At $20,000, Does This 1991 Toyota MR2 Add Up To A Good Deal?

Today’s Nice Price or No Dice MR2 is claimed to be an Antique Automobile Club National Award winner. Let’s see if this impeccably clean coupe comes with an equally winning price.

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If the comments on yesterday’s 1999 Land Rover Discovery II SE7 are anything to go on, that classic SUV’s current target audience is made up of masochists and people allergic to the mere sight of money. Such an audience was certainly represented in the voting, giving that the Disco’s $4,995 price tag enjoyed a solid 71 percent Nice Price win.

Hey, have you seen the latest Doug DeMuro video? No, not the one where he takes two of his very expensive sports cars to a track day while wearing shorts. I mean his latest ad for Cars & Bids… excuse me, review of an old Toyota MR2 Turbo. That’s the one.

If you have done so, good for you and me both. Doug’s a super nice guy, and if he’s already done all the heavy lifting in bringing you up to speed on the deets of the second-generation MR2 models, then I needn’t expend the key clacks in doing so for this 1991 Toyota MR2 SW20.

One big difference between our MR2 and the one Doug is drumming up on his auction site rests in the engine bay. The Cars & Bids auction car is a Turbo, while our fixed-price car offers the standard naturally-aspirated engine. That means a larger 2.2-liter DOC four that, lacking a puffer, makes a mere 130 horsepower in comparison to the smaller but ballsier 2-liter Turbo’s 200 horses.

Other than that minor difference, the cars are pretty similar with their shared red paint, T-roof body, and five-speed manual transmissions. In our car’s favor, it has 74K on the clock, while the auction car has done 6K more. The Turbo also has leather on the seats, while our car offers grippy cloth.

OK, enough of the comparisons; let’s get down to brass tacks on this car, which is presented in the ad as being in almost new condition. Not only does it look funky fresh, but the seller claims the car to be all-original, too, right down to its tool kit and T-top toting bags in the boot. Maintenance is no mystery either, as the seller boasts of it having been serviced by a certified Toyota technician and includes a picture of the timing belt replacement sticker in the engine bay, noting the work having been undertaken just 5K ago.

Other plusses on this car include an interior that shows virtually no wear—not even any grime in the embossed pattern on the shift knob—and only a minor sheen on the steering wheel leather. The original AM/FM/cassette head unit comes along for the ride, and the car is equipped with A/C, cruise control, and power windows and locks. What more could you want?

Did you say a turbo? Well, while the MR2 Turbo does have more power, it’s also more of a handful because of that. The naturally aspirated car may not have the Turbo’s oomph, but it’s still a lot of fun. Once you get the hang of where the engine needs to be in the rev range, these are pretty rewarding to drive, especially in the twisties. Not only does this car promise fulfillment of that experience, but it’s so nice that it could easily handle show car duty as well. That’s evidenced by the seller’s note of its past awards and the weird plastic badge bar on the nose. The car comes with a clean title and a boast by the seller that it’s “ready for fun.”

Naturally, that fun comes at a cost, which in this car’s case is a cool $20,000. That gets a car that, for all intents and purposes, is like new, which might prove appealing to anyone who missed out on these cars initially and still desires to jump on the bandwagon. It’s also a good bit cheaper than the Doug-promoted Turbo, which hasn’t even hit its sale price yet.

What’s your take on this MR2 and that $20,000 price tag? Does that seem like a deal for a car that’s essentially new and a ton of fun once you get to know it? Or does that price ensure that buyers and this Toyota will remain estranged?

You decide!

Eastern North Carolina, Craigslist, or go here if the ad disappears.

H/T to my buddy Vince Golla for the hookup!

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