my guess would be
A. he's hiding some something from you.
B. there's more wrong with that car than he's letting on
C. he dose not want to go through the trouble of fixing the MR2 (which is most likely the case)

i would go there, take a good hard look at the car (from underneath aswell, oil leaks and what not.) look at the air filter, the oil, the plug wires, just to see is the vehicle has been maintained over time. if you like it, get it. if not, don't settle.

my 2 cents