Ok, well I know this is the detailing forum..but I'm putting this here so I can show what it looks like after I get it all polished and detailed.

The background story is simple.

My MINI is broken again...I don't have the money to fix it...so it's going to sit for awhile. In the meantime, I picked up a steal on a childhood favorite...a 1988 Toyota MR2. It's a 21 year old car with only 68,000 miles on it. Haha, my MINI is 4 years old (I've owned it for 3 years) and has 102,000 miles on it).

Yes, Yes I know..it's white!! And it's an automatic. But, it's my daily driver and everything is original..the paint is swirled and kinda hazy...but fixable!

These were taken by the shop I purchased it from, that's why it has dealer plates. No it's not the Super Charged one but that was intentional...parts are incredibly hard to find, and even harder for the SC model.

The wheels aren't my first choice...but they were a lot better than the few other MR2's around here, all with 150,000+ miles on them and badly neglected and peeling paint!















Richard

 

Congrats

Looks Great Richard, I was always a fan of the MR2. I have a feeling it will look a bit different in a week or so (especially the interior)

Looking forward the the "after" shots, which will look better than most 21 month old cars

 

That MR2 is in great condition, especially for an '88 model. I'd hate to see what my 86 T-Bird Turbo Coupe or my 91 Acura Integra look like these days.
Yep, by the time OG is done with that MR2, it'll look like it just come out of the factory.

Hope you get your MINI back on the road soon, Richard. It's too gorgeous to become a garage queen.

 

Selling the MINI?
I bet the MR2 forums aren't as fun (or profitable) and the MINI forums.

 

nice!

 

Hahaa,yeah, it'll undergo a full OG polishing soon. Going to have some PDR work done for two small dents on the drivers side.

My mod plans are to replace the speakers, possibly add an amp--they sound shot, all distorted...and add an input for my iPhone.

For the steering wheel, I might go with something like these...my interior is blue.





And then change out the Falkens with some Nittos....oh and add a Hofco alarm system and possibly some light tint.

Then finishing with Prima of course!!
Haha I had a 91 Integra too...sold it with over 200,000 miles on it!

Even if it does come down to selling the MINI, I won't be leaving the MINI community anytime soon. Selling it is an absolute last resort as in...if I can't get out of debt (something that recently happened), I'll lose everything and end up with the clothes on my back on the streets...the MINI will still be one of the last things to go.

 

That brings back memories...my first car that I bought brand new was a 1987 MR2 that was a very dark blue/almost black metallic. Dark Blue Pearl, I think they called it.

Fun car!

 

Installing an alarm in an '88 Toyota - that's, um, "optimistic"

I'm just kidding - I know you're in SoCal, and the car's old enough that the parts are probably pretty valuable now. My brother recently had a 1983 GMC pickup stolen in Houston, most likely for parts.

 

Ohhh yes, I haven't seen too many of those even on the MR2 forums. I never got an MR2 before because it wasn't all that practical..but now that I'm in my late 30's...it's all I need, lol.

Hahaha I know!! But Toyotas aren't that hard to break into, and it only takes a few mods like the ones I listed that will cost almost as much as the car I paid for! I dunno, I just feel less secure about the MR2 than my MINI.

I guess I also want a FOB for keyless entry..hate putting a key to my door..so much potential for scratching it, lol.

 

Richard, great find, low miles, no rust, and after your done with it, I'm sure it's going to look better than new

There is one of those in our neighborhood, same vintage, only it's red, or it may be blue, hard to really say because the body is about 75% rust

Mark

 

I've always liked the MR2 as well. The big thing I remember from '88 when the supercharged version came out was that it had the quickest 0-30 MPH time that Road & Track had ever tested, even beating out the exotics. There were plenty of faster cars, but none that would beat it through an intersection from a green light.

 

Yes!! The first gen MR2..being a Lotus derivative and the SC one being Toyotas first production super charger with a magnetic clutch that freewheels the SC when not needed for better fuel economy was pretty innovative stuff back in the 80s.

The NA is no slouch either...the comparisons are very much like the Cooper and Cooper S debate. Both excellent cars for different reasons. Most people that autocross the MR2 choose the NA for better handling and 200 pound weight savings over the SC version.


