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fur105
Occasional Poster

Registered:
September 2003

Looking at buying a MR2 GT	Fri, 09 September 2005 00:24

Hi boys and girls, Im lookin at buyin a SW20 MR2 GT, jus want to know what r the sort of things i should look out for....??? do the GTs generally come with leather seats?? and with the targa top models, does the targa top hav a cover on the inside, so that when its on, the suns not blazin on u all the time?? any help, would be much appreciated thank you [Report message to a moderator]

4agte
Forums Junkie

Location:
Toronto, Downtown
Registered:
September 2004

Re: Looking at buying a MR2 GT	Fri, 09 September 2005 00:53

the targa tops came with covers but weather or not they are still in the car is another thing but the easy solouton is to put an uber dark tint on them [Report message to a moderator]

SW20R
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I supported Toymods

Location:
Sydney
Registered:
May 2002

Re: Looking at buying a MR2 GT	Fri, 09 September 2005 01:11

Hi, check that the suspension is fine not too rough Check that boost comes on about 2500RPM till 5500RPM check the coolant level and colour Spray some water on top of the targa top covers see if it leaks (you'll need new seals if it does about $900) usual rust and damages and mechanical etc [Report message to a moderator]

hamgatan
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Location:
Perth
Registered:
July 2004

Re: Looking at buying a MR2 GT	Fri, 09 September 2005 01:16

i just bought my bathurst ed SW20 and its the dogs bollocks GT's - Luxury Option - Leather Interior/Power Steering/ABS Bathurst - Lightweight Option - Cloth Trim/No Power Steering 30-40kg lighter than the GT.. Both ADM Models have the 3SGE N/A Engine. Import GT's have the 3SGTE Turbo. Targa Top includes the insert covers usually, but if you get one without, dont worry you can pick them up from your local toyota spare parts pretty easily. [Report message to a moderator]

fur105
Occasional Poster

Registered:
September 2003

Re: Looking at buying a MR2 GT	Fri, 09 September 2005 01:35

how good do these cars good?? r they relatively quick?? will the usual exhaust n filter (snokel..heheh) help it along??? i dont think i'll be gettin the targa top, but is there any problems with the hard top?? or am i makin a big mistake by not gettin the targa? thanks for the response guys [Report message to a moderator]

4agte
Forums Junkie

Location:
Toronto, Downtown
Registered:
September 2004

Re: Looking at buying a MR2 GT	Fri, 09 September 2005 01:46

if it is the turbo gt then they go ok but depends on what year model as to which generation of 3sgte it is. Some people like the n/a 3sge but they really arent that fast the bathurst is ok [Report message to a moderator]

hamgatan
Forums Junkie

I supported Toymods

Location:
Perth
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July 2004

Re: Looking at buying a MR2 GT	Fri, 09 September 2005 02:21

hard tops are rarer from what i remember.. hard tops with sunroofs even rarer still.. depends what you want from the car really.. just bear in mind roof seals will leak eventually. and theyre expensive to fix.. (mines in the shop now having them replaced under the 3 mth used car warranty).. i admit the 3SGE isn't that quick, but it is rock solid and bulletproof.. revs reasonably nicely and is a very fun car to drive. just keep in mind that a MR2 is not designed as a quarter mile dragster so its not going to be a 11 second blitzer.. theyre designed as circuit go-karts and thus handle so. you wont find a better handling car for under 20K than a AW11/SW20.. and be CAREFUL in the wet with them! sliding is very common. for a year model you should be looking at 94+.. earlier models didnt have factory bilsteins, trailing arms, etc..etc.. mines a 97 and yeah, feels bloody nice. best purchase ive ever made. late gen II's are alright.. but gen III's are much better and thats where you start getting decent power. i.e. stock gen II 3SGE is about 105kw.. stock gen III 3SGE is about 129kw [Updated on: Fri, 09 September 2005 02:23] [Report message to a moderator]

fur105
Occasional Poster

Registered:
September 2003

Re: Looking at buying a MR2 GT	Fri, 09 September 2005 02:28

im definately looking at gettin the turbo... i also want the targa top, but its hard to find one with targa n leather interior... the ones ive been lookin at r mainly 90-91 models....r those the gen 1s??? how do they stack up against the other gens?? what sort of price would be expected of these?? ive seen them go for 13-15k [Report message to a moderator]

