Mx5 engines are almost bulletproof with some exceptions 1.6 mk1 short nose - Don't over torque the crank if you do the timing belt 1.8 mk1 is a very reliable engine 1.6 nb not fast but very reliable 1.8 Nb1 is the worst imo - i had tons of them with bearing failures 1.8 vvt is probably the best of them all
I bought a MR2 Spyder in 2003 and it was an absolute blast to own. I still kick myself to this day for selling it due to a move. It is the absolute best car. I looked at them all too. From the Miata to the Lotus to Honda S2000 to the BMW Z3 and others. Drove them all. This car was the best, the most fun, and I never had any problems with it. The Mazda fishtailed all the time. The MR2 was absolutely stable. The mid-engine is a dream.
Same here and i also think the mr2 is the best of all handling wise Saying this as a guy who owned many many hundreds of mx5's (my profession since 15 years )
Great vid guys! I put 60,000+kms and auto x raced two 1st gen mx5s, and about 10,000km on a 3rd gen mx5. I just bought an '03 Mr2 about 1 month ago. Both are great cars, I think it comes down to preference. I currently prefer the mr2 due to mid engine handling, but that shouldn't take away from the mx5 because its such a great car.
You can purchase a used arm rest from a Rover they simply screws in. I bought one on eBay for £25 delivered. Leather perfect match to my 2001 black leather. Many posts on forums about doing this. Other arm rests have also been used.
I have had both and I like both equally much. The aftermarket support is much stronger for the MX-5. Both are so old now, I would put condition (rust, mechanical and cosmetic) ahead of anything. The Toyota is a lot more relaxing to drive in city traffic due to the low end torque IMO. That being said, you can’t go wrong with either 😊
I have owned both. Both great choices. Both are very reliable engines. I ended up keeping the MR2 for many reasons but one of the biggest ones being that the MR2 is chain driven and the NB is belt driven.
Have driven both cars and i guess everybody else who had this experience can confirm, that the mr2 feels, looks and drives like a sports car. It is in every driving aspect the better car compared to the miata, which is "only" a roadstar car. (including 0-100kmh times and so on)
I drove probably 12 different Miatas (different years) before buying the MR2 7 months ago. A 2001 with 79,000 miles. When I drove the MR2 it had all 4 bad shocks and all 4 cupped tires. Even in that condition I liked it better than the Miata. There is something about the mid engine setup that's just a better driving experience for me.
The reputation of the mr2 1zz not being the most reliable is only partially true. From 2000-2002 the pre cats were made bad and can be sucked into the engine. If you get a 2000-2002 with gutted precats or a 2003+ it will be an easy 200k engine. It’s the same engine in the Corolla. The biggest issue is that in higher mileage they can start to burn oil.
@@Dutch_Fake_Ferrari Mg F and Tf are both mid engined cars . Tf 160 is a good car imo They all have the Rover K8 engine like the basic elise . Problem is very less aftermarket support and less reliable compared to japanese roadsters and the f has the stupid hydragas suspension
Motor problemen zijn alleen met de eerste serie spyders. Bij de nieuwere serie die je hier ziet zijn alle problemen opgelost, alleen de angst bij de eigenaren blijft blijkbaar. Ze noemen het face-lift maar in werkelijkheid is er veel veranderd en verbeterd met dit model.
Klopt, was niet zo duidelijk uitgelegd in de video. De facelift heeft idd een stuk minder kans op de olieproblemen, de MR2 in deze video is idd een verbeterd exemplaar. Maar ter informatie hebben we nog wel de motorproblemen van de pre-facelift benoemd.
@@Dutch_Fake_Ferrari Mijn idee is dat bij de eerste serie de machines gebruikt bij de fabricage versleten waren en de problemen werden wel 'oval bore syndrome' genoemd. Die zaken werden opgelost waarmee de motoren weer de normale Toyota kwaliteit en betrouwbaarheid terugkregen. Als je zegt 'minder kans' denk je dat je nog altijd misschien de sigaar kunt zijn. Dan gaan mensen rare dingen doen zoals de pre-cats eruit slopen of zelfs nadenken over motorenwissels etc. Dat is wat bij de eerste serie gebeurde.
