The soft top fitted as standard comes with a rear glass window to help protect the interior from the elements. That being said, make sure any cars that have seen damage don’t suffer from excessive panel gaps or shoddy repairs. When it comes to the bodywork, the positive thing to note is that the exterior panels bolt directly to the main shell, which means that should panels suffer from damage, they’re relatively trouble-free to fix. The addition of power steering makes tighter, slow corners an ease and it’s so small that parking it is an absolute doddle. Around town the Toyota MR2 very pleasant to drive comfortable with brilliant visibility. If it’s cheap, open-topped driving you’re after then it is difficult to pick a better companion.

Nevertheless, the real defining point of a car’s appeal is the drive and the Mk3 doesn’t disappoint. At a glance, perhaps in your rear-view mirror, you may mistake it for a Boxster. Some like the small defined curves, and some even go as far as to say that the front end has a Porsche look to it. Part of a car’s appeal is the way it looks and unfortunately for the Mk3, it returns differing opinions on its likeability. Sales of the MR2 (and Celica) were concluded in the US and Australia at the end of the 2005 model year but continued in Japan, Mexico and Europe until 2007 when production finally ceased. Annual sales figures that were initially counted in the tens of thousands slowly dropped to thousands, and then into hundreds. This marked the first time that a sequential gearbox was fitted to any Japanese car, and because the clutch engaged automatically, it allowed the driver to change gear without having to lift off the accelerator.Ī global slowdown in the sports car market in the new millennium had a clear effect on sales of the MR2. However, the biggest official change came in 2001 when the manual gearbox was joined by an optional five-speed (and later six-speed) SMT ‘Sequential Manual Transmission’. Special editions like the Modellista Caserta, VM180 TRD, VM180 Zagato, and TOM’S W123 were produced in very limited runs. Like the previous generation car, the Toyota MR2 experienced a fair amount of attention from Toyota-affiliated tuners and the Japanese aftermarket. It was particularly praised in the motoring press for dart-like responsiveness through the major control systems and its outstanding handling dynamics. With 138bhp on tap the new car was decently powered, boasting the highest power-to-weight ratio in its class. In line with Toyota’s decision to simplify production for all markets, one engine was offered throughout the world: the all-alloy 1.8-litre DOHC 16v VVT-i 1ZZ-FE unit also used in the seventh-generation Celica. Instead, luggage capacity was improved by adding a full width, 78-litre storage space behind the seats.

Incredibly, the new model weighed significantly less than the first-generation car (from 960kg) while also offering a substantial specification level, a feat partly achieved by deleting the rear boot and therefore the fifth bulkhead. On the Japanese market it bore the same ‘MR-S’ name as a concept car displayed the previous year, but in Europe and the USA the car was known as the MR2 Roadster and MR2 Spyder respectively. Toyota’s third-generation MR2 was launched in Japan a few days before the 1999 Tokyo Motor Show and in the same month that Toyota’s cumulative passenger car production reached 100 million units. Here’s what you need know if you’re thinking of buying one The third generation of the Toyota MR2 was a very different animal from its predecessors – and is great value today.

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