i want something fun to drive, 2 door, rwd, and reliable. i was actually looking at e46 m3's for quite some time but in the price range im looking at, mileage is around 50k and im afraid things like the clutch or components of the suspensiopn would be crazy expensive to replace. im not too crazy about about the miata or the s2000, not sure about the 350z, and i've been told rx8 has reliability issues.

 

The RX-8 has dynamite steering/handling and a buttery-smooth, turbine-like, rotary engine, but is woefully short on torque, especially at lower RPM's, and, as you note, has had reliability issues. The 350Z is responsive fun to drive, but has had design defects, especially in the first couple of years, with tires/alignment and manual transmission synchros. The interior also has a lot of flimsy, cheap parts that break. The last-generation MR2 offers top-down fun, is extremely small and nimble, has generally been reliable, but doesn't have a lot of power, and I wouldn't want to have an accident in one. I agree with your view of the E46 M3...and I don't think that it provides the all-around value that the 330i and 335i does.....especially the 335i.

With any of these cars, however, don't expect cheap insurance. Try and get GEICO, if possible....they generally have about the lowest rates, though they are picky about who they take on.

 

i have mr2, its nice car... for best result, get 2ZZ-GE engine in it and enjoy :-)..

 

thank you so much for your response mmarshall! i actually have geico for my 91 corolla and when they found out i had a violation for a rolling stop, my liability insurance went up a couple hundred bucks so they're somewhat strict. just wondering why you said you wouldnt want to have an accident in the mr2. is it because of poor crash ratings or parts are expensive to replace?

 

i was wondering about that. i was thinking of getting a high mileage mr2 and swapping the motor but how much would all that cost?

 

get a s2000 and go 2jz haha

 

Not the most functional car, but it's fun and reliable.

If you want a little toy in the stable, it's good. But if it'll be a primary vehicle for everyday use, you're gonna want something else.

 

Like I said, GEICO can be picky. But if you've been with them a long time and haven't had many claims, they will overlook some stuff with their "forgiveness" program.



It's small, light, not much sheet metal to protect you, no engine up front to keep the car from folding up in front of you, a small windshield and no solid roof if you roll over, and, being cramped, may be difficult to get out of in a hurry if you need to (like a fire). Its light weight, in addition, places it at a marked disadvantage if it hits a heavier vehicle.

I'm not necessarily saying don't buy one.....they are indeed fun to drive. But, with most of the weight behind you, they tend to be slightly (not significantly) unstable tracking in a straight line, requiring small steering corrections to stay in your lane, and to be somewhat darty on the steering, which is typical of mid/rear-engine cars. Just a couple of things to keep in mind, that's all.

 

MR2s are awesome! If you want more power you could always put a 3sgte in it

 

not that much, look for mrs forums, there is huge amount of info there...

MR-S is only Toyota in recent times to score 5 stars in EVO... everyone loved that car.

 

My MR2 was a 91 so it doesn't apply too much. I put 217K miles on that car mainly as a daily driver commuter car with a 130 mile round trip commute. No problems whatsoever. Two clutches and timing belts and nothing else other than routine maintenance. It had the mid engine quirks but that's nothing unusual. Plenty of good cars out there and that gen MR2 was reported to be just too expensive to produce but a great car.

 

I just got an 04 mr2 spyder a few weeks ago. So much fun to drive.

 

FWIW: The MR2S weighs like 2200lbs. It was lighter than the miata of the time by ~80lbs or so. Its a fun fun car to drive. I've heard with upgraded suspension, wheels/tires, and brakes that the car becomes quite the road-course beast.

 

bypass the MR-S, get a MR2 91-95 or most of them have 96+ 3SGTE Gen III engines in them, that is a hot ride.

The MR-S is slow, under powered, cramped, no storage, and utterly ugly. You can get all those fixed with an MR2 turbo.

I had one and loved it, I also had a 350Z and the car was too heavy to be enjoyable in anything by a straight line compared to a midengine light car like the MR2 turbo.

 

wrong, pre 03 is 2500, and after that is like 10 pounds heavier.