Sunday, January 15, 2006 - 05:40 pm, by: Ben Socratous(Socrates)
I'm considering getting rid of my car
I've already abandoned the idea of a respray, would rather use the funds as a house deposit. In all seriousness, on top of regular expenses (service, tyres, rego. etc) I'm spending on average $2500/year on things that are breaking, fixing error codes and the like. This is simply too much for maintenance on a car that I only paid $13,500 for. As some of you may be aware, I STILL don't have a rear parcel shelf or drivers door trim due to lack of supply or excessive prices.
Which brings me to my next problem... even with the car missing those two bits, I need to sell it either as a whole, or parts and get at least $8500-9000 for it, otherwise I'll be looking down a double barreled bankruptcy gun.
If you guys have some serious advice for me, or ideas on where I could go to sell it, or may be interested yourself, please let me know. I'd be most appreciative.
Sunday, January 15, 2006 - 08:46 pm, by: Damien Barnes(Barned01)
i kind of agree with you ben. It is something i am struggling to comprehend about soarers. spare parts for them are prohibitively expensive and I don't understand why. The truth is these cars are getting old and are not priced that much differently to a xA70 series supra, or sylvia and are even cheaper than skylines, the z30 soarer is not in demand and really never has been. Yet in the second hand market, people want premium prices for parts on this car. the parts should reflect the second hand pricing for the cars but this doesn't seem to be the case with soarers. 30 dollars plus for a single side indicator for a car that is close to 15 years old just doesn't make sense. 150 for a centre a/c display is not in line with other parts for other cars. I wish you all the best finding the parts for your car (i could help you with the parcel shelf if you like as you could probably make one for 30 bucks worth of parts, but then a second hand one shouldn't cost any more in my opinion anyway.) I would love to hear from the people that do sell these parts at the prices they do just so i can get an idea where they are coming from. don't get me wrong, I love the soarer and it is definately one of the better cars I have driven, but finding parts for it at a price you don't feel you are getting ripped off is very hard.
curiously how much are you willing to pay for a door trim, without seeing how much they are priced at i will guestimate that they wouldn't be over 60 bucks, this would be for wood trim and lower in good condition (the obligatory crack where the speaker grill goes of course). if someone could tell me how much i am out by in the parts market this would be a good guide. please be honest with the answer though.
Sunday, January 15, 2006 - 10:19 pm, by: Ben Socratous(Socrates)
Yeah mate, I know Wittwer, how are you, been a while... serious, seen 'em cheaper than what I'm after, what with exhaust, 18'z and a front mount?
Door trim for 60 bucks, I'd be over the moon!!! If I could get a drivers door and window trim, I don't even care what colour or about speaker cracks for under $250, I'd be cheering. Every wrecker in Adelaide seems to off with the fairies in terms of pricing structures, $650 for an open wheel diff for e.g. Other places wont even sell you the door trim, only the whole door for nearly $1200! The best quote I've got for a parcel shelf is $280. Any parts that the guys here can source are usually at a great price, but factor in freight and it's the same price as getting them here...
Damien, you're so right. Soarers are becomming just as common as every other jap import, but the spare part prices still reflect them being akin to a european supercar. I've been shopping with a mate for parts for a porsche 959, fastest production porsche ever made, and the parts are cheaper than soarer parts, go figure?
Chad, the only pix I have atm are in m profile, not that they'd be much good to you. Mum's taken my digital camera away with her on holidays, give me 2-3 days and I'll get some more pix for you.
Sunday, January 15, 2006 - 10:36 pm, by: Ben Socratous(Socrates)
Just sat down and worked out what my car would be worth in parts if you had to BUY them from a wrecker in Adelaide from previous quotes that I've got... $6500 for removable body panels and lights alone, add to that the $2600 I was quoted for a complete (mediocre) velour interior, plus engine, gearbox, frontmount, wheels, electrics, etc. Jeez, if I ran a wrecker I'd make nearly 20 grand off my car, I think I'm in the wrong line of work
Sunday, January 15, 2006 - 10:38 pm, by: Ben Socratous(Socrates)
Other than that, I'll just buy a little sihtbox and mothball the soarer in the shed for a few years 'till it becomes more financially viable to do something with.
