Friday, June 06, 2014 - 01:29 pm, by: Nicholas Zyppel(Dancers)
Hey guys i've been looking and looking for "the right" soarer but im finally realising that i'm probably going to have to settle for 2/3 rather than 3/3. I'm after a TT or late model single. Not interested in v8 or 2JZ N/A. However my main reason for wanting a soarer is the fruit, sunroof, woodgrain, leather and power optioned everything. This won't be a daily nor will it be a trackcar. Simply a weekend car with nice wheel and maybe a front mount. However i'm 100% on having all the fruit. After seeing a few and being disapointed i've come accross one on carsales which isn't too far from where I live. Main concerns are it's a VVTi and it's sat for sale for AGES! Just wondering why these are so unpopular? I'll attatch the link at the bottom of this post. I understand that they make toque in 1/2 rpm range as non-vvti but aside that they are costly rebuild and aftermarket / standard oem parts correct? Any light that can be shed on this would be appreciated and all other topics on this were six months to a year or older. Link below:
Friday, June 06, 2014 - 02:21 pm, by: Nicholas Zyppel(Dancers)
Thanks for the fast reply, great information there also. In regards to ownership of TT vs single which was more enjoyable overall? As in sourcing parts / driving into corners / starting it up each day with mixed emotions.
Friday, June 06, 2014 - 03:51 pm, by: James Buchan(Jrbuch)
Stock for stock, the vvti is miles ahead of a twin turbo. I'm talking about the whole car here not just the engine. They're newer so it has a brighter dash, better door trims, passenger airbag, more chassis bracing etc.
Interestingly enough the twin turbo was modified with equivalent mods to the vvti, it made roughly 40rwkw more power (When both cars were running stock turbochargers) Take what you will from that.
The vvti feels newer and nicer. I fitted a bigger turbo to the vvti with supporting mods, and it's a very exciting car to drive now once boost hits.
That said, I drove the twin turbo for a week (just recently) and loved having the stock twins with Kurts intakes, the twin turbos are so responsive compared to having a bigger single. Mind you, I think I've forgotten how a nicely modified but stock turbo'ed vvti feels too, and it would no doubt be responsive.
I don't think you'd be unhappy in either a twin turbo or a vvti, specially if you've got no major plans to modify it, save for a bigger intercooler and some wheels. But if the power bug bites, the only way to get more grunt from a vvti is to replace the turbo with a bigger one, or highflow it, whereas the stock twins on a TT can make good power with supporting mods. For me, I wanted newer safety features such as that extra airbag, and the later looking body update, so that ruled out any twin turbo. I also think I was hooked initially by how much torque and power the car made down low.
Also, just so you know, ECU's gearboxes etc from early model cars won't work with the later model vvti cars. 9 times out of 10, the non vvti parts won't fit the vvti motor. Just means you've got to use due diligence in sourcing you parts.
Every-time I start up my vvti, it brings a massive smile to my face, but that's primarily due to the fact it has a loud exhaust on it. I've got some sticky Nitto tyres on it, so it corners quite well too.
Friday, June 06, 2014 - 05:45 pm, by: Nicholas Zyppel(Dancers)
Again thanks for info, really does help me in deciding as i'm a picky person and every bit helps. Your cars mod list is quite impressive and I love the colour, i've only ever owned white cars!
The VVTI makes more low down power, which is what you need in a heavy car like that to get it moving. The twin turbo will take more revs to get it upto power but with a few mods such as Exhaust, Intercooler, Cam Gears and boost, it can be a fast car.
There is not an issue with upgrading Turbos on both VVTi and Non VVTI as there are parts available for both.
If you want clean, reliable with all the fruit be prepared to pay the money for it as all the ones you seen on Carsales are probably not taken care of.
Saturday, June 07, 2014 - 09:55 pm, by: Nicholas Zyppel(Dancers)
Yeah i've looked at a few already and mostly had mismatched coloured panels or grotty interiors and hacked up guards. I've been looking and looking for almost a year now and will continue til I find one that has more going for it than not. I've eyed off this forum for abit too and seen a few okay ones come and go but my luck the good ones are all 3L's
Saturday, June 07, 2014 - 10:34 pm, by: James Buchan(Jrbuch)
Nicholas, don't let that deter you. Mine had an ECU fault with the throttle control computer, and it was in need of a respray, but mechanically, it was 100% and had a full service history. I'd never seen a vvti engine bay so clean, and it drove perfect. I picked it up cheaply because of those issues.
