Officially An MR2 owner now ;0)

[Jak_01]

Hello,
Well after my dad having a black MK1A for a couple of years now and liking it very much, I have decided to get myself an MR2 as I have also been buying and selling model/toy MR2's (and keeping a few for myself ) which I have now used the money return to buy a real one I am very happy as it is a Light Gold/Beige? 1985 MK1A which is the colour and condition of it I was looking for and cant wait till I am older to drive it! (only one year now ). I decided to buy one now because of the current values and condition of most MR2's now, as I wanted something as a nice little project with only a few things that need sorting so this was exactly what I was looking for, as there are no holes in the floor or arches etc. For example I will (and are) be buying some good condition parts to make it perfect for when it is needed (please see my topic here if you have the parts I need for sale) . It also needs some slight rust care applied as there are small bits of surface rust here and there, also the paintwork in a few places (I think its Light metallic beige?) will need touching up which is not really a problem.
Anyway here are the pics



Pics taken by previous owner:



Thanks for looking!
Jack

[KMK11]

Nice one Jack! The car looks pretty good & I'm sure by the time you're old enough to legally drive her, she'll be even better!!

Good luck with your project & I just hope the insurance people dont throw a spanner in the works when your 17

My first car was a khaki green Fiat Uno...bloody awful

[Kateg28]

My first car was a mouldy yellow datsun (I am that old!). So this is a much better step up.

I think it will teach you to drive so much better than the modern technology laden vehicles although the safety equipment is lacking. Much more fun and way cooler (and can only give one of your friends a lift at any one time!)

[mk1bexwa]

You have got yourself a nice looking car there.

My first car was a Peugeot 205 Diesel lol, but only had it a year then bought my MR2 so don't think that your insurance should be too bad.

[Jimbo3045]

Just thought I'd say 'bout the insurance as well as I'm in the same boat as you, I'm 17 and have been quoted around £1800 which drops to £1500 when I'm 18. It sounds kinda daunting but it's not when compared to other cars, funnily enough the MR2 is really cheap considering what it is, the guy who had mine before got it because he had a few points on his license or something and was being completely done over with prices. I think I was quoted £3200 for my dads Rover And about £2500 for a MK2 N/A.

Nice looking project though, hope it goes well for you I sure enjoy working on mine

[mr2mk1chick]

Hi Jak

the colour is 'champagne' gold
our track car isthat underneath

will be a great project. what a good thing to buy from your ebay profits

[jaspa1978]

I was trying to convince the old man to go and look at it for me but couldn't get him there in time. It's the same colour as my old mk1.



I miss that car

Edited to say - I may have a boot lid (and spoiler) and engine lid for it still, they're yours if you want them.

[Jak_01]

Wow!, thanks for all the very kind comments everyone!. I have already bought and fitted some clear indicators lenses (front and side) and a nice condition storage box that goes in front of the radio . Waxoyl and the pump has also been bought as well to stop It from rotting when it is sitting there, So it should be in very good condition when I come to use it, as long as I sell some more of my MR2 models to keep buying nice bits ( ). I will also be making a project page on the forums soon and will post the link up and in the topic picture/annotate everything that I think is worth showing as some spraying of the fake side skirts/mk1a wheels in black will be started soon
@KMK11
Yes!, I cannot wait until the day I can drive it, I will also be saving again to pay for the hopefully reasonable insurance .
@Kateg28
I think also that this will be a better set up than other starter cars (tiny Metro's, Corsa's etc). I also like the fact of it having none of the fancy technology features, as it is a pure 80's classic and I think it is the best 80's sports car that you can buy for the price that they are at the moment.
@mk1bexwa
I was also looking into starting of with a small car such as a 205 as they are a great alternatives to Rover Metros as said above. Then this MR2 came along and I could not miss it
@Jimbo3045
Cool thanks for the insurance info, hopefully when I come round to insure mine it will be that price to insure it or possibly lower . I am quite surprised as I realistic'ly thought it may be around £2500-3000 to insure which would be WAY out of my depth at 17. So If all goes well and I make some money to pay for it, it could be possible hopefully (after paying for driving tests, tax etc aswell ). But I will see how it goes, I also do like working on them (have helped my Dad change the engine many a time on his black 1a) as you have a very good return in the end when you start up the next engine and all is well.
@mr2mk1chick
Im still not entirely sure what the colour of it is yet , but I believe it may well be 'Light Metallic Beige'. As below I have attached a pic of the interior plate and I have looked on here (http://www.mr2mk1club.com/_newsite/inde ... ifferences) and I think the 4E3 part is the colour code?. Thanks for the kind words anyway

@jaspa1978
Nice!, what happened to it? As it looks very good and I especially like the black/white side stripes as they really do suit it, were they custom made or did they come with it as mine has black ones all round? (Also do you still have them?). Thanks for the very kind offer of the parts as well (I will send you a PM very soon ) I'm just not 100% sure if there gonna be exactly the same colour as mine is colour code: 4E3, just hoping they are though .

Thanks again to everyone who commented, and please do keep commenting as I like to see what people think (good or bad ).

Jack

[Monkeymax]

Heya Jack.
Firstly ! Like others, this is miles better than my first car (a puny-engined Peugeot 309 I bought 6 years ago and scrapped two weeks ago...) - enjoy it!! When I was your age, I was having fun in the desert in a different Toyota from this era - The Land Cruiser... I was oblivious to MR2s, so am just a little envious!!

You're right - 4E3 appears to be the colour code according to the VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) plate that you've photographed.
As far as I know, the stripes were standard, though many have been sprayed over in later resprays that they had... The black Mk1s have similar stripes - though white instead of a black one. Not sure I've ever seen them come around the bonnet though...!

You'll need a new front numberplate too by the looks of it...! Try to catch the rust coming through beside the rear light at the bottom corner of the boot as quick as you can - it doesn't look like it's spread through yet, so get rid of it before it does, otherwise it's a real pain to sort.

However, . Has your Dad driven it? If so, how does it compare to his?

[Boyzdad]

Has your Dad driven it? If so, how does it compare to his?

Yes I have we took a five hour coach trip to collect the car and I drove it back 130ish miles It drives very nicely, even with the slipping clutch I think there may be some issues with the suspension at the back, some clonks etc.

We seem to have lost some engine coolant as well, so an investigation is in order As we need to sort the clutch, we are going to swap the gearbox for a spare I have, the 2-3,3-2 change is a bit "notchy" if you rush it. I also plan to pop the head and take the chance to have a look, clean it up and replace the valve-stem seals.

The engine, I am pretty sure is a mk1b (at least bottom end) as the dipstick is too short (mk1a version) but it runs very well and has loads of torque.

Driving this car is great actually, were my car you really notice the power come in, this seems like it has constant torque all the way to max rpm, I assume this is due to the standard setup of the car, its very refined if not quite as "in your face" as mine. The cornering is very flat, I was very impressed, I need to look at my front suspension!

Having looked round the car with Jack, he is VERY lucky to have got it for such a good price! The floors, arches etc are all really solid. The rear arches have been waxoiled in the past which I am guessing is why they are in such great condition, it looks like 2 (new?) front wings have been fitted and they are in great condition. There is a small dent on the front valance which needs sorting, some work on the rear corners (although they haven't rusted thro yet ). And a few mechanical bits and pieces.

All in all a very lucky blind-buy, its going to be a great car for Jack, not too good that he needs to worry about driving it, but not too rough that he needs to worry about it falling apart!