To be specific a 1987 2.8 V6. Bodywork a wee bit shabby (a few rust scabs, a few bits of the rear splitter broken off), but sound mechanically apart from brake servo not working (brakes work still) and could do with a new lock set. Both things I could probably sort out (any ideas on the servo problem?). MoT till Jan 06, plus it comes with sumpguard and a straight pipe where the rear silencer should be (nice noises :D). All for 250 notes. Insurance for 10 months would set me back 380 quid, so all that for 630 quid. So very tempted. Should I?
Hmmm... 1987 E? I think that's the later gearbox, the Type 9 boxes fail. Tappety engine at all? They're usually a bit. Locks easy. Servo... I thought the XR4x4s all had ABS, perhaps the accumulator sphere (looks just like something out of a Citroen) is failing? Inner wings alright? What do you mean by rear splitter?
Check the fuel tank for leaking. Check the front part of the transmission and listen for noises from the duplex chain in the transfer case. Make sure the tyre wear is reasonably even.
Having said that, for £250, who gives a crap as long as it's mobile.
Oh, and if you've already got a car insured, I forget how old you are - can you get classic insurance? Or is this a main car. Shouldn't cost that much to insure as a second toy.
I was thinking that, but wouldn't it be a facelift model on an '87? I can never remember, I've had an '86 D (Type 9 - go boom), an E plater I wrote off, and a 90 G plater...
It has ABS which doesnt work and has no servo assisstance. Basically brakes work fine but you need to give them a good push. He took it to sweden over the winter and the snow twatted a few bits off the bottom of the plastic bumper at the rear. No idea about the inner wings, will make sure I ask.
I havent seen the car (its a couple of hours away), but its being sold by a regular rally guy, and he says its sound mechanically so I can probably trust him. But as you say, for £250 with MoT till Jan it doesnt really mater.
Well it was gonna be a 'pratical' car (ie 5 seats and a hatchback!), which would also save racking up mileage on the already tired engine/gearbox of the MR2! So it may end up doing a far few miles, so classic policy probably isnt an option. The exhuast puts the policy up a bit (to 410), need to phone up about the sumpgaurd if I decide I'm serious about it.
That was the thing... bar the initial launch where it could get traction where others would be left wheelspinning, it never actually felt that quick to me.
And the handling was... well, uninspiring, I suppose - now if it had been twin turbo'ed I might have found it a bit more interesting.
That sounds like the black sphere thingy. Mine used to make pumping-up noises, IIRC, when first started - I know I thought it was a wierd system.
Rear bumper no problem. Inner wings, definitely check. Front wings are welded on a Sierra so you want to make sure things are okay rust-wise - if it matters to you. Personally as long as it doesn't threaten the structure of the car, I can live with rust.
At least on a cheap car.
FFS man, don't tell them things like that on a crappy £250 banger. If you crash it, you're going to run away very quickly anyway. Unless it has been fitted with a turbo or 20" alloys, or some mad hi-fi system, the state you get it in is 'what they're like'.
And if you're going to be moving the MR2 into a secondary role, put it on Classic. I know these things vary, but as long as you are over 25 and have a car already insured on a regular policy, you can insure things very cheaply. No business use usually, and 6000 miles a year /but/ they don't always take a declaration, Plus, you get agreed value. My Supra costs £204 plus the usual legal cover and stuff, so £250 overall - and I even got a quote for a similar price for a 1993 Jeep Cherokee 4x4 4.0 LTD. You don't need a secondary lot of NCB and don't earn any on classic policies.
And whatever anyone else says - I got 28mpg out of my G-plater driving it mostly sensibly. It wasn't a bad car to run. Was in obscenely good health, though.
You'd have to be mad to declare random none-mods like those on a £250 car !
It's not like you're ever gonna be making a claim, and if anyone claims against you, then you obviously have no knowledge of said mods, and can't be expected to dissasemble your car to check each and every component is factory original. I suspect the number of *totally* standard £250 cars around is approximately zero - the vast majority of them will have had *something* bodged together in a none-standard way.
As a £250 banger, it's a fine buy. Cheap to fix when it busts, enough space to fit more than a tin of beans inside, etc. It's no performance car - nobody is under the illusion it's anything other than a £250 Sierra :)
Away wit' you - you're as bad as those old biddies on Top Gear saying "I wonder how many miles to the gallon it does" about that new Honda (2.3, vaguely 'trendy' thing).
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