The Catch of the Year! Toyota MR2 AW11 1985...

One random day, searching for cars on mudah.my I found myself searching for MR2s, most for sale are the SW20 2nd generation MR2 which was apparently not a much success as the 1st generation MR2 which was the AW11 model. So call it what you want; luck, good timing I found one for sale and it was in the same state, same district! I couldn't believe that I found another one for sale after seeing one six months ago go into a friend's hands. On top of that, when UMW Toyota imported the MR2 AW11 model into Malaysia in 1985, they only imported in 20models officially. And this was one of those 20 models! The owner claimed it to be 95% original, kept in good condition, and only 85, 000km done on the odometer.

So me, my dad, and a number of friends who are die hard petrol heads went to see the car. Marvelous the car was, no big issues, everything was working, everything was original, the 4A-GE 16valve in there was spectacular! No strange noises, no funny vibrations and still being able to rev to 7300rpm without any problems.

The only problem was that because it wasn't used much, the water in the radiator was starting to turn brown, and also as the car gets older so does rubber components. Luckily for us that the engine mountings were still in good condition but the radiator rubber hoses weren't doing so well. Also the paint job on it, was just a touch up where the original red paint of the car faded. So nego nego nego, got the car at RM35, 000.

So then we took it to our regular workshop and got a few parts changed. Rubber radiator hoses were changed but it was one hell of a treasure hunt to find them. Brake master pump, clutch pump had to be changed. Brake discs, brake pads changed and the calipers serviced. New Michelin XM2 goes on the 14inch wheels. Airconditioning serviced, all fluids drained and replaced plus the timing belt. So now after 3 weeks in the workshop the very next day a drive up to Bentong, Pahang, then to Cameron Highlands, and back down to Ipoh. The next day back to Selangor. The car handles well, no issues at all taking it that far and back. After I drove this car and my friend drove this car, the question in our heads is, when did cars stop being this good?

As for spare parts availability for this car here in Malaysia... Very difficult. Some parts you can find from a similar Toyota from that time, but stuff like lights, gear knob, sensors, etc very difficult. However, overseas the MR2 AW11 was sold in large amounts,  thus today there are a lot of used parts for sale and some also new old stock.

Some information about the MR2 AW11 1985:

Chassis Model: AW11
Year: 1985
Engine: 1600c.c. 4A-GE 16valve DOHC first gen N.A. with T-VIS, MAP Sensor producing around 120hp
Compression Ratio: 9.4:1
0 - 100km/h: Roughly 8.0 seconds
Engine Layout: Mid Engine
Gearbox: Transverse 5 speed manual C50
Weight: 1060kg
Wheels: 14inch
Steering: Rack and Pinion