Do i have a sugar coated memory

[SWMark]

Hi folks,

A few years ago i owned a Rev Turbo MR2. Now i had to sell due to having a kid on the way, unfortunately me and his mum went our different ways, so now a 2 seater will do. I remember it very fondly as being fast, handling supremely, and braking and steering nicely too. I also remember it as being pretty reliable.

On another car forum i frequent, a chap who runs a modifying and tuning company says he has one currently, and this is how he described them to a chap who was thinking of buying one:

All I can say is that although they are "ok", I wouldn't own one.
The guy who owns the 600hp one is going to sell it soon as although it's fast, it doesn't handle well and even with some 8 pot 330mm brakes and the classic RX8 rear conversion, it's still woeful at stopping.

They are a nightmare to work on from the point of view of access.
The engines are strong to about 350hp, after that look out for blocks cracking. (search 5S-FE conversion!)

Another chap came along (who is generally just a grumpy bu88er who thinks that any car that isnt a Rover 620 Ti is xxxx) and said this:

Must depend on which one you drive. the one i drove was horrific.

Poor steering
Dangerous brakes
boring power
too small
the worst car i've ever worked on.

So, do i have a rose tinted memory, or are the Rev3 turbos as good as i remember, should i buy another?

Mark

[Century Motorsport]

You know the old saying ... a bad workman blames his tools!

Pick up a well looked after one and it will be everything you remember and more

[SWMark]

So the blocks are prone to cracking ??

Anyone know of a good one up for grabs? Ideally low miles, low price, comes with a free winning lottery ticket ?

[toxo]

I think a great deal of that is down to personal preference to be honest. You're bound to get biased opinions on here as everyone loves them

From what you've posted, I would say that you can safely ignore the first poster. He said he wouldn't own one so I presume from that hasn't driven one much, and he refers to things such as the 'classic' RX8 rear conversion. There really aren't a lot of those about and certainly not enough to refer to them as classic!

The thing about cracking blocks is not something I would say you need to worry about unless you plan on shooting for big power. Yes, you can make them crack between cylinders 2 and 3, and you can make them crack around the water pump on some rev3 blocks. The vast majority of people who experience these problems are people building mega engines, it's very rare to see this kind of behaviour on a stock build. I have an early rev3 (supposedly the ones where the water pump corner of the block cracks) running ~290bhp and I'm not worried about it.

As for the second poster, well if he's used to big cars then yes the MR2 will seem small. The brakes do require regular maintenance to keep them in tip-top condition. 'Boring power' is an interesting one - they are now akin to modern hot hatches in terms of pub numbers, but much lighter. I wouldn't refer to a turbo as boring.

They are a right bu88er to work on though At the end of the day, if you find a car you like and it drives well then go for it. Don't buy a sh1tter and you won't have as much trouble!

[SWMark]

Thats col, reassures what i was saying, i dont even find them that bad to work on from when i had mine. Could be alot worse!!

[ForMySin]

Perhaps their experiences are of na's? They have less power as standard?

[SWMark]

The first guy says it was a 600hp one, with 8 pot D2 brakes and coilovers.

[Century Motorsport]

8 pot D2's... I expect some modest 4pot AP's would blow the socks of the D2's

[riot68]

I have a n/a and don't find it boring in the least ...

[StevieL]

Rover 620 driver

The only good thing to come out of the Rover factory was the closed sign they put up when it closed.

[TheBaker]

I have a n/a and don't find it boring in the least ...

This and I can only imagine what a tubby is like.

I've not been in many powerful/sports cars but isn't the power of the MR2 quite unque compared to other cars(FWD anyway)in that the engine is in the back and all the drive is from behind since it's RWD?? That's kinda how I've always looked it. I love the pull of my NA.

[Quigonjay]

if posts like those make you question your sanity in owning an mr2, you are probably driving the wrong car

[HighwayStar]

Coming up to 12yrs with the same rev1 n/a... not bored yet.
And look at one.

R

[SWMark]

Rover 620 driver

The only good thing to come out of the Rover factory was the closed sign they put up when it closed.

I wouldnt say that, 220 turbo, first 200hp FWD car with a torsen diff. Even clarkson liked it. SD1 Vitesse V8i, ZT V8 with the mustang engine, VVC engine that Honda copied a decade later with the K20 (web structured design), MG SV with 1000hp, MG ZS labelled the best handling Front driver along with the integra dc2.

But yeah, not sure why a 620 turbo driver would think everything else is poop.

[SWMark]

if posts like those make you question your sanity in owning an mr2, you are probably driving the wrong car

Is that for me ? I dont own one, as i said, im looking at buying one.

[SWMark]

--

[Quigonjay]

if posts like those make you question your sanity in owning an mr2, you are probably driving the wrong car

Is that for me ? I dont own one, as i said, im looking at buying one.

no mate, for current owners

[asdrewq]

No idea how anyone could describe the power delivery of a rev3 turbo as 'boring' unless you daily drive a supercharged atom or something!

[SWMark]

I agree, ive had 27 fast cars, mostly jap, the odd UK and German, and one italian. The Rev is the number harker back for me.

[nevolution]

Another chap came along (who is generally just a grumpy bu88er who thinks that any car that isnt a Rover 620 Ti is xxxx) and said this:

Must depend on which one you drive. the one i drove was horrific.

Poor steering
Dangerous brakes
boring power
too small
the worst car i've ever worked on.

Are you sure you didn't ask about a Porsche 924?

Really, though, the example he drove may have lived a hard life. The good thing about the Toyota motors is that they tend to keep chugging along. Unfortunately, that means there's likely to be some well-worn cars still on the road needing attention... or fortunately, if you like working on these kinds of projects.

I wouldn't say they're overly-difficult to work on, but you can only get to 2 sides of the engine bay. Then again, any front-engine car w/ a forward-opening hood (sorry, bonnet) has the same issues... like any proper classic English motorcar. If the only thing you ever do with your MR2 is change the oil, though, you likely will concur that they're difficult to 'work on'. Pretty horribly stock filter location.

Best advice would be to test drive your most likely candidates. That drive should bring back some memories (good or bad). Make your decision at that point.