5 Things I Hate About My Toyota MR2 Spyder/ MR-S

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Instagram: @_hakosan_
Clips used in the video:
• 2ZZ Swapped MR-2 Spyde...
• [POV] Hairpin Paradise...
• [POV] Central Tokyo #1...
• [POV] Downhill Touge |...
• MR2 Spyder/roadster tu...
• Toyota MR2 Spyder / MR...
• 2003 Toyota MR-2 Spyde...

[@ibgh2478]

The main thing I hate about my mr2 is that its not ready so i cant drive it

[@hakosan86]

What’s wrong with it?

[@invictus8576]

Same here dude 😂😂

[@BMAD_Christoph27]

I agree on all things except for the looks and the storage. I personally prefer the stock looks to the TRD kit because the sideskirts make the car look too fat/tall. I think that's just personal preference. And storage is the same for any small car, you gonna have to get creative. The room between the seats and the storage bins is all unused space and perfect to stuff bags in there, you can take out the sidewalls of the storage bins to get a bit more room and if you really need to store more things you can place a bunch of stuff on the roof tray. If you don't have a passenger you can fill the passenger footwell and seats. The amount of stuff I've been able to transport is ridiculous for the size of the car. And while I agree with the lack of power.. As a track car yes, but as a street car you're not gonna need anything more than a 1zz, it's got plenty of pull. Plus a 2zz swap will have practically no effect if you're not giving her the beans.

[@erikw792]

Plenty of aftermarket for this car. You can get Enkei RPF1s and Volk wheels. What else do you need? Damd still makes body kits. Duraflex makes a TD3000 kit. Vis makes 2 body kits. Check out Andy's Auto Sport and RHD Japan. Lots of choices for coilovers. So many Cusco suspension components. Techno Toy makes some nice suspension bits as well. Lots of quality Exhausts too. Fujitsubo, HKS, Amuse, Kakimoto, etc.

[@gamingfloppa9460]

We have the same problem in the UK. The aftermarket on these cars can be really tough going. But it's really satisfying when a nice second hand part comes up for sale. Not satisfying for the wallet though!

[@blarin]

great video couldnt agree more with your points. lmao ive had thoughts of trading/selling my smt because of how expensive it'll be to get it to where i want, but i just cant seem to get rid of this thing theyre great. glad you popped up in my recommended !

[@hakosan86]

Yeah i don’t think I’ll ever get rid of mine either!

[@blarin]

@@hakosan86 oh also what head units in your spyder if you dont mind me asking? been looking for a plug and play bluetooth

[@fvanthof2911]

I recently replaced a cheap Chinese android unit with a reasonably priced JVC KWM27DBT DAB+ and also hooked a rearview camera on it. Best upgrade ever

[@blubbuh]

I'm gonna be hopefully getting one of these soon after my s2000 is gone

[@hakosan86]

Goodluck dude!

[@randyshein1453]

There’s aftermarket out there. The only thing is that it’ll cost an arm and a leg. That’s the thing I hate about my MR-S. A hardtop goes for 3k+ now and a Genuine Lip Kit is well over 2k. Even more if you’re trying to get that shipped. I don’t mind paying for parts but I hate the thought of it getting stolen. I never park the car outside overnight and I hate having to be extra careful wherever I go.

[@Clamp581]

4x100 wheels are on this car to fit 15 inch wheels. its a lighter and smaller car compared to the sw20 so they chose to go with 4x100 to use 15 inch wheels which are better for stock power. This car also doesnt have 50/50 weight distribution either., its 43/57 which is more ideal than 50/50 anyways.

[@ulisesavila2879]

Yeah, that kool aid of 50/50 weight distribution is hurting performance, you only want that distribution while braking.

[@alvarius4205]

Love this car 👌

[@twrcrew8852]

you're overlooking why the trunk doesn't exist. the car would look goofy as hell. the rear proportion is already stretched out by extending the rear firewall for the cubby holes (which have more room then you're saying.), but if you've ever owned an SW20, you will entirely look at the spyder as a GODSEND because having no stupid a** trunk in the way means you don't have to hate life wrenching on it. You remove the rear bumper and suddenly have access to the whole front of the engine top and bottom. NO car is that good. The intake is hidden, sure but that's just a couple motor mounts and a drop /tilt to get that side sorted as well. In the SW20, the mere position of your body in related to the car is impossible to work on. every task is a motor-out affair.

