1991 Toyota MR2 Turbo - Good Driver - Durham , NC

Selling my 91 MR2 Turbo as I'm going back to school.
It's running great! Needs paint work. Interior is in good shape for the age.
Would make a great track car! List of mods below.

In Timberlake, NC (Durham/Raleigh area)
I have it on Facebook for $14,999, GRM price $12,999
Would potentially consider trades for a newer turn-key ready daily driver with Manual/RWD/AC that could handle an occasional track day/HPDE. Can add some cash.

(P/S light is normally off, this was taken while installing the gauges, no known issues with it)

Pros & Mods:
-Relentless Motorsports rebuilt stock ECU
-AEM Boost & AFR Gauges
-Tach/Speedo Resistors replaced
-LED Cluster Lighting
-New HKS BOV
-Replaced all vacuum hoses
-New HKS Fuel Cut Defender FCD
-New Denso Fuel Pump (PIA, tank has to be dropped!)
-Cold A/C!
-Tan T-Top Shades
-1993 15-inch Wheels
-Corolla S Red-Stitched 3-spoke Wheel w/ Airbag
-Greddy Dual Exhaust
-Manual Boost Controller
-Roll/harness bar (bolt in style)
-Berk(?) Downpipe
-EGR system delete
-TVIS Delete w/ Spacer
-ATS Racing GM Knock Sensor - Just Replaced, Working Great!
-Apexi Intake
-Aftermarket side-mount intercooler & pipes
-Moroso Baffled Oil Pan

Cons:
-T-Tops Leak, especially when driving in the rain (primary reason I'm selling)
-Timing Belt is due
-Needs 1 E-brake cable
-Poor Paint (Nose is worst, pitted. Rear bumper has flaking paint. The rest is dirty/dull)
-Some boost creep at high RPMs (Downpipe interferes with wastegate opening, a known issue with the early Berk pipes. Needs to be ground down, or replaced)
-Need permanant plugs for OEM BOV recurculating pipes that were deleted.
-Driver's Seatbelt is slow to retract
-Shift knob needs replaced
-OEM Stereo Head Unit, but is locked
-Frunk liner gone, no spare. Trunk liner is removed, but I have it.
-No Turbo glove box between seats (removed for roll bar); I don't have it

It's a really enjoyable driver, but obviously not a show car. I've had fun bringing it back to life, but it's no longer something I can deal with in an apartment. Hopefully it will go to an enthusiast who will enjoy it! 

One of my favoritest cars of all time. 

Paging JG, paging JG. 

Kinda glad I didn't see this before selling the BRZ to help finance the new GR Corolla.  Whew.

In reply to DrBoost :

It's been a blast to drive the last two summers!

In reply to Jerry:

BRZ/86/FR-S is primarily what I'm looking at for a replacement at this point! Hope the GR Corolla is blast!

NC240Zed said:

Cons:
-T-Tops Leak, especially when driving in the rain (primary reason I'm selling)
-Timing Belt is due

Have you tried any of the standard t-top leak fixes yet? Typical stuff before replacing weatherstrips includes making sure the drain tubes are intact and free from obstructions, using offset bushings to adjust the fit of the glas panels against the body, and a generous slathering of Shin-Etsu grease to all the relevant seals and weatherstrips.

Timing belts on these cars can be intimidating.  They are really engine-out jobs that warrant a whole slew of other "while I'm in there" work. The water pump, cam and crank seals, oil pump seals and o-ring are all directly behind the timing belt.  The oil cooler sits below the turbo, and its seals and coolant hoses need periodic replacement. And of course that usually means a few new exhaust and turbo gaskets as well. Although none of these are ridiculously expensive parts, it'll add up to do it all at once. 

This probably all sounds like doom and gloom warning.  I don't mean it to. The good news is that these are still golden era Toyotas with stupendous build quality. Once you gain access, they're not really that tough to work on, and a t-belt job is well within DIY territory for the typical GRM reader.

