i have a little bit of money to spare so i'm looking to purchase a little project.. i have narrowed it down to basically 2 cars.. 90-95 MR2 Turbo or n/a or 300 ZX n/a.. keep in mind i only want the look... the performance is just a plus.. i've just always wanted a car with t-tops.. i'm sure some of you guys have owned or still own one or the other.. to those with experience.. can you guys give me some pros and cons? how bout reliability? common issues? models to avoid? tnx

 

ill take the mr2, both cars are PITA to work on also....(the z maybe a little more difficult)

 

I would go for the mr2, try to find one that is 93+ bc thats when they did a major redo of the suspension. I personally could not get a non-turbo but the 5sfe+ 5sp is still fun to drive (you can also find them cheap). Also, If you decide you do need the speed the 3sgte drops right in. Check out celica alltracs its also turbo like the 2 but also it has awd but its about the same weight as the 300z. I would stay away from the 300z esp the n/a because they are much heavier than the mr2. The best way to find out is go drive em.
P.S. I would stay away from 3000gt's too
LexusFiend

 

tnx for the feedback.. hey lexus friend.. what exactly is 3sgte? is that a tranny? or a motor? are Mr2's reliable? the last thing i want is a money pit that's not reliable..

 

I've owned an MR2 turbo and an ALLTRAC. They are both extremely fun to drive. I have to say the most fun I had was in the ALLTRAC. Very easy to drive, decently fast out of the box and it handles unbelieveably. There's my two cents.

-Craig

 

gatewaycraig, why did you get rid of your MR2? did you spend more time fixing it than driving it?

 

I really didn't have too many issues. I had the normal wear and tear things and basic maintainence to take care of, but that was it. It's when I went to a larger turbo, and other upgrades when I started having issues. But those were mainly my fault. I loved having the power and I wore the car down myself...lol!

I got rid of it to move on to other projects. It was a terrific car to own. There is so much potential from that engine. It's probably why I bought an ALLTRAC a few months later


Hope this helps a little.

-Craig

 

MR2 all the way. 300ZXs are a PITA to work on. I have two friends who have a 91 and a 92, twin turbo models, and playing around with them has led to a problem at virtually every turn. Check out 1MZFE swaps with MR2s.

 

swapping in a 3sgte is a lil harder then u think. alot more to replace then ur common plug and play swaps. i persoanlly like the mr2 over the Z. i think the mr2 is more of a fun car to drive over the Z. the Z is the last car u want to be playing with. the engine is big, engine bay is small. not much room for u to work on.

 

Ugly as sin as well. Yea I said it.

I would take the MR2.
The 3SGTE is a turbo engine used in the All-Trac Celica and turbo MR2s. I always wanted an All-Trac Celica. I had to settle for a GT-S model instead though...

 

Considering your criteria I'd say get the MR-2 non-turbo. The Z is just a pig and a nightmare to work on.

The 5S MR-2's are still tons of fun and as reliable as any other Toyota. Remember, the non-turbo MR-2 has the same exact drivetrain as a Celica GT/Camry of the same year, just located in the other end. They are also a little faster than the Celicas and handle MUCH better.

The turbos are harder to find clean and very expensive when they are. One that needs turbo work and such will really clean you out.

I've also owned a Celica GT-S, GT, and an All-Trac. All have their plusses and minuses but an MR-2 non-turbo has very few minuses.

So my vote is the MR-2. Easy, cheap, reliable, and you get your t-tops.