[@twrcrew8852]

2ndly, be thankful you don't have an ND miata. I bought my 2021 before I got my 01 spyder and the direct comparison is that the spyder has far more cargo space. the miata's "trunk" is only so in name. I'd rather throw stuff behind the passenger seat in the mr2 than in the miata's trunk. Also, the visibility in the ND is FAR worse, the blindspots over the front wheels are insane, you gotta back-in to every parking space and use the camera to be sure since the nose just shoots out 500 feet and slightly up in the air too, eliminating any sense of clearance. And in classic miata fasion since the NA - the windshield size is letter-box thin. The spyder has a very very wide windshield and the classic mid engine short-nose for ultimate visibility to the floor, important in any sports car. and the shape of the Recaro seats in the ND and the dash and door, even the floor pan is all designed to squish you into an awkward shape, while the MR2 has basically tweed corolla seats that are comfy and the interior is a giant square box with lots of breathing room. small car that feels big inside - something toyota always does well.

[@twrcrew8852]

I will also counter argue the limited modifications thing; coming from a 97 240sx, this is a GOOD thing. I spent 10 years of ownership with a stock KA in that car due to analysis paralysis because TOO MANY mod options with TOO MANY brands can actually lead to the possibility of getting bad parts / bad builds and like college - you won't know beforehand - and that also makes it costly. What I like about both the miata and the spyder is that the spyder's known mods (K swaps, 2ZZs, turbo options) more or less get *straight to the point*. Less options means less f***king up for you to do trying to decide since each option is very distinct in it's pros and cons as well as power delivery and driving characteristics. I eventually went all in on that 240 and built an SR20 to 400whp and the car was trash. I sold it due to the body having a lot of rust from sitting during the swap and the car feeling janky to drive, having no AC, and probably burn out (i owned it almost 15 years by then). my stock 1zz mr2 with a nice fortune auto suspension setup drives so much better than any S14. Oddly, the visibility is slightly better however in the 14 due to the super high seat and the flat hood and low belt line, but the MR2 is close.

[@LuckyCharms777]

Another counter argument is limited modifications and costly modifications has kept the car unpopular enough that it’s still affordable to buy, and fun enough in stock form for those not wanting to or unable to afford modifying it.

[@twrcrew8852]

@@LuckyCharms777 This is true and for all the wrong reasons. Kids wanna put garbage all over their cars that do nothing. While real performance parts are costly, yet do something. The double counter would be that there is absolutely nothing you CAN'T do to the MR-S that isn't equally available and equally expensive as anything someone could do to a 240sx even in today's inflated market among things that actually matter that add tangible horsepower or durability. I don't think having 2 or 3 possible turbo kits VS 49 or having 2 or 3 well known motor swaps and ECU solutions vs 70 of them makes the 240 better because among those 70 there's "crappy" ones that are technically "wrong moves" to begin with, where the few the MR-S have are known quantities and all things being equal just work. horsepower is horsepower. There's a way to get both big numbers and big response on low numbers, regardless of if it's only 3 different ways. and that's a good thing. I think choice is overrated IF there's still ENOUGH choice in the alternative. which there definitely is. And it means there's SOLID documentation for what WAS done VS 8 million guesses on a popular platform where people can't make up their mind about how to slice a loaf of bread on an S14, so you end up with poor writeups, lots of false info and crappy ways in and the need to still sift through garbage and eventually learn how to build one nicely. I like that this is filtered out by nature in the MR-S. for now... until the broccoli hairs get ahold of them.

[@ZoneTelevision]

RT 301 Carmel NY, Used to ride up there all the time.

[@jakeartis955]

I have a somewhat rare Cape Green 2001 roadster and the one thing I hate the most is how neglected the car has been with the previous owner! I've had to replace most of the parts on the car including the engine! Just as I thought the car was running alright the Power Steering has shat itself! The endless maintenance mines going though makes it hard to enjoy and parts like the power steering pump costs thousands new!

[@dansmagicalcreations2162]

Thanks this was a good video I’m thinking of getting myself a mr2 spider, found one for 7k but every other one I see is upwards of 14k so I’m not sure if it’s a lemon, how much did you get yours for?

[@hakosan86]

I got mine years ago for 4k. The prices have gone up a ton since then

[@shanebeaudrot777]

You nailed it. I'm not crazy about the plastic interior

[@hakosan86]

Thanks for watching!

[@LuckyCharms777]

I hate the dimple/dot(?) dash. It looks so cheap.

[@hudsonpectol6227]

How would you recommend this car to someone right out of high school?

[@MrZattack101]

good points made constructively

[@hakosan86]

Thanks bro for watching!

[@russellruby1293]

Which wing is that? Is it a kit?

[@theregoesmiller389]

2zz frog owner myself. i absolutely love this car. but i agree... the aftermarket is scarce and thats why MWR is so over priced. as far as the power goes. i agree... it should have came stock with the 2zz BUT that would have been bad for lotus sales.

