Sunday, October 09, 2005 - 02:26 am, by: Charlie Hooper(Charlie)
Hi guys, I'm looking to move into the Soarer world, they seem like very comfortable cars with a decent amount of power.
I just have a few questions.
Can you get TT models with the inbuilt TV? If so how rare are they?
A friend said that you can't run over 12psi on the stock turbos, well he said you can but they die very quickly as they're ceramic? (I'm originally a v8 boy so know nothing about turbos)
Is there a buyers guide around for second hand Soarers, or atleast a list of common problems to look out for? Could anyone give me some tips for when I start looking to buy (I'm already looking but am waiting for a term deposit to mature so I will have the cash to buy one, it comes up in around 2 weeks)
Could anyone recommend a good mechanic to come check out possible buys in Brisbane?
Sunday, October 09, 2005 - 07:00 am, by: Danny Thomas(Dannyboy)
Hello Charlie, there's plenty of people here that can help you, great club, great people.
It depends of course how much you want to spend. Everyone has their own opinion on what the best Soarer is, some will say the V8 UZZ32, but someone like me would say a late model VVTi single Turbo that can come with T.V. and leather trim.
You could buy an early 91 or 92 which are 'usually' in fairly decent condition, or you could buy a later 96 to 2000, and obviuosly it's newer so if it's been looked after in JP. you wont have hardly any (if at all) little niggles to fix.
In my experience i'd stay away from Bris. Street Machines, if you dont you'll probably pay too much, have your girl hit on by the sales rep, buy a car thats been in an accident, and leave feeling like their doing you a favour.
The stock turbo's, well, i've heard that too and it's probably true, Starlet steel wheels are apparently a direct match if you wanted to change them, I havent had the need too personally, the car kicks as it is.
Now that I know better i'll never buy another car from a car yard, check the cars out that are for sale on the site, the greeny coloured T.T. at the top of the page was for sale and is in great condition.
Every car has it's problems, with some Soarer's the dash can 'blink' but is easily fixed, thats why i'd recommend buying a car off Rob or Neil because the problems will have been ironed out where as the majority of car yards could'nt give a crap.
Happy hunting mate, once you buy one you wont look back, they are great cars.
Sunday, October 09, 2005 - 08:15 am, by: Perry Morgan(Uzz32)
As for a good mechanic in Bris I would highly recommend wayne at Tuff Toys in Bulimba or if you are a bit further south in Bris then also look up Lew who is on the gold coast and who you can find a lot of info on inside this forum.
Sunday, October 09, 2005 - 12:37 pm, by: Charlie Hooper(Charlie)
Thanks for the replys guys..
[quote]In my experience i'd stay away from Bris. Street Machines, if you dont you'll probably pay too much, have your girl hit on by the sales rep, buy a car thats been in an accident, and leave feeling like their doing you a favour. [/quote]
Hah, yeah I had a quick look at their website and decided that I may go there to test drive one but wouldn't purchase as they seem to add an extra 5-10K on top..
[quote]As for a good mechanic in Bris I would highly recommend wayne at Tuff Toys in Bulimba or if you are a bit further south in Bris then also look up Lew who is on the gold coast and who you can find a lot of info on inside this forum.[/quote]
Cheers, I'll look up Wayne (I live in Greenslopes).
[quote]The TT's did NOT come with the TV/EMV option originally, but CAN be fitted with an aftermarket TV/DVD system no probs.[/quote]
Ahh damn, what about TEMS?
As for the age I'm looking for, I have enough cash to go for a later model one but I'd really prefer to get a early 90's model as I have a few other things I'd like to purchase. So I'll be looking in the sub 15k bracket..
Sunday, October 09, 2005 - 03:28 pm, by: Charlie Hooper(Charlie)
I'm not sure I want a white one heh...
