I worked for a Nakamich dealer for a few years while in school until 1984, and I owned and loved a Nakamichi 250 (in my car), a Dragon and and LX5, not to mention the time I spent at work with all of their models, tinkering and recommending them to my customers.
I would agree that the "Naks" were legendary decks, and I would recommend them for their style and their functionality as well as the quality of their recordings.
Not sure, but my sense is that the MR2 was built during the early days of Nakamichi's decline, when they started to build more mass marketed gear including some very mediocre receivers and CD players. So to me, it would not deserve a place in their hall of fame.
I think if you found a "mint" and/or perfectly restored Nakamichi 680 ZX, 700 ZXL, Dragon, CR7 or other of that era, you would have more fun with a classic machine that would better hold its value.
As others have pointed out there are also many good cassette decks which will make surprisingly good sounding tapes. Tandberg was never my cup of tea, but yes they too made high end decks.
Believe it or not, my other favourite tape decks were circa 1979 Pioneers - check out the CTF 900, 950 and 1250.
All of these machines have cultish followers so you should be able to get parts and service.
Good luck and have fun.
