I've always liked the way these things look and the midengine rear wheel drive layout seems like the right way to do things, but has anyone here taken one on a test drive?

The power isn't really there but it is quite light, besides i'm more of a driving by character than driving by numbers type of guy so its really caught my eye.

TIA for any reviews.

-Spargo

If one becomes available ... I'll make sure I get it written up sooner than later.

Okay, I asked my dad to write this up for me:

The seating position and seat comfort and adjustability were very
good, although I had the seat moved back as far as it would go
because I like the seat angled back a lot.
Side vision was compromised with the top up; you had to be really
careful with the large blind spots. With the top down, the problem
went away. Wind noise with the top down wasn't very bad, even at 75+
mph, although it certainly helped to have the windows up.
The cockpit was very comfortable, even with two large adults. Much
better than the Miata. You couldn't take anybody with you when you
went grocery shopping, though. There was a small compartment with a
removable lid under the hood, big enough for a couple of loaves of
bread. It did have a drain on the bottom of it, and I recall a couple
of guys in the forums filling it with ice and beverages for road
trips. The storage compartments behind the seats were big enough for
a couple of small gym bags, although the owner's manual had something
in Engrish about removing the interior panels at the ends of the
compartments and getting a set of golf clubs in there! Maybe...

The power steering was done just right and the steering sensitivity
was very,very good. It was the best feature of the car. You really
felt a direct connection to the front tires. This was improved even
more when I installed the TRD sport suspension package.
The ride was a little rough, and the poor condition of some of the
back roads around here gave a really jolting ride, but not too bad.

It was easy to steer with the throttle, and you could really get the
rear end to hang out. In fact, you had to be careful on wet roads and
tight corners. The stock tires (RE040's) were excellent and didn't
wear much on this light vehicle. Power was adequate. The clutch was
light, and the shifting was very good.
The headlights were absolutely outstanding.
Overall, Toyota did a really nice job with the MR2 Spyder. There is a
lot to be said for a very light mid-engine two seater car. It was a
fun machine, and I miss it.One complain that my dad had when we still had it that he didn't mention here was that he expected more from the sound system. The car was a manual. Also the interior wasn't quite up to par with the WRX that replaced it or its VW Passat stable mate. While the dash felt a little cheap, it was by no means a Hyundai.

All the car needs is the Celica GTS engine. HEHE

ha ha yeah, i looked at it though and its got a damn good power to weight ratio. Comparing it to the new si I've been looking its just a bit more power per pound, and i thought that was fast. I think slotting a k20 with a 6-speed in there would be awesome though.

Thanks for the input so far, I just wanted to hear from some folks who have actually been in them how they are. They seem to have had great reviews and people who owned them loved them, but they don't get much fanfare.

-Spargo

My friend Shaun just picked up an 02 SMT Spyder. It's a pretty cool car, and surprisingly quick for 140hp. Watch out for the precat problems.

Check out http://www.spyderchat.com/ for some good info.

I have always liked them, a set of kosies, a roll cage, coilovers, alittle sompin sompin here and there, and your in business. mid engine and no storage space my kind of car. still kinda gurly but not as bad as a miata witch I also like.

I've owned several MR2s of each generation. The spyder is a good little car, very fun car around town. Not that great on the highway unless the top is down. Really bad blind spot with the top up and not a lot of power at about 70mph plus it isn't real quiet either. Good gas mileage though. The mid-engine and lightweight are a treat for fun onramps, great stopping power, and fast turns at intersections. It has adequate power, but if the car had the 2zz engine (same as celica GTS and elise) it would be a great car. There are several people on spyderchat.com that have done this engine swap. My biggest complaint about the car was no trunk. It does have a little storage behind the seats and in the front. Sport aluminum pedals, nice sporty steering wheel, and good looking sport gauges are nice standard features. It is difficult to get the car loose around turns at city speeds. They stick to the road very well. Hard to find a more fun reliable car for city driving in the sun. I've owned each generation MR2 and each is different. The turbos are much faster, have a usable trunk, bigger cockpit, but aren't as tossible as the spyder. The 88 supercharged has a small cockpit, is faster than spyder, but the suspension is outdated now and the spyder will outhandle it easily.