So your husband (or wife, but this car seems to me to be a guy’s car!) tells you they want a Toyota MR2 Spyder. A WHAT? Yes, a Spyder. It’s a little-known non-advertised 2-seater sports car manufactured by Toyota. I’ve been told it looks kind of like a Porsche Boxster … or is it a Roadster? I dunno. Anyway, after rolling your eyes & reminding your spouse that he lives in a family of 5, just keep tight-lipped because it could be worse. He could actually want that Porsche!
COST: The Spyder is one of the lesser expensive 2-seater sports cars currently available. Unfortunately Toyota only imports 5000 of these to U.S. dealers so you’ll probably have to shell out more than sticker price for this car. You won’t be able to negotiate either since demand is high &, if they don’t sell it to you, they’ll call the next guy on the list & sell it to him. Still, you can get away with paying mid to upper $20,000s for the Spyder. That’s really not too bad in my opinion.
OPTIONS: There aren’t many options available on the Spyder. It comes standard with things like CD player, front airbags (the passenger airbag can be turned off if need be), A/C, ABS, power windows & locks, keyless remote entry, etc. Cruise control is not available at all but that doesn’t seem to bother my husband. We did wind up with floor mats & some sort of upgraded dashboard. Ours has these little bumps across it so I’m thinking that that might be the upgrade? We don’t even know ourselves! My husband doesn’t seem to care!
CONVERTIBLE: The Spyder is a manually operated soft-top convertible. It is VERY easy to maneuver. I have lowered & raised the top several times on my own. It is lightweight & uncomplicated.
STORAGE: Wondering about storage? So was I until I read other reviews on the Spyder here on epinions. There is practically no storage whatsoever. The glove compartment is a decent size … bigger than that in our Sienna! There is also a compartment about the size of a glove box in the center of the top of the dash. Behind the seats is a LARGER storage area but still not large per se. In order to access it you have to get out of your seat, lean it forward, & then tilt open a door. What I have found is that things slide around in there & when I open the storage up the object I need to get has slid to the passenger’s side or vice versa. The compartment can be accessed from both the driver’s side & the passenger’s. There is also a small storage area in the front of the car near the spare tire. (This is in front of the car since the engine is in the back behind the passenger area.) There is also a cup holder but it’s not very convenient. It’s located between the seats in the rear part of the passenger area near the driver’s right elbow. So far none of this seems to bother my husband!
RADIO: The radio on the Spyder is mediocre at best. Maybe it’s the speakers. Maybe it’s both. When the car was 3 days old I took it out with a friend; I thought that maybe my husband had already busted the speakers by playing his music too loud. He hadn’t … they’re just not a very good quality I guess. I also had some problems with static on local stations. Speaking of the radio, it’s not terribly inconvenient but it’s not in the best location either. When I was driving the car my friend was adjusting the radio stations & it caused me to stall the car at a red light. Okay, so I hadn’t driven a manual transmission in about 15 years but that had nothing to do with it. I had trouble grabbing & moving the stick because her hand was in the way. I think Toyota should have put the radio up a bit higher on the dash. This hasn’t negatively affected my husband!
COMFORT: In my opinion the driver’s seat is more comfortable than the passenger’s although neither is the lap of luxury exactly. We went out last weekend & my husband drove, of course, & I nearly became carsick. In either seat you’ll ride with your fanny nearly scraping the pavement & your legs straight out in front of you. But in the passenger’s seat I felt lower than my husband (the driver) & less comfortable. If I bent my knees I REALLY felt as though my rear end was touching ground. My husband tells me I can adjust the seat but I can’t seem to find the right settings. Last time I DROVE the Spyder I felt I was in a much more comfy position. My husband actually thinks this is more comfortable than his ’92 Corolla. Huh? Mind over matter I suppose. He feels it has more lower back support. I don’t think so. But as I write this he’s on a 300-mile trip to North Carolina; he called ¾ of the way there & said he was doing great - comfy & enjoying his new car.
MILEAGE: The Spyder gets about 30 MPG highway & 25 MPG city. In this day of increasing gas prices I’m glad we won’t be paying too much in this respect.
I know I haven’t really written anything positive about the MR2 Spyder & yet I’m recommending it. This was a purchase decision made entirely by my husband. I have no interest whatsoever in tiny sports cars or riding in them or being an owner of one. With that said, I have to admit that this is a fun little car to drive. It takes corners wonderfully, has great pep, is unique, & turns heads. If he has to have his two-seater sports car I’m glad it’s from a name like Toyota – a manufacturer whose reliability we trust. And I’m glad we didn’t have to sell the farm in order to buy the MR2 Spyder even though we did pay more than sticker price for it! So, if he’s got to have a sports car I’d recommend suggesting the Toyota Spyder.
Amount Paid (US$): 25,715
Condition: New
Model Year: 2001
