Irish Newbie

[galway joey]

Hi all,

New here to the mr2 and toyota side, more of a ford and nissan head but have got an awful creaving for a mr2/mk1.

Im from Galway in Ireland, currently drive a focus (everyday car) and two s13's (back breakers but great great fun) but want to invest in a mk1.

I have a few questions for ye if ye dont mind:
-What sort of mpg does a standard mk1 do?
-what are the main things to look for when buying one?
-and are they easy to work on?

Thanks in advance for anyone you can help.

Joey:p

[Kateg28]

Another Irish member! There are few very knowledgable people on that side of the Irish sea who will be along soon to help.

In the meantime,

1) about 30/35 mpg as an average although this can be lower when having a little more fun
2) rust, obvious rust, hidden rust, upcoming rust and more rust.
3) yes, and very rewarding.

[alpha13]

Another Irish member! There are few very knowledgable people on that side of the Irish sea who will be along soon to help.

In the meantime,

1) about 30/35 mpg as an average although this can be lower when having a little more fun
2) rust, obvious rust, hidden rust, upcoming rust and more rust.
3) yes, and very rewarding.

your right kate.....very very few knowledgeable ones..most of us are chancers LOL :) :)
welcome aboard joey.
you will defo enjoy the mk1 mr2....like kate said the biggest concern is the rust, after that it really depends on what you are looking for..t-bar,sunroof,supercharger(highly recommended :D :D ) standard N/A model etc etc..
there is plenty of helpful people over here both up north and south...
you should contact colin aka mr2mk1, he is the lao for over here or alternatively email mr2mk1ireland@gmail.com so you can be added to the email list
for shows, runs or that that happen.
i would strongley suggest getting the BGB for these cars...it can be found on here i have a copy at home to.. it is the toyota technical workshop manual and the bible for any work being done.
as for myself.. mine is an 86 supercharged model with a lovely colour scheme..as kate will agree :D :D :D and in dublin.
keep an eye out in the northern ireland and ireland section of the forum too...
again.. welcome aboard joey :)

[Kateg28]

Sorry Mark, I meant there A few! I was actually being nice about you and knew you would be along to help and organise a meet soon. I was thinking he in a good place geographically.

Where is Galway in relation to Dublin?

[alpha13]

Sorry Mark, I meant there A few! I was actually being nice about you and knew you would be along to help and organise a meet soon. I was thinking he in a good place geographically.

Where is Galway in relation to Dublin?

oh i know you meant compliments kate... i was slagging as usual... i meant that there is only a few over here! the rest of us are chancers...like the irish rogues we are LOL :) :) tongue in cheek :) :) :) ha ha
how is your super going???
galway is the complete opposite side of ireland from dublin...dublin is the east point and galway is the exact same place on the west side :) :)

[Rinzler]

Welcome aboard galway joey!.

As mentioned there is loads of members here that know the cars inside out, aside from the small issues with the rust, (all cars have their quirks) the Mr2 is an amazing machine and the rewards are huge!, you have the Toyota reliability and as long as they are serviced and taken care of they will keep on going.

Hope you find yourself a nice one and enjoy!.

[galway joey]

Thanks for all the great feed back....
Seems like a very good site as im involved in some myself.......

Ya rust is always an issue but youll have that on a car of their age...

Im on the look out for a nice one here in ireland, dont want to pay an arm and a leg, would rather buy a cheap good base and touch it up myself and make it my own....

[Drewfitness]

Hi Joey, Ive just rejoined the club after a couple of years out and I am now on my 5th mk1 (3 b's and 2 a's). I live near Belfast and have a nice wee Mk1a this time. These are the oldest models and probably come with more rust than mk1b and additional models. This time of year is great to get a bargain and there are lots kicking around on the auction sites. You need to try before you buy definatley as from my experience, the outer version of the mk1's can be very deceptive to whats actually under the glossy wax!!! A closer look often reveals the actual condition but its like dating profile pictures, the people selling are not gonna put their worst pics on to sell them....my experience are as Kateg28 stated: Rust in all forms! Arches, behind the doors, around the bonnet and boot trims (corners generally), around the windscreens, around the sunroofs and generally anywhere water may lie on its way to the ground! The heads are porus so high mieage may have already been replaced or been skimmed or may be leaking already so see what happens when the temp gets up and the pressure builds in the cooling system. Another joy is the alternator been expertly placed underneath an engine vent which also acts as a gutter and drain! sometimes leads to noisey alts and corrosion of the working parts. I hope i havent put you off but i can tell you this, once you get one, theres no getting away from them.