Struggling to justify my MR2... so bought another!

[widster]

As the title really. An old two seat sports car although reliable but requiring attention at times doesn't really fit in my life at the moment. However, I decided a few months back that I'm not selling my blue t-bar as I'd receive very little money and I'm quite attached to the thing after 10 years ownership.

Anyway, to explain the thread... a good friend of mine bought a white G reg mk1 a year after me so 9 years ago. It was also a t-bar but with black leather interior. Pretty good nick but some rust starting to show. He had links with a body shop so had the whole car stripped down and restored. It looked amazing when done and it was probably worth over £2k but the years have passed and it has been sat outside slowly deteriorating, so I've had it off him! I've managed to find somewhere to keep it until I have some spare time.

My initial list of things to do is:

Give it a damn good clean
New tyres
New rear silencer
Try and sort the usual t-bar leak resulting in soggy carpets
Find someone who can re-trim the torn drivers seat
Attend to some minor rust starting to show through
Drain the coolant and replace to stop the surging idle

I have all the photos from the rebuild and all paperwork, invoices etc. I'll recommission it one day and then decide what to do with it! I just couldn't see it deteriorate any further and after all I know my way around them to some degree. I suppose I just get satisfaction from playing with cars and see it as a challenge to put them back on the road.

[widster]

Anyone else in the same position?

[VGB]

I've got two mk2's. Ones been off the road for four years and is a rev 1 or 2. I ended up getting a rev 5 with plan to strip the first one. I've not had the heart to though as like it too much. One day I'll restore the first one fully, just when that day will be who knows!

[BIGBOBO]

I bought mine 7 years ago and except for the faded red paint it was in pretty good shape. Two weeks later inexperienced 21yo me slid it into a guard rail messing up the paint even more.

After two years keeping it outside it needed some new sills and it turned out the "repaired" wheel arches were a fiberglass bodge job. Got all the welding work done and rented a garage for it. Haven't got around to painting it yet (five years later) but the primer seems to hold up, not a single spot of rust yet. Quality paint it seems.

Two years ago (at 235k km) the engine blew and it took me pretty much untill now to get it back on the road due to working two jobs and a gf with kids.

I'm in the process of buying my own house and moving out. And while that should give me plenty of time to work on the car, the house is a real mess and will probably need my attention (and money) for the next few years. So the car will have to wait a bit more (again).

But it's been a fun 7 years so it will stay .

[Lauren]

It's a bit of a mixture of 1a and 1b. For an 85 it should have a flat front bumper and the bumpers should be black.

[BIGBOBO]

It's a bit of a mixture of 1a and 1b. For an 85 it should have a flat front bumper and the bumpers should be black.

The bumper has been resprayed by the previous owner (who drove it through a hedge) no clue if it was replaced.

But you're right it's a bit of a mixture of a and b even though the documents say it was built in late 85 and registered in february 86. I supsect the engine (and other parts) have been swapped/repaired by previous owners. But I don't know for sure.

It also has a mk1b master brake cylinder which is handy since I don't need to upgrade the brake booster to replace it with one from an SW20.

[kaiowas]

Yeah it's definitely got a later front bumper on it. You can tell by the stripes. The doors etc have the stripes that are consistent with a late mk1a/crossover car but the stripe on the front bumper (as well as it's shape) are consistent with a mk1b.

The bumpers shouldn't be black though, that would have been normal on a 'proper' mk1a which would have also had the black mouldings on the doors rather than the colour coded ones with the stripe in them.

[Lauren]

Well for n 85 car I would expect full MK1a treatment.

This looks like an early 86 car though with the wrong front bumper on it, most likely fitted following a shunt, it can't be the original bumper.

Or maybe it's suffered the crying shame of someone trying to make it look like a MK1b (which I'll never understand).

[kaiowas]

Well for n 85 car I would expect full MK1a treatment

Just checked the EPC, the body coloured stripes and bumpers were introduced in August 85 so an 85 car could be either.

[jimi]

Just checked the EPC

great minds think alike or fools seldom differ

[un1eash]

I just gave up with mine after 8.5 years, it needed a full respray and to much welding to make it worth keeping. If I were to get another it would have to be a SC but I don't want to spend £3-4k for for a good rust free example.

[Lauren]

Just checked the EPC, the body coloured stripes and bumpers were introduced in August 85 so an 85 car could be either.

That's interesting and this isn't a UK car to be fair. I had an 86 MK1 and it had all the MK1a stuff though was body coloured on the bumpers and had sideskirts. I suppose that these things can vary in different markets. Always wonder then if UK cars were a bit of a slow seller as we don't tend to see later front bumpered cars till 87 here.