In the 1970s, with the advent of the Porsche 914, the Fiat X 1/9, and their more exotic brethren including the Pantera and the Countach, the path to a successful mid-engined design was becoming well-trod. Meanwhile, Japanese car makers were still sitting out the wedge-nosed trend as the decade of the 1980s opened. Oh, there was the Mazda, but it was a conventional front-engined configuration and a gas-thirsty one at that. Toyota had a better idea, enabled by the compact DOHC 16-valve four-cylinder engine that it was using in the Corolla: a mid-engined concept car with off-the-shelf suspension parts, and four-wheel disc brakes. Tuned port injection and variable induction squeezed over 110 hp out of the little Corolla motor, without sacrificing fuel economy. As the car developed, it was ushered from concept to reality via help from Lotus dialing in the suspension, and testing by Dan Gurney at Willow Springs. The MR2 (mid-ship runabout two-seater) was introduced in 1984 and immediately sold like hotcakes. Here on eBay is a 1987 Toyota MR2 bid to $8100 with a buy-it-now option at $12,000. This car is located in Cincinnati, Ohio; it runs and drives so no need for a trailer if you live close by.
This car has logged over 104,000 miles but has a very clean AutoCheck report recording its five owners and showing no reported accidents. Work performed in the last couple of years includes a timing belt change and new seals; a new alternator; and new brake master and clutch cylinders. Maintenance items include a transmission service; a new cap and rotor; new pads and rotors; regular oil changes at short intervals; and new plugs and wires. This is the 4A-GE engine, naturally aspirated and generating 115 bhp, paired with a five-speed manual transmission. Top speed was a respectable 118 mph. A supercharged MR2 was offered to the North American market in 1987 as well.
The wear evident in the interior is about matched by the exterior, with its scratches and dents here and there. But the gauge faces are clear and all trim appears to be present. Factory steering wheels are available on eBay, and perhaps a thorough shampooing will refresh the fabric.
This car has a sunroof, which is apparently fairly rare. Roof configurations also included T-tops and a hardtop with no sunroof. The exotic engine with its DOHC, 16 valves, and tuned port injection, along with a five-speed and disc brakes at all four corners made this car a bargain at about $12,800 when new in 1987. While over 300,000 MR2s of all generations were made, finding an unmolested low-mile example is not easy. Mid-teens is about the right price for a car with a few flaws; low mileage examples venture into the $30k area. This car is underbid at the moment but the right price probably isn’t far off the current quote.
I owned a 1988 NA MR2 and it was an absolute blast to drive!
’86 owner (former) here. Street-legal go-kart. Everyone should own one of these for a summer.
My dad bought a ’86 new. One thing it had I don’t see often in these was a leather interior. It was stolen once, the car was found missing the leather seats and door panels.
Loved my own 86.
Wasn’t there a hose on these cars that was an absolute nightmare to replace? I think I saw that on Wheeler Dealers.
More properly stated, there isn’t a hose that isn’t a nightmare to replace. But this is a practical and reliable Lotus. Hard to imagine a more satisfying car to drive 100K in. Mine was white.
I’ve had 3 of these 1st gen MR2’s – 135,000 miles on one, 189,000 miles on the next one, last one had 240,000 miles on it when I was done with it lol. I must say though that now I have a 2005 Lotus Elise and it currenlty has 113,000 miles on it – I bought it with 48,000 on it. I actually find the Lotus has more leg room and the trunk for the Lotus is larger than the trunk in the MR2. Lotus has a 2zz motor in it — so its a much better engne than the ones that came in the MR2. Thus far I’ve found the Lotus to be just as reliable as my MR2’s were and believe it or not, also slightly more practical. Plus it is fiberglass so it won’t rust like the MR2’s will. I’ve also owned 14 Fiat X1/9’s (I guess I have ‘issues’) – and those are quite fun as well. The X1/9 is more fun to drive than the MR2, but of course the MR2 is a much better car. The Elise for the most part is a little eaiser to work on than the MR2 or X1/9’s — unless you have to do something that requires moving the front clam — but generally that is only going to happen if you’re replacing the radiator and 1st thing I did when I bought mine was upgrade the radiator :) The MR2’s are great – but 100,000 miles I’d rather put that in my Lotus Elise vs the MR2. ….although I only piad $2,500 for each of my MR2’s so there is that lol lol lol.
I had a 1985 with the same sunroof which stores in the frunk. Mine was a speed metallic blue with all options except leather seats and security system. Put 180k miles with only an errant fuel pump. Then it drowned in the Great NOLA flood of 1996. Tempting very it is!🖖🏼☮️
What is hanging off the corners off the dash below the AC vents? They look like beer cozies.
I think you’re spot on, aftermarket cupholders.