Monday, January 16, 2006 - 11:25 am, by: Gavin Thiele(Ndgcpr)
i have never liked the idea for spare parts, i got lucky parting out my z20 wreck. but you sell a few things and then nothing else, then what will happen. Parcel trays are fairly basic, as i have built a few, i must admit i am not totally familiar with Z30 trays but it wouldn't be too hard.
Wore case senario is do a basic one out of cardboard and take to to a woodshop. someone will be able to do it for you, maybe?
Monday, January 16, 2006 - 01:29 pm, by: Damien Barnes(Barned01)
wow so apparently I am out be a fair bit. I would love to hear Neil's input as to why there is such a discrepancy considering he deals with soarers and should know a fair market value. I don't think i am being too optimistic thinking you could get door trim for 60 bucks but surely 300 everyone can see as just being plain stupidly priced.
I am south (woodcroft area) so if you have a spare weekend and would like a bit of help to fab up a parcel shelf just give me a holler. I will grab the parcel shelf out of the soarer and measure it up for a template. carpet can be found from daley's autotrimmers on richmond road (number 229 it's a blue building shared with another group of people that i don't care about). They have carpet of almost any type you could want.
Monday, January 16, 2006 - 02:05 pm, by: Benjamin Burgess(Jampac)
Damien, it all comes down to supply and demand, its nothing really about ripping people off. If a parcel is for sale cheap then it'll be gone in no time, I know cause i waited for them to come up all the time and eventually scored one for 100 bucks which i was quiet willing to pay, just a matter of being patient.
Basically if you want cheap parts buy a locally made vehicle which are a dime and dozen at pick and payless, but nothing local comes close to a soarer, so its the price you pay.
I personally have two cars because of this. My soarer is for weekend work and having fun in and my daily is a 2003 corolla which never gives me trouble and when warranty runs out parts at wreckers will be dirt cheap.
Just to give you an idea of some of the prices I have paid for parts on my soarer.
Digital dash from rare GT-TL - $450 Parcel shelf - $100 auto Gearknob - $100 sub woofer - $10 sub woofer cover - $20 Centre console, digital dash from gt-t, stereo surround, steering wheel, steering column surround, ashtray - $260 (bargain from private seller) front extension lip - $120 from memory driver side tweeter cover - $37 (new part) Jack and tools from boot - $40 Fuel line from filter to engine bay- $30
Then there is the supra parts I have brought, front supra 4 pot brakes with disks and pads - $500 supra jza80 torsen diff - $650 Supra 17" rims (rims only) - $650
The parts I have paid a lot for have been from dealers or parts peddlers, but the cheap parts are from private sellers, being in the right place at the right time with the cash. Thats what it comes down to.
Monday, January 16, 2006 - 04:05 pm, by: Ben Socratous(Socrates)
I've tried making a parcel out of mdf, I moonlight as a cabinetmaker. Didn't quite work out around the pillars where it slopes up, too steep for wood, factory ones are just compressed cardboard. I also do a bit of fiberglassing, so the first person to rip out their shelf and let me copy it will get a carbonfiber bfi lid for their troubles!
Brother in law has also decided to help, by telling me that his parents own 3 sprint auto stores (THINGS THAT COULD'VE BEEN BOUGHT TO MY ATTENTION EARLIER!!!), and is fixing me up with a complete set of bushes (don't care that they're not rubber, still be a fluck load better than what I've got now) for $267. His race car has had a 1JZ swap, so he ripped the starter motor off that and gave it to me too, I think I like him now!
All in all, things are finally starting to look up a little bit.
Thankyou for all your comments/emails, advice and support during the past few days, it's nice to know that the club can really pull together like this.
Monday, January 16, 2006 - 04:11 pm, by: Benjamin Burgess(Jampac)
ben, if you were in sydney I would offer you my spare parcel shelf I have laying around in the garage gathering dust. Its a parcel shelf from a tan interior but has no speaker covers and is the air filtration system parcel shelf.
