A What to look for Guide on buying used MR2's

Ahhh, the Mark I MR2. A great way to enter the world of the MR2 at an affordable price! Fortunetly for you, there are many of them for sale, so you can be picky!! To start off, try and go for a 88-89. These models had suspension, brake, transmission, and other systems updated to improve past problems (like the front rotors warping on earlier models), or to just make the car even better. The interior of these is also improved, not to mention the 7-spkr stereo system was added. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with earlier models, they just tend to have more problem areas. My last suggestion is to find one that the owner garaged and cared for well, no one wants one that's been run hard and not properly maintained!!

Look for the following visually:
	
	-Look for rust around the whole car, especially the wheel wells, 
		Rust can/is a problem on these cars.
	-Look at rear of the car for sooty residue. This usually signifies a Ring 
		problem and loss of compression, this costs about 1600$(min) to have someone rebuild it. 
		A OILY residue could also signify worn Valve guides. If the car was cleaned it
		may be hard to tell, so look for this after you drive it!! 
	-Look underneath the car for any body damage from being bottomed out and the like. 
		Another good idea is to check for past wreck damage by looking for repainted areas
		or better yet take it to a place to check the integrity of the frame.  If your
		planning on doing some racing it's important to have a sound frame.
	-Look underneath the engine/transmission area for oil, &/or transmission fluid leaks,
		the oil cooler lines seem to go after years of use and the breather plug sometimes
		comes loose on the transmission case, allowing transmission fluid to leak. Both
		of these problems are expensive to fix. You have to buy or tap the transmission case
		to fix the breather.  If this problem exists you can usually smell it when it hits
		the rear exhaust and burns after driven, kinda weird smell on drivers side.
	-Be Wary of buying higher mileage MR2s that have not been run for 4+ months.  During that
		time hoses may have dried out, and once it starts to be really used again these can crack,
		break, and cause problems and grief.  (Low mileage is usually 50K-70K)
	-Look around the engine for worn vacuum tubes that should be replaced.
	-Look at the where the distributor attaches to the head (round thing with the spark plug
		cables come out of).  See if there is evidence of oil leaking.  The seals of these
		distributors tend to go, allowing oil from the head to seep into here and then out
		into the engine area.  This also reduces performance by interfering with rotor contacts.
	-Look in the front (under spare tire) compartment for rust, and see if the tools are 
		present, as in the spare tire, tire rod, jack, etc.
	-Check for signs that panels have been replaced and repainted. Sometimes panels get replaced,
		hiding past wreck damage. You can usually tell because there is no seem sealent, and or
		the paint color is different on the other side. I've found the front side panels to be
		replaced often on slightly wrecked MR2s.  It doesn't hurt to use CARFAX and find out
		if the vehicle had been damaged (only if claimed).
	-Look at the windsheild seals..make sure they are not cracked, and check inside for 
		evidence of water damage, or leakage.  This happens often on older vehicles that
		have the original seals.  You should also lift up the interior carpet to check for
		signs of rust, indicating a water leak.   T-Top MKIs start leaking around seals.
	-Look for damaged or bent rims.
	-Look at the engine compartment and check for fluid leaks, cracked hoses, fluid levels, 
		rust, etc.
	-The seats tend to have small rips, or tears by this time, especially the SHIFT BOOT. This
		is normal, and the shift boot can still be purchased by toyota for 50$ or so.  I know
		it makes the inside look crappy but it's an easy fix, don't let it deter you! You 
		might even use this to help reduce the sell price!!
	-If the car has T-Tops look for cracks around the body surrounding them..MR2s can develope
		cracks from hard driving/cornering and such disregard for physics.

Look for the following by Operating the vehicle:

	-Apply the brakes often and see if a vibration occurs, warped rotors happen often with 
		'85, '86 Mr2s ..Rotors are usually 45$ each. 87-89s have newer brake systems that
		doesn't seem to have near as many problems.  BE CAREFULL when torqueing down the wheels
		on MKIs...don't over torque them or the rotors WILL warp.
	-Pull up the parking brake and make sure it holds the car...frozen parking brake cables
		are a constant taunt and aren't cheap to fix, nor is it easy to repair. In the winter
		water that entered the brake cable through worn brake cable boots WILL freeze and lock
		your rear brakes, allowing you to go nowhere until thawed. This goes double for MKIIs! 
	-Go through all the switches, especially the headlight, and wiper dials...they can easily
		be broken or not work correctly due to design, and heavy use.  Check that all meters 
		are working, speedometer, etc..  If it has power locks and windows, be sure to test them
		also....window motors seem to wearing out more often on MkIs.
	-While driving, hold the vehicle straight on a flat & straight road and let go of the wheel
		(keep your hand near the wheel) and see if the car vears to one direction.  If it stays
		pretty much straight, you don't have any alignment problems, if it prefers a direction
		then you need to get it aligned. (Make sure the road is nice and flat too!!)
	-Turn on the stereo (if it has one) and make sure to turn the bass up to make sure the sub-
		woofer works properly.  I know plenty of MR2's who's subwoofer quit working or never 
		worked. The stereo system of 85-86(maybe 87s) only had a few speakers where 88-89 had
		the newer stereo setup.
	-Make sure the idle is smooth (keep in mind the MR2s idle higher than most cars.) and not
		bouncing up and down.  This can be a number of problems, but usually a vacuum leak.
	-In each gear accelerate quickly and slow down quickly.  This is to test the synchronizer 
		gears and linkeage on 5-spd manuals.  Many MR2s have problems staying in 5th gear. The
		later 88-89s toyota seems to have taken care of this.
	-Check the clutch by seeing how well the clutch engages, and how far up your foot has to
		come up before in does. (make sure it isn't slipping)  Many Supercharged MR2s I've 
		tested have worn out clutchs...this is not as much a problem on the NA models.
	-When Driving an SC, make sure the boost comes on smoothly and quickly.  That "jet engine"
		sound is normal *smirk*!! Full boost can be had in third & fourth gear.  
	-While the car is at rest but running...look under the engine area for leaks, and look at
		the exhaust for white/ blue smoke...these are pretty good indications of engine 
		condition as far as the head, exhaust, & compression, goes.  Blue smoke indicates blow
		by problems, and/or loss of compression, due to ring wear & deterioration.  Many '85-86
		Mr2s I've seen, start developing this around 110K-140K miles! This is from wear and tear
		on the engine. My own had a blow by problem.  After a 30 mile drive the back
		of the car would be covered with exhaust goo, and oil, both fresh and smoked!! Be
		carefull with this one...it's expensive to fix, and sometimes cheaper to just buy
		a new engine if you can't fix it yourself.  NOTE: If you're a big DIY you can get a car 
		cheaper if it needs engine work, IF your willing to take on re-building or replacing the
		engine and replace all the hoses and other cheap stuff while your at it.
	-While the car is running, place the parking brake on and the clutch in nuetral.  Wait a
		little bit and see if you hear a slight crunching sound in the transmission area.
		This is usually worn out clutch bearings, and is often a problem with earlier 2s.
	-While driving or idling, listen for any clicking/clacking from the top of the engine.  Older
		mileage cars, that haven't had their regular valve maintenence tend to get noisy. This
		costs a couple hundred from Toyota to do. If your a DIY it's actually pretty cheap, just
		needing a couple of special tools, shims, a dial gauge, and patience.
	-When in doubt get a fellow MR2 owner to test the car with you, and it never hurts to have
		the compression checked before you buy...

IT's HERE!!