If you are reading this review, then you are hunting for a used car, possibly a second car with a bit of pizazz, if so, a six year old MR-2 Spyder is likely to perform that role with distinction.

It should not be too rare to find one that has been owned by an enthusiast likely to take good care of it, so with a bit of shopping around, you should soon find a well kept low mileage car that will prove good value for money.

I picked mine up this week, and the only thing that gives its age away is the registration plate. It has less than 35,000 miles on the clock, and the only blemish on the bodywork is a slight crease above the fuel cap.

The only issue I have heard of with Y2K MR-2 Roadsters is a clicking noise coming from the brakes, though I have yet to experience this from mine, and it has been taken out on the winding and undulating English rural roads, where in all fairness the car felt right at home.

This weekends weather has brought sporadic hail and heavy rain showers, yet at no point did the car feel tempted to fish tail on the wet roads, if anything the handling has been nigh on perfect.

You will get some intrusive engine noise at higher speeds, but this is to be expected, after all you will be sitting right in front of the engine, and it is an issue you would also expect even in a Porsche.

It is common knowledge that the Spyder come replete with less than two cubic feet of storage space, that the car is a two seater, and is low enough slung to cause the not so athletic some struggle getting in and out of it. But hey, its a two seater sports car, you get most of these troubles, except for the storage space in most of the cars in its class.

For instance, the only advantage the MX-5 has over the MR-2 is the storage space, its cut down in the MR-2 because of its mid engined rear wheel drive configuration. But the MX-5 is as low slung and still a two seater.

If these kind of issues are likely to put you off, then thoroughbred sportscars are not going to be to your taste, and the reality of riding in a Dodge Viper, or even a Ferrari will be a hell far removed from your dreams.

The scores I give are relative to the class. I bought the car for £9,500. Rip off Britain is known as Treasure Island to car companies, so the price I give in USD is a conversion at the current exchange rate
Amount Paid (US$): 16454
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2000
Model and Options: 1.8 VVTi manual