240 w/sr20 or a mid engine MR2?

[**DONOTDELETE**]

This might belong in the basic forum but I already know how a SR'd 240 feels, I'm looking for anyone that has driven a turbo MR2(or similar mid engined car) and a 240sx, w/SR20 or without.

The 240's handle fantastic, are quick, have lots of torque and are similar in price with an SR installed, good weight distribution, RWD...

All things the MR2 is known for. The only thing I've heard that puts the 2 over the top of the 240 would be its mid engine design.

So what does an MR2 do better than a similarly powered 240sx?

I'm just trying to decide if I really want a 2 with higher insurance, or a Nissian.

Cost is a factor but I can afford both vehicles so its not like I'm losing sleep over paying a few thousand more for the 2. Looks are subjective, I personally think that the person having more fun in their car is ahead of game.

Thanks in advance.

[d240t2]

I like the MR2's a lot. I had a friend who had an N/A one and now has a turbo one. I have driven both, and helped work on them. Here is my take.

I love the car. If you get a good deal on an MR2 turbo (they are out there) then they can be great cars, and they can be easy to make real fast. Some people don't like the handling feel of them...the 91-92's are a bit more tail happy than the later ones. The 93-95's are a lot more rare (something like 500 95 MR2's imported to the US). I hate working on the car. The engine bay is tight. Coolant and A/C lines run from the length of the car. They can be difficult to work on. The T-Tops always leak. Other than that, they don't have a ton of common problems.

All of them were built by Yamaha.

Don't know what else to tell you...

(Edited part: I thought of something else) If this is your only car, and you ever need to haul something...you should seriously consider the 240. It has a ton more cargo room, especially if you get a hatchback.

Dennis

[ 05-06-2002, 08:05 PM: Message edited by: d240t2 ]

[**DONOTDELETE**]

mr2 a really hard to work on i know. The sr swap is not to hard and will pull harder that an mr2.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Jeff- yes the MR2 engine is much harder to pull more power out of. The upper limits I see that are financially feasible (barely images/icons/grin.gif ) are around 500hp. The size of the engine bay and the layout of the intercooler all add up to a headache.

Dennis- I think I already know the answer (this is a 240 forum after all) but, Mr2 or a 240 for the grin factor?

Edited- Good point about the cargo space dennis, I hadn't really thought that through. Its a good thing I'm at that age where I don't need to haul much more than a date images/icons/smile.gif

[ 05-06-2002, 08:23 PM: Message edited by: Erik W ]

[Mav1178]

Actually, this belongs in the Car Lounge.

-alex

[brtecson]

Originally posted by Erik W:

Its a good thing I'm at that age where I don't need to haul much more than a date images/icons/smile.gif <font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial[/img]how can you haul a date if you cant put the seats down at the end of the date images/icons/confused.gif images/icons/confused.gif images/icons/confused.gif images/icons/grin.gif

My cousin has an 89. Its a fun car, but it gets impractical at times. FI, him and his bro go to school every day, and they can barely fit 2 ~160lb guys and two college-book-full backpacks. Think about if there would be ANY time where you would need any extra room at all. Those times will be a pain in the @$$. But if you wouldn't have too many possible situations like that that you can think of, the you'll be fine.

-brtecson

[SR20VET]

The earlier MR2s (AW11) are light and have great handling, but they are underpowered, tend to spin instead of slide once you loose rear traction, have NO room anywhere, and although looks are subjective I think most people would agree that they are kinda ugly cars. The second generation MR2s (SW20) are more stable, have much more power, and have much more room, but they are also much heavier. I forget the exact weight but dry weight is right around the weight of a S13 @ ~2700lbs. The biggest downside is that a Turbo MR2 can easily cost you over $10,000 while a SR powerd S13 should run you ~$6,500 at the most.

[**DONOTDELETE**]

actually I'm looking at a MR2 right now thats selling for $6500...

this is why I'm wondering what shall I do. Space is definatly an issue though, this car is very small (mr2)