Hi everyone

[Plasticman]

Hi folks,
I've just joined up and I'm looking forward to learning more about the Mk1 and all it's good and bad points with a view to finding myself a mint example.
The reason I'm looking now is that despite having owned a '73 Gen1 Celica GT Liftback for a number of years, someone has been pestering me for over a year to get me to part with it.
Up to now I've always said no but last week he finally made me an offer I simply couldn't refuse so I had to give in and sell it. This means that I have a gap in the garage and I really want to stay with Toyota
so the MK1 MR2 is on the shopping list. I need to find a really good example if there are any about or if anyone on here knows the whereabouts of such a car, I'd appreciate their input.
Look forward to getting to know some of you in the coming weeks and months.
Thanks for now.
Mike

[Rich135]

Hi Mike,
Welcome along. That must have been a tough sell to let the Celica go, but sometimes if someone makes an offer that good it's difficult to say no! Has it gone to a good home?
There are certainly a few mint examples still about, but I am sure you are already aware that you can't always rely on the advertisers descriptions, especially on the auction sites.
Keep an eye on TheMarket, CollectingCars and CarandClassic websites to see what comes up and feel free to post it here for some honest opinions.
Do you have a spec and budget in mind? T-bar? Colour?
Cheers
Rich

[Plasticman]

Hi Rich,
Thanks for the warm welcome. Yes it was tough to let the Celica go but I know it's gone to a very good home and, best of all, I'll get to see it during our local classic car tours throughout the year.
Regarding the search for a Mk1 MR2, I suppose my ideal car would be Red or White, 'T' bar with relatively low miles and excellent to mint condition that has had all the body restoration done.
I suppose what I'm saying is a full nut & bolt restoration would be ideal.
Budget won't be a problem for the right car.
Cheers,
Mike

[Rich135]

Mike

It's good to hear the Celica is at a good home.

This one looks pretty good. Quite a hefty price so it really would have to be as good as they say it is to be worth that much https://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C1276649

Whilst many have, not all cars have had a restoration at this point. Mine is still original body and paint, having covered 50k miles with two owners before me, so keep an eye out for completely original cars as well. I found mine through following various people on twitter, so all avenues should be kept open!

If I spot any more, I will pop them on here.

Thanks

Rich

[Martin42006]

Welcome to the club, There are the occasional ones still around that have had all the work done.
I might know of a couple that are for sale but would have to see if they are still available.

Not to be a downer but that one posted by rich i would be wary of, very little description and the rear arch on the second photo stands out as the wrong profile so has possibly been repaired badly. the mot history doesnt look great for it either with excessive rust since 2006. It might have had extensive work done to fix the issues but you would think the seller would be advertising the amount of work thats been done to get it right.

[Rich135]

Not to be a downer but that one posted by rich i would be wary of, very little description and the rear arch on the second photo stands out as the wrong profile so has possibly been repaired badly. the mot history doesnt look great for it either with excessive rust since 2006. It might have had extensive work done to fix the issues but you would think the seller would be advertising the amount of work thats been done to get it right.
Ouch, I see what you mean Martin, the MOT history does not make for nice reading and lots of time off the road.

[Plasticman]

Hi Rich,
Yes I've already seen the white one, in fact it is listed in the 'for sale' section of the forum and it's now sold but thanks for the heads up.
Hi Martin, Thanks for your comments too. If you do find out if the cars are still available that would be good to know as well as spec. and condition.
As I mentioned, if the right car comes along then budget is no problem.
Thanks again.
Mike

[Plasticman]

Hi all,
Does anyone know this car or have any comments they would be willing to share.
I seem to remember reading that rust in the door shuts could be a worrying sign but don't have any experience of this myself.
It looks very nice but I'm well aware that all that glistens isn't gold.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1989-Toyota-MR2-Sports-2dr-SALOON-Petrol-Manual/184554853061?hash=item2af85392c5:g:6bwAAOSw8FVfxzS K
Thanks,
Mike

[Rich135]

Hi Mike
I haven't seen that advert before, and some of these other guys are far more knowledgeable than me, but my two pence worth:

Initially it looks clean but I would not expect ANY rust on a mk1 MR2 at that price, let alone on the b pillar! All cars rot from the inside out, so it's very likely it will need some major work once you start prodding with a screwdriver in the bottom of the door shuts. I wonder what it's like underneath and behind the side skirts.