Don't forget the hose from hell and hose from hell on earth.  Supposedly they can be done with the engine in.  My skills are not that good, pulled the engine/trans, removed the turbo and manifold too.  Timing belt was a breeze with the motor out but this stuff cured me of ever wanting a turbo MR2 again.

porschenut said:

Don't forget the hose from hell and hose from hell on earth.  Supposedly they can be done with the engine in.  My skills are not that good, pulled the engine/trans, removed the turbo and manifold too.  Timing belt was a breeze with the motor out but this stuff cured me of ever wanting a turbo MR2 again.

Yeah, those are the ones I meant at the oil cooler.  For five or six years I had the HFH and HFHOE part numbers memorized, as well as every other part number an SW20 would need to tackle the timing belt job and everything else that goes along with it, and all the Gen3 equivalents as well. It's been a long time...

I think all the parts to do this job on a Gen2 are probably $500 or so from an MR2-friendly dealer (I can help with that but prefer not to post public links). It's a good incentive to sell for someone who is ready to move on, and a good opportunity for someone who wants a special car and doesn't mind putting in a little dirty work up front to make it turnkey reliable for a very long time.  It's not really that different than any other used car of that age in that respect.

Price drop to $12k for GRM! (too new to edit the original post, it seems)

In reply to DarkMonohue :

This is all true: cheap parts, expensive time/labor!
I've got a Quickjack (willing to sell to the MR2 buyer) that I've done all the work on so far, and I gathered that I could drop the engine/raise the chassis enough to get access to do the HFHs and timing chain without necessarily moving the engine outside of the bay. I think adding an engine hoist to further lift the tail of the car once in the air with the front wheels on stands would give clearance to slide it out, although a bit high on the sketchy scale...

On the T-tops, I've tried the Honda Shin-Etsu grease, and blowing out the drains without much luck. I'm sure additional fiddling, offset bushings, window adjustments, saran wrap+rtv sealant, or new seals would likely fix this. 

The real issue is that I'm starting law school next week. I was later getting accepted, so this has been a two-month adventure getting ready. But, I've lost the time and space (moving to an apartment) to deal with anything. I need a no-issues sporty car for the next 3 years (FR-S/BRZ/86 is looking like the answer). I've used all my family space to keep my 240Z garaged, so the MR2 ultimately needs to go soon. (Next month my current business 2006 Ford E-350 Van will be up for sale after I do my last show. Would be a decent tow rig!)

I did the "sell an old Toyota before law school" a few years ago with my Troopy. Definitely worth it but still miss the troopy. Good luck with the sale and with law school. That first semester hit me like a ton of bricks but the whole experience was great

Trade for a Z32? It kinda might make sense, idk...

drew944 said:

I did the "sell an old Toyota before law school" a few years ago with my Troopy. Definitely worth it but still miss the troopy. Good luck with the sale and with law school. That first semester hit me like a ton of bricks but the whole experience was great

I appreciate the well wishes! I'm in my early 40s and haven't been in a classroom in literally 20 years, so I'm expecting the first semester to hit hard. Always great to hear from someone that thinks it was a worthwhile experience. In my social circle, I've heard from a lot of burnt-out lawyers in their 40s since I started pursuing school!   

In reply to tb :

Probably not what I'm looking for, but thanks!

NC240Zed said:

drew944 said:

I did the "sell an old Toyota before law school" a few years ago with my Troopy. Definitely worth it but still miss the troopy. Good luck with the sale and with law school. That first semester hit me like a ton of bricks but the whole experience was great

I appreciate the well wishes! I'm in my early 40s and haven't been in a classroom in literally 20 years, so I'm expecting the first semester to hit hard. Always great to hear from someone that thinks it was a worthwhile experience. In my social circle, I've heard from a lot of burnt-out lawyers in their 40s since I started pursuing school!   

In reply to tb :

Probably not what I'm looking for, but thanks!

I worked for 5ish years as an engineer before going back. Took a minute to get used to learning again, but it comes back quick. I also had more than a few naysayers but no regrets so far

Open to offers! I would like to see the MR2 off to a new home by Labor Day!