What's up /o/. Should I buy this 91 Mr2 for $2,000? It has 184k and a power steering. Also the check engine light is on. In my area an Mr2 in this condition for the price is good. My friend is selling it to me. I just want a fun thing to drive as my second car. The only thing is its an autotragic. Should I do it?
Autotragic 180k miles and CEL, no
>>14750156
CEL?
>>14750159
Check engine light
I also agree with the other anon and avoid the car
>>14750159
Prolly check engine light, CEL
>>14750179
I test drove the car a few times. Nothing usual. What could the light possibly be that's so bad? Also the car is only 2k...
>>14750183
You could buy one of the handheld computers and check it.
Offer $500, it isn't worth more than that.
>>14750189
OBD1 unfortunately
>>14750213
What is with everyone on /o/ getting Mr2's and miatas for $500? If I offer that my friend will laugh in my face. That's not a helpful suggestion. For $500 I can barely afford an Mr2 shell within a hundred miles where I live.
>>14750234
$500 is the "This car isn't worth shit, here is some pity money" price point. If you think an 8 second 0-60 car is going to be "fun" you must DD a 10 year old corolla, or plan on taking this to a demolition derby.
>>14750278
You must think you need a twin turbo hemi 48 valve 8.0l v12 to have fun. I don't care how fast it is. I like the sound and the feel of driving it. It's mid-engine. And actually I drive a Ford tempo as a DD. The speedometer goes to 80. I'm sorry but nobody is willing to take my $500 "pity offer"
>>14750135
>184k
>25+ year old car
are you fucking kidding me anon
if you pay more than $1000 you're totally fucked in the head. even $1000 is too much
>>14750457
What can I get for 2k then? All I want is a fun car. Not the miata
>>14750492
Nobody?
>>14750492
well dont listen to that fuckhead hes the type that would want you to lease a car at 700 dollars a month its a matter of trusting your freind if hes a good friend if somthing breaks hell make it right if not ditch the bitch
>>14750925
I know him very well. I see him everyday at work. He told me he can fix whatever goes wrong with it
>>14750135
Dude, as much as i love mk2 mr2's, this one looks fucking knackered (and not looked after). It isn't worth more than a grand desu, considering it's gonna be a money pit.
>184k
>auto
>probably 5f-se
>>14750135
It looks like absolute shit
>>14750135
only good thing about that car it's the auto trans, that box it's sturdy as fuck ... old toyota engine diagnostics are a pain in the ass and that engine it's probably terminal, so buy it only if you're considering an engine swap soon.
>>14750135
I think 1000 min-1500 max would be fine for the car. Considering the fact that it would be your weekend car, you could swap the motor (which it really needs.rav4 v6?) and still have a daily. Autotragic ain't all that bad man but you'd probably want the full driving experience of a manual with a car that's not all horsepower/torque, so you could add that to part of your motor swap. It *seems* like the guy cared for the car a decent amount because you said he fixed problems whenever they came up and MR2's are a bitch to work on. I'd do it if you have the will and skill to wrench it.
>>14750457
I bet you drive a prius.
>>14751384
It's a 2.2. How do they usual die? Are there signs?
>ITT
>People fill OPs head with misinformation and scare him out of buying a good car.
Jesus fuck. It's obvious none of you have owned an MR2.
CEL is easy as fuck to diagnose. There's a VERY simple procedure for it.
Also NA mr2s are selling for $4000 in my area.
>>14750135
sounds good, i just wouldn't buy a autotragic drivers car.
>MR lightweight car
>automatic gearbox
JUST
It's a fine car. 184k miles is FAR from a death sentence or an issue with these cars. I own one with 212k miles, I know several people that have ones with higher mileage than mine.
The things that really kill these cars are rust, crashes, and bad modifications. If this is rust free it's totally worthwhile. I would avoid if it does have any rust though. The automatic devalues it a bit, I'd try to knock down the price a few hundred. This one would be a great car to do a motor swap in. I'd recommend a Gen4 3S-GTE and swapping to a manual transmission while you're at it.
You're looking at a hardtop model. It's desirable for people that race as it's lighter and stiffer. As a MR2 owner I strongly recommend sticking to a hard top or sunroof model if you want one: ALL T-Top MR2s leak.
>>14750183
Check engine light is my only concern, mostly because of passing emissions. I fixed mine with fresh spark plugs and an O2 sensor, but it could be problematic to chase down if it isn't that. Could also need a catalytic converter. If your changing the plugs I recommend getting new plug wires plus a distributor cap and wires too. Stick with Toyota OEM.
>>14750220
You can check it by jumping two pins in the OBD1 plug with a paper clip. I'm attaching images that show how to do so and what the codes mean.
>>14751440
The 5SFE is a really hard to kill motor. It's the same engine the "last forever" Camry's from the 90s used (4-cyl models obviously). Only thing that really kills these motors is running out of oil. They all leak a bit of oil, occasionally one will leak too much oil and run dry.
>>14751729
>>14751402
MR2s aren't THAT hard to work on. Some jobs a little awkward because the engine bay is in the middle. Overall though they are fairly simple mechanically. The mechanical bits are basically the same as a similar age Camry or Celica.
>>14751182
Eh. He's godhand mechanic but he hasn't fixed this CEL?
Read the codes. If its emissions related then whatev. Otherwise pass.
>>14751749
I'm only going to bother uploading the diagnostic codes for the 2.2l 5S-FE. If you need any others it's an easy search.
>>14751764
>>14751763
CEL can be a bit of a pain to sort out on these. It's almost always emissions stuff. Usually O2 sensor or catalytic converter which can be a bit pricey.
For what it's worth mine was throwing codes 25 & 26, turned out to be the O2 sensor.
Do it OP, this could be you!
>auto
>>14751719
>>14751729
>>14751749
>>14751764
>>14751779
Fucking saved. I had almost given up on asking /o/ before you showed up. Thank you man this is all fantastic advice. Especially knowing that you have experience with these cars. You gave me all the info I need. A swap could be the right way to go, and I'll stick to 1k or 1.5k max. I'm checking out the engine light later today. Thanks again anon
>>14751749
I just didn't want him to bite more than he can chew. Like an intricate car to work on will always have the proper instructions, but in my experience cars with no space to work with have guides that tell you everything but how to maneuver around the bay. That's just something that comes with experience or natural ingenuity. You know what im saying?
>>14752005
Glad I can help. I've owned two and still have the second (first one was a rust bucket). Overall I've found the MR2 owners community very friendly. I hang out with a few owners almost every week.
>>14752044
Fair enough, I still think the complaints about the engine bay being tight are overblown. It's more deep than tight IMO. Stuff like replacing the alternator is a bit of a pain, but a lot of guys take the hard way and then complain online. I consider shit like the 300ZX, VWs, and minivans hard to work on.
>>14750135
buy it ASAP OP i dont know why are these anon selling you bullshit about overprice.