It has clearly not been cleaned very well and has probably spent quite a bit of time outside, the green mildew around the boot hinge is very off-putting. The same goes for the protective sticker in the picture of the door shut - it's great that it is probably the original sticker, but no-one has been cherishing this car and cleaning it fastidiously, so it's not a high price car. It has been polished to be sold, but I wonder what it looks like before that polish if they didn't even remove that mildew. I would want to look around the front end very carefully.

Obviously it's not a T-bar so no leather either, but that might not be a concern for many. So it looks a nice car, but for a LOT less money, knowing it will certainly need some welding/paint to be perfect.

Happy to take close up pictures of mine to show the difference in any other those areas, for contrast.

Cheers

Rich

[Plasticman]

Thanks Rich,
That would be helpful.
Mike

[Rich135]

No problem Mike, here are a few of both corners of the boot and both bottom b pillars.
Annoyingly the original owner of mine had an alarm fitted a drilled a whole at the left of the boot for a sensor :-(
Cheers
Rich

6079
6080
6081
6082

[Rich135]

Other things spotted in the ad https://www.rossharveyltd.co.uk/cars/toyota/mr2/1.62dr/413895/
Looks like a lot more rust at the back of the bootlid (top left when open).
I don't believe the wheels were ever diamond cut on standard cars, just painted with a darker grey colour in the teardrops like this https://picclick.co.uk/Toyota-Mr2-Mk1-Alloy-wheel-14-Rare-Genuine-192508390567.html
The rear mudflaps should have the raised "MR2" text in silver colour. Looks like they were re-painted at the same time as the bumpers as the white looks a bit different.
Cheers
Rich

[Plasticman]

Thanks Rich.
Looks like it's hiding a few things from the past. MOT history also mentions corrosion on rear suspension upright mounts and the car has only covered about 600 miles in the last 5 years so your theory about being standing outside all seems to add up.
Probably one to steer clear of, especially at that money.
Cheers, Mike

[Rich135]

It is amazingly low mileage over the last 10 years, around 1,000 miles in that time! Crazy. Well worth looking at if the price was much lower, so no harm in calling them and asking for their "real" price :-)

[Martin42006]

i would say its worth about half that price :o
Rust on the b-pillars are common and often a sign of being stood.
If its coming through there then there is a good chance that the scuttle and a-posts will also be showing signs from being left outside.
Nice low mileage but it has rust so there will always be more than you can see.

[Rich135]

Mike this one "sold" on ebay but the winning bidder didn't pay/collect. No connection with me etc, I just say it on the MR2 facebook group, that would be worth you joining.

Old ebay ad https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Toyota-MR2-MK1-/264862896279?fbclid=IwAR3JyR6A8w_so2vaQouTPRvDYf1W PrEdypOwuPAZGmQzjynWFINiCIlKkLk&hash=item3dab0f1097%3Ag%3A9h4AAOSwaHlfXMXe&nma=true&si=Km%252FMzjau%252FPxaWZ11WM8fWZAujbs%253D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/795024304223932/

[autobody]

Hi Mike. I had my car for sale no so long ago. I wanted to sell before I moved overseas. I took it off the market as I moved overseas and covid effected the sale of the car. i've sent you a PM.

[Rich135]

hi Mike, how is the search going? I saw a few people send you PMs on facebook but no idea what cars they have. interesting to see a few low mileage examples on that group.