"Usually inline 4 are installed vertically but in MR2 the engine is put sideways because of space limitations" What stupid thing to say. 90% of inline 4 engines are installed horizontally in FWD cars and the MR2 engine is sideways not because of space limitations, but because its meant to use a fwd mass production transaxle making it much more cost effective.
JDM = Japanese Domestic Market. Not all Japanese manufactured cars are JDM, especially if they are made for and sold in a different market that isn't the Japanese Domestic Market.
Mx5 engines are almost bulletproof with some exceptions
1.6 mk1 short nose - Don't over torque the crank if you do the timing belt
1.8 mk1 is a very reliable engine
1.6 nb not fast but very reliable
1.8 Nb1 is the worst imo - i had tons of them with bearing failures
1.8 vvt is probably the best of them all
I bought a MR2 Spyder in 2003 and it was an absolute blast to own. I still kick myself to this day for selling it due to a move. It is the absolute best car. I looked at them all too. From the Miata to the Lotus to Honda S2000 to the BMW Z3 and others. Drove them all. This car was the best, the most fun, and I never had any problems with it. The Mazda fishtailed all the time. The MR2 was absolutely stable. The mid-engine is a dream.
Same here and i also think the mr2 is the best of all handling wise
Saying this as a guy who owned many many hundreds of mx5's (my profession since 15 years )
The classic hated, heavily underrated Spyder. Yes, please.✋🏻
Yes
The hardtop cover goes so hard
Yeah it’s really a must have for the spyder!
Great vid guys! I put 60,000+kms and auto x raced two 1st gen mx5s, and about 10,000km on a 3rd gen mx5. I just bought an '03 Mr2 about 1 month ago. Both are great cars, I think it comes down to preference. I currently prefer the mr2 due to mid engine handling, but that shouldn't take away from the mx5 because its such a great car.
Yeah both great cars, comes down to preference in the end!
Great video. Best wishes from the UK 🇬🇧🇳🇱
Thanks, appreciate it!
You can purchase a used arm rest from a Rover they simply screws in. I bought one on eBay for £25 delivered. Leather perfect match to my 2001 black leather. Many posts on forums about doing this. Other arm rests have also been used.
I have had both and I like both equally much. The aftermarket support is much stronger for the MX-5. Both are so old now, I would put condition (rust, mechanical and cosmetic) ahead of anything.
The Toyota is a lot more relaxing to drive in city traffic due to the low end torque IMO. That being said, you can’t go wrong with either 😊
That’s true! Finding a nice condition model is getting harder for both cars.
I have owned both. Both great choices. Both are very reliable engines. I ended up keeping the MR2 for many reasons but one of the biggest ones being that the MR2 is chain driven and the NB is belt driven.
Is the mr2 chain driven? 🤔 I never knew that!
@ I was surprised to find out too but I did my research after having the worst day changing the timing belt on the Miata haha.
Have driven both cars and i guess everybody else who had this experience can confirm, that the mr2 feels, looks and drives like a sports car.
It is in every driving aspect the better car compared to the miata, which is "only" a roadstar car. (including 0-100kmh times and so on)
"Transverse" for "Sideways" engine, "Longitudinal" for "lengthways" :)
Thanks! I learned something new today! :)
@@Dutch_Fake_Ferrari always learning 😊😊
Also referred to as east west (transverse) and north south (longitudinal)
I drove probably 12 different Miatas (different years) before buying the MR2 7 months ago. A 2001 with 79,000 miles. When I drove the MR2 it had all 4 bad shocks and all 4 cupped tires. Even in that condition I liked it better than the Miata. There is something about the mid engine setup that's just a better driving experience for me.
Truly great cars, have fun with your spyder!
