MR2 GT Running Costs

jellybeard999

jellybeard999

jellybeard999

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What are running costs like for the MR2 GT.

Ran a prospective insurance quote, and came out much lower than I expected, did a bit of reading, and thing such as "6 monthly service" and "make sure it's serviced at a japanese or performance specialist" ring alarm bells with regards to the seemingly good value they offer.

Would they be higher than say, a 200sx or Civic Type R ?

Insurance is much lower than both on the MR2, which I thought was strange. But that makes no difference if we have TVR style running costs.

While I was on, it's only a cool £5.5k for 12 months FC on a Tuscan :cool:
 
L0rdMike said:
When you say GT do you mean the Imported Turbo or the UK NA GTi-16?
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Am i correct in saying a UK GT = NA, an import GT = Turbo ?

Id be looking at UK examples, hence an NA model, for lower IG, i'd expect it to be cheaper to run, and tbh a turbo model would be too much of a step up anyway.

Basically Im looking to change my car at some point in the not too distant future, and insurance is fairly prohibitive at 21 :rolleyes:

Front runners atm are a 306 GTi-6, and MR2 GT (NA).

Might as well get something relatively silly before the need for larger cars comes into play.
 
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Do you mean the turbo? If so, I would say the running costs are average.

EDIT: I just noticed your previous post about it being an N/A so it would be less than average runnin cost. My grandad has had a 1994 N/A for about 3-4 years and from what I have seen it as been very cheap for him to run.
 
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Well i don't do a great deal of miles, less than average I would say. Would it be significantly different to a hot hatch is the crux of the question really.
 
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i would say hot hatch costs are lower than an mr2 due to the fact that some parts are shared with their joe average version of the car.

Hot hatches defo give plenty of smiles still though, ive just upgraded from a 1.2 clio to a focus st170, whilst its not the fastest of its generation i still love it :D
 
It's unlikely to be cheaper than a hot hatch but a na version will be much cheaper to run than a 200sx which imo needs at least an oil change every 6 months or 4000 miles.
 
jellybeard999 said:
What are running costs like for the MR2 GT.

Ran a prospective insurance quote, and came out much lower than I expected, did a bit of reading, and thing such as "6 monthly service" and "make sure it's serviced at a japanese or performance specialist" ring alarm bells with regards to the seemingly good value they offer.

Would they be higher than say, a 200sx or Civic Type R ?

Insurance is much lower than both on the MR2, which I thought was strange. But that makes no difference if we have TVR style running costs.

While I was on, it's only a cool £5.5k for 12 months FC on a Tuscan :cool:
Click to expand...

insurance is very low on UK MR2, was my first car (still have it today)
service side of things, just basic stuff can be done by your self, or i get the guy from northampton to check the car, blue streak auto i think.

tyres main cost really,ohh and cleaning products ;)
 
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Gribs said:
It's unlikely to be cheaper than a hot hatch but a na version will be much cheaper to run than a 200sx which imo needs at least an oil change every 6 months or 4000 miles.
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As these are the sorts or car you oil change yourself, the oil change frequency is minuscule cost impact compared to the rest and quite frankly isnt a factor.
 
It's a consideration if you're paying someone else to do it which is why I do mine myself. Parts that are Nissan only aren't exactly cheap but I'll guess this will be similar for Toyota but uprated parts are very good value for the 200sx. Fuel usage is certainly much less on a na mr2 than a 200sx.
 
Obviously simple things like oil changes shouldn't really be a factor, its more things such as parts that need changing every xx miles etc.

Well, its food for thought, which is all i was after :)
 
There are a number of specialist MR2 garages all over the country and IIRC they all charge some pretty decent rates for servicing etc.

I have a Uk N/A (GTi-16) and because I've serviced it myself, it's cost less to run (exc ins) than my wifes 1.4 Honda Civic! As for insurance, @ 21 I insured it with direct line for £750 FC with a years NCD.

Cheap as chips but ONLY if you spend enough to get a good example, low mileage model :) (i.e. under 150k miles :p )
 
Sorry to ressurect this thread, but have a couple of questions...

Mk2 Mr2 related :

Rev 1
Rev 2
Rev 3

^ pros and cons of the above please, of possible interest is a 1990ish 120bhp model, still a step up from my current 1.4 Fabia, will be a much more involving drive, and not so fast I'll die (fairly slow really), but could keep it for a year or so before i move on, considering i've never driven a RWD car before, i think it'd be enough to keep me entertained... assuming the'res no inherrent problem with the pre94 models... which brings me to...

What is so special about the 1994 onward model ?

Thanks for any advice.
 
The Rev 1 is usualy best avoided, especialy the 120bhp "coupe" which is woefully underpowered. Rev 1's come with tiny 14 inch wheels, equally tiny brake disks and a rather unforgiving suspesion geometry, though in n/a form it's somewhat "safer" than the turbo. Personaly I would hold out for a Rev 2 at least with the larger brakes and improved suspension and the 3SGE engine.

The n/a Rev 3 has some styling differences and more power, though the actual on road performance isn't a great deal different.

In summary, do not buy the Rev1 slug, you will get bored with it. Get a Rev2 or later car.
 
My recommendations would be on a rev3 - slightly more power (albeit slightly heavier) but with a decat and S/S exhaust you'll easily see 177BHP which is more than enough to keep you ahead of the earlier revisions ;)
 
oil change. £45 for 5L of fully synth and a filter. 3K miles on my turbo(probs nearer 6K on an NA)
air filter. £10
plugs. £8 for 4
dizzy cap £50 for toyota or cheaper blueprints available.
full coolant change just cost me £55 total at the local toyota dealer :)

Not expensive, it's an easy car to work on.
 
monkeyspank said:
oil change. £45 for 5L of fully synth and a filter.
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That seems very expensive, what oil do you buy? I'm not convinced it's worth getting obscenely priced oils when you change it every 3000miles.
 
silkolene pro-s 5W40. I'm sure you can use cheaper oil. I get 4 changes from 3 tubs... so about £70 / year. Hardly expensive for peace of mind IMO.

I spend more on tyres! :cool:
 
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Tyres are a big killer on the back of any MR2 I think .. I've had mine for a little over a year and I've almost gone through my second set in under 12k miles... Budget for an oil AND tyre change every 6k miles :p :D
 
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