1991 91 Toyota Mr2 Turbo T-tops 2 Door Coupe Low Miles 2nd Gen Second Generation on 2040-cars

I have a clear title in-hand for this 1991 Toyota MR2 Turbo.  The car is currently garaged and ready to go and it operates great with no known issues.  There is a lot to say and show about this car and I've spent a great deal of time in preparation for this auction so that you could have as close of an in-person experience as possible. 

Please note I’ve taken the photos in different places, during different lighting conditions to illustrate different views of the car for better accuracy, along with giving a clear idea of the great condition in the videos.  The last photo is both a close-up of the blemish in a small vertical area of a few rock chips located towards the bottom of the car that could be touched up.  You can also view a close-up of the sparkle in that photo as well.  Prior to that, I’ve also included a few photos of the underside of the car in nice condition for that area of the vehicle.

     B. VECHICLE HISTORY & COMPARABILITY  (See further articles below on collectability value):

As noted on the clean title history, the original owner put on approx. 50,000 miles and since my ownership, it’s only averaged 1000 miles a year, so I am very aware of its past 18+ year history.    I’ve watched the values climb over the past 23 years of owning them as the collectability has grown. 

A few months ago on eBay there was a ‘93 MR2 similar to this in miles and living a garaged life, that still had shiny paint – although a few paint issues were noted by the seller, as well as mis-matching color fading seen in the photo that is typical with factory paint on the MR2’s).  The eBay seller stated that car hasn’t been driven (in 14 years) since 2000 and was a recent new owner who wasn’t personally aware of the prior history.  That auction ended on March 22, 2014 and had bid up to $14,600 without meeting the Reserve, which reflected the desirability and collectability of these rare cars in this kind of pristine condition! 

     C. INCLUSIONS & STOCK vs. CUSTOMIZATION:

Modifications Can Return to Stock:  Everything about the interior car is as you would find it in the early 1990s. The only modification is the lowering springs, wheels, and the rear-tail-lights, which can easily be reversed if desired. 

Inclusions: 

1. ADDITIONAL set of stock tail-lights with your investment. 

2. The winning bidder MAY also have a choice of EITHER the deep in-set wheels shown with the car photos or if requested, possibly the stock alloy wheels that I MAY be able to trade for with an MR2 buddy who has indicated he is amenable to trading.  

3. The T-tops glass covers will be included with the car and are an attractive gray color that matches the interior roof liner that compliments the silver paint color.

4. A set of 2 Toyota Emblems not shown in the photos that can be reattached to the front and rear of the car.  I removed them because I enjoy the conversation-starters of people wondering what type of car it is.

  It is truly a stunning car, that can be enjoyed either with its head-turning customizations or returned to stock original with a few minor adjustments. 

     D.  LONGEVITY OF THE MID-ENGINE & LOW MILEAGE:

I’ve been a Toyota MR2 enthusiast for 23 years and only 19,200 Toyota MR2’s total were produced for the North American continent during 1991 to 1995 and only half of them were turbos.  Between those wearing out over their life-time and accidents in that time, the turbos have been getting pretty scarce and many collectors hold onto them. 

Early '90s Toyotas are legendary for their longevity and reliability and of the 7 that I’ve owned, I’ve never had a single major mechanical or body issue with them.    In fact they are a very tough, reliable car and I consider them one of the most bullet-proof, reliable cars made by Toyota.

Early '90s Toyotas are legendary for their longevity and reliability and this gem proves why they are so exceptional because the MR2 turbos were designed to last up to 300,000 miles if taken care of, so I feel it is just broken in at the 69,000 miles with a lot of life ahead of it! 

The engines and transmissions were designed to handle a lot of horsepower for Toyota’s racing program.  It was over-enginereed to withstand 900 hp and then was tuned back down to the stock 200 hp for the daily drivability and reliability.  So it’s considered bullet-proof and even more reliable than the already reliable Toyotas. 

Furthermore, mid-engines are uncommon in an affordable price-range since they are customary to the expensive exotics.  So the MR2 is rare in that it provides the availability of the mid-engine without the exotic pricing.

     E.  PERFORMANCE & OPERABILITY:

1. The motor sounds and runs absolutely perfectly!!  Everything is operating exactly as it should and it runs like a new car.  (Listen to the great idle in the video.)

    

2. I have always maintained the oil changes with synthetic oil.

    

3. The clutch feels great.

    

4. The brakes are all working properly with new brake fluid.

    

5. The transmission shifts freely between gears. 

    

6. The Turbo spools up nicely!

    

7. In addition, EVERYTHING in the car works, even the POWER ANTENNA (which are often known to fail)

    

8. Every button, every switch, every knob operates as it should and all electrical/mechanical systems work properly. 

    

9. A fantastic selling point is this car gets amazing gas mileage for being such a fast and powerful car!  It is a very nice balance of both power and fuel efficiency!  (Whereas usually most cars have either power and less efficiency or vice-versa.)   

