First proper drive in my MR2-now with car 2

[Adrian J]

You best get this HPI checked fella

*grins* That had occured to me, too

[MrJan]

Glad you like it fella, that feeling doesn't seem to disappear over time either, I love my 2 as much now as the first time I took it for a proper drive.=

[Adrian J]

Glad you like it fella, that feeling doesn't seem to disappear over time either, I love my 2 as much now as the first time I took it for a proper drive.=

There's something very special about 'em. I'm off to my first regional meet this evening so will be even more fired up!

[Mr2-Ade]

£400! Thats what am talking about!

Need to look harder!

[Adrian J]

I got my replacement front caliper fitted yesterday and took my Rev 3 out for a shake-down run. Not too far as I wanted to ensure that all was well.

My first car had no moonroof, nor was it a T-bar. This one does have the removable glass moonroof which is brilliant on days like this (it is bright sunshine here down south again today.) I cranked up the 8 speakers and turned my Burbery cap back-to-front in a chav-tastic blast of bass.

I didn't stop grinning. These cars are real fun! To set my mind at ease I took breakdown cover with my insurance which I increased to cover 5000 miles per year as I suspect this MR2 will be getting very well used.

Once I complete a decent run, I'll post again with pics.

[Adrian J]

So-I've cleaned the bad bits, replaced the missing bits and stowed the moonroof under the bonnet. Pausing only to re-tax it and fit xenons I drove down to the seafront and took some pics.

[Adrian J]

And some more...

[Archangel]

Dude that's really sweet for £400. Amazes me how much car you get for the price on these things now. Just got a rev3 turbo and I think about it at work and smile.

[trevsmr2]

Two different cars ? or have i missed something?

edit
its ok i missed the bit where you moved on from the first white car :whistling:

[Adrian J]

Just off from Broadstairs to visit daughter from pic above in Reading.

I'll post up an account of the drive which, as its quite wet now, should prove interesting. Give me a flash (!) if you see me on the M2/M20/M26/M25/M4.

[Wilkie Senior]

£400 !!! well when i am after the next 2, I'll pay you to find me one! for sure

well done indeed

[Adrian J]

I've just realised that I neglected to write an account of the Reading trip, so belatedly, here goes.

This is the trip in my 2nd MR2. I scrapped the first one and now have a Rev 3 called Nikita due to the reg number.

The weather on the outward bound journey was really appalling. The rain just fell down in seemingly solid sheets. I was very tentative with my driving as Nikita felt quite skittish. I guess this was due to the odd tyres and the unholy amount of surface water on the roads. The brakes had played up, too. i had replaced the n/s/f caliper and bled the system through then found that the pads had deteriorated so replaced them as well. The pedal felt fantastic initially and the car stopped well. I wasn't about to try hard braking on the motorway in the rain, however...

The one thing that had made me a little nervous that day was the possibility of water getting to the ignition system. In anticipation of a problem I had thoroughly sprayed the electrics with sliicone spray-one of my favourite products! The engine never faultered, thank the Gods and to my amazement the frunk, passenger compartment and boot all remained dry.

OK-the drive.

I live right down in the south east of Kent, on the coast. To effectively get anywhere I have to take the Thanet Way west to the M2. It's a lovely drive through countryside and even with the wipers doing their thing and water streaming off the raised headlight covers, it was still most enjoyable. I had the stereo cranked up and it sounded good for an original speaker system. The head unit had been replaced with a JVC radio/CD player which I can just about now control. As with many new things these days it is drastically over-complicated. The twin subs behind the seats boomed away so all was well.

Once on the M2, I had a few miles to settle down before haeding towards Maidstone and the M26-a route I now use to get to the OC Monthly Meetings.

The journey was, I readily admit, quite stressful. This wasn't down to Nkita who performed faultlessly, rather to the weather and the many idiots who thought that 100 mph would be suitable despit heavy traffic and flooded roads. Things were not helped by the many large HGVs from the continent who were clearly driven by myopic 14 year olds on acid who were texting and washing their socks in the cab simultaneously.

We made it past Clackett Lane traveling at a steady 70-a rare feat for those of you who are not familiar with that particular stretch of the M25. I found that MR2s cruise comfortably and even my wife enjoyed the ride commenting that the seats felt great and that, oddly, she was not disturbed by being in such a low car in close proximity to large lorries. I was still being extremely careful with the throttle, having overdone it on one tight bend earlier on and finding the back end wanting to break away.

The rest of the way was uneventful and dull. I don't much like motorways, having spent many years of my life driving all over the UK in my 7-series Beemer.

The trip back was more exciting. The brake pedal decided to sink nearly to the floor whilst we were on the M25. More of that later-now I want more coffee.

[_Al_]

Really can empathise with the sentiment in this thread. I've been out of an MR2 for a long time but it's fantastic to be back in one and enjoying the ownership experience once again.

I am smiling as I blip the throttle-the exhaust really sounds the dog's do-dahs.

Matched downshifts are my favorite parts of sports driving. Takes a long time to learn and a lot of practce to stay right, but it's hugely satisfying an it can't be a coincidence that I've only burned out one clutch in >200,000 miles...

It runs straight and true and is surprisingly quiet at the legal limit, apart from some wind noise from around the door mirror.

The wind noise is an easy fix. Just need some hook & loop tape on the outer edge of the door mirror. Google should throw up a how-to if there isn't one in KY2.

[CecilWard]

God, you did ok for that money, didn't you?