[jimi]

This one popped up on the OC classifieds the other day, bit pricey in my opinion, but it doesn't really matter what I think, I'm not buying ;)

https://www.mr2oc.co.uk/classifieds/advert/404-mk-1-mr2-low-miles-fsh-superb.html

[jed]

Agree Jimi, states fastidious owner, close look at the engine bay says it all, missing strut cover n/s rubber with rust, that white grease sprayed over the place and the general cosmetics says a lot, not fastidious at all, great looking motor though interior looks superb, I would have thought the owner would have had the engine detailed for that money.
Still well worth a view

[Plasticman]

Hi Jimi & Jed,
Yes I've already seen that one and apart from what Jed says, the MOT history put me off straight away.
"New MOT with no advisories"... yes after 2 fails for serious structural welding needed to be done.
No thanks.
Rich, thanks for asking. I'm pleased to report that I have had several cars offered to me and at the moment I have 1 car reserved for me but with the current situation with covid restrictions, I have agreed with the owner to do nothing until January when we see whether the whole country goes into lock down again. When things ease, I will plan to go and view and, I suspect buy the car. It's a red T bar, totally original, low miles and looks brilliant. I also have an option on a white sunroof model too with amazingly low miles which has been in a private collection for a number of years. If it's as nice as it looks, I may buy both just for good measure. That one is in Wales though and that's currently a no go area so patience is the order of the day.
Thanks to everyone who spread the word for me. I'll keep you updated in the new year.
Cheers,
Mike

[Rich135]

Hi Mike,
That's fantastic news. I am really pleased to hear you unearthed a couple of gems and I hope it works out for you. I noticed you are stood in front of a beautiful mk1 Escort on facebook - if you don't mind, can you share more about that car? I have long been a fan of them but the prices are out of my range these days. Stunning looking cars.

All the best
Rich

[Plasticman]

Hi Rich,
Yes that was an ex-rally Escort Mexico that I rescued from a friend in Lincolnshire some years ago. My son and I did a full bare shell restoration and rebuilt engine, suspension etc. Was a stunner when finished and always turned heads. Ultimately, I gave in to pressure from people wanting to buy it like I did with my Celica last month. And my Stratos before that.
Happy days.

[Rich135]

Thanks very much Mike - you have excellent taste in cars. How nice to do that with you son.

[Plasticman]

Thanks Rich. Fortunately my son does classic car restoration for a living.:D

[Rich135]

Ah, that helps a lot Mike. I was picturing a 14 year old helping you :-)

[Tellso]

2 beautiful cars! What was the stratos like to drive?

[Plasticman]

It was very exciting but could also be twitchy, especially in damp weather. Long journeys could be tiring because you just couldn't fully relax but it was great fun on track where you could really find the limits.
Happy days. It's in a private collection in Belgium now.

[Rich135]

Mike, I found the perfect car for you to scratch both itches��
https://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/cto/d/san-rafael-1985-toyota-mr2-race-car/7250384152.html

[Plasticman]

Oh don't tempt me. :wtf::wtf::wtf:

[Plasticman]

Just thought I should post an update and say thank you to everyone who helped with my search.
I'm now the proud owner of a 1989 T bar with just over 60,000 miles. Fully undersealed from new, has had new sills and been fully cavity wax injected after the work was done. Unfortunately with the weather as it is, I've not been able to have a proper drive yet and certainly not with the roof off.
Fingers crossed the weather starts to improve soon. Couple of jobs I want to do first are tidy up / detail the engine bay and have the wheels refurbed as there is a couple of areas with flaking lacquer. Other than that it's ready for the summer.
Cheers,
Mike

[Plasticman]

Just a couple more.

[Rich135]

Wow, she looks really clean Mike, and just some nice jobs to be done by you. Tidying an engine bay is pretty satisfying - you can get those cam covers off and give them a lick of paint for a big improvement!

Well done on finding a good one, and do keep us updated.

Rich