Hahah definitely!! Funny about the rust!!! lol.

 

Hi Richard:
Great car. I worked for Toyota till 95 and loved the MR.2. One thing that's a bear is replacing the timing belt, not much room. A lot of fun to drive.
Best of luck and enjoy the ride,
Gary

 

I loved those cars when they came out... kinda like a miniature Testarossa.

Congrats - can't wait to see what you do with it!

 

Ah man ! I loved those ! Classic ultra fun toy car
Can't wait to see the result of the OG treatment

 

Looks great Richard. I've got an 88 with 150k sitting in the garage. The engine is very tired, but I have the TRD racing suspension on it from back in the day and it makes the MINI feel like a truck in the handling department. I need to stop dumping money into the MINI and get it back up to speed.
Good find in that condition, you'll have a lot of fun with it.

 

What's broke on your MINI, Richard?

 

woooo~ Mister2! and you got the better one. congrats! hey, there's no engine in your bonnet? where'd it go??!

are you going to get aftermarket steering wheel for it?

 

Typical stuff that I just can't afford right now...axles need replacing soon, need new tires, my Invidia exhaust is just too loud and the fixed mounting points the exhaust shop put makes everything vibrate....oh a new clutch...thanks to a series of comedic blunders...driving with a broken engine mount and not realizing it but having to compensate with the clutch...letting a friend drive it for a couple of autocrosses who doesn't drive MINIs...plus I like to drive fast to experience the modded power....

I could have fixed it instead of buying a new car..but after doing my taxes and realizing I put $14,000 into it last year and $5,000 worth of gas...I just can't keep that going anymore in this economy. Kinda got cold feet now..afraid I'll break something else...so I'm trying something new and a bit safer to my wallet...and no..it's not because of anything RMW related except for maybe I'm not responsible enough to have a MINI built by them.

Yes, I'm going to get a Momo! A friend of mine mentioned he has a spare one sitting in his garage..so I might end up with that one. Just have to get the appropriate mounting kit off eBay.

Hahah funny about the engine...you know I lose back seat storage compared to the MINI but gain a "frunk" with a spare tire, lol.

After all the reading I've done this past week, I'm glad I got the HT NA (Hard Top/Normally Aspirated)..it's probably the most practical and bulletproof of the various models.

I just bought a cassette adaptor for my iPhone and Garmin audio and it's really reminding me I need to replace the 20 year old speakers.

So speaker replacement is on the high priority list. Having seen some crazy installs...I'm just replacing speakers to fit the factory locations..not creating panels for the doors (where they don't exist), etc.

Richard

 

Yah, deflinetly going to be a fun project!!! I too run MOMO on my FitS. Feels great!

 

What I find most intriguing about this NA MR2 is that just about everything I've learned about my MINI applies. Hard to believe that 14" wheels were standard, but seeing people put 17's or larger is crazy. Makes it look like a donk to me, not to mention how that would affect the performance. At 2400 pounds, it's a bit lighter than the MINI with similar horsepower to a first gen Cooper. Doesn't have much torque so it takes a bit of time for it to spool up, but once it does..it has that satisfying kick in the butt feel, and I'm still ahead of most of the cars until the next stop light, lol.

The MR2 didn't come with an owners manual--I just bought one off ebay...but think the gas tank is smaller than the MINI. My first fillup with it on E was only 10 gallons.

I wasn't all that crazy about the wheels that came on the car...but looking closer, realized they were 15x7..which are half inch wider than the 15's I had on my MINI, lol which were 15x6.5..still they were pristine..no curb rash.

My old Flik Fuels..should have kept them for the MR2, lol.

 

^^ hahaha, nice. that should go well with the MR2.

i think that steering wheel you show (the bigger one) is the one i use in the FitS. i forgot wat it was called, but it's got that nice suede top and a nice satin finish. matches the interior perfectly.

 

Rust?

What's that? We live in California. The only rust here is imported from cars from east of the Rockies.


Congrats on the new ride Richard!

 

Hey Eric, long time no speak, eh

Well if there is any, just remember what Neil Young said, "Rust never sleeps"

Mark

 

Mmmm... Velour interior! Classic! ;D