Monday, April 20, 2009 - 04:35 pm, by: Daniel Parish(V8_31)
Hey everyone, Im new here and am looking to buy a V8 Soarer. Have found a nice one in Vic with very low kms and with full original Soarer Owners manuals and Soarer Service Logs from Japan which I am told is very rare. Asking price is $6,900 which i think is really good. Heres the link:
What do you guys think? Is it worth checking out. Bit worried that its maybe to cheap, then again maybe its just a bargain! I will be ringing the owner hopefully in the next couple of days to ask a few questions but problem is I live in Adelaide. Does anyone live near EPPING in Victoria and want to check it out for me?? It would save me the hassle of buying airfares and going to see the car myself when it could be terrible. Want to make sure that all the expensive things to fix are all ok, such as air suspension and emv touch screen.
Monday, April 20, 2009 - 04:45 pm, by: Mike Bradberry(Halflife)
If it's as good as he says it is, then it is a bargain. The photos seem to suggest it is in good order. Good idea to get someone in Vic to help you out and to maybe get a pro to check out fully.
Monday, April 20, 2009 - 06:11 pm, by: Ian Johnston(Ted)
Daniel, have you checked out the Adelaide Trading Post? Usually plenty in there, and that saves the rego hassles from interstate cars.(especially if they are non standard)
Talk to some of the Adelaide owners, they maybe able to help.
Monday, April 20, 2009 - 06:45 pm, by: Daniel Parish(V8_31)
Yeah but i will have another look. This one got my attention due to the price and the low kms, service history etc. Will have a chat to the Adelaide owners and see. Thanks
Monday, April 20, 2009 - 07:14 pm, by: Gregg Holden(Xzotic)
Daniel, be very careful with this... Ian is right you could spend a lot more and go through the hassle of re-registering in SA. Also this isn't exactly a unique or rare Soarer. For a start it is FSG (Frog Sh1t Green - don't worry that is a standard term around here for this colour) which is the most common colour soarer there is.
Coupled with the fact the seller has posted pics of the car in the dark, made reference to manuals and service history for a car that apparently has done only 97k clicks. Good luck attempting to read said service history and manuals can be purchased on ebay for around 30 bucks. Notwithstanding the steering wheel which has been replaced with a poo brown one (look at the outer rim colour in the photo) or has been so seriously worn that the blue/grey colour it should be has worn through. If the latter is true this car probably has done more than 200k clicks. Remember this car is 17 years old, 90k clicks would be only 5k a year? It is well known that Soarers due to their digital dashes are often reset in Japan and you should never factor it into the purchasing decision...
For me there are too many red flags and nothing unique or special about this example to waste your time on it. Look for a local example you can get you hands on and try many out before you buy. You will notice that there is a BIG difference in quality and features out there for the price range.
Get another local opinion if you can from a soarer owner in SA that can determine when the power steering pump and belts were changed, check for air/oil leaks in the suspension, check the bushes, EMV functionality and a myriad of other things that need to be carefully checked with these cars. They are complex and can be very expensive to fix. If you can't afford the same as the purchase price in possible repairs then you should REALLY be taking your time. Research this site...hard...
Monday, April 20, 2009 - 07:57 pm, by: Ian Johnston(Ted)
The V8 is basically bullet proof, but Gregg is spot on. Ks wont be original, thats for sure. Check in the cruises section, SA, and ask some locals. Go to one of their cruise days, PM them, but dont rush in. It is a buyers market, but chouse carefully. I got mine in Adelaide out of a car yard, over 4 years ago, and it has been a great car. It is our daily car. Cant get my wife out of it
Monday, April 20, 2009 - 08:34 pm, by: Daniel Parish(V8_31)
Thanks for all your help guys. Might stay away from this one then and try to find one in SA. Might look for a different colour aswell, any suggestions?! If i find a soarer in SA that looks ok i will try to get a knowledgable soarer owner to check it out with me. So i shouldnt be worried about how many kms the cars done (within reason) more on the condition etc? I would rather it have 150,000kms or less. Theres a few on the tradingpost website, one has 188,000kms and not sure on the other.
