Offered for sale is my personal 1985 Toyota MR2 Coupe. The MR2, an acronym for Midship Runabout 2 Seater, was new for 1985 and was Toyota’s refinement of the mid-engine platform taking cues from the likes of the Fiat XI9. Sharing the 4AGE 1.6l engine with other great Toyotas of the era, the MR2 was a lightweight 2 seater sports coupe before the Mazda Miata was even a design concept!
This one in particular is one of just a handful that were built in 1984 for the 1985 release of the MR2 in dealerships. According to the previous owner, this car was sent to the Albuquerque, NM Toyota dealer and was the first one in the showroom. It resided in NM it’s entire life until March of 2016 when I bought it with ~84,000 miles, and I’ve since driven in 11,000 miles in the past 18 months or so. Totally Rust Free, and very well maintained.
Before I bought the car, the timing belt was changed out, the motor mounts replaced, and a new clutch/flywheel installed. I’ve only had to change fluids, and it’s been a great running drivetrain.
The car was repainted in a similar shade to the factory 8B8 Blue Metallic. The respray was done probably 15yrs ago and is a very good quality finish still. Some chips, scratches, and flaws are present, but only under close scrutiny. The clear-coat has some runs in a few areas, they could be sanded and polished out, but I’ve never tried to fix them. The roof had some paint flaws in the middle when I bought the car, and I decided to respray the roof to make it less noticeable. The paint on top is 2004 VW Black Magic Pearl, and is very clean and freshly applied and polished this year.
This car came from the factory with no spoiler, and I added the current one last year; it’s a Nissan R34 GTT JDM-Spec Spoiler I purchased from Southeast Asia and had wrapped in Carbon Fiber Vinyl Wrap as a temporary finish.
The interior in the car was the Blue/Black scheme, and was in great shape when I got it, but I wanted something a little more special. So I installed a set of Mazda MX5 NA seats, custom upholstered in diamond pleats, and did all custom door panels, headliner, and carpetting. This was all done in February 2017 and has greatly enhanced the interior presentation. Steering wheel is a 340mm Momo Monte Carlo with matching Momo Shift Knob. Motorized Touchscreen radio is connected to the factory dash speakers.
The dash is 100% Crack Free! Rare to find a desert southwest car with a dashpad this original and soft.
The suspension has all been upgraded with new bushings, Diayama Coilovers, and adjustable anti-roll bars! New brakes were all installed in 2016. Ride height is set for lowest possible ride height without modifying the inner fenders.
Car runs and drives wonderfully, being only 96k miles, it’s still full of plenty of life. Upon startup, the engine idles up to 2k RPM as the engine warms up, then settles down to a sublime 850 RPM. The TVIS (Toyota Variable Induction System) engages at 4100 RPM and is glorious to feel the surge of power as the intake ports open!
Factory A/C has freshly been serviced and is super cold with no issues!
Only issue with the drivetrain is no functioning cruise control. It didn’t work when I got the car, and I never really felt like investigating the cause. The only other issues with the car is a non-functioning trunk-release cable (Key works fine), C-pillar trim is cracked, and no rear defroster functionality.
The exhaust is all 2.5” custom fabricated by myself over the course of the 2016 Summer. It’s plumbed for maximum flow while minimizing exhaust noise and drone. The exhaust is deep, rich, and mellow. Once you get above 4200 RPM and the TVIS opens up, it gets a little strong, but only under WOT. Around town and idling it’s very reserved and no worse than you get from modern Corvettes or Mustangs.
Tires and wheels are new from last summer. Wheels are 15x7 Drag ExtremeAlloys, Tires are 205/50R15 Dunlop Direzza DZ102 all the way around. All 4 tires wearing evenly, fully alignment was performed after the coilover install and subsequent ride-height drop.
The following are the new components installed in the car in the past 2yrs:
New Timing Belt - 2015 @ 78k miles
New Motor Mounts - 2015
New Clutch/Flywheel - 2015
New Suspension Bushings - 2016
New Clutch Slave Cylinder - 2016
New Wheel Bearings - 2016
New Brakes - 2016
New Wheels - 2016
New Exhaust - 2016
New Windshield - 2017
New Coilovers - 2017
The only reason I’m selling this car is uncontrolled circumstances that require me to sell my MR2 to free up funds for other projects. I’ve really enjoyed building and refining this car. I’ve made countless friends in various MR2 clubs and this will NOT be my last MR2.
The car has it’s blemishes, and is not perfect, but if you’re looking for a solid, well preserved, and low mile example of the MK1 MR2, than this one is for you. I have 100% of the parts I took off, and if the buyer is interested, I can include them. Things like: Factory seats, headliner, struts, wheels, etc…
My asking price is based on a reasonable market value based on recent sale prices here on eBay and also on sites like BAT and others. This car isn’t the best original, nor is it the fastest modified, but for the enthusiast who prefers simplicity and Japanese excellence, I offer this car for sale.
Car has a clean Texas Title in my name and is available for inspections or viewing anytime here in Lubbock, Texas.
If you have any questions, please message me through eBay and I will respond as soon as I can.
Payment
Upon completion of the auction, the winning bidder has 48hrs to provide the $500 down payment and contact us regarding shipping and final payment. Final payment can be in the form of a Certified Cashier's Check, Bank Wire Transfer, or Cash in-person.
Shipping
All shipping is the sole responsibility of the buyer, I have worked with Fedex Passport, and Reliable Carriers in the past and I can forward contact information, but I will not be able to transport the vehicle for you.Vehicle must be picked up within 3-weeks of auction ending. Afterwards, a surcharge of $15/day will be assessed to cover our storage expenses. Should these fees accumulate, they must be paid in-full prior to vehicle pick-up (Bank Wire Transfer, Cashier's Check, or PayPal is accepted for storage fees)
Disclaimer
We have done our best to describe the vehicle as clearly and honestly as possible, if you have ANY concerns, please e-mail or call me before bidding. We have also laid out our payment and shipping requirements, if you have ANY questions about those, please contact me prior to bidding. Placing a bid and/or being the high bidder at auction end, signifies an understanding and agreement to these terms. Thanks for your cooperation.