Monday, January 16, 2006 - 04:15 pm, by: Mark Paddick(Sparks)
Do you still have the original shelf? I just did one a while ago using a wooden centre section and the original ends to get around that nasty slope problem. Worked out OK once it was all covered in carpet.
Monday, January 16, 2006 - 09:45 pm, by: Avin Luther(Lex_luther)
i made a parcel shelf in about an hour when i put my sub in! out of cardboard and carpet i was lucky enough to find (nearly an exact colour match) which cost $19! no body has ever noticed it is not stock, except that my sub is exposed and has a chrome ring.
I got my TT calipers/ rotors cheaper than i have ever seen advertised on here, got my front lip for $50 and spent a few days priming and painting it. Got spruce floor mats for $40 got a rear bumper for $100, had to patch a small hole made my own clear indicators. etc etc my point is, if you work hard at owning and enjoying your soarer, it will be very rewarding, and with the help of this club, you can get parts very cheap if you are patient and form relation ships with those who count. You also have to do a bit of work yourself, and i am by no means capabel in the garage, but i can put in elbow grease when reqd.
It is not a corolla, it is not available in abundance and at 15 years old, parts such as door trims are becoming scarce and as such not readily available. Ownership and maintenance of such a car is a hobby if you dont want cracked door trims and missing bits. If you dont have the time and effort to maintain it then put it in teh shed til you do. Or sell it
or buy a corolla in the first place I Iove my car, and think it is amazing value for money, but DONT recomend friends / family buy one, because i know they dont have the personality to look after one.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006 - 07:44 am, by: Ben Socratous(Socrates)
If it just snapped in half, I would have fixed it LONG ago. Alas, I followed a not quite complete guide to removing it. When it came to pull it out it was a bit stuck (hence the not quite complete guide, neglected to mention last two clips) I gave it a yank and it ended up in about 13 pieces!
I think that Avin is right, I have become a little slack in the maintenance of my car. Lately I've stopped thinking of it as 'the best car ever' as all my mates keep calling it, and treating it like any other daily driver (please don't hurt me!). Anyway, now I have access to a few bits and pieces, I will endevor to give my baby some more tlc.
Don Bagnall Moderator New Zealand 1991 UZZ30 GT4.0 V8
Tuesday, January 17, 2006 - 06:35 pm, by: Matt McGowan(Gigantor)
I know what you mean Ben, I've had a lot of troubles with my soarer lately - i've spent about 3 grand on it in the last 2 and a half months, and when you've just moved out on your own for the first time and have all these new bills, the costs of maintaining a soarer seem ridiculous. However while my soarer was off the rd for the past 2 weeks, i've been driving my mums VX Calais. Nice car, i was close to selling the soarer and buying it off her, but after 2 weeks, the crappy build, boat-like suspension, and just general inferiority of run of the mill local cars shined through, and let me tell you i've never been so happy to drive my soarer as I was this arvo! Stick with it mate, its a love hate relationship but those are the best kind :P
Tuesday, January 17, 2006 - 08:23 pm, by: Ian Johnston(Ted)
I have bought a lot of spares off Ebay at good prices, and also Jeff Harper. If you keep your ears and eyes open, bargains come up every now and then. I personally cant complain about the cost of running my V8. What else can you get that gives you the satisfaction a Soarer gives. Plus, the people on this forum make it all worth while.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006 - 09:45 pm, by: Ben Socratous(Socrates)
I think that it must be the dismay that I felt after taking dad's stock standard vy out for a spin a few months back, that thing shat all over the soarer in braking and handling!!! Hence why the bushes are up for replacement. If I were to ever buy an import again, I'd take Neil's advice and get it straight from japan, as he explained they HAVE to be looked after over there. Whoever had my car prior (ya'll better hope it's not one of you...) obviously would've taken better care of an old datto. On the brighter side of things, with all these new replacement parts that I'm putting in, the car should last another 15 years quite happily.
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good news, hope it all works out for you Ben 
