6G Celicas Forums

Anyone have any insight on what is the best as far as what is considered the truest of a sports car? I know one of these threads of mine are floating around here somewhere, and I do not mean to post whore, however, I wanted to know if anyone had any experience with any or all three, to see which is the best as far as performance goes. I am starting to feel as if they are each individually special, pending on their usage, and the Toyotas MR vehicle, has never been a car to truly let anyone down or with a frown. Sure there are their favorites, as most guys who are into driving straight will prefer the earliest model due to cost and weight. The mid model do to looks and speed. Possibly the latest model for handling and weight (then I am starting to consider technology now, however looking back on other cars... Say like the RX7.. Totally out classes the newer RX8).

I keep going back and fourth with this because I do need and want another car while i fix this one up and once complete, thinking about the future if I want to dump any more money into this car once the conversion is complete. There is a good chance I could get an MR-S within budget, and I know nobody around where I live fixes those up.

This post has been edited by Random_Stranger: Nov 13, 2009 - 8:29 AM

well i have driven the spyder, and from what i have read in reviews, it has the best handling of all of them however the tuning options are not great.

its newer, more parts, convertible (if that matters, it could be bad and good)

i have my SW20 for 10! years right now, street and trackuse, i love it so much i'm keeping it, driven also the MRS, stocks and track toys , drives also good, very go kart ish but slow and driving position sucks.

in my opinion the SW20 is the best of the 3, the best looking and the one with the most potential in it.

Thanks that is what I was wondering. I wanted something more of the looks and styling. I have seen turbo MRS, although I am not sure exactly how good it is beyond it's normal options. I like the fact that the MRS is newer, and normally I wouldn't touch a convertible, but I would make an exception to go the route of a newer vehicle (and of course I would get a hard top for it), although the MR2 SW20 seems almost unmatched and if anyone or anything came close... It would be the model before it. Mostly looking for handling and of course boost options. From what I read, driving position does suck, although I haven't heard any complaints on the handling from any of the vehicles.

I drove a 2004 MR-S about a week ago. It has ZERO body roll..make that negative body roll. Completely stock on 205/15/50 tires. It drove like a beauty. It also had the manual sequential transmission, which was interesting in that it acted like a manual without a driver-operated clutch, not like an automatic with manual functionality.

Yeah I hear that SMT is considered to be rare in one of those, however they for some reason have less HP than the actual MT models, at least that is what I read when I looked up the specs. They look like they would handle well, and they are much lighter than the MK2.

if you can find a hardtop for the MRS then i'd say Green light. 2nd gen MR2 FTW!!! I have a TRD replica spoiler for them too, so if you get a 2nd gen I might...........might wanna let it go just for you.

This post has been edited by 808celica: Nov 13, 2009 - 7:21 PM

Jon, for the budget I have in mind (since MK2 sounds more obtainable), I just may just be hounding you for it.

This post has been edited by Random_Stranger: Nov 13, 2009 - 7:25 PM

If your TRD spoiler was red I would take it from you.



And after having a SW21 for a week and really only driving to and from work (1.5 miles each way) I can already see why so many people love them. Its an absolute blast to drive! I hear the 91 and 92 models are more likely to experience snap oversteer than 93+, but changing out wheels/tires will correct that. Overall I am really happy with the way mine feels. With the lack of power options it really feels more responsive and connected to the road than my Celica did.

My friend's brother has an MR-S. Yeah, it's a droptop and it handles like no other, but... I'd take my Celica over it any day. The 1ZZ in his car just isn't cutting it. The gears feel similar to the S54 to me, in how they are spaced. It's a fun car, but I'd have a MK2 over the MR-S any day. There is so much more potential.

I have no desire to look it up right now, but it probably still goes through a torque converter, hence the power loss. Correct me if I'm wrong.

This post has been edited by SwissFerdi: Nov 13, 2009 - 9:04 PM

its blue primer only it doesnt have is the covers on the side didnt come with the widebody kit my friend bought.

I've been around MR2s since my brother bought his, now my 86 brand new. I have owned at least one of each gen., have autocrossed each one and I can tell you that each one is special in their own way. As far as being the truest sports car, the MKII T would best fit that category since its the fastest and the 93+ handle just fine.

However, I think the MKIII does handle much better than the MKI and is the most reliable stock. I had the most fun w/the Spyder as far as pure driving experience. Its the one I would recommend if you can swing one.

I still have my 86 MR2 MKI despite having bought and sold 4 since that one. I love the nostalgia that goes along w/the MKI's and as you can tell w/the engine in my Celi, I do love the 4AG's when they are acting right.

80s MR2s were around 2400 lbs
low on power, but the supercharged ones are supposed to be still pretty quick. Especially for a 1980s car.

90s MR2s were around 2600 lbs
Fattest and considered to be the "worst handling" MR2 But the engine has the most potential for power. Pretty good size trunk, and more room in the front.

2000s MR2/MRs were around 2200 = lightest and most nimble, but the engine was very underpowered especially for its year and not a lot of power options without going forced induction or swap. Basically NO trunk/luggage space


I own a 92 turbo and love it.. Dont be turned off by the label of the "worst handling" mr2, they all handle amazingly. What sold me on the 92s was their exterior design, and trunk space.. You can easily fit 2 sets of golf clubs, or weekend luggage, and get more room in the front without a spare tire. 94/95 there were very few made.. Maybe 500 tops each year in the US. If you want one of these in pristine condition with under 100k miles, you are looking at $10,000 or more. Especially the turbo models.

I've owned all three.

MK1 - get it for legacy purposes only. I still love this car
MK2 - get for speed and exotic nature. The SW20's 3SGTE is very strong
MK3 - get for handling.

Note on the MK3. The 1ZZ sucks. However, the 2ZZ (think Lotus, Celica GTS, XRS models, etc) drops right in no problem. A gentleman by the name of Littlerocket makes a shifter adapter for the transmission. You can find him on www.spyderchat.com. If I were to stick with one of these guys, I'd take the spyder.

I noticed the 1ZZ was pretty weak...140 HP didn't do much for me.

True, but I hear you do a 2zz swap and that it is a beast. So far, I have heard no complaints with that swap, and of course with a turbo charge.




Hey thanks for that. Because if I could get a Spyder for my budget, I am really considering doing that 2zz swap.

My final $0.02 before I drop out of this thread and come back to read and learn only, but the MR-S does have a pretty nice interior. It's cozy, functional enough, and not too in-your-face. The 7th gen Celica's interior is okay, has plenty of storage, but it's not my favorite interior. The MR-S, on the other hand, works. I like it. Having never seen the interior on the MKII firsthand, I can't say anything about that, but the MR-S works. If you can swing a 2ZZ in an MR-S, you'll have a good ride.

I also hear tires are ridiculously expensive for the MR-S- my friend's brother found it cheaper to buy a more common size rim and put tires on those than put tires on the factory rims.

This post has been edited by richee3: Nov 24, 2009 - 9:02 PM

Factory tires are 205/50/15, I assume that's a decently common size.

if u want nice handling and the 190 hp engine swap, with a top speed of 145 mph.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLflNPLJ1pY...feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0hhbGcTQKEc

got to love best motoring. this is the techno spirit mrs all n/a