Sunday, January 31, 2010 - 06:27 pm, by: Maclean Cherry(Maclean_cherry)
Didn't write your own up :p
1990 Celsior CF Package - $9000 Bought it on 16 September 2009 (My 23rd Birthday)
Came with:
- Twin 2.75" exhaust - 'Devil' Bodykit - Stereo w/ Pioneer head unit, kicker amp, Kenwood 12" sub - 18" VRX Wheels with 245 Nankangs all round - 15 stage Datasystem Airbag Suspension Controller
Since I've bought it:
- New Federal Tyres, 265s on Back, 235s on Front $700 (got an awesome deal!!) - Double DIN DVD/TV/GPS currently in postage $700 - Will be adjusting the leveling rods to drop it another 2 inches or so. $0, free time on mechanics hoist - New Upper radiator tank in postage $150 from the US - Full service done last week $400 - Going in for transmission service, all rear bushes replaced, new serpentine belt and tensioner bearings next week, my mechanic is just sourcing some parts. $$$ - Bought heaps of Meguiar's gear and detailed it yesterday. $196
Plans:
- Trust Greddy eManage Ultimate $700 - Malpassi Rising Rate Fuel Pressure Regulator $70 - Twin Turbo (remote mounted in place of mufflers using T3's from R32 GTS-T) ~$1000 - Shorter Upper Arms to increase camber ($ not sure yet) - 19"x11.5" Veilside Andrew Racing Wheels $ Upwards of $3000-$4000
Sunday, January 31, 2010 - 07:13 pm, by: Joshua Baldwin(Celsior101)
My celsior was $1850 dollars c-f package dark green, bought March 2009, just after i turned 16 everything works perfect in the car interior in good condition.
It came with a set of rims which the previous owner chucked in
since i have owned it.... 15 stage air sus controller custom paint on engine covers red coloured engine hoses 2din head unit with beat sonic adapter new air con controller VIP chrome grille clear bumper indicators new horns LOUD lol blitz speed adapter chip 2 6x9 speakers fitted into the parcel shelf exhaust tips personalized number plates 12'' sub in the boot new tyres aftermarket steering wheel with boss kit cruise control option new taillights its had a full service done around 160.000 km's transmission service coming up soon
plans... m90 supercharger body kit new paint job new rims
the only minus about this car is that the clear coat has started peeling off the bonnet, but for the price i got this car i ain't complaining my future plans is to have a new paint job on the car anyway
Tuesday, February 02, 2010 - 08:07 pm, by: James Walker(Jimmywalker)
I paid $8000 for my celsior about 4 months ago! Have not really done to much apart from sell parts off it been sitting at my work for the last 4 weeks trying to get it back in tip top condition! Josh is going to buy the charger off it! haha It's had an m90 supercharger (sitting in the boot now) Has got a height controller And full exhaust apart from extractors Next thing will be done is a twin turbo set up once I get some time.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010 - 09:49 pm, by: Joshua Baldwin(Celsior101)
nice car James and i thought it was you selling the charger lol! like ya grill to! if you are still in Ballarat we will have to go for a cruise one day if your up for it
Wednesday, February 03, 2010 - 08:56 pm, by: Mat Shiels(Smokeyvip)
i paid 9k on the road. i keep an excel spreadsheet of expenditures, and with maintenance and mods up i'm to 12k already. my limit is 16k as thats what i was going to spend on a GS300. after that though, i know it'll just be pouring money down the drain as the market value for these beautiful beasts is just shot. ( and no offence to the celsior owners out there, but the grey importation of celsiors has a lot to do with it. as i said, no offense, just an observation - but also the reason Lexus campaigned to put a stop to them coming in.)
mods so far are just HID's, LEDs, billet grill, 5% tint, 7" touchscreen multimedia, reversing camera and redouts tails, and K&N drop in filter. big ticket items like rims, coilovers and mufflers to come.....ouch!
Wednesday, February 03, 2010 - 09:36 pm, by: Joshua Baldwin(Celsior101)
I have a good idea for you mat, i don't want you putting posts on threads i make anymore ok cause you are pissing me off and probably other people as well.
