someone out there will pay £3500 for a mint MK1, but it might take a while for that someone to appear - so forking it out and then expecting to get that money back on resale isn't such a great idea if you're potentially going to be in a hurry to sell.
We all like to see a nice wad of paperwork and receipts when buying a car, but seeing that they are all over 20 years old now, it's pretty common for a lot of it to have been lost along the way. Obviously FSH is nice to have, but it doesn't actually guarantee anything, especially on cars of this age. There is always going to be the chance that something will break sooner or later.
Good luck with your hunt.