Also, another quick question, I know they are 4 seaters but are the two other seats actually usefull for adults? Or do they have less legroom then Super-Al's-Econemy-Jet-Line heh
Sunday, October 09, 2005 - 03:35 pm, by: Sam Schreck(Schreck300)
They're actually usable. Maybe not for someone over 6ft, but....Better than most other 2 doors. Welocme to the club mate. As far as Soarer's go. Mine's an N/A 3.0L 6 and it's no slugg. It's no TT either but nothing ever is.
Sunday, October 09, 2005 - 03:38 pm, by: Charlie Hooper(Charlie)
Doh, I'm 6'3 and most of my friends are over 6 foot heh, I'm sure I'll make do, if they don't want to be cramped they can walk or drive their own cars haha
Thanks for the welcome, I can't wait to get one!
Are there many people who have supercharged their v8 Soarers? Is it hard? I'd love the 8 but the forced inducted 6 is sounding sweeter and easier/cheaper to get going quicker..
Sunday, October 09, 2005 - 04:50 pm, by: Thomas Mulraney(Mxt_imports)
Mine's for sale here in Adelaide Charlie, check my profile for specs etc and email me if you want any more details. I know its a bit of a hassle going interstate, but if you get stuck and you can't find what you want in Queensland...
Also, as far as legroom and and over all interior room is concerned, I've never had any real complaints. Its much more roomy than most coupes but at the same time it is a sports car, so you can only expect so much.
Sunday, October 09, 2005 - 07:28 pm, by: Charlie Hooper(Charlie)
Oh, I just thought of another question. Which engine is stronger? If I do a few mods to a TT and run say 12psi is it likely to die in 6 months and cost me a lot of money?
On the other hand, are there cheapish mods to do to the v8 to get going quicker?
Sunday, October 09, 2005 - 07:58 pm, by: Thomas Mulraney(Mxt_imports)
In my experience Charlie, the TT doesn't cost too much (in comparison to other Jap cars) to get her going quick and the engine is very reliable. My car is only lightly modified, and without a dyno figure I have to go with my 'seat-of-the-pants' assessment, but she is pretty fricken quick! Especially for the size of the car. By the same token, I am the first australian owner and have had the car for a little over a year and a half. In that time I have not had one single problem mechanically or otherwise. The only reason I'm selling is because I start a new job early next year and my car is not really practical, plus I'm going overseas at the end of the year. Given that, I would certainly recommend a TT as a very reliable car as long as you look after it and modify it intelligently, i.e. don't just stick on an exhaust and a boost controller and then wind up the boost to 14psi.
By the way, with my mods the car is running 12psi with no boost controller, and as I said no indication of any problems.
Sunday, October 09, 2005 - 08:00 pm, by: Thomas Mulraney(Mxt_imports)
plus I could list at least half a dozen more mods I could do to improve performance which would barely cost another grand or so, eg; - shift kit with tranny cooler - front pipe and dumps - SAFC and dyno tune
Sunday, October 09, 2005 - 08:28 pm, by: Benny Gammelmark(Oldfield)
I wouldn't put four 6 foot guys in the car ever. 3 is OK as the one in the back can sit sideways.
As for performance - the TT is quicker from stock, cheaper to make even quicker and in my opinion more temperamental. It's all personal preference. If you want effortless cruise, buy a V8. If you want performance, buy a TT.
Sunday, October 09, 2005 - 09:21 pm, by: Charlie Hooper(Charlie)
"As for performance - the TT is quicker from stock, cheaper to make even quicker and in my opinion more temperamental. It's all personal preference. If you want effortless cruise, buy a V8. If you want performance, buy a TT."
But do the TT's break often? I'm not going to go stupid with mods if I buy one instead of a v8. It'll be mild
Sunday, October 09, 2005 - 09:25 pm, by: Charlie Hooper(Charlie)
OK ok .. another question hah, why is it most yards I see selling Soarers start at 20k for early 90's ones but privately most of them start at 12k? Do they really jack the prices up that much or are a lot of the private ones I've seen not great?
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Charlie, good to see ya here. 