Wednesday, February 03, 2010 - 09:56 pm, by: Mat Shiels(Smokeyvip)
joshua, obviously when i said 'no offfense', you chose to ignore that part. but that's ok, i thought it was a discussion forum and i was simply discussing. i don't really have anything more to add to my post, because, i've already answered your inital question, so i won't trouble YOUR thread anymore.
(but, if you want to get a bit more education on what grey imports have done to the second hand car market in australia, maybe have a read of this article
or alternatively, just talk to anyone from NZ, as that's pretty much where australia would have been headed had they not introduced SEVS/RAWS and taken back the 15yr rule. Cheers.)
Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 09:20 am, by: Maclean Cherry(Maclean_cherry)
As I see it, this is really only an issue for people that owned the car before the imports came in.
You haven't lost anything because you took advantage of the cheaper market to be able to afford one.
If someone paid $50k and then Celsiors came in and the resale instantly dropped to $30k sure, they should be pissed..
That article doesn't apply completely to Celsior's since there was already a locally available model and the Celsior is actually MORE expensive (obviously with more features) then the LS400.
Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 12:28 pm, by: Aaron Mead(Aaron)
Id say that without Celsiors, and all the aftermarket performance and research that has accompanied them, 'maintaining' one would be a much costlier excersise, and would considerably affect their resale value anyway.
The W126 Mercdes Benz S class is a good example (even though a handful of grey market ones are in Australia right now)
Selling for about 10% more then the LS400 when new, they have suffered the same depreciation. A good one is about 7-12k. The 7 series fared a lot worse, being, well, a lot worse
The W126 and UCF10 have both recieved cabinets full of awards and accolades, the W126 ceasing production in 1992, however, three years after the debut of the UCF LS400.
An upside of the grey market cars, is that a whole sub-economy has grown out of the need for 'maintenance' on the items, as well as importing, sales, and accessorising.
ALL car companies have an interest in keeping their resale and parts supply business intact, none moreso than FORD and HOLDEN however. IMO, and thats all it is, the used car market has been made aware of the fantastic value and better quality thats available to them through grey imports, and bogans aside, have made a good choice to buy the 'grey' stuff.
Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 12:34 pm, by: Aaron Mead(Aaron)
Mat Shiels wrote on Wednesday, February 03, 2010 - 09:56 pm:
or alternatively, just talk to anyone from NZ
Do they have a local car industry though?Dealerships aside?
With Australians, there's a lot of 'Aussie Pride' in owning a classic blue or red brand, new or old. Die Hards among them wouldnt DREAM of touching the plastic stuff, so I doubt it would ever get to the NZ level of imports. SEVS, RAWS, whatever the next one will be, exist for several reasons, protecting buyers of grey imports is but one of them, collecting stamp duty another, but Im quite sure the local car making industry has a lot to do with it also.
Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 02:09 pm, by: Mat Shiels(Smokeyvip)
Obviously the raw nerve I hit was with celsior owners, specifically, and the reaction being that they in some way own an inferior car. Not at all, as far as i'm concerned they are identical vehicles with small differences - and to be honest, i'd just as happily have 'toyota celsior' on mine as much as 'lexus ls400'.
i'm quite surprised at the vicious reaction honestly. all i did was make an observation, which i think is pretty widely accepted, and doesn't require me to justify it by arguing. so i'm just going to leave it alone.
at the end of the day, regardless of whether or not grey imports have brought down the value of the vehicle or not - if they hadn't depreciated to where they are now, i couldn't afford to drive and appreciate one - and for me personally, that would be saddest thing of all.
aaron made a good point about maintenance costs and the benefits of part sharing because lexus puts massive markups on what are toyota sourced parts. i'm all for it, and grateful because of it.
not here to make enemies - just here to have a chat about what i thought was a common interest. but if you're going to be so sensitive then i'll happily take my enthusiasm elsewhere.
Thursday, February 04, 2010 - 02:53 pm, by: Aaron Mead(Aaron)
I hope I didnt come across as defensive, I was only trying to point out some of the points for and against. I didnt find anything offensive about what you said regarding LS400 values Mat.