I know the cost of the re-spray added up, but don't regret my decision.
Know what you mean about the 3L ones being better presented though, haha why is that?
Sunday, June 08, 2014 - 05:21 pm, by: Nicholas Zyppel(Dancers)
My theory on the 3L ones being cleaner or more cleaner examples floating around is they either have been cared for by mature people who just drive the car as a normal car that normally wouldn't see past 4k let alone the red line . Given that when I was recently on p plates and looking at a few 3L's there were plenty of thrashed out and tired looking ones with p plates on them too! My search will probably be finding one that someone never wanted to sell! As I do plan on keeping it for the rest of my life even if there not as desired as a skyline or supra, so I won't be jumping on the first okay one that I come across.
Monday, June 09, 2014 - 12:32 am, by: Robert Day(Lexsmaz)
As Boris said even if you spend a few thousand more on a really clean one it will pay dividends in the long run, not knocking James but a good respray would have to be around the $3-$4000 range if not more plus all the stuffing around too etc ..
Also another advantage of a VVTI is they are a bit better on fuel too ..
When you are checking out a prospective car take off the oil filler cap & have a good look inside the rocker cover for oil sludge build up, you can't see a lot but you can see enough & if its missed a lot of oil changes which is not uncommon in these Jap imports there will be a thick sludge build up inside the cover & over the cam & cam bearing cap which is not a good sign at all & one car I would then personally step away from
Monday, June 09, 2014 - 12:27 pm, by: Robert Faggian(Tanooki_suit)
I've found that the fuel consumption on my VVTi for city driving is pretty poor - I struggle to get to 500km per tank, whereas my V8 will generally do 600km easily. Country driving is very good though - I got almost 900km on a recent trip. The best I've done in the V8 is 770-ish.
Monday, June 09, 2014 - 01:06 pm, by: Nicholas Zyppel(Dancers)
Yeah well I plan on finding one a bit nicer than what gumtree or ebay has to offer. The search continues..! Thanks Robert Day for the pointer on rocket cover will be sure to remember to check this out. I've also been told there supposed to be run on red coolant and if not they can end up having a fair few problems? Also mismatched badges what would some of you guys make of this?
Monday, June 09, 2014 - 01:39 pm, by: Robert Day(Lexsmaz)
Toyota red coolant is dearer so it can show that the guy is willing to spend some extra coin on his car, but in saying that I'm pretty sure some other brand coolants out there are red too, so you cant really tell just by looking & really so long as the coolant is clean & not muddy / rusty looking etc all will be ok & you can change the coolant after you get the car home ..
Hey Rob, that not to bad on the fuel for your VVTI, I think my TT was around 450 initially, better now, I have certainly heard of better figures with the VVTI, but that's some very good figures on your V8 !!!
Also the top radiator tanks crack & can be fixed by your local radiator guy but its more money to spend & the tell tale is a brown coloured plastic top tank not black & you can also see tell tale fine lines in them when they are going Bad ..
Monday, June 09, 2014 - 07:14 pm, by: Robert Faggian(Tanooki_suit)
Rob, I'd like to close the gap a bit between the city and country driving fuel consumption on the VVT-i. But still very happy to get close to 900 km on a tank.
I recorded the fuel consumption on the V8 (and now the VVT-i) as I was in the process of getting the maintenance up to scratch, as well as the various mods/improvements. In my view getting all the small stuff sorted like regular oil changes with good quality oil, new air/oil/fuel filters all round, good tyres that are properly inflated, well-maintained cooling system etc, really made a difference.
Previous
. Given that when I was recently on p plates and looking at a few 3L's there were plenty of thrashed out and tired looking ones with p plates on them too! My search will probably be finding one that someone never wanted to sell! As I do plan on keeping it for the rest of my life even if there not as desired as a skyline or supra, so I won't be jumping on the first okay one that I come across.
