Yes, it would be pricey. You have to drive it hard to get your moneys worth :P Which would be scary
First off, to my knowlege there is no production mr2 with the 2ZZGE.
But in Japan this is a popular conversion. The 2zzge pretty much bolts straight into the MR, as it shares the same bottom end dimenisions of the 1ZZE (so ive been told).
Look at the 05 lotus with the 2ZZ-GE, it is also a midship. Lotus claims 0-100 around 5.5sec and the 1/4 mile in a mid 13. This car weighs a mere 875kg with a full tank of fuel. If you take the MR2 and are brave enough to drive it hard, i think its worth the cash to do the conversion - It weighs a little more than the lotus, and has the same drive train loss (minimal for RWD) and shares the same engine and gearbox. So i theory, it would hammer. I have seen a MRS in a best motoring touge battle demolish the Drift King's Tuned AE86 around corners and srtaight line speed (and for those who watch the best motoring series would know not many cars can beat Tsuchia in his Sprinter).
Cost??
Well, what do you need for this recipie?
These are estimates only (I was going to do this at one stage)
2ZZ-GE Power plant - 3.5k
6-Speed Trans - 1.5k
Labour (3 full days) - $90 per hour
This is my dream track car :D
are we talking about the MR2 spyder here???
if this is the case... keep the gear box! because the semi auto 6 speed(late 2002+ model) is pretty fun to drive around...
lotus uses the 2zze and the same gear box, but they super charged it.... thats where the 5.5 secs from