PERFECTION!! Even after 33 years - My 1989 Supercharged Toyota MR2

I've had many people ask me to do this on my 1989 Supercharged MR2 so I finally got it done. In this video I go around and in my MR2 and explain what I've done and and give a close up look of the car.
Please feel free to ask me questions and comment on my baby. I love this car. It has 152k miles, runs great, doesn't burn oil, and still has the original paint and interior!
Please like and subscribe and help me grow my channel. Thanks!

[@robertberkey9473]

I have an ‘87 same color inside and out that I’ve owned since 1988. Purchased used with 32 hundred miles. I not sure what it is now. I think it’s around 126,000. I changed the timing belt at 74,000. I took it to Hershey, PA and have received an AACA award for HPOF which is Historic Preservation of Original Features. The car has not been modified or repainted. Just the way it came from the showroom. No rust and only driven in spring, summer and fall. I,too, have antique plates. I take it to car shows where the participants are in there early 20’s and can’t understand why a 75 year old has such a cool and magnificent car. I really like it when I get 1st place! We have two other antiques, a 1923 Model T Depot Hack and a 1957 Nash Metropolitan. We have to split the exercise time between the three.

[@jimsgaragetoys]

Very cool story! Thanks for sharing! I love it.

[@FJUH]

I had an 86 Supercharged JDM import (I’m in Australia). I still have occasional dreams of exhilaration driving it again. If I could get back any of the cars I’ve owned it would he this. The T-tops off, music up, exhaust roaring and supercharger whining on a sunny Sydney day. Can’t beat it!!

[@jimsgaragetoys]

I totally understand! I just took a nice drive today in mine! A nice day around 70F with the sun out and enjoying some twisty back mountain roads. I love my Supercharged MR2! 😍🔥😎❤

[@oldmercedesdiesel]

I have an 88 supercharged I bought recently that I was going to just detail and flip. But after cleaning it up, driving it, and seeing a few videos like yours I've decided i'm going to keep it and give it the attention it deserves. Thanks for the video.

[@jimsgaragetoys]

That's awesome. They deserve to be driven and owned by someone that will take care of them and appreciate them!

[@farkinarkin5099]

4A-GZE 😍

[@CC-sf8jn]

Very nice. Black 89 sc 70k leather. 5sp of course. Mint. So fun to drive. Almost bought a white sc new in 89 but had 2 kids to take to school back then. Always regretted it. 88Black sc and 88dark blue sc before this one.

[@jimsgaragetoys]

Bought a black 88 SC new but it was stolen 6 months later and never recovered. I always missed that car so when I found this 89 SC many years later I jumped on it. You've owned a lot of them. I always had other cars to take the kids so that was never an issue.

[@rocaelgomez6616]

I should've never sold mine!! 🥵🥵 I miss my little Supercharged MR 2

[@jimsgaragetoys]

I hear that from everyone that sells theirs. I know that day will happen at some point in the future but that a long time down the road!

[@jonmcrae7839]

mr2 heaven is currently selling re-production floor mats if you're still looking

[@jimsgaragetoys]

Thanks for the tip! I appreciate it. I was just looking at their site and I sure wish they were available in blue to match my interior.

[@mikehahn2735]

Very nice! Such a fun littler car. Thanks for sharing the video.

[@jimsgaragetoys]

Thank you! I do love sharing it as they are becoming more rare every year.

[@mescko]

It was great to meet you at C & C yesterday, you didn't mention the pulley. There are kits out there, but with my mileage I'm going to hold off until I decide to refresh or rebuild. The color-matched wheels are great, 80's all the way! I forgot to mention I have a period Panasonic cassette/changer control HU to install along with an NOS 12-disc changer I found in the UK. I still record and listen to cassettes, and I don't listen to music files - if there's no moving parts, I'm not interested. 😁

[@jimsgaragetoys]

Nice meeting you too Scott. I sure wish I had brought my MR2 yesterday. Let me know if you are ever coming back up or going to Portland C&C and I'll bring it. When I bought mine the previous owner had already installed the pulley kit for more boost so thad less than 50k miles on it.

[@SpacehotelMusic]

Love my MR2 SC... will never sell it... also modded (176mm pulley/exhaust etc) around 185bhp est

[@jimsgaragetoys]

I hear you loud and clear! 🔥🔥🔥

[@rcguyusvi9206]

one of my biggest mods to my 89 MR2 SC is putting a 12gallon fuel cell in the front trunk. It's improved that wet handling 100%

[@jimsgaragetoys]

Interesting. Did you just use it for weight balance or did you actually connect it to the fuel system for more range?

[@rcguyusvi9206]

@@jimsgaragetoys just noticed your comment. The original tank was all gummed up and needed to be replaced, so a fuel cell up front became the best option. The improved handling was a bonus

[@andydhillon1977]

Such a cool little car. I'm considering buying one to restore.

[@jimsgaragetoys]

That would be a fun project and saving an AW11 from the junkyard is always a good thing. 😍

[@blakebusters7831]

Clean car! I also have a White SC MR2, though mine is an 88. I would keep checking in on TwosRUs for the blue floormats, I was buying some other stuff for my car and they had some in stock in April. They came in and look great. Unfortunately it looks like they are out of them right now though.