[@SiameseFighter37]

I don't agree with the storage have the pascal shelf also nobody ever Said's anything about it when the top is up you can put quite a lot to shopping up there also if you take the doors off the storage behind the seats makes it easy to use

[@Sotsgorges047]

The one thing I hate about mine is when the oversteer tries to unalive me.

[@PoodlehawkFPV]

I’ve got a clean MR2 in the garage that needs transmission help. I’m glad to see there’s a growing market for these ugly little things.

[@hakosan86]

Is it a smt?

[@PoodlehawkFPV]

@@hakosan86 manual transmission yes

[@hurricansie873]

I love mine 😭

[@LunaWaves]

wow.. maybe it's a regional thing because over here there are a crap ton of 4x100s in boring europe

[@ProfessorOzone]

I'm not sure why you think the aftermarket will grow. There were few of these cars ever made and fewer every time one crashes. Plus they're 20 years old now. Just no money in making parts for something like that.

[@yatora826]

What do you think about trial reckless gt body kit?

[@ulisesavila2879]

that's the only wideboy you should put in a mrs, and almost nobody knows about it, neither the abflug one.

[@LuckyCharms777]

@@ulisesavila2879 Lol, a widebody kit on a Spyder is like putting lipstick on a pig. It just needs ground effects.

[@SonNguyen-mk2wq]

For real bro, can we get some damn urethane body parts?! Everything is fiber glass or fiberglass blend. People buying these cars at my local meet are older guys (present company included) who have and will spend money on quality parts. Make it and I'll buy it.

[@hakosan86]

Exactly! So many people would buy it if someone made it.

[@jessefrancis7624]

Im in the market to start adding power to my low mileage (~35k) 2003 Spyder. I’m looking for around 220-227 hp. What direction would you recommend? Turbo the 1zz with supporting mods for reliability or swap it out to K or 2zz Is it really a good idea to swap out such a low mileage motor?

[@hakosan86]

I’d do the 1zz turbo just because like you said you got a low mile motor and a 1zz turbo would get you right to 220hp and it be reliable. If you want 270hp then I would go to 2zz turbo or K swap.

[@GetTheFOutOfMyWay]

The top reason I hate my mr2 spyder is because the hardtop will get stolen... Second is the stup*d $&?%ing USELESS dipstick cuz I can't figured out how much oil it's eating... 😂

[@nickwagner2284]

I’ve always found it odd people don’t like the way they look unless the body is modified. I personally think they look okay stock and awful modified. But I’m one of those people who hates nearly all body kits for any car. Different strokes!

[@redstonegarage]

Dude. There are sooooo many Miata wheels out there.

[@hakosan86]

True but not as much as 5 lug wheels

[@Truulovemotorsports]

Nothing wrong with 4x100 I prefer it over 5x114. Tons of 15” wheels in good sizes due to the large market of Miata, Honda/Acura

[@Calymos]

Man, I fuckin' HATE that I don't own one. Seriously, what the hell, man?

[@paolosolcruz]

Dude 4x100 is universal af. Idk what kind of wheels you're trying to get.

[@hakosan86]

The cool ones

[@LuckyCharms777]

I guess Enkei, OZ, and BBS aren’t cool enough for you, so what are the cool wheels you’re talking about?

[@riphufroma1910]

is it auto trans or stick ?

[@hakosan86]

Manual

[@karlmacdonald6094]

@@hakosan86 Auto

[@senorjdm3640]

One thing I hate about the mr2 is bleeding the cooling system.

[@hakosan86]

Very true lol

[@plocobdmflyboy]

4x100 is scarce? I thought thay was the most popular

[@GreaddySquirels]

I love my mr2 spyder You full of it there is lots of parts and the car looks amazing Your ctmrying about not having premade parts Do more Research on cars back in the 2000 You knew generation could do not understand how hard things work back then It's only been a few years of actually having normal 5 second 0 to 60 The car was designed to be worked on and I'm pretty sure Toyota had a An agreement with Lotus not to put the ZZ2Ge in it because people wouldn't buy a Lotus at that point they would buy the MR2 They were still trying to figure stuff out back then it wasn't in the late nineties that aem had issues So at the end of the day all you're doing is crying that you don't have premium bolts on parts that bolt on like oem This isn't being being mean this is me being honest

[@LuckyCharms777]

All the kids want bolt-on parts like they had with their Civic ricers. They don’t realize how fortunate they are that we have the parts that are even available, and easily accessible. Pre-internet, you couldn’t find any aftermarket performance parts for Japanese cars.