Monday, April 20, 2009 - 08:48 pm, by: Ian Johnston(Ted)
I like the white ones myself, although mine is green. Do the rounds, and have a look at as many as possible. Thats what I did, checked out the Trading post, and rang around, came up there, and looked at 5 or 6 before seeing mine in a yard. Someone on the Adelaide section may have something for sale as well.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009 - 07:06 pm, by: Michael Clark(Soar8)
The room in the back is about the same as a pulsar or similar hatchback but bigger room than skylines, sylvias and rx7s. I think it is about the same room as my mazda 929 coupe. It can fit 5 people but some only come with 4 seatbelts.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009 - 07:22 pm, by: Ian Johnston(Ted)
They would be 5 very little people I usually only have 3 in mine, move the passenger seat forward, and the 3rd person sits there. No room behind the driver, unless you have small children. But, all 3 say it is very comfortable. I say the Soarer is the most comfortable car I have ever had, or sat in.
Friday, April 24, 2009 - 06:34 pm, by: Daniel Parish(V8_31)
Going to have a look at the white soarer on the weekend. If its any good will try to get someone who knows a bit about soarers to check it out for me. Dad owns mechanical workshop so will take it down there and check it, but none of the mechanics are to familiar with soarers, thats why would like someone from here to check it for common problems and make sure all the expensive parts are working! etc. Any volunteers??
Friday, April 24, 2009 - 07:11 pm, by: Aaron Casey(Blownminiturbo)
check things like broken trim, electrical problems like blinky dash and bleeding ac lcd, worn seats, any smoke from motor ar funny operation of transmission.. bushes in suspension, leaking aribags in the v8's, mainly the basics really if they are qualified they should be able to figure most of them out. good luck with the soarer hunting they are well worth it if you find a good one
Mike Triggs Goo Roo Western Australia 3.0GT G-Pack
Saturday, April 25, 2009 - 04:25 pm, by: Mike Triggs(Mikeandimah)
Russel Watson wrote on Wednesday, April 22, 2009 - 05:03 pm:
I am also looking at buying a soarer, havent had the chance to look at one in person yet, just wondering how much room you have in the back seats
If either driver or passenger is long-legged, the only human able to sit in the back would be a legless dwarf (or perhaps a small baby in a capsule- but I don't think there's enough room for a capsule!).
Sunday, April 26, 2009 - 06:21 pm, by: Daniel Parish(V8_31)
Checked out the white soarer today! Mechanically it seemed good, drove very well but interior was pretty bad. Drivers seat was worn and starting tear, steering wheel was very worn, EMV screen worked but had no picture, guy said it needed to be replaced, passenger interior door handle was broken and a few other things. According to the owner it had genuine 103,000kms but i personally think it has much more than that. Going to look at a blue one sometime this week. Has done 160,000kms but looks pretty good from the pics.
Monday, April 27, 2009 - 09:53 am, by: Ian Johnston(Ted)
Good Daniel, look at as many as possible. What is advertised is not allways what you get. I looked at at least 10 before I got mine, and some were just heaps. You will get one, just be patient.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009 - 09:30 pm, by: Daniel Parish(V8_31)
Well looked at the blue one today and it was terrible. Paint was all faded at the back, interior was average and to top things off it wouldnt even start. I have basically rang up or looked at every advertised soarer in SA and nothing! Sold my car a month ago now and its getting harder not having one. Should i start looking interstate? Theres a few around that seem ok.
Thursday, April 30, 2009 - 05:56 pm, by: Ian Johnston(Ted)
Daniel, dont want to seem to be negative, but are you expecting a new vehicle for your money?? These are a 18 year old car, and wont be in pristine condition. You will have to accept some work maybe needed. When I looked at mine, it wouldnt start either. They jump started it for me, I didnt even drive it. Paint was reasonable, interior was good(not leather) I paid the money, fueled it up, and drove it the 450ks back to Mount Gambier. I have done the front bushes, and upgraded the brakes( TT brakes) and a couple of other minor things. I accepted that I may have to do some work, but in the 4+ years I have had it, it has been the most reliable car I have ever had, including some new crap I have had. Wouldnt sell it for anything.
