Hey guys,

i just had a few questions about this car.

#1-compared to other cars...is this car cheap, average or expensive to speed up
#2-whats mileage i should stay away from (im worried bout stock turbo)
#3-any engine swap needed or can this engine get up there nicely without worries (id probly max 350hp if i ever got to it)
#4-is this a better drifter or dragster?

iv got a hell of alota cars im lookin at, but this one has a slight edge (altho i know the least about it)

Thank you-  

o yea!    any particular year that is better (90-95 range)  

sounds a lot like Sirscrotum...  

i heard they are a bit tail happy so they might make a good drifter and yea ask Sirscotum  

There more of a track car than a dragster/drifter.

Although you can drag race them, which I have setup mine for, there not what Id consider the ultimate dragster, that title is still held by FRWD 2door cars with either turbo v6's/i6's and V8's. But you can get them into the 11's and 10's fairly easily with just bolt ons to the stock 3sgte motor.

If you want to have an easy time making 350whp or 400+hp at the crank, you need to find an MR2 that has had a 3rd gen 3sgte swapped into them.

If you read the April 1994 issue of Motor Trend's best bang for the buck article, you will see the MR2 garners .94g on the skidpad and 60-0 in 107ft.
To give you an idea of how good that is, the Ferrari F40 also gets .94g on the skidpad in stock form, and the Ferrari 360 Modena does 60-0 in 110ft, so its safe to say that the MR2 handles similarly to much more exotic midrear cars before doing much in mods to them, but there a lot cheaper to make fast.

Oh and 3rd gen 3sgte MR2's run 13.3 before dropping a dime into them, 12's with less than $500 in bolt ons and 11's with a turbokit, still on stock ecu/longblock/fuel system due to there 540cc injectors.

If my MR2 wasnt decently quick I wouldnt have put this license plate on it.
 

not to nitpick, but post is from jan of 07...  

i have a mr-s (2002 mr-2 spyder) and a 97 240sx. my 240sx is pretty modded but the mr-s is a stock 5 speed.

i hate to say this but after all the money into the 240sx performance, suspension and wheels the mr-s would murder it on a course with many sharp turns.

the reason i bought it was to use it as a daily driver and to save gas but i think some of my extra cash is going to start going towards the mr-s rather than the 240. im starting to love the car!

another plus is everyone thinks its a freaking boxster. my neighbor who i thought was very into cars asked me how i could afford a porsche. after spending 10 minutes explaining the history of the car he thought i was trying to prank him or something and proceeded to look at the rear badge.  

I am also interested in mr2, most likely a 2nd gen turbo. I know it is killer in the performance department but is it expensive to maintain and what maintenance can i do myself with little mechanical knowledge. PS i know what you mean about the spyders they look alot like a boxter but IMHO way cooler.    

i havent had mine long enough to do any serious upkeep on it, but i did tear it down completely when i bought it.  if you have someone knowledgable in mechanics its all pretty much the same as any other DOHC 4 banger, just the engines in the back.  Only part i struggled with was lifting the car off the engine.  couple o' hilift 4wheelin jacks and cinderblocks later, and i had my engine on a stand ready to be broken into. best advice i can give not only for this car, but any car in general, TAKE YOUR TIME.  theres no point in doing something if your rushing.  do it right the first time, and remember the army ranger mantra; "slow is smooth and smooth is fast"  

Ok thanks for the advice.