# Back after a little time away - My recently resprayed MKII Toyota MR-2



## Jem (Aug 10, 2007)

Hi Guys,

It's been a couple of years since I last posted some pictures. I'm not a pro by any means.

I recently had my MR-2 resprayed by a local bodyshop and last weekend I gave it a good going over. The car had been machine polished by the bodyshop and while they hadn't done a bad job but there were some holograms and light swerls, most likely from when they washed the car after polishing (the respray did cost under £1k, so I wasn't expecting a jaw dropping finish, but it has got rid of the deep scratches, flaking lacquer, a few small rust patches and given me a base that I can improve on).

So I did the following:

Polished by hand with Carlack 68 Scratch removing paste wish did a great job of removing the hologrames and swerls, then polished with Carlack 68 polishing paste.

Then Poorboys Black Hole applied by hand and buffed off. This really gave the car a deep gloss.

Then Dodo Juice Purple Haze to finish off. I've used Swissvax Onyx in the past, which I like very much, but the PH is just as easy to use and gives a great wet look.

There is a couple of areas were there is some orange peal, and when I get a machine polisher I plan on wet sanding to remove it.


----------



## stewartmak7 (Oct 26, 2009)

Nice mate, really like this shape of mr2 my dad had one when they first came out ,


----------



## perks (Aug 13, 2008)

Lovely that buddy, and not fibreglass city with a big gay wing. So many of these fantastic machines spoiled by ripspeed's offerings.


----------



## Jem (Aug 10, 2007)

perks said:


> Lovely that buddy, and not fibreglass city with a big gay wing. So many of these fantastic machines spoiled by ripspeed's offerings.


Cheers. I am changing the for a REV5 spoiler with a carbon fibre blade:thumb:


----------



## alan_mcc (Oct 28, 2008)

fantastic car, always liked these. how much do you think your ones worth if you dont mind? (pm if you like)


----------



## 03OKH (May 2, 2009)

Looks good mate :thumb:


----------



## Jem (Aug 10, 2007)

alan_mcc said:


> fantastic car, always liked these. how much do you think your ones worth if you dont mind? (pm if you like)


That depends on who you ask! I work at a car dealer, and there is a running joke with my boss that the trade in value is about £750. I've spent over £9000 on this car, but realistically I could sell it for between £2500 and £3000, maybe more to the right buyer. But is definitely not forsale


----------



## nick.s (Dec 21, 2009)

Very nice mate  Would like one of these as a project car!


----------



## toni (Oct 30, 2005)

Looks great mate! What year is it?


----------



## nick.s (Dec 21, 2009)

1995/1996 on a UK 'N' plate


----------



## tamandlee (Mar 14, 2010)

£9k? No wonder it looks absolutly mint really do like the subtly modded versions and yours is spot on.

However, I am sure that I have read on here that you can polish a new paint job but you shouldnt wax it for a few weeks as the paint needs to degass or something, I am sure if this is the case someone will shout up.

Other than that, more pics please, and what about engine bay and interior shots - loving the motor and the missus is very jealous esp with the T bar and the colour!!


----------



## Jem (Aug 10, 2007)

Yep its a 1995. Rev3 UK car and its still making 175bhp.


----------



## Jem (Aug 10, 2007)

tamandlee said:


> £9k? No wonder it looks absolutly mint really do like the subtly modded versions and yours is spot on.
> 
> However, I am sure that I have read on here that you can polish a new paint job but you shouldnt wax it for a few weeks as the paint needs to degass or something, I am sure if this is the case someone will shout up.
> 
> Other than that, more pics please, and what about engine bay and interior shots - loving the motor and the missus is very jealous esp with the T bar and the colour!!


Yeah I've heard that too about not waxing new paint. The bodyshop said to leave it a week and then it will be fine.

I'll post some interior pictures when I get home from work.


----------



## tamandlee (Mar 14, 2010)

jem said:


> Yeah I've heard that too about not waxing new paint. The bodyshop said to leave it a week and then it will be fine.
> 
> I'll post some interior pictures when I get home from work.


nice one, shall look forward to that :thumb:


----------



## Jem (Aug 10, 2007)

Here's one it took after I'd spent the day retrimming the seats.


----------



## tamandlee (Mar 14, 2010)

very nice - did they come as a kit or is it all done freestyle as it were?


----------



## Jem (Aug 10, 2007)

tamandlee said:


> very nice - did they come as a kit or is it all done freestyle as it were?


They came as a kit, remove the old, refit the new.


