Author |
Message |
Andrew Poh
Newbie Waitakere AE111 black top 20v bz-g levin
Posts: 1 Reg: 08-2008
| Hi all, I'm Andrew I currently drive a 97 Levin AE111 4a-ge blacktop 20v, but I'm going to buy a Soarer as a project (within the next 3 weeks). I got offered a automatic 91 Soarer from a friends friend, with 1jz-gte TT engine (had done 180k), it has real real bad paint, but straight panels, engines running, no rust, no WOF (don't no why haven't actually seen the car), no rego at the moment, got offered this for $2000(nzd) so about $1700 (aud) i think? what do you guys think? Thanks. |
Mike Beck
Goo Roo New Zealand Soarer Limited UZZ31 & Soarer 3.0GT JZZ31
Posts: 2365 Reg: 11-2005
| Hmmm to be honest that sounds like a waste of time. Remember a tired Soarer will always be a tired soarer unless you have A LOT of money to bring it back to life. Better off to spend more around 4-6k for a decent Soarer, there are some good ones out there if you look - I can vouch for that! Good luck Andrew. |
Matthew Sharpe
Goo Roo North Island JZZ31
Posts: 3686 Reg: 10-2005
| I agree with Mike, unless you want a project car that will consume a lot of time and money, get a later model/lower K example. You can still get 97/98 TT's fairly easily in NZ and they are really cheap now as nobody wants gas guzzlers at the moment. |
Vanessa Espinosa
Tinkerer NSW Soarer 1JZ
Posts: 23 Reg: 05-2008
| If the engine is good, the panels are straight/no accident damage....and all that is wrong with it is paint, then it would be a good buy - if you either dont care about the paint or have the money to fix the paint (which isnt cheap!), then go for it! Why is it out of rego? If you know enough about cars to check the engine out and know it is in good condition and all that is wrong with it is paint and no rego, then i think it would be a good buy... Can someone detail some things to watch out for - as far as the engine goes? The only one i would know would be the turbos as they are ceramic Also, you should be able to get it for a little less if his start price is 2k Have to warn you thought, they do consume a fair bit of cash once you start on them - and they arent the cheapest car to run as far as fuel goes....but i do love mine! |
Scott Gates
DieHard SA TT
Posts: 939 Reg: 03-2007
| Welcome Andrew, it all comes down to you get what you pay for. So for that amount of money i wouldn't be expecting to much. |
Andrew Poh
Newbie Waitakere AE111 black top 20v bz-g levin
Posts: 2 Reg: 08-2008
| Well here are my plans for this Soarer if i get it, first rebuild the engine, then fix the wof issues (which i will find out soon why it doesn't have wof, this weekend i think). then convert it to manual (prob be around $3k for parts), doing this myself. maybe change it to a 1.5jz and change the sequential turbo to just 1 big turbo. once the car is running good I'll get a bodykit, mags and paint job. then go from there, as this is only my project car, which will eventually be my weekend car (when its about 500hp), not my daily car so not to worried about gas. |
Mark Donovan
TryHard Auckland Soarer V8 Limited
Posts: 302 Reg: 07-2005
| good luck. Just be sure to make good use of the 'search' feature on Soarer Central first... |
Matthew Sharpe
Goo Roo North Island JZZ31
Posts: 3689 Reg: 10-2005
| The engine just isn't the problem - 1JZ's are pretty easy to work on, and other than the turbos and minor ancilliary issues, pretty bullet proof, and not too hard to get replacements if they are too far gone. The real issues are all the other things that will probably be wrong with this car. You are looking at things like bush replacements, broken window regulators, leaking heater cores, worn out aircon compressors, blinky dash etc etc. |
Mike Beck
Goo Roo New Zealand Soarer Limited UZZ31 & Soarer 3.0GT JZZ31
Posts: 2373 Reg: 11-2005
| Yeah, Exactly what Matt says. With Soarers you need to factor in everything other wise they can be a big headache. Other things that you need to watch out for are worn door hinges, perished leather steering wheels/gear shifters, bleed A/C LCD's the list goes on. Its all very well buying a cheap Soarer, but you still better off to get a more expensive one thats been looked after and is newer. Even they may need some repairs! |
Don Bagnall
Moderator New Zealand Mercedes Benz SLK230 Kompressor
Posts: 6914 Reg: 05-2005
|
Mike Beck wrote on Friday, August 22, 2008 - 07:35 am:With Soarers you need to factor in everything other wise they can be a big headache.
Unless you bought my old one! Speaking of which Mike; It has been sold for $7995(NZD) to an old fart (about my age!) in Te Kuiti..............Sheep Shagging capitol of the WORLD! Ha Ha!. Said to Peter (dealer mate) to pass on my phone number if he was interested in talking about the cars history and/or joining SC/ALSC. Haven't heard diddly from the feller though. |
Mike Beck
Goo Roo New Zealand Soarer Limited UZZ31 & Soarer 3.0GT JZZ31
Posts: 2382 Reg: 11-2005
| Hope he looks after it. I would have like to seen it, looked like a clean example of a Soarer in that colour. |
Don Bagnall
Moderator New Zealand Mercedes Benz SLK230 Kompressor
Posts: 6925 Reg: 05-2005
|
Mike Beck wrote on Friday, August 22, 2008 - 05:48 pm:Hope he looks after it.