hamgatan
Forums Junkie

I supported Toymods

Location:
Perth
Registered:
July 2004

Re: Looking at buying a MR2 GT	Fri, 09 September 2005 02:40

yeah 90-91's are gen I's. theyre usually all thrashed out imports as well so be careful. these range from 8500-11K landed complied and on the road.. 12-13K in private sales. theres a few in the for sale thread at the moment. 90-91's are harder to drive from what i know based on the lack of decent trailing arms etc..etc.. if you pay 15K for a gen 1 SW20 it had better be in pristine nick and have a million extras on it.. as i only paid 16K for my 97 gen III.. [EDIT: oh and if the sole reason for getting the GT is for the leather, youre much better off buying a non-leather version, and spending 1K-1.5K to have the door trims and seats retrimmed in whatever colour leather you like. brand new trim! its pretty hard to find a JDM GT with no scuffed up leather seats..] [Updated on: Fri, 09 September 2005 02:46] [Report message to a moderator]

fur105
Occasional Poster

Registered:
September 2003

Re: Looking at buying a MR2 GT	Fri, 09 September 2005 03:01

i was thinkin it wouldnt cost too much jus to get it trimmed to look like originals. so u think its better off to get a targa with non leather... whats the power figure differences for the turbos between all the gens?? the newest ones ive seen for sales all the gen1s...r the other ones jus rare??? also..whats it like jus havin 2 seat..hehehehe [Report message to a moderator]

hamgatan
Forums Junkie

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Location:
Perth
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July 2004

Re: Looking at buying a MR2 GT	Fri, 09 September 2005 03:12

nah getting a retrim done doesnt cost that much at all.. youd pay more for a gt leather model than you would for a cloth + new retrim + extras. power differences between turbo and na versions is roughly 20-30kw i think off the top of my head. i think gen III's are like 164kw for GTE and 129kw for GE.. not a great deal in it really. 3S's are tough whichever way you go though. Good move to get one now as well with fuel costs rising.. i downscaled from a 7M Supra which was sucking me dry faster than Darlinghurst girls on a friday night. the others arent rare, you just need to weed around to find them thats all. usually the people who have later models 94+ are overly happy with them and wouldnt sell them for the world as theyre so robust and bulletproof. theyre not as common thats for sure, but thats only that you dont notice them shoved in amongst all the SEVS Low Volume imports. the reason youre not seeing later models probably is because most of the MR2's on the road are all SEVS 15 year rule entries. Any later models would incur full taxes etc.. Basically the cost of an Australian Delivered one. Also Australian Delivered ones are all 3SGE, there arent any turbo ones. 2 Seat is t3h win! bit hard to get into at first, but snug as once youre used to it and great for knocking back lifts to people! transporting crap around in it though is a bit of a pest. they are a toy.. thats for sure. [Report message to a moderator]

4agte
Forums Junkie

Location:
Toronto, Downtown
Registered:
September 2004

Re: Looking at buying a MR2 GT

Fri, 09 September 2005 03:29

hamgatan wrote on Fri, 09 September 2005 12:21

just keep in mind that a MR2 is not designed as a quarter mile dragster so its not going to be a 11 second blitzer.. theyre designed as circuit go-karts and thus handle so. you wont find a better handling car for under 20K than a AW11/SW20..

and be CAREFUL in the wet with them! sliding is very common.

i agree and disagree with some of things you said there....

The mr2 is very suited to drag racing seeing as they have mountains of grip and are rwd.

With regards to the handling they certainly are nimble especially in aw11 trim

Sliding.... ive had no problems with mine sliding in the wet weather its in n/a s/c lsd or non lsd form when it does slip in the rear you have to be johnny on the spot to catch it tho otherwise you tend to be looking at where you came from Laughing

[Report message to a moderator]

hamgatan
Forums Junkie

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Perth
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July 2004

Re: Looking at buying a MR2 GT

Fri, 09 September 2005 03:58

4agte wrote on Fri, 09 September 2005 11:29

Sliding.... ive had no problems with mine sliding in the wet weather its in n/a s/c lsd or non lsd form when it does slip in the rear you have to be johnny on the spot to catch it tho otherwise you tend to be looking at where you came from Laughing

hmm.. yeah i have to admit ive flung a AW11 around in the wet before and had quite a responsive beast with good handling and little slippage..

mine however the other night it was pouring down, i came into a tight dropping left hander at about 50 and braked prior to the turn, followed in.. then accelerated through and somehow the engine seemed to think that its momentum was destined for the wall and swung me around a little.. bit funny feeling. maybe thats just mine.. but after reading a fair bit on them ive heard a fair few do this..