----------



## Jem (Aug 10, 2007)

Here's a few pictures taken over the last year:

This was the drivers seat base half way through fitting the new cover:









in this picture you can see the Tein EDFC which allows me to adjust the damping of the coilovers on the move:









On the Dyno, 175bhp at the fly and a VERY flat torque curve:









How the car looked shortly before it was resprayed:


















A couple of it being sprayed:



























The spoiler I have to go on once the white parts are colour coded:


----------



## tamandlee (Mar 14, 2010)

they did a proper job on the paintwork then for the money you paid, did they do all the prep work on it as well?? I have had quotes of over £400 to do the roof and bonnet and doubt it would be so involved as the work you had done.

Spoiler should work a treat on it as well, I was a bit worried when you mentioned you had a new one coming that it might look like a shopping cart lol


----------



## Jem (Aug 10, 2007)

tamandlee said:


> they did a proper job on the paintwork then for the money you paid, did they do all the prep work on it as well?? I have had quotes of over £400 to do the roof and bonnet and doubt it would be so involved as the work you had done.


Yes they did all the prep. I dropped the car off with just the spoiler and front numberplate 'brick' removed. They did all the rest and the car was all cleaned of G3 etc when I collected it.



tamandlee said:


> Spoiler should work a treat on it as well, I was a bit worried when you mentioned you had a new one coming that it might look like a shopping cart lol


Yeah it's got to stay sutble. The spoiler is exactly the same shape as the standard spoiler fitted to the last of the MKII MR-2's, just with a carbon fibre blade and side covers.


----------



## Phil1971 (Sep 3, 2007)

Love these cars, never owned one, but admired them from afar.

Nice colour you chose and great work on the interior :thumb:


----------



## carrera2.05 (Jul 7, 2009)

jem said:


> Hi Guys,
> 
> It's been a couple of years since I last posted some pictures. I'm not a pro by any means.
> 
> ...


I am very envious , I had one of the last T bars in 99. One of the best and fondly remembered cars I have ever owned . Your car looks fabulous , I hope you enjoy every mile you drive in it


----------



## Jem (Aug 10, 2007)

Thanks guys:thumb:


----------



## cotter (Aug 31, 2008)

Very nice, love the colour :thumb:

mother in law just sold her GT Tbar a few months back as she can no longer drive it due to failing health. I had a blast in it previously, loved it. We seriously thought about buying it from her as a fun car, but unfortunately we need practical cars, so was a no go


----------



## Jem (Aug 10, 2007)

Fortunately it's just me and my wife and the boot is big enough for everyday use, so we don't need four seats


----------



## Mr_Blue (May 1, 2009)

Sorry....couldnt resist......SNAP!:thumb:
Any of the more experienced members care to give us some tips/product recommendations to keep this gorgeous colour deep n wet??


----------



## ahaydock (Jan 4, 2007)

Looking good :thumb:


----------



## Jem (Aug 10, 2007)

Cheers guys.

Finally got the spoiler on over the weekend. Have to say I'm VERY happy with it:thumb: The only picture I've got so far as I;ve not had a chance to clean the car since fitting it


----------



## scooby73 (Mar 20, 2007)

Nice work the car looks good!:thumb:


----------



## Jem (Aug 10, 2007)




----------



## tamandlee (Mar 14, 2010)

beautiful - really smart :thumb:


----------



## Jem (Aug 10, 2007)

Gave the car a good clean and then polish with SRP followed by Poorboys Black Hole followed by Dodo Juice Purple Haze.


----------



## tamandlee (Mar 14, 2010)

smart as ever!


----------



## Jem (Aug 10, 2007)

Bit of a mile stone today, 123456 of them infact!


----------



## tamandlee (Mar 14, 2010)

ha ha not just me that likes the significant mileage readings then :thumb:


----------



## mrelson101 (Jan 3, 2010)

stunning car i own a tenth anniversery edition in this colour need painting to look like yours though nice work.


----------



## Alex_225 (Feb 7, 2008)

That really is a stunning example of an MR2. 

So many get badly modified or just left to age. That looks mint and with some really nice aftermarket tweaks.


----------



## carrera2.05 (Jul 7, 2009)

I had one of the last ones on a ' V ' plate in red . Had it 3 years , and loved it . Only issue with the car was the wheels corroding but Toyota replaced them . Wish I still had it . If only they made something like it again . Your's looks fabulous I am so envious I wish you lots of happy miles in it , and all credit to you it looks ' mint '


----------



## rtjc (Apr 19, 2009)

Looking really good there Jem, fellow MR2 fan here too. I have the same exhaust system also . What carbon side air intakes are those? I like the look of them compared to the usual SARD style ones. Yours look neater and fit differently


----------



## Jem (Aug 10, 2007)

They are the 'Carben Fibre' ones and the fit and finish is just stunning. As you say, they look like they are ment to be there, and not just stuck on like the SARD ones.