Yeah, me too |
Matthew Sharpe
Goo Roo North Island JZZ31
Posts: 3694 Reg: 10-2005
| Generally guys in their 40's & 50's do tend to look after their cars... old enough to remember the times when cars were a luxury, not something every family has two of and can afford to drive into the ground. Scarily enough at 33 I can remember those times too... |
Mike Beck
Goo Roo New Zealand Soarer Limited UZZ31 & Soarer 3.0GT JZZ31
Posts: 2386 Reg: 11-2005
|
Matthew Sharpe wrote on Sunday, August 24, 2008 - 06:30 pm:Generally guys in their 40's & 50's do tend to look after their cars
Quite true, especially if they have a bit of passion for them. Thinking about it, I guess I'm a slight exception as a lot of people at my age don't look after their cars at all, or lack the general idea of how to maintain something or buy a good car for a start. Immature fools!... I tend to get rather fanatical about mine and don't cut corners. |
Stuart Smith
TryHard NEW SOUTH WALES SC400 V8 GT LIMITED Proper Prior Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance
Posts: 175 Reg: 06-2008
| Very well put Mike!! |
Anthony Weller
Tinkerer QLD TT
Posts: 22 Reg: 08-2008
| G'day mate. |
Matthew Sharpe
Goo Roo North Island JZZ31
Posts: 3702 Reg: 10-2005
| As opposed to my sister in law who proudly told me on the weekend that she had never had any of her cars serviced. Her last car a Mazda Astina did something like 40,000km's without an oil change (until it was stolen and trashed). Thats the typical Kiwi way I think - even a lot of people who know better seem to drive their cars into the ground, just 'cause you can get another one so cheep. |
Mark Donovan
TryHard Auckland Soarer V8 Limited
Posts: 304 Reg: 07-2005
| ^ I think that used to be the African way (or still is) |
Mike Beck
Goo Roo New Zealand Soarer Limited UZZ31 & Soarer 3.0GT JZZ31
Posts: 2389 Reg: 11-2005
|
Matthew Sharpe wrote on Tuesday, August 26, 2008 - 01:29 pm:Thats the typical Kiwi way I think - even a lot of people who know better seem to drive their cars into the ground, just 'cause you can get another one so cheep.
I would agree on that, seems like a lot of people think like that. You just need to go on the road for 5 minutes and see how many horrible cars drive about. Lately I've been amazed at how many parked cars don't have WOF's or Rego's, yet are still be driven around. Dangerous! |
Michael Crimp
Tinkerer QUEENSLAND V8 UZZ32
Posts: 43 Reg: 06-2008
| Hi mate, If the car hasn't been looked after on the outside then it is a good bet that the inside hasn't been cared for as well. Lots of people have bought these cars because they are a very affordable Luxury GT (me for one)and then not had the money to service them properly. My UZZ32 GTL has cost $14000 inc $4500 to buy the vehicle and the list of fixits seems to go on and on some small a few $100 each to a paint job costing thousands and the outside looks ugly And many odometers have been repaired!!! So check out the interior against other compare images of seats to stated odometer readings on for sale sites. I though the guy who sold me the car was legit so I sent my wife to pick it up and drive it back. If I had gone, I never would have bought it considering I could have got the same model FROM JAPAN in condition 4 with a genuine 77000k's here and on the road for about $9000. YOUR BIGGEST PROBLEM WILL BE THAT YOU WILL FALL IN LOVE WITH EVERYTHING ABOUT THE CAR AND WILL NOT BE ABLE TO STOP SPENDING MONEY TO MAKE IT PERFECT. THEY ARE ADDICTIVE and YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. LOL CHEERS Michael |
Matthew Sharpe
Goo Roo North Island JZZ31
Posts: 3716 Reg: 10-2005
|
Mike Beck wrote on Tuesday, August 26, 2008 - 03:32 pm:WOF's or Rego's, yet are still be driven around. Dangerous!
Speaking of which...
How did this tool get a WOF? Must be swapping the wheels out... Oh, and when he drove off the 6" canon sounded like a cat screaming down a drainpipe. |
Mike Beck
Goo Roo New Zealand Soarer Limited UZZ31 & Soarer 3.0GT JZZ31
Posts: 2407 Reg: 11-2005
| I hate people that put undersized tyres on massive 'drifting' rims with a horrendous offset like those ones in the picture. It's just mind boggling to use something potentially dangerous like that yet think its cool and sporty... Ah! God help our roads. |
Tim Hutchings
Tinkerer Wellington Soarer TT
Posts: 91 Reg: 01-2008
| Ahh who would do that to a Spec R II?! I know what you're saying though (I'm not much better) my car is warranted (brand new) but the rego expired some time ago... Every time I have some spare cash and say "hey, let's register my car", I re-think and it turns into "hey, lets get some nice chrome intercooler piping", or "wow, that's a nice T3T4..." |
Matthew Sharpe
Goo Roo North Island JZZ31
Posts: 3760 Reg: 10-2005
| Its just about cheaper to pay the $200 fine now anyway, provided you only get caught once per year. |
Stephen Peters
Tinkerer . Soarer JZZ30 - 1JZ 5speed
Posts: 17 Reg: 10-2006
| The S15 owners into drifting so has done it for the look. Its not my cup of tea but why call him a tool? Its just what hes in to. He probably looks at us driving around in our big tanks and thinks something similar. |
Matthew Sharpe
Goo Roo North Island JZZ31
Posts: 3769 Reg: 10-2005
|
Stephen Peters wrote on Tuesday, September 16, 2008 - 02:13 pm:The S15 owners into drifting so has done it for the look. Its not my cup of tea but why call him a tool? Its just what hes in to. He probably looks at us driving around in our big tanks and thinks something similar.
Because its illegal and dangerous, and the noise his car is making is obnoxious and unnecissary, not to mention plain old selfish. Ergo, "look at me! look at me!" toolishness. He can think what he likes about me, or more likely just completely ignore me as I imagine most people do, my car is safe, road legal and quiet. |
Rod Quaife
TryHard Waikato V8
Posts: 153 Reg: 08-2005
| Yes Don us old fellows near pension age especially look after their cars too scared to drive it over 100kmph |