[@jimsgaragetoys]

Thanks for the heads up. I wish that I had caught them in stock.

[@ohbogey]

Subscribed, idc if u make any more videos after this. Ur dedication to your MR2 is admirable & inspiring!

[@jimsgaragetoys]

Thank you very much!

[@dyaaong6030]

Super Clean!

[@jimsgaragetoys]

Thank you! I had it at Cars and Coffee last weekend and several people were amazed at how clean it is. Makes me feel good when people appreciate it.

[@randomtoyotadude8952]

Looks really decent with white wheels

[@jimsgaragetoys]

I love the white on white look too. I had thought about some grey matte wheels that I had and wanted to use on it. I decided to use the set of wheels but I had them powder coated to match too. They are Advanti Storm S1 wheels and only weigh 10 lab each.

[@imnguyen6658]

Amazing work on keeping this clean! Wish I could have one to go with my Corolla iM MT and Rav4.

[@jimsgaragetoys]

Thank you! I've owned my MR2 for 20 years now but it took me forever to find it even back then.

[@rachaelpreston8976]

I miss my 89 SC! 😥 I had mine from '93 until 2005. GC coilovers, Cusco plates, modified the supercharger system, relocated the battery to the front, etc. I was moving from NM out to NC and decided to sell instead of putting it into storage. The guy that bought it apparently wrecked it someplace in Texas. I should have told him to get lost when he said he was going to undo the mods. My poor baby...

[@jimsgaragetoys]

That's a bummer. I can't imagine how hard it would have been to sell. When the day comes I'll only sell it to someone that I feel will truly care for it as I have. Where in NM are you from? I was just there visiting family and friends. I live in WA State now but I drive down every year.

[@rachaelpreston8976]

@@jimsgaragetoys It was really hard, it was definitely my #2 favorite toy. #1 is a '24 4Runner. I was stationed at Kirtland, went to S. Korea for a year and then they threw me down at Holloman. Could have been worse I guess, like being stuck with Cannon. lol. After I got out, I traveled/moved between NM, VT, FL, DE, CO, and NC. Quite a few of those trips were in that MR2. I live in Florida now, but I spend time in SC and up at my folks in VT when its warm enough. I still have friends in the Albuquerque area and might head out there sometime later this year, or in the next spring time. I'm setting the 4Runner up for road trips and camping. If you ever decide to sell yours, let me know! Maybe by then I'll settle down a bit more and have a good place to keep her safe. lol

[@rachaelpreston8976]

@@jimsgaragetoys As much as I toy with the idea of dumping in a 3S-GTE, I couldn't butcher a SC. They truly are a collectors car. I talked with Gerald San Agustin many years ago about his twincharged car. He said during the article they wrote about his car, he had it detuned to around 350hp. He said with proper balancing, etc. that you could squeeze about 500-550 hp out of the 4A-GZE while still retaining reliability. He went onto other projects, and I lost track of him, not sure what he is doing these days.

[@jimsgaragetoys]

@@rachaelpreston8976 I honestly can't imagine that much power in my MR2, it seems like a lot more than would ever be needed to enjoy the car.

[@jimsgaragetoys]

@@rachaelpreston8976 I graduated high school in Alamogordo as my dad was stationed at Holloman AFB back in the day. My mom stills lives in NM even though my dad passed away 9 years ago. I couldn't handle living in Florida. All of that humidity and heat, bugs, rain, hurricanes, no mountains, and not a fun road to drive in the entire state! 🤣

[@antbankzbruh]

Such a beautiful car Jim

[@jimsgaragetoys]

Thanks! I appreciate it!

[@Ottobon]

Not a recommendation because i know how rare they were back then, and how rare they must be now if anything ever went wrong with them but when traveling i would almost always opt for t-tops in the frunk. Remove the spare and put something soft between them never had a issue. Reason being if you don't have seats scooted too far back the space behind them was enough and kept things way more secure. What bugs me is i am almost certain i figured something good out for cupholders but i cannot remember at all what i settled with

[@jimsgaragetoys]

I always have the seats all the way back and the t-tops in their bags strapped in.

[@Ottobon]

@@jimsgaragetoys Yup i get that and its a super clean car do whatever you are doing. The entry is more about using the car as my daily, 6 foot but prefer watever posture that i guess was least stress for my legs, and passenger seat idc where, i found it a way better way to bring anything that shouldn't tip, shake, or roll around home from the markets, meanwhile never had a single problem with t-tops up front. It was the wrong way if you look at how Toyota designed it, but using the car day to day its just what ended up happening.

[@jimsgaragetoys]

@@Ottobon I used mine as a daily for many years. I'm 6'2" and I leave the seats back all the way and the t-tops don't interfere in any way. I rarely have them on since mine is garage kept now and I only drive it in very nice weather. I also prefer to keep my spare tire in the frunk but I have had one t-top in the frunk before when traveling on a long road trip.

