Opinions Please

[Drewsky]

Hi, I'm a new poster on here and wether or not I'll be a regular visitor probably depends on this thread.

A few years ago, I was gazumped on a 1987 red MR2 by a "friend". The car was completely original and immaculate at the time and had only 60K miles on the clock with FSH.
I recieved a phone call off said friend today to tell me he's selling his house and so the MR2...which has sat open to the elements and not used in his back yard for all this time.... is for sale again

I've been to look at it and it's looking very sorry for itself. However, there's no serious rot on first inspection, just a small split on the bottom of the drivers door, and some rust on one rear wheel arch, (not rotten). I havn't checked the floor yet. The engine is covered in leaf mulch but all looks ok on the surface and all nice and original.

I'm looking at 3 different options at the moment.

1; Buy the car, get it road worthy and sort out the cosmetics over time while using/enjoying it.

2; Buy the car and restore it fully.

3; Buy the car and, if I decide it's not a viable resto, break it and sell the parts.

I'm a fan of '70s and '80s Japanese cars and would enjoy working on the car but, as with a lot of folks right now, money is tight...ish. I'm still negotiating a price but probably going to aim around the £250 mark.

I'd appreciate any advice on what to look for and which could be my best option. I've a few pics I can upload to show general condition.

Many thanks, Drew.

[Drewsky]

Pics:-

[Drewsky]

Pics:-

[Snowtigger]

Look at the YouTube vids on buying a mk1, take off any side triangles and skirts to check the sills aren't rusty and the rears are solid, inside both front wings at the rear against the bulkhead is a well known leaf trap that once full gets some nice rusty leaf mulch going and rots away wings and bulkheads, inside both doors surrounds look for any rust near hinges at the front and near the interior light switch at the bottom there is a vent near there that has two Phillip screws you can take off and look inside with a torch and see if it's rusty, check the front chassis horns at the fronts normally rot through and the rad support bar, rust is the biggest killer of mk1 that and leaving them on grass and not using them.

[adamstanford]

All 3 options are doable its up to you isnt it. Personally 250 would be a great buy!

[Drewsky]

Thanks for the tips about the vulnerable parts to look at...if they're OK, I think I may give it a whirl - I'll have a go at getting it through an MOT without spending too much and see if it grows on me.
Anything to be weary of mechanically wise after it standing for so long? Are the brake calipers likely to be seized for eg?

oooh...pics:-

[adamstanford]

Dont look that bad. Does it start and run?

[Drewsky]

Sorry for all the pics people, they wouldn't load at first...so I tried again...and again!

Yes...it runs! The person that my mate bought it from had never even used the car....she hadn't even passed her driving test, she just liked the look of the car.

My lock-up is full of bikes at the moment so I'm going to see if I can talk my old man into letting me use his garage.....it's a bit small but with the Summer on its way, I can push the car in and out while working on it. The plan is to try and get it through an MOT and take it from there. When I was gazumped on this car years ago, it left a very bitter taste in my mouth and didn't sit well at all - this is my chance to put that right and get this little girl back into use.

[tommundy]

Hi Drew,

The pictures hadn't shown as they'd just gone into moderation, as you're not a paid member and didn't have a high post count.

Welcome to the forums! Looks like a great project!

Cheers,
Tom

[Drewsky]

I'm going back today to see if the skirts will come off readily so I can examine the sills as above.
A couple of questions, (no doubts lots to follow!),

1; Am I likely to be able to get the colour back into the plastic body parts by polishing? It's a shame about the laquer peeling on the rest of the body, it looks like it would have "T-cutted" quite well. Did the laquer stay on cars that had been kept polished? Or did it peel on all cars?

2;Is it possible to re-finish the wheels as original? (I will be looking to restore the car as original as possible).

3; Am I likley to have any problems with the brakes seizing after being stood for so long?

Thanks for the help and info, I'm really looking forward to getting stuck into this car and using it, a T-Bar would have been nice...but not crucial. Roughly how many MK1s are still in service in the UK?