[Updated on: Fri, 09 September 2005 03:59]

[Report message to a moderator]

4agte
Forums Junkie

Location:
Toronto, Downtown
Registered:
September 2004

Re: Looking at buying a MR2 GT	Fri, 09 September 2005 04:41

ive had mine spin on me at a set of traffic lights which was less than enjoyable but that what you get for trying to go sideways with bald tyres [Updated on: Fri, 09 September 2005 06:12] [Report message to a moderator]

MR. 2
Forums Junkie

Location:
Parramatta
Registered:
July 2002

Re: Looking at buying a MR2 GT

Fri, 09 September 2005 06:04

Quote:

power differences between turbo and na versions is roughly 20-30kw i think off the top of my head. i think gen III's are like 164kw for GTE and 129kw for GE.. not a great deal in it really.

not the case gen 3 3sgte motors push 180kw. the gen2 motor which comes in the first of the sw20's 89 - 93 has 164. the GT's come with
leather
power everything
climate control
a 2nd gen gt mr2 with the 3sgte gen 3 are still rare and expensive. there are some differeances within reagrds to the motors, however i belive for the light mods then a gen 3 motor may be the way to go because there is alot more bolt on parts for these motors. However if you are planning to really mod this then the gen 2 is fine because most of the items that the gen 3 have that the gen 2 motor dont have are changed in modifactions.

Also another thing to note is the car history as said before they are thrashed or previous crash history. so be carefull there are some very great ways of hiding these if you find a perfect example of an mr2 expect to pay good money for it.

best of luck with the purchase.

[Updated on: Fri, 09 September 2005 06:12]

[Report message to a moderator]

fur105
Occasional Poster

Registered:
September 2003

Re: Looking at buying a MR2 GT	Fri, 09 September 2005 06:18

if i buy a 90-91 GT with 3sgte, which gen is that?? [Report message to a moderator]

hamgatan
Forums Junkie

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Location:
Perth
Registered:
July 2004

Re: Looking at buying a MR2 GT	Fri, 09 September 2005 06:33

gen 1.. [Report message to a moderator]

fur105
Occasional Poster

Registered:
September 2003

Re: Looking at buying a MR2 GT	Fri, 09 September 2005 08:05

whats the power output of the gen1??? am i wastin my time gettin a gen 1? [Report message to a moderator]

hamgatan
Forums Junkie

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Location:
Perth
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July 2004

Re: Looking at buying a MR2 GT	Fri, 09 September 2005 08:10

most gen 1's are thrashed plain and simple. if you can find a gen II or even better a III then scoop it up! [Report message to a moderator]

4agte
Forums Junkie

Location:
Toronto, Downtown
Registered:
September 2004

Re: Looking at buying a MR2 GT	Fri, 09 September 2005 08:28

you can allways drop a gen 2 or 3 into it [Report message to a moderator]

hamgatan
Forums Junkie

I supported Toymods

Location:
Perth
Registered:
July 2004

Re: Looking at buying a MR2 GT	Fri, 09 September 2005 08:35

true, but then again you could always pay that bit more and get the better suspension setup as well.. [Report message to a moderator]

4agte
Forums Junkie

Location:
Toronto, Downtown
Registered:
September 2004

Re: Looking at buying a MR2 GT	Fri, 09 September 2005 08:38

get a halfcut and tranfer the rear susspension aswell then you could sell your old thrashed gen I + gearbox to some1 else [Report message to a moderator]

dr trim
Regular

Location:
adelaide
Registered:
March 2005

Re: Looking at buying a MR2 GT	Fri, 09 September 2005 08:40

what if they're not thrashed? im half looking at a 91' SW20 GT Turbo T/Top and leather seats. and it's owned by a 51 yo man who wants something slower.. by the sounds of things and the photo's i've seen, it's very tidy. But is this car still gonna handle well/be quick? as i've heard the first few years of the sw20 were a let down. in a nutshell, do i look at it or not? [Report message to a moderator]

