hey im new here and will be looking to purchase a gs pretty soon here.. if i can ever sell my mr2... in my area i have found a few but i want to know what type of things i should look out for what kind of things usually go wrong/bad and signs to look for. i have a decent amount of knowledge about cars, but wanted to know if there is anything specific to the model that i should watch out for.
also i have found a few in my area and they all seem to have between 170k to 220k i felt like this was really high but the majority of them were in that range so i wasnt sure.. is this normal for models between 93-95?
what is considered average?
thanks

 

Look out for water in the spare tire well, as well as warped/distorted front window moldings. Upper control arm ball joints are expensive to replace; the entire control arm needs to be changed; around $400 each. 2 engine and 1 tranny mount. Those things popped in my mind right away. Some other members will chime in soon I'm sure. Bought mine back in 04 with 120,000 miles, went through one tranny rebuild since, engine still purrs like a kitten though. Replaced the mounts, still saving to replace the window moldings; they aren't cheap either. One more thing, if a window fails its almost always the regulator; you should NOT need the window motor. Regulators are ~$100, as opposed to $500+ for the motor / regulator assembly. Good luck and enjoy your "new" ride !!

 

warp window trim
broken cup holder
burnt needles

 

With the ball joints do they have wear indicators or not? and if they are going bad can you tell by driving the car or do i just need to raise the car up and look for play in them?
with motor mounts from what i understood they are liquid filled? is this correct. and what signs should i look of in them? cracking ect. you are also saying that as long as the motor has been taken care of properly i should be paying more attention to if tranny for rough shifting and other symptoms that the tranny is going out.

distorted front window moldings - are you talking about the trim on the outside of the window or the molding that seals the window from the elements?


just making sure.. you are talking about the tach ect?

thanks for the help once i get all the info i need ill probably put together a thread for any other future buyers.

 

Ball joints don't have "wear indicators" per se, but if you hear some clicking when turning, it's probably a good sign to change them. Does the car you're considering have service records? It'd be a good thing just to consider changing them anyways; bad things happen when they let go. Same with the motor and tranny mounts. If your shifter shakes excessively when you go over bumps and speed bumps, they're done too. If the seller agrees, take the car to a reputable shop (or dealer) and have them take a look at the entire car.

Yes, the trim on the outside of the windows. If you hear wind noise (more than typical) take a close look at them. They are almost always the culprit.

 

Broken cup holder (can be fixed if you have all the original parts and JB weld)
Warping front door moldings (multiple ways of fixing this)
Burnt out rpm/speedo needles (EXPENSIVE from lexus, better off finding a used cluster and pulling the needles out)
My tranny mount is starting to crush so that needs to be taken care of.
Replaced my lower ball joints
The woodgrain by the shifter cracks 95% of the time (buy a dash kit and problem solved)
Water in the spare wheel well is common
Alot of people also make post about "TRAC off and CEL on", mine was similar but just the "TRAC" light came on. Ended up having to replace ABS accumulator pump.

You'll have a lot of little things but those are most of the super common ones (minus the TRAC issue)

PS, where in WA are you? Ive seen a few around here and there was a super clean 97 for sale a little while ago in E. King. co.

 

Quick question....when i hit the gas my front end raises as if I hit switches! Is that a sign of a bum arm?

 

im in vancouver.. but i dont mind having to drive to get the right car.. but i am still waiting for my mr2 to sell
thanks for the info tho!
as of now i dont really have anymore questions

 

Ill pm ya if I see anything come up.

 

cool thanks!

know anyone that wants a clean oldschool 2?! :P




jk jk now its just time to play the waiting game

 

Good luck with the sale/purchase!

I just bought a 93 GS with 195k for $1k, it sat for 2 years, the guy could afford to fix it!

What I have had to fix so far - Driver window trim, cupholder, trunk shocks, hood shocks, brakes, shifter surround, replaced front seats, needles, antenna mast, fog light, valve cover gasket, harmonic balancer (this was the main problem and why he couldn't drive it), driver window regulator and both back doors had "wiring problems" - wires are so tight that with all the opening and closing, they broke (pretty common on Toyota's). Almost forgot one thing - the rear headliner pillar pieces that go down the rear window post - they use some junk, thin plastic - they bust like hell (or at least all of the one's I've seen in the junkyards). I had to find one that was decent and glue some plastic behind it to keep it kind of together.

Did timing belt, water pump, cam seals, crank seal, plugs, wires, cap, and rotor for the heck of it.

 

I know a few potential people but I dont think anyone would want to drive down to vancouver to pick it up. Might have a chance if you were willing to come to the seattle metro area. Thats not the supercharged one is it? Hell, if it was s/c'd, I might be interested.

 

i dont mind driving if the right deal came along. but its not really goin anywhere with the weather like it is! :P
i wish it was supercharged! haha
im in no hurry to sell it but i am not aloud to have another car until i get rid of one of the ones i have :P until then no gs for me