     F.  INTERIOR:  

1. The interior and have been carefully preserved with no rips, tears, or cracks and is immaculate and clean.

    

2. In the past few-thousand miles, the seats have been professionally recovered  in durable, leather-like looking upholstery, that is both soft (vs. dry or stiff), durable, and low-maintenance. 

    

3. The carpets are original in excellent, like-new condition as I’ve had them completely covered by a custom floor protector.

    

4. All the gauges, switches, lights and dials are fully operational and light up properly.

    

5. All power window options and power door locks are in working condition.

    

6. The stock CD player is all original.

    

7. All the interior parts and knobs are in excellent condition, including the change/ash tray that usually get brittle and cracks.  This one is in perfect shape! 

    

8. The visors are in good condition as well.  

     G.  EXTERIOR:  

1. The car body is COMPLETELY RUST-FREE with a nice condition underbody as seen in the two photos of the underside.

    

2. There are no dings along the side of the car or rocks chips on the front as is common with most cars.

    

3. It has a small rock-chip blemish on the edge of the intakes for the engine, just behind the door as noted on the last photo and it has not been touched up.  (Which it could be or that small area could be repainted, or left alone since it's not easily noticed if at all.)  There is also a minor scrape on the inside edge of the passenger side front fender that is too minor to be able to capture by camera. 

    

4. Clean 2-owner title, and all body panels line up properly with no uneven gaps.  

     H.  CUSTOM PAINT: 

I feel the paint is the highest selling point of the car because of its exceptional high-quality that exceeds factory paint standards and is expected to maintain its high shine and newer looks over the life of the car.  It is expected to maintain its high shine and newer looks over the life of the car, with continued proper care. 

The custom paint job is an absolutely gorgeous, high shine silver, with a coarse-metallic flake, (that can be observed in the close-up of the passenger front bumper area and also on the video).  I chose the silver because it doesn’t show dirt as easily and if it were to ever get chips or scratches it wouldn’t show up as much. 

I personally disliked the stock colors and thought it should have been offered in silver so I invested in a paint job that today would likely be worth approx. $10,000 and continues to remain shiny over the test of time with an even color and shine all over.  Which greatly adds to the value vs. the downside of the factory paint on MR2’s that customarily fades unevenly on the areas with plastic and rubber such as the bumpers and fiberglass spoiler, that dull-out as they age  They also have a rougher “orange peel” texture vs. the glass-smooth appearance on this paint job giving it its show-car looks!

This paint color has been especially admired as I have received lots of positive feedback over the years. 

     I.  SUPERIOR PAINT QUALITY DETAILS:

The paint is a European Glasserate paint, which is a full eurothane durable paint used on the exotic cars such as Lamborghini’s, Ferraris, and Mercedes.

The clear coat has been doubled from typical 2 layer factory coats to 4 layers to protect against rock-chips, provide UV protection, and scratch resistance. 

All of the readily visible areas were properly painted so that you would never know what the original paint color was when popping the hoods or opening the doors.  There was no short-cutting on this paint work because nothing was painted around.  Instead, everything was taken off the car (including the doors and all rubber areas) so there are no exposed paint edges, which prevents peeling. 

It has all been color-sanded as well for a smooth shiny finish.  It’s been maintained properly so that there are no stains and it doesn’t have scratches into the paint from cleaning or rubbing.  It has withstood the test of time and almost looks like it just came off the lot. 

Quite noteworthy on the exterior is how straight the body is as there are no dings because I have NEVER parked it anywhere that someone could hit their car door against it. 

     J.  SUMMARY:

Enjoy a Rare Turbo in this amazing condition for it’s age with both the interior and exterior condition, complimented by the gorgeous custom color and an expensive high quality custom paint job.  Long-life expectancy with the reliable reputation of this low cost mid-engine car (generally limited to the expensive exotics) that is NOW available for auction in this rare near show-car condition!

With that, this car has been garage-kept in nearly show-car condition and it shows!  It is the PERFECT candidate for a collection, and to have as a fantastic and rare car to use for your enjoyment!

Be sure to enjoy reading the articles I’ve included below on the collectability value of the MR2’s.  Being a great investment is a great bonus on top of the enjoyability of this find!

     K.  INQUIRIES:

Feel free to contact me via email and I’m happy to provide my phone number as well to answer any questions.

Bidders with fewer than 10 feedback, need to contact me prior to bidding.  While I have a low bidder/seller history as I’m not very active on eBay, my seller rating is very important to me and I hope that the time I’ve taken to include photos from various lighting conditions at different times, along with the video walk-around by myself, will entrust you to bid with confidence, in addition to this auction being backed by the protection of EBay Motors.