I had 2001 mr2 but recently changed for a 2lt icon nc , both great cars but as a Daily I prefer my nc
How does the power of the MC feel compared to the mr2?
I wish you had done a drive comparison!
You can check the driving impressions on previous videos! 😁
The reputation of the mr2 1zz not being the most reliable is only partially true. From 2000-2002 the pre cats were made bad and can be sucked into the engine. If you get a 2000-2002 with gutted precats or a 2003+ it will be an easy 200k engine. It’s the same engine in the Corolla. The biggest issue is that in higher mileage they can start to burn oil.
I got the third competitor, the MG TF. Quite similar to the mr2, being mid engined, but worth almost a third.
Nobody wants to keep on repairing a mid engined car
Is the MG TF mid engine?? 🤔
@@Dutch_Fake_Ferrari Yes it is. But is apparently not as got to drive as it's japanese competitors. (Still loads of fun, especially in the snow!)
@@isaksjodin1259 Allright, I got to check the MG TF out right now!
@@Dutch_Fake_Ferrari Mg F and Tf are both mid engined cars . Tf 160 is a good car imo
They all have the Rover K8 engine like the basic elise . Problem is very less aftermarket support and less reliable compared to japanese roadsters and the f has the stupid hydragas suspension
Motor problemen zijn alleen met de eerste serie spyders. Bij de nieuwere serie die je hier ziet zijn alle problemen opgelost, alleen de angst bij de eigenaren blijft blijkbaar. Ze noemen het face-lift maar in werkelijkheid is er veel veranderd en verbeterd met dit model.
Klopt, was niet zo duidelijk uitgelegd in de video. De facelift heeft idd een stuk minder kans op de olieproblemen, de MR2 in deze video is idd een verbeterd exemplaar. Maar ter informatie hebben we nog wel de motorproblemen van de pre-facelift benoemd.
@@Dutch_Fake_Ferrari Mijn idee is dat bij de eerste serie de machines gebruikt bij de fabricage versleten waren en de problemen werden wel 'oval bore syndrome' genoemd. Die zaken werden opgelost waarmee de motoren weer de normale Toyota kwaliteit en betrouwbaarheid terugkregen. Als je zegt 'minder kans' denk je dat je nog altijd misschien de sigaar kunt zijn. Dan gaan mensen rare dingen doen zoals de pre-cats eruit slopen of zelfs nadenken over motorenwissels etc. Dat is wat bij de eerste serie gebeurde.
2zz ge is a simple swap in these cars and much more reliable in the right hands
misschien is het ook eens leuk om jou Mazda MX-5 NB 1.6 te vergelijken met mijn 1.8?
Lijkt me zeker leuk! De NB is niet van mij maar ik zou denk ik zeker wel de eigenaar met de auto mee kunnen krijgen!
@@Dutch_Fake_Ferrarilijkt me leuk!
@@cretz001 Gaaf! Zullen we verder praten via Instagram, dat is wat makkelijker. Ik heet daar gewoon Dutch_Fake_Ferrari
"Usually inline 4 are installed vertically but in MR2 the engine is put sideways because of space limitations" What stupid thing to say. 90% of inline 4 engines are installed horizontally in FWD cars and the MR2 engine is sideways not because of space limitations, but because its meant to use a fwd mass production transaxle making it much more cost effective.
Also not true, why is Lotus using the same engine layout as the MR2?
@Super_Richi Why isnt lotus developing their one power trains? See my point? Same answer, cost effectiveness
Some of this is my be lost in translation. His English is very good, far better than my non existent Dutch 😂(it is Dutch, yes?)
JDM = Japanese Domestic Market.
Not all Japanese manufactured cars are JDM, especially if they are made for and sold in a different market that isn't the Japanese Domestic Market.
Boring….
Watch something else then. When I find TH-cam video boring I move on to something different. Bit like switching TV channels 😂
We figured this out decades ago. MR2 all day long every day.
Is way better. The only thing that the Miata has better is the trunk 😂