4agte
Forums Junkie

Location:
Toronto, Downtown
Registered:
September 2004

Re: Looking at buying a MR2 GT	Fri, 09 September 2005 08:40

it cant hurt really can it dude [Report message to a moderator]

MY Racing 221
Regular

Location:
Auckland NZ
Registered:
August 2005

Re: Looking at buying a MR2 GT

Fri, 09 September 2005 11:52

dr trim wrote on Fri, 09 September 2005 20:40

what if they're not thrashed?

im half looking at a 91' SW20 GT Turbo T/Top and leather seats.

and it's owned by a 51 yo man who wants something slower..

by the sounds of things and the photo's i've seen, it's very tidy.

But is this car still gonna handle well/be quick? as i've heard the first few years of the sw20 were a let down.

in a nutshell, do i look at it or not?

Wink

As far as a "real drivers car" goes, the Gen I SW20 is right up there. It turns in very well, and as long as you stay on the go pedal through the corner, handles very well. From a "pure" drivers point of view, it is the best. The revisions made a few changes to the rear suspension geometry to make it easier for the "masses" to drive, but the 90-91 model is a great car.

Cheers

[Report message to a moderator]

Senor_2
Regular

Location:
Sydney
Registered:
September 2003

Re: Looking at buying a MR2 GT

Mon, 12 September 2005 00:48

fur105 wrote on Fri, 09 September 2005 16:18

if i buy a 90-91 GT with 3sgte, which gen is that??

That would be a "gen 1" SW20, but it will use a gen 2 3S-GTE.

dr trim, if it's within your budget, definitely look at it, it's getting hard to find early models in good condition

[Report message to a moderator]

fur105
Occasional Poster

Registered:
September 2003

Re: Looking at buying a MR2 GT	Wed, 14 September 2005 01:19

whats the difference between a GTS n GT? [Report message to a moderator]

KOFFEE-BLACK
Forums Junkie

Location:
Sydney
Registered:
March 2003

Re: Looking at buying a MR2 GT	Tue, 25 October 2005 13:22

Is it possible to get a gen1 for 11k under? Im looking for one for daily street car, in terms of rngine mods, what can i make with say: 15psi, 3" exhaust and say a replacement cooler, like ARC? Its main purpose will be for track use, what are they like say around wakefield? In stock form, can it keep up with a stock DC2r? [Report message to a moderator]

4agte
Forums Junkie

Location:
Toronto, Downtown
Registered:
September 2004

Re: Looking at buying a MR2 GT	Tue, 25 October 2005 21:21

yes you can my friend recently purchased one with bad paint for $8k as for keeping up with a dc2 at wakefield probably not as usually dc2's have done under 50k whereas a gen 1 sw20 might be up closer to 100k km's. So the susspension may be getting a little tired. With a set of coilovers a pad upgrade and the engine mods you listed id say youd be passing dc2's [Report message to a moderator]

MY Racing 221
Regular

Location:
Auckland NZ
Registered:
August 2005

Re: Looking at buying a MR2 GT

Wed, 26 October 2005 04:49

KOFFEE-BLACK wrote on Wed, 26 October 2005 02:22

Is it possible to get a gen1 for 11k under? Im looking for one for daily street car, in terms of rngine mods, what can i make with say: 15psi, 3" exhaust and say a replacement cooler, like ARC?

Its main purpose will be for track use, what are they like say around wakefield? In stock form, can it keep up with a stock DC2r?

Quite possible to get down to 11's and 12's - depending on your setup and experience. A relatively standard car on street tyres would be doing well do drop below 14's.

A DC2r is a bit of a weapon around Wakefield. They will do 14's without too much trouble, and with only some sticky rubber will drop a couple of seconds from that. Lots of that is dependent on driver ability of course - but assuming a driver of reasonable ability, but by no means a pro.

You also need to think if you are using an MR2 for track use, whether you want to compete, or just have fun. If you want to compete, let me know and we can chat about the different classes etc.

Cheers

[Report message to a moderator]

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