[@16bmidniterfoxo]

Very Clean AW11! Was wondering how you routed the wiring for the dashcam, did you pop the a-pillar trim? Which wires are you drawing from for the additional accessory power?

[@jimsgaragetoys]

Thanks! Yes, I ran the wiring down the a-pillar and used an add-a-fuse circuit into the fuse box under the dash. I did that many years ago but that is what I remember doing. I''ve done the same thing on my other cars too.

[@wholespeed]

Nice SC! Where did you get your brake master cylinder brace from?

[@jimsgaragetoys]

Thanks, I appreciate it! I think I bought it from TwosRUs about 15 years ago. I've had it a long time. There was someone that made a version of it on one of the Facebook MR2 groups but I don't remember who. If you asked around I'm sure he would pop up. 😀

[@pnojazz]

It reminds me of my old 1974 Porsche 914, but much faster!😂

[@jimsgaragetoys]

Nice!

[@daniellipsack9713]

Great MR2 ! I was thinking about trading my ‘85 Corolla GTS for a supercharged MR2 back in ‘90. Bought my AE86 back in Jan. 89 and still have it 35 years later 😁 I have 16X7.5 wheels with 205 40/16’s, your tires look a little taller, are they 205 45/16 ? Less than 130,000 km ( Canada ) on mine but yours is in better overall condition. Keep on enjoying it

[@jimsgaragetoys]

Thanks! I appreciate it. The OEM 185/60R14 tires were always a little small so many people went to a 195/60R14 and that corrected the speedometer error. Your 205/40R16 is actually a little smaller diameter than the OEM 185/60R14. My 205/45R16 is about the same diameter as the 195/60R14 or the 205/50R15 that many people run. I'm also currently using a 205/50R15 and I wanted to try that size. It feels just as good on the back roads but is a little more comfortable. The wheels are also only 10lbs each vs the 13 lbs the 16" wheels weigh. Keep enjoying your AE86! I also owned an 89 Corolla GTS AE92 and even though it was FWD I loved that car until it was totaled when a delivery truck backed into the side of it.

[@daniellipsack9713]

@@jimsgaragetoys When I purchased my Corolla used in ‘89 it already had 195 60/14 Riken tires on it, they were great ! After the Rikens wore out I put stock size tires on it and hated them so I promptly went to the 16s which stuck like glue when new. But with our roads full of potholes around here I’m looking to go a little taller than the 40 series so the step up to a 205 45/16 seems like my best bet. I’ve been working on a ‘65 Beetle for the last few years but am looking forward to get the Corolla on the road again.

[@jimsgaragetoys]

@@daniellipsack9713 Yep, when I went from 205/45R16 to the 205/50R15 I didn't notice any difference in handling but the ride comfort was greatly improved. I drove it 2300 miles to Toyotafest and back last year and it was fantastic.

[@danielamorim2909]

Any idea what sized pulley you have on there? Only a pulley, upgraded intercooler, and TRD headers have you at 177whp? There's gotta be something else.

[@jimsgaragetoys]

I believe the previous owner told me it was the Cusco pulley but that was 20 years ago he told me that so I could be mistaken. I also have the HKS exhaust so the entire exhaust system has been upgraded which was a choke point on the SC model. I had it on a dyno many years ago and I've been wanting to check it again to see if there is any difference between dynos.

[@danielamorim2909]

@@jimsgaragetoys Thanks for the reply. Im getting my Cusco pulley on soon so just wanted to know what else was done. Also is your pulley on the actual SC the AW11 pulley or the later AE101 pulley? Are you running a grunt box?

[@jimsgaragetoys]

@@danielamorim2909 I believe that it's on the SC itself but to be honest I've never actually looked as I always just figured it to be that way. There is no grunt box.

[@josephandreuccetti7270]

Is the button for fuel factory?

[@jimsgaragetoys]

Yes, every supercharged model has this button.

[@phinds1]

I don't understand. How could this be original paint if the side mouldings on the door have been removed?

[@jimsgaragetoys]

Because the previous owner didn't like the body side moldings and removed them. I've seen other owners remove them too that didn't like them. The OEM paint has nothing to do with the car still having the moldings or not. 😉

[@phinds1]

@@jimsgaragetoys Hey,, If you say so!! LOL

[@marcorojas6535]

Is the white 88 Mr2 for sale??

[@jimsgaragetoys]

Well everything has a price! 🤣 But I'm not looking to sell it. I know I couldn't replace it. But if I got an offer I couldn't refuse I would have to think about it. 😍

[@marcorojas6535]

@@jimsgaragetoys any number in mind??

[@jimsgaragetoys]

@@marcorojas6535 🤣🤣🤣 Yep, more than anyone would spend for it. At this point it would be around $30k. And that will only go up as time goes on. If someone actually would pay that I would actually think about it but I would miss it sooooooo much. I love my MR2. Around 5 years ago I insured it for $25k and that goes up every year automatically by 5% to cover appreciation.

[@marcorojas6535]

@@jimsgaragetoys sounds good, I’ll think about it and get back to you.

[@jimsgaragetoys]

@@marcorojas6535 😉😉😉