----------



## rtjc (Apr 19, 2009)

Nice, thanks for that. Happy 2'ing. Looks like a very nice example


----------



## Jem (Aug 10, 2007)

This is my old ignition coil. Do you think it's a bit umm, passed it's best!

Was running fine on it though. It was covered in dry dirt, but I've cleaned it to see if it has a date on it to see how old it is. Not sure if the 2Q 10 02 means October 2002, but it's a genuine Toyota one. Could be the original one, meaning it's 16 years old!


----------



## Jem (Aug 10, 2007)

Got my fog light sorted today after doing the quad 'stop/tail' mod a few months ago, and losing the fog light switch when I fitted the TEIN EDFC.

I decided to put a red bulb into the off side reversing light and wire that as the fog light:thumb:










And for the switch I removed the knob for adjusting the brightness of the instrument cluster and fitting a round rocker switch. The tell tale light is on the instrument cluster so will be fine for the MOT:thumb:


----------



## centenary (Sep 5, 2010)

I had one of the last mark 2 MR2's to be produced. Had the adjustable spoiler you're going to put on yours (if it isnt already!).

Loved the short shift gear selector, literally a flick of the wrist was all it took to change gear. The toyota alloys are crap though. I had the originals changed under warranty before the car was 3 but the replacements were going again within 2 years.

Eventually sold the car to get the E46. I still regret selling the car. Never let me down and was a bit of a tottie magnet.

One thing I personally cannot justify is spending more on a car than its worth. But that's just me!

Beep, beep:driver:


----------



## Jem (Aug 10, 2007)

sadly the time has come to put the MR-2 up forsale , bargain price too:doublesho


----------



## liam1 (Jul 18, 2010)

very nice mate lovely colour, miss my mr2.


----------



## tamandlee (Mar 14, 2010)

jem said:


> sadly the time has come to put the MR-2 up forsale , bargain price too:doublesho


which is..........?


----------



## Jem (Aug 10, 2007)

I'm not sure if I will be breaking any rules by posting in this thread but I'm looking for 3150 with the DVD/Satnav, or 2750 without.


----------



## tamandlee (Mar 14, 2010)

thats a lot of car for the money, I will leave subtle hints for the missus lol. Best of luck with the sale, you will be gutted when its gone.


----------



## Jem (Aug 10, 2007)

tamandlee said:


> you will be gutted when its gone.


Yeah I will be, but I could do with something that will do 60MPG+ and has a bit more load space, it is surprising how much you can get in a MKII MR-2 though!


----------



## tamandlee (Mar 14, 2010)

what sort of mpg do you get out of it on average?


----------



## Jem (Aug 10, 2007)

tamandlee said:


> what sort of mpg do you get out of it on average?


Around 33mpg. A little more on a run.


----------



## Jem (Aug 10, 2007)

I've spent the day detailing the car and it looks stunning:buffer::doublesho:argie::thumb: 

Not sure I can bring myself to sell it though


----------



## apmaman (Jun 8, 2010)

Do you NEED to sell it though? If you have a garage just get it SORND and keep it! 

Your asking price is low for such an amazing car. I wouldn't want to sell it knowing how much I'd spent on it etc. 

I'm sure you can save up £3k somewhere else and be able to keep it


----------



## Jem (Aug 10, 2007)

apmaman said:


> Do you NEED to sell it though? If you have a garage just get it SORND and keep it!


Bottom line is no, I don't need to sell it. And I know I'd miss it so much if it went.


----------



## apmaman (Jun 8, 2010)

Exactly. It's such an amazing car, and to be honest if you did keep it I bet you could get a lot more for it than what your asking for in a few years time.

They're bound to be a future classic since most are rotting away for chav-mobiles.


----------



## tamandlee (Mar 14, 2010)

you could put it on a limited mileage policy and have it for weekend and summer fun times though I am still trying to twist the missus arm into having it off you  :thumb: :driver: :car:


----------



## Jem (Aug 10, 2007)

When it looks this good and shows up much more exotic machinery on a regular basis I'd be crazy to part with it:thumb:


----------



## toomanycitroens (Jan 14, 2011)

Very nice, wheels show it off a treat, great looking motor..........


----------



## Jamie-O (Jan 28, 2010)

Lovely.


----------



## Jem (Aug 10, 2007)

Cheers:thumb:


----------



## Jem (Aug 10, 2007)

Gave the car a good clean today and added a little touch to the exterior:thumb:


----------



## uzi-blue (Mar 16, 2011)

Great looking car :thumb:


----------



## Johnr32 (Apr 25, 2010)

I know its not good to bump old threads but wow.... Im loving everything about your 2! where did you buy your rota wheels from and the rear spoiler with the carbon blade? Just glad you didnt sell it though, would of been a shame to see it go :thumb:


----------

