Hello fellow MR2 enthusiasts,
I'm a stock Toyota MR2 Mk1 owner and besides the catalytic converter being a Magnaflow(you can't buy the originals new from Toyota anymore), plan to keep it all original, body and all. For me, this car was the pinnacle of cool and sleek looking vehicles with nice edges and angles that give it a sleek look. This was the way I've always loved cars(think Ferrari Testerossa, Lamborgini Contache, 1980's Trans Am and even the Delorean, that's me, I love 80's cars and I'm proud of it) and the way I wish they had stayed instead of adopting the pregnant roller skate look that came later and continues to this very day. For me the only contender to rival the Toyota MR2 in it's day(which for the record the 1988 won best car of the year in Australia), was the Honda Prelude. Well I've owned a 1989 Prelude and let me just tell you that those cars are junk once you've compared them to the 1988 MR2. Why? Well they certainly are nice to look at etc but the MR2 has more grace in the looks dept without being self pretentious and a major thumbs up over the Prelude and that's reliability fellow MR2 owners. Now I'm driving my 1988 MR2, I would never own a Honda Prelude ever again(the only car I've ever owned where a pulley fell out of the engine bay after a major service).
Recently I've been drooling at the new Toyota 86, which is certainly one fine machine, however the simply gorgeous AW11 MR2 MK1 is still to be surpassed for me as an ultra cool looking car.
Sadly the MK1's are becoming increasingly hard to find and I notice more Mk2 and Mk3 MR2's even on this forum.
I'm at the stage where I'm looking into doing a restoration on the outside to 1.Bring back the nice new paint look with a respray and 2. replace old tired parts with suitable replacements(eg seals, the stickers, selected mouldings and trimings etc). Overall the car is not in bad condition considering it's age but it's time for some love.
My hope in joining this forum is I'll get to meet/chat and discuss MR2 MK1 restorations with fellow owners and avoid re-inventing the wheel. It would be great to learn of recommended body shops etc that don't rip you off(how many people have noted the difference between a private restoration shop and a shop that's associated with authorised insurance repairs for example. I've been amazed at the difference and the wide span of costs between these shops) Personally I've discovered many great suppliers and online sources for obtaining most of the necessary hardware, parts wise and look forward to sharing them with you all, so you too can enjoy restoring your pride and joy as well.
Finally I'm also keen to learn of great local MR2 specialists for tune ups etc, where people know and understand the vehicle. There's so many mechanics who are fine for the major service items but on subtle issues such as correct flushing and replacement of coolant(a critical factor every MR2 owner knows must be done correctly), they are seriously not knowledgeable enough. Another issue is the lack of care if you get your air conditioning serviced(compressor replaced with a rebuilt unit etc) as I discovered.
So here's to joining up with the QLD MR2 club members in time and sharing our passion for this legendary vehicle together.
All the greatest and sweet driving,
Sean.
PS. To whom, do I pay the membership fee, fill out forms etc?