Project car for a newbie

I'm new to MR2s and interesting cars in general, and was thinking of buying a poor condition AW11 as a project car with the intention of getting it back on the road.
Is this a good idea or a bad one?
I'd appreciate any advice.
Also let me know if this is not the right place to post such questions.

 
It really depends on your skillset as to whether or not an AW11 is a good fit or not. (a poor example at least anyway)
 
I've built a couple of Classic V8's which are far simpler (for the most part) than an MR2. However the MR2 is much better documented for every nut and bolt than many classics out there. (Using gregory's or the BGB to guide you through)

I'd try to buy yourself a decent example. aim to buy one that has good fundamental components. (IE: Engine and trans in good nic, all interior parts are there etc) - The older cars get, the harder it is to source decent parts.
 
from a solid and complete base car you can give your car a new lease on life through some wrenching time. - Replacing suspension bushings and components, upgrading the engine through simple upgrades, servicing it up, restoring old interior parts etc. 
 
I find the process fun when you have time. If you are rushing though, things just turn to S#!t everytime. 

Make sure to post up if you buy one. fantastic choice in car that will give years of fun. 

V.Baelde
Treay, I find your experiences with the AW11 vs classic V8s very interesting, what is it that makes the classics easier to work on, like are they just simpler, designed to be easy to work on, or do the electronics in the AW11 make themselves a nuisance?

Not that you asked me but thought I'd pitch in
Two things that make the MR2 harder to work on than an older carbureted engine


1. More electronics to worry about, leading to even less room in the engine bay
2. Engine is crammed into the ass-end of a coupe smaller than your average modern day hatchback
 
In saying that, there's no other car I'd rather be breaking working on

V.Baelde
I'm new to MR2s and interesting cars in general, and was thinking of buying a poor condition AW11 as a project car with the intention of getting it back on the road.
Is this a good idea or a bad one?
I'd appreciate any advice.

 
I'd say find the best condition one you can for the budget you have, don't buy one that has a bent chassis. And don't rush, good cars pop up out of the blue now and then.
 
Above all, whatever you buy, make sure the VIN plate matches the VIN stamped into the chassis, and if it's an import make sure the compliance and import plates are legit.
 
We've seen a couple of examples here where people didn't quite end up with what they thought they paid for.

Hi mate. Depending on what happens I might have a white hardtop 87 to sell.

I bought a poor condition AW11 as a project car. No regrets so far, but it's taking plenty of time and a realistic budget to make it good.
 
An enthusiast owned car with new suspension, engine swap, 15" alloys, performance tyres, nice paint (etc) selling for 5.5-6.5 K$ is selling at the upgrades cost. A scruffy at 1000$ leaves a budget to work with to fix whats wrong or improve (my situation) but is never going to stay "cheap". Avoid a 2.5-4.5 K$ car which looks ok at purchase but then needs a similar fix-it budget to the scruffy. 
 
The Denso EFI is early generation (like a Bosch L) with basic morse code error reporting, not OBD2. So troubleshooting is with a multimeter not a laptop. It took me around 2 hours to pin out and confirm everything was in limit.
 
There's lots of support on the internet with the factory manuals, part number books, purchase guides and specific "how to's". The supply of mechanical parts is still excellent. Ebay, SCA & Bursons all support it as you are in the Corolla parts bin. Amayama Jap direct imports will cover you for almost everything else at excellent prices provided it fits in a small package and you can wait 2 weeks. The plastics everywhere, especially those exposed to sun, engine heat or snap fit are getting brittle. So go slow and careful. Anything on the front 1/3rd of the car can be scarce and is more expensive to source compared to a MX5. Missing pin striping on my bumpers was a tell tale of accident damage fixed on the cheap.
 
The "mid engined" aspect needs special consideration. Bad alignment or worn suspension are not items you will want to ignore as there is a possibility of unsafe handling, not just poor handling. Fuel pump failure is common and complicated by the mid engine location. Mine took 2 days and required pump/screen/filter/filler hose and an injector clean. The AW11 EFI plastics/rubber is incompatible with E10 fuel.
 
Japanese body steel seems to be of excellent quality. Keep an eye out for superficial rust, serious rust seems to require salted roads.
SteveB

Welp. I got an MR2. It's pretty rough and it'll take a bit of work, but as far as I can see it hasn't been crashed, and there's no structural rust (just surface rust).

I was going to say come get my AW11, but you found one. Goodjob