> About Me
 >>My resumé
 >>How We Met
 >>My Mr2
 >>Our cats
> House Renovation
> Our Wedding
> Consulting Services

I am the proud owner of a 1993 Super Red Toyota MR2. The MR2 was a two seater, mid-engine car produced by Toyota Corporation for the U.S. market from 1985 - 1995. Two different body styles were available - the MKI, which is a boxy style - from 1985 - 1989, and the MKII, and sleeker, more contoured body style - from 1989-1995. Two engine options were available - NA or supercharged for the MKI and NA or turbo for the MKII.

The MR2 was still produced after 1995, but Toyota decided to stop importing the car to the U.S. after poor sales in the late 1990's. The car was available in the Japanese or European market, or through car importers.

The MR2 has recently been revived by Toyota in the U.S. in the form of the MR2 Spyder, a convertible version of the car with an updated body. Just one engine option is available, although rumours have it that a turbo kit is being worked on by TRD, Toyota Racing Development.

The Car Search

I purchased my MR2 in 1995, after a long search for my first car. When I moved out to Michigan in 1995, I realized how spoiled I had become with California's public transportation system. Here in SW Michigan, a car is essential in getting from place to place. We have a bus service that requires you to call 2 hours ahead of time for pickup as our form of public transportation! Taxis add up after a while, so you really need to own a car to get from place to place. Thus began my search for my first car.

After test driving many many different cars over a 6 month period, I stumbled across a MR2 by chance at one of the local car dealerships. My husband was the one who decided to test drive the car, just for the fun of it. After the test drive, he raved about the handling and drivability, and persuaded me to try it out. So I test drive the car, and fell in love with the handling and drive factor of the vehicle. This was the car I'd been looking for! Unfortunately, before I could put in an offer, someone else bought the car. But, as luck would have it, the dealer was able to find another one, a year younger and with less mileage.

Car Ownership

I've had my car for almost ten years now, and the car has been a pleasure to own and drive. I even drove the MR2 as my daily driver here in Michigan for the first 5 years. Yes, I did some donut spins the first two winters, but I discovered as long as I drove within the tolerance levels of the car, that the MR2 actually handles snow very well (This assumes that the snow doesn't accumulate more than 6 or 7 inches at one time).

True to Toyota's high level of quality, the MR2 has needed very little servicing besides the regular oil changes. In the past seven years, I've only had to replace the alternator and spark plugs. This is a good thing, as very few people know how to work on mid-engine cars, let alone an MR2. Even the local Toyota dealer can't accurately diagnose what is wrong with the car, so I've been forced to to learn the mechanics and engine workings of this car. This has forced me to learn more about understanding how a car works, which in turn makes me more credible when I talk with a mechanic on how to work on my car. It's always a treat to see the mechanic's face when they open the front hood and do not find an engine in the front of the car.

Unfortunately, when Toyota put out the MR2, they decided not to clearcoat the paint finish. So certain car colors suffer from paint oxidation - Super Red being one of those colors. So getting the car clean and neat-looking is a long process involving Meguire and Zaino car products and lots of elbow grease.

Car Resources

One thing that I've discovered is because I haven't been able to find anyone locally who knows how to work on my car, I need to be the car expert on how to fix anything on my car. With the help of the Toyota service manuals and several online resources, this is a common trend that you'll discover among other MR2 owners. Car owners can be fanatical about their cars, but it seems like MR2 owners run toward the extreme fanatical end. There are owners out there that can tell you what colors were available during a specific year, explain the suspension changes that happened from the 1991-1993 model years, and even the various options that were available for the Japanese models.

To see how fanatical MR2 owners can be, attend the South East Regional MR2 meet. This regional meet has grown from 25 owners to over 300 owners from the U.S., Canada and outside of North America converging on Birmingham, Alabama each year to show off their cars, ogle over other cars, and put faces to electronic handles and email addresses.

Since I can't rely on a mechanic knowing how to work on my car, I use the information available on the MR2 through the IMOC website. Run by a longtime MR2 enthusiast, it serves as the unofficial online authority on MR2 information - from mechanical tips to where to purchase aftermarket parts, the MR2 website is the place to go first. Go here to find recall information, mechanical how-to's, and other detailed information.

In addition to the website, there is a mailing list that is a great discussion forum on all things MR2. Information on how to sign up is available on the IMOC website.

In June 2001, I passed an important milestone in my car ownership - the 100,000 mark! Here is a picture to commemorate the occasion.