Best offers will be considered.  Car is sold where-is and as-is.  No warranties are express or implied.  Winning bidder is required to provide a $500 deposit within 48 hours of auction close and full balance within 7 days of auction close.  Car, title, and bill-of-sale will be provided upon receipt and confirmation of all purchase funds.  Seller reserves the right to end the auction early.

     M.  TRANSPORT:

Shipping not included.  I’m happy to assist the winning bidder with accommodating your pick-up or shipping arrangements, whether you elect to enjoy a trip to pick it up or use a transport company.  The car is currently located in Pocatello, Idaho.  I am willing to drive it to the adjoining state of Utah to Salt Lake City (at my expense) to keep your shipping/pick-up costs down. 

     N.  INSPECTION:

Bidders/Buyers are welcome to arrange for their own independent inspection and I am gladly willing to assist with your coordination efforts. 

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2 ARTICLES ON THE COLLECTIBILITY VALUE OF TOYOTA MR2’S:

This is the curvaceous successor to the doorstop-like, first-generation MR2 two-seater. Early cars favor the bold—beware of snap oversteer—but Toyota corrected that in 1993 with a revised suspension and larger wheels and tires.

The base car’s 130-hp four-cylinder (135 horsepower from ’93) is adequate, but the turbocharged model offers 200 horses, standard T-tops, A/C, and the mandatory five-speed manual. An unmodified turbo is the one to find.

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1991-'95 Toyota MR2

Toyota's second-generation sportster is more affordable than ever

Feature Article from Hemmings Motor News

September, 2010 - Words and Photography by Jeff Koch

When thinking about reliable, affordable, two-seat, mid-engine transportation, the list is short. Fiat X1/9? No, we said reliable. Ferraris are largely out of the affordable end of things, even two or three decades after they were new.

For many, the Toyota MR2 scratched an itch that few other cars could reach. Affordable enough when new, these cars have depreciated in typical used-car fashion, and are still on the downward part of the curve. Today, excellent examples can be had for under $10,000, while $5,000 should buy you a nice driver. We've seen beaters for sale for $2,000 and less as well.

Its name spelled out its configuration: Mid-engined, Runabout, two-seater. In America, it was nicknamed Mister Two. The original MR2 was a surprising little roller skate: It was Toyota's first two-seat sports car since the days of the Sports 800 and the 2000GT, and its first mid-engined car ever. The second-generation MR2, known as the SW20 generation MR2, was launched in the spring of 1990 in most markets as an early 1991 model. The new-generation model had grown: 3 inches in the wheelbase, 10 inches in length, and a whopping 600-pound jump in curb weight, to 2,900 pounds. The SW20 MR2 featured an elegant style that many compared to Ferraris of the day; all of the outgoing car's hard edges were gone, replaced by soft curves inside and out.

Naturally aspirated cars, like the '93 seen here, featured a 2.2-liter four cribbed from the Celica GT/GT-S with 130 horsepower; starting in '93, 49-state engines (sorry, California) find an extra five horsepower. There was also a fire-breathing 200hp Turbo model, using the 3S-GTE DOHC four and replacing the supercharged '89 as the hot one in the lineup. (Europe got a naturally aspirated version of the 3S-GTE putting out 156hp until 1993, and 175hp from '94 up.) The MR2s remained affordable with a new five-speed manual car retailing just north of $15,000 and the turbocharged model coming in at under $20,000.

Early cars were marred by serious snap-oversteer issues: England's Car magazine pulled no punches, showing its 1991 tester swapping ends on the track in four photos on the cover, with the headline ''How Toyota Spoilt The New MR2'' in 100-point all-cap lettering. Inside, they ask ''How come the new MR2, prettier, faster and even less intimidating than the old one, is a step backwards?'' Oh, dear.

Toyota clearly agreed; their 1993 model, pressed into service in mid-'92, offered a barrage of suspension alterations, including 15-inch wheels and tires, a reduced ride height, higher-rate springs and shock absorbers, stiffer bushings, and longer rear toe-control arms. Turbo models received a full complement of standard kit, including mandatory T-tops, power windows and locks, cruise control and air conditioning. For 1994, a passenger's-side airbag was added to the cabin, and new taillamps and a one-piece rear spoiler graced the rear of all models. Base model MR2s received standard air-conditioning, all A/C switched to R134A refrigerant, and the suspension was tweaked once more.

What might help the second gen MR2 attain collectible status? Well, there are fewer of them than you might think. Just over 19,000 were sold in the U.S. between 1991 and 1995, and nearly half of those were 1991 models. It's not a tiny number, but it's nothing compared with the 262,000 Camrys that Toyota sold here in 1991 alone. A clean, unmodified MR2 might just be worth finding and hanging onto.

Value Trend
1991 - $16,000
1996 - $9,000
2005 -$7,000
2010 - $5,000

This article originally appeared in the September, 2010 issue of Hemmings Motor News.

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ADDITIONAL INFO. ON MR2’s (HISTORY & VALUE):

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     R.  PERFORMANCE HISTORY: