1987 Toyota MR2 Coupe review from UK and Ireland

A cam-belt snapped whilst driving at a constant 40mph and caused no damage whatsoever.

The throttle cable frayed then snapped at 95000 miles.

The MK1 MR2 is a perfectly balanced car and can corner at speeds that simply wouldn't be sensible in a hot-hatch. It starts to understeer first in the dry because there isn't really enough power to kick the back end out other than in the wet. You can catch it and dial in a bit of opposite lock if you're prepared to drift, but the steering could do with half a turn of lock taken out of the rack. For such a sporty car, I didn't find it tyre sensitive. It's an easy car to slide around and very precise and controllable.

It is surprisingly roomy and comfortable for such a tiny car, certainly more than it has any right to be. The suspension is compliant which is perhaps an indication of how well designed the car is, it doesn't need to resort to crude 'stiffening-up' to make it handle.

The engine is utterly reliable. Once warmed up, I always let this engine rev. It feels more like a multi-cylinder motorcycle engine is as much as it comes 'on cam' at around 5000rpm. It lacks low-down punch, but it never actually feels flat. It is an absolute gem of an engine. The closest car engine I can equate it to is the Rover K-series which is at least 7 years newer! Just remember that you've got to rev it hard, you're wasting it if you use it like a shopping trolley. It's an easy engine to service too.

Toyota main dealers are a bad joke in my opinion. They aren't interested in your trade unless you're buying a new car. Their service is slack and lethargic and their prices are stratospheric. Luckily, I hardly needed to visit them in my 5 years of ownership. I once had to order an accelerator cable. They said it would cost 120 (pounds sterling, not dollars) and take 5 weeks to arrive. I contacted Toyota's UK headquarters and argued that I could fax an engineering firm in Japan with the spec and get them to build and ship it to me in less time and for cheaper. They agreed and charged me half the cost and got the part in a week. It pays to argue because they're used to dealing with people with more money than sense.

Panels are prohibitively expensive. Fortunately, there are a few specialists in the UK who will import rust-free panels from abroad for much less.

All in all, I wish that I had never sold my MR2. I miss it and can't honestly say anything against it.