Monsieur's #1 A-Dub

so, you just posted this car up in showroom. did you just buy this car? an ad for this car went up on gumtree just yesterday. 
 
http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/aldgate/cars-vans-utes/1987-toyota-mr2-aw11-white-low-kms/1019337893
 
I was looking at the add last night trying to work out what the car was, has S1 interior, engine, bumpers, but S2 body and side vent by the looks of your front strut towers. it also lists as automatic, but pics show manual shifter
 
then I saw you post this and thought that car looks really familiar. is someone playing silly buggers with your photos?

have you had some good drives in an SC?
 
make sure its what you want, otherwise you might end up doing like i did, buy NA, go this is great, need more power. then sell and buy an SC, realise the power is awesome, but then realise there is a big trade off in handling for that power, so you turbo it because the supercharger dies and they are getting hard to find in good condition, then you sell that and buy another NA again and realise after all that even though they lack power they are a super fun little car.
 
 

heavier components, more rear end weight. you certainly can get them to handle well, but they really need a much better setup to make it happen.
 
one thing you really do have to take into account these days though, the Supercharger, these are now over 20years old, alot of them are on there way out and since they aren't a rebuildable item in time they will get rarer and more expensive.
 
but that said the SC model is still great. I used to love that instant burst of torque in mine. but yeah I think my sensible side one out in the end.

I know guys out there who have put koni/eibach combo on their cars and they handle quite well. but original JDM SC models don't have rear swaybars remember, alot of times they don't have the tabs for mounting them either, so kits need to be had to mount these things etc. Remember most springs out there for these cars in the world are designed for the NA cars, so the extra weight on the rear the springs won't have the same effect, some makers do have specific SC model springs. The best handling SC I have seen has a few thousand dollars worth of Tein Custom made coilovers under it. Another one I know that handles very well has TRD Gymkana springs
 
You want torque for the 16v get some cams, a set of 264deg cams makes a HUGE difference to the 4AGE.
 
I am not trying to turn you off here mate, just sharing some of my experiences owning all the different models. good luck, and have a look around. think about what you really want out of the car.
 
all the best.

If you want a car with more power, don't bother with an SC, go for a more modern turbo'ed car. Use it to get it out of your system and then every time you come back to the NA and chuck it into a corner, it will put a smile on your face the turbo simply can't compare with. You will find the turbo addictive and want to keep both though!
 
Mine is an SC Auto but that's a different beast altogether, the torque is what makes it fun rather than the power, and I can definitely agree with what Wiso has to say about handling in an SC, the auto makes it worse!
I wouldn't call the SC a powerful car at all. It just makes the AW11 feel like a bit bigger and lazier car than what it should be. I still like what I ended up with though, but the thought of an NA screamer crosses my mind more often than I'd admit. My wallet simply doesn't agree though so I doubt I'll ever get an NA adub.
 
Your car looks very fresh and mint still. If it doesn't have any rust (or very little), I'd hold onto it if I were you. 20v Blacktop swap would be the ultimate swap I think.
If you have to get an SC, keep the NA for a while before you decide which you would rather have in the long term.

Gentlemen, allow me to enter the discussion about the SC, and how much fun it is.  Sure, they are heavier - but the supercharger with its instant torque makes it so much more driveable on real roads.  Never mind race tracks or drag strips, the SC AW is just made for your favourite twisties . . .