Turbo vs NA vs BEAMS

Hey guys,
I just know 90odd% of you are reading this title and bursting with opinions! 
I couldn't find another similar thread in these forums, so I thought I'd start one.
 
I've got ~1year left on my P's, so I'm in two minds, buy my first MR2 now (NA) or wait till I can drive a turbo.

The above doesn't really matter, just want to start a general discussion about the pro's and con's of all three engines (NA, turbo, BEAMS (VVT)).

To get things going...
> the MR2 is all about handling, do you really need a turbo to enjoy the day-to-day drive? For the track, I'd imagine a turbo is the way to go, but would you get bored driving a NA everyday to work/uni/shops/mates place/deli?
> What sort of performance gains do you get with a turbo over a NA or BEAMS, in terms of power, torque, where (in revs) you get torque, fuel consumption, driveability, etc.?
> MR2's (and Toyota's in general) are know for their reliability, how do the reliability of these three engines compare? (from this forum, it seems like they're all just as reliable as each other, so long as they're cared for properly)
 
What *I* want, is a car thats fun to drive, sporty, handles great, not a nightmare on fuel, reliable. Sounds to me like an MR2...
but what engine do I opt for?!
 
Again, less about me, more about discussion.
 
Cheers :)

My N/A is plenty fun. I bought it only a little while before I got off my P's. Definitely considered a turbo but decided against it in the end. I go to the track pretty regularly so with a turbo it'd be much faster and probably more fun, but it'll also go through fuel, brakes and tyres that much quicker. And the N/A engines are cheap. If I blow it up it won't cost much to replace (but if that does happen I'll probably do a turbo swap). At the track, it's always the guys with turbo engines that are wrenching spanners under the hood instead of driving. Granted, a standard turbo would be just as reliable as the N/A, but no one keeps them standard.

NA is still good, but you only have one problem. if you get bored with the power theres nothing you can do about it. with the turbo theres plenty you can do. all depends on how much you want to spend as well in mods, turbos can cost $$$ if you catch the boost bug lol
if you plan on doing hillclimb sort of trackwork an NA is more than enough.

it's all down to personal preference and only you can acuratly make that decision for yourself. as mandalay said, drive both for yourself and make a decision.
 
i'd get an mr2 NA now, drive it, enjoy it, sort out the handling, don't worry about power, then when your off P's take a turbo for a spin and see if it's what you want. if not then you've had yrs of fun in your NA mr2 anyhow.
 
 

Don't forget the option of V6. The 1MZFE has a lot of torque, a good amount of HP with the mega-reliability and fuel economy of a Camry. It's can also be cheaper to do a V6 conversion with an SW20 then to do a BEAMS conversion.

(puts on flame suit)
Boost = Better.
JDM > ADM.
Once you get a taste of boost there's no turning back.
And in general driving you're pretty much off boost anyway.
But as MRTurbo said, it's nice to be able to put your foot down and have something happen.
 

Save more & wait for a turbo. You'll be constantly toying with the thought of upgrading engine if you get NA now & 1yr passes.

Thanks for replies guys!
 
Didn't really consider a v6 swap. seems like it would be a good project, just wouldn't personally do it unless i needed to rip out the current engine. but definitely worth considering.
 
does anyone have any complaints or figures for fuel on a turbo as a daily, highway or anything?