Possible newbie '88 mk1 owner. Advice please.

[Webbz]

I've always been into sports and performance cars and now I'm tempted to delve into the classic market. I'm currently debating wether or not to go for a Mk1 MR2 on a '88 plate that's covered 49,000 miles and had only 4 owners with MOT certificates from 96. It's up for 5 grand at a reputable specialist dealer and although I've only seen photos I've got to admit it looks absolutely stunning in red. Any advice will be very much appreciated as this will be my daily driver too.

Many thanks, Webbz.

[Master-B]

Welcome to the forum. £5k should buy you one of the very best examples around, we are talking show quality presentation, original paint, looking pretty much like it has just left the factory. Solid usable ones start at around £1250. Using it as a daily wont be a problem, plenty on here do that. Be warned though mk1s love to rot, everywhere, so a £5k car is unlikely to have held its value after a winter of daily duties. If you dont know mk1s, go to a meet or find a member local to you to show you around their car, go and see / drive some cheaper ones to get familiar with the model and then go and see the £5k one so you can be sure it is the one for you. Good luck!

[Webbz]

Thanks for that. I'm trading my 57 plate clk so all the figures will have to make sense as I want a big chunk of cash left from the trade in to basically run the car for the next few years.

[IanC]

For 5k as said you should expect an almost perfect car, I viewed a red T top priced at 3500 which was a full on nut and bolt restored car, with full high quality respray and then replica warning stickers etc put in the right places, that gives you an idea of the lengths this guy went to restoring the car. I decided not to buy that one as I wanted a sunroof model and also wanted one to customize and play about with.

I am in Sunderland too if you want I can show you what to look out for on a mk1, using my own car, however you will need to give me a couple of weeks to get it back on the road.

[Webbz]

The one I might look at on Saturday is at PAC Motors in Sunderland so I'll probably make a decision over the weekend. A mate of mine is pretty clued up and he's told me to forget it as I don't have a garage and leaving it out and using it every day will ruin the already fragile paint.

[IanC]

Did you go to see that one at PAC? It looks really clean on the website but photos can only show you so much.

Personally if it was going to live outside (like mine has to) I don't think I would want to spend 5k.