Just dont go looking for a miracle, it isnt out there.
In saying that, Ben Richardsons one looks tidy on this website.
Thursday, April 30, 2009 - 09:17 pm, by: Daniel Parish(V8_31)
Ok so with that said Ian im now thinking i should maybe have another look at the white one. Everything was fine besides the drivers seat that had a tear in it, the worn steering wheel and a few other minor problems. I guess the biggest problem was the fact that the EMV screen wasnt working properly. But it still worked just no picture.
Thursday, April 30, 2009 - 10:05 pm, by: Ian Johnston(Ted)
The EMV screen wont be a problem. Most put aftermarket stereos in anyway, so I wouldnt worry about that. Seats sometimes come up on here, or Ebay, or get a quote to recover. At worst, seat covers until you can afford a retrim. There was a buy on here of fake?? leather seat covers, someone may still have some. I would catch up with some of the Adelaide locals and see if anyone can give you some friendly advise. The steering wheels can be recovered in leather for around $200. Check out www.planetsoarer.com for info. Peter Scott is an Adelaide bloke who is an expert on Soarers.
Monday, May 11, 2009 - 08:28 pm, by: Daniel Parish(V8_31)
wow! 4 Soarers I was looking at in SA sold within 3 days. Two which had been for sale for 6 months and the other two only a couple of days. Didn't know they were that popular! But I guess they are great value and a great car! Now im left with nothing! Thinking of flying over to either Vic or NSW in a couple of weeks to see what they have over there if nothing else pops up here in SA. Hopefully I will find something.
Friday, May 15, 2009 - 05:34 pm, by: Sean Routledge(Stircrazy)
Daniel, just be patient and wait for something that stands out to you. When I was looking last year I found most of the '94+ models to be the best bet. Mine's done 200,000 GENUINE kms and my seats and steering wheel are still in really good condition, unlike the many, many others I looked at. (maybe due to the previous owner being female?)
It just looked like it had been well looked after, so I bought it.
Also when you test drive it, make sure it's a "spirited" drive, so hopefully you'll be able to determine any faults i.e suspension, gearbox etc.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009 - 09:09 am, by: Daniel Parish(V8_31)
Roughly how much would I be looking at for a major service. Parents own a mechanical workshop so that helps but it still wont be for free. Can I expect lots of other problems at 200k? Still worth a look?
Wednesday, May 20, 2009 - 09:14 am, by: Anika Le(Hime1901)
Trust me Daniel, when looking for a Soarer, it will take a while! It took me ages to find mine and there are a few out there that are bad or some that are good but the owner's are dreamers on price! lol I was lucky to get a 94 that's in great condition and done the correct kms, only a few minor things you have to replace. So what Ian said is right, there are things you might have to replace unless you are willing to dish out more dosh for one that has everything done to it. Comes down to price really. But good luck, hope to see you around SA with your soarer one day
Wednesday, May 20, 2009 - 05:43 pm, by: Ian Johnston(Ted)
One on Ebay, buy it now $4,000. Is in Melbourne, but has SA rego. Look under Lexus SC400. Needs a couple of jobs, but maybe a good start point if you have access to a workshop.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009 - 06:48 pm, by: Ian Johnston(Ted)
280,000ks is a lot,but I would say that most advertised wouldnt be correct ks, as they are now up to 18 years old. And apparently, the speedos are easy to doctor. The engines are bullet proof, but at that price with SA rego, worth a look in my opinion. Especially if you have access to a workshop. Others may dissagree.
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! Thinking of flying over to either Vic or NSW in a couple of weeks to see what they have over there if nothing else pops up here in SA. Hopefully I will find something.
