Faults:

Sway bar end links are making noise.

Front Rotors are warped.

Rear calipers are stuck.

One of the metal lines coming from the engine and going to the heater core has rusted.

General Comments:

This car is not very fast off the line (automatic transmission).

Once you get the engine above 3,500 RPM's it is a different story.

Handling is excellent, much better than my Buick.

So many miles and still running strong.

I got the car for free so I can't complain.

Faults:

Some electrical - my fault.

Bad wheel bearing when I bought the car.

Other than that, very maintenance free.

General Comments:

I've set up my car based on the Japanese tuning methods for mid shipped cars.

Volk racing TE37 16x7 wheels which immediately improved performance all around.

Using pillow ball uppermounts took away any vagueness in the handling once my driving skills surpassed the tuning level of the car. I actually run my suspension settings close to stock with only the front camber being slightly out of stock range.

Running a coilover setup also improves overall handling for the 2. Lowering to a basic 2 finger gap is low enough for the street, and most likely your skills, if you are not an experienced weekend track/autocross racer.

With a 25 offset for my wheels, it pushed them out all the way to the edge of the fenders. Another big improvement! Makes the wheels look 1" bigger - like 17's even tho they are only 16's. Total stability in the rain at 80mph.

Running my adjustable struts medium soft up front and soft in the rear allows the right amount of understeer in rainy conditions. In the dry I run identical med-soft settings for both f and r. On winding backroads I stiffen the dampers to medium and that allows a perfect amount of neutral to slight oversteer to get the rear to point where I want it.

Running an aftermarket rear sway bar also helped tune the rear end for more oversteer or neutral handling depending on the setting, and tightened up the sloppy rear end for more stability. 87's did not come with rear sway bars. Luckily I bought a set of strut housings off of Ebay from an 89 and it had the sway bar mounts, unlike my 87.

These tuning methods allowed me to pick up to around 20 miles per hour more around the corners with complete stability and pure enjoyment that the 2 was designed for. That also includes my increase in driving skills... something that most people don't factor.

I don't run high grip tires on the street for now because that mentality meant that your tires are doing all the work when it should be your whole car working together. My next set will be higher grip tires with the hope that it doesn't ruin my ride quality too much. I've been enjoying the softer side-walled Kuhmo tires - and for everyday driving and spirited driving works better on the street.

Please separate a "race" car from a tuned "street" car. Race settings don't work so well on the street... suspension wise. Street tuned vehicles can outperform any high end stock ride on the street. Street tuned vehicles are fun to drive - imagine that?!

Your skills will improve because you enjoy driving your car... and if someone faster comes along let them pass... you may find out how awful their driving skills are once you get to follow them for a bit.

Faults:

The 02 Sensor went out. Easy to replace - took about 20 minutes.

The suspension was pretty worn out so I replaced it with bushings, struts, tie rods and springs. It rides beautifully.

Stock clutch finally went at around 115,000 miles - replaced it with a Stage 2 clutch capable of 300 RWHP.

General Comments:

Having owned a 91 CRX Si in the past, which was truly a fun car to drive, and quick, I must say that the Toyota MR2 beats it in every way.

Not only is the car slightly faster, but it handles likes it on rails. Thanks to the fact that it's RWD, it easily out handles 99% of the FWD cars on the market. I used to Auto-X my CRX, and I can honestly say that consistently turn out better lap times in my MR2.

This car is absolutely amazing to drive - it really puts the fun back into the road. It's got an almost neutral weight distribution, redlines at about 8,000 RPMs and runs a 16.0 on the 1/4 mile. I think the stock 1/4 mile times are slower, but I made my own intake and got exhaust. However, the main attraction to this car is it's sheer handling capabilities. You have to drive like an idiot to have this car get away from you. It is perhaps one of the funnest cars to drive. If you have never driven one, you simply can't understand it.

To go along with the performance, the car is super reliable. I've heard of these things lasting on average 200,000 miles and some up to 400,000 miles! My MR2 has about 122,000 on it right now, and it runs like it's right off of the line.

As far as performance options go - there are loads available. Mainly in the suspension department. There are some engine modifications available, but mostly for the true sports enthusiast, such as cams, pistons and motor mounts. There isn't a lot of aftermarket "Honda" type support like I saw on my CRX - such as paying $300 for intake that offers 5 HP, or loads of ugly bodykits and wings. To really give the car a kick you can get it supercharged for around $1,000, or drop a 20 Valve DOHC In-line 4 called a "Blacktop" which boosts it to 170 HP.

My only complaint about the car is the lack of space - BUT THIS CAR ISN'T FOR ECONOMISTS. This car is for sports enthusiasts who enjoy driving as fast as they can. It can also get a bit noisy inside the cabin on the highway.

Other than that - this is really one of the best cars EVER made. And all for a price that anyone can afford.