Just had a look on ebay re replacement engines, why not rebuild it?
Hi Joe,
Engine was passed a rebuild, the con-rod went through both sides of the alloy engine block on the back you could poke you little finger through the hole in the back and your clenched fist in the hole in the front, the chances are that the stray piston has smashed the valves and possibly knocked the cam shaft mountings out of the head.
To find a low mileage replacement lump is not an easy task, (Rocking horse poo is the term I believe) and then to have the head removed to check the top end over. Removal of the old engine and the taking the alternator starter motor, and all the other bits off, the MR2 has to have the engine taken out through the bottom cos she is a mid engine, rear wheel drive car, and tons of stuff has to be removed to allow this to happen, then the reverse process and set up the new lump made it an uneconomic task, possibly £2,500 to 3,000 complete, and to be honest it's still a second hand lump and 3K is more than the car is worth.
Thanks for the thought though Joe