Thinking of buying a Sportivo

[Chompies]

if i didnt get an SP23 i probably would buy it

i was gonna suggest you take a trip down the road to lane toyota and see what u can pull up with them... about 1+ months ago, i went to chadstone toyota and they gave me a price quote $28900 inc on roads for a brand new stivo

but after peekay's revelation, i think this used stivo is well worth it

Edited November 3, 2004 by Chompies

[Sport1vo]

Joey I would buy the car as there is more to the car than seems I know the car very very very very well. The car has mods you cannot see and are very much worth it. It has TRD extractors worth $1500. A Toms lightened fly wheel and clutch (maybe thats why you had problems as it takes a bit to get used to same as my car and I still occasionly stall it (this was installed only a few weeks ago so is still new)) . Oh by the way the clutch and flywheel fitted is worth $1600. It has a Hondata inlet gasket (keeps the intake colder $200 or so fitted). It also has $4500 worth of wheels and suspension (Enkei wheels and Bates tuned suspension (just fitted over a month ago)). LED dash (which I converted). So in other words you are getting almost $8000 dollars of mods for nothing. Buy the car it is reliable and had no issues. It has been in no accidents. Also the dealer does not know about these mods and I would appretiate after giving this info that it remains the same. Thanks and Rgds. All prices quoted are fitted prices and subject to change...depending on the dollar and dealer fitting it.... It has all recalls done on it ...the ecu and gear change cables.

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I agree, the car is s1ck, I wish I had those headers and wheels B)

[Joey]

Thanks again for all the help here! I'm going to enquire with insurance before I go any further on this car.

Joey

[Sport1vo]

Thanks again for all the help here! I'm going to enquire with insurance before I go any further on this car.

Joey

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Go for AAMI, they are very competitive.

[ZEEROLLA]

no accidents, well looked after, TAKE IT FOR A DRIVE AND DONT SHIFT BEFORE 8000RPM then ask yourself, Can i not buy this car. The answer will be rather apparent  :D

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Hi guys! Thanks for all the quick replies, I took it for a drive, and wasn't very impressed, the sales person was encouraging me to give it a bit of a thrashing, so I tried.

Changing gears was quite difficult, it didn't rev up to 8000rpm, it kept cutting out before that. It didn't hold traction very well ether. The handling was ok, quite a bit understeer, I guess it could be because I am not familiar with the clutch and gearbox.

In the end they were asking 27k for it, do you think thats a good price, even with the rims and suspension?

I had a look inside, and in the engine bay, didn't seem like it had been in any accidents, is there anything I should be on the look out for?

The drivers seat i noticed was well worn, I'm assuming the previous driver was a big fellow. If i do get it, will be looking to replace it, is it easy to get aftermarket seats put in the car? I am thinking recaro's.

Thanks in advanced for the advice, I am quite keen, but I need some more information.

Joey

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Hey Joey, test drive the car again and make sure its fully warmed up. If it is the Stivo we all think belonged to, it should be a pretty quick car. Not sure why he sold it. The Stivo revs to 8200rpm normally and shifting should be okay in that Stivo, unless it has a TRD quickshifter which will give a tighter shift feel. Search the forum for topics on gearbox/shifting and you will see that a majority of stock Stivos do have some gear shifting issues that could be related to the clutch/flywheel assembly. The TRD clutch would have improved solved the problem and improved the shifing/driving feel. If it is still cutting revs prematurely before 8000rpm, ask the dealer why and sort the issue out if not i will seriously encourage you to buy an unmodified Stivo or demo.

Understeer is normal for the ZZE122/123 chassis Corollas but the Bates setup (Koni shocks and King springs) should have improved the handling substantially. You can add a bigger rear swaybar and some strut braces to stiffen the chassis. Could also be the tyres, and the cheapest way to reduce understeer is a camber kit. Use it to adjust your front wheels to neg 1 degree camber for greater tyre grip during cornering.

You can hunt around for Recaros or seats from wreckers. There are TRD racing seats too if you have the cash. The standard seats are the most unsupportive seats for enthusiaistic driving but are soft and comfy for long journeys. You might also need custom brackets made up for certain setas.

Hope to see another Stivo owner join the forum and BLACK is the better colour :P

Cheers,

Zee

Edited November 4, 2004 by ZEEROLLA

[eddy_torrezz]

dont go anywhere near aami ive been with em since i was 18 im now 27 never claimed and on rating one for life and they were dearer than the racv plus they wouldnt do agreed value.

go with racv.

ive driver the sp23 its a nice looking car but doesnt have the performance that the corolla has nor the kw

sp23 115kw 5 speed

stivo 141 6 speed

the sp23 is 2.5 litre larger motor more fuel usage.

stvo 1.8 smaller motor less fuel even using premium.

i checked out and drove all the cars under 30 thousand and this was the best of the bunch.

the only one that evn compared is the subaru impreza rs

its basicly a wrx without the turbo.

check that out if your keen for that type of car.

only thing it has over the stivo is all wheel drive and race seats.

as an all round package the stivo rules the roost except for a couple of european makes but your gonna pay for the euros.

[Sport1vo]

dont go anywhere near aami ive been with em since i was 18 im now 27 never claimed and on rating one for life and they were dearer than the racv plus they wouldnt do agreed value.

go with racv.

Forget RACV, they were cheaper, but when you claim, you go through he11. I did it when my other vehicle was stolen. Not only did it take 6 months to receive funds, they investigated the theft, treated me like a criminal, the car was agreed value, but due to the investigation, gave me less money due to the apparent cost of the investigation.

Screw RACV, never again!

Edited November 4, 2004 by sport1vo

[MR22ZZ]

Hey Joey, test drive the car again and make sure its fully warmed up.  If it is the Stivo we all think belonged to, it should be a pretty quick car.  Not sure why he sold it.  The Stivo revs to 8200rpm normally and shifting should be okay in that Stivo, unless it has a TRD quickshifter which will give a tighter shift feel.  Search the forum for topics on gearbox/shifting and you will see that a majority of stock Stivos do have some gear shifting issues that could be related to the clutch/flywheel assembly.  The TRD clutch would have improved solved the problem and improved the shifing/driving feel.  If it is still cutting revs prematurely before 8000rpm, ask the dealer why and sort the issue out if not i will seriously encourage you to buy an unmodified Stivo or demo. 

Understeer is normal for the ZZE122/123 chassis Corollas but the Bates setup (Koni shocks and King springs) should have improved the handling substantially.  You can add a bigger rear swaybar and some strut braces to stiffen the chassis. Could also be the tyres, and the cheapest way to reduce understeer is a camber kit.  Use it to adjust your front wheels to neg 1 degree camber for greater tyre grip during cornering.

You can hunt around for Recaros or seats from wreckers.  There are TRD racing seats too if you have the cash.  The standard seats are the most unsupportive seats for enthusiaistic driving but are soft and comfy for long journeys.  You might also need custom brackets made up for certain setas.

Hope to see another Stivo owner join the forum and BLACK is the better colour :P

Cheers,

Zee

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This car has the trd clutch and TOM's fly (if it is the car we think it is) so shifting should be smoother, at pace, but will take a bit to get used to (i've heard) But I agree with Zee take it for another spin and make sure it is warm before you try and hit lift (it is well worth it) if the dealer won't let you take it for a long drive just ask him if he is serious about selling it or not, you need to see this car in full flight to really appreciate it, get it on a highway or freeway and let it fly off the entry ramp in 2nd or 3rd (depending on the speed you corner at) and let your nose guide you from there....

the sp23 is 2.5 litre larger motor more fuel usage.

i checked out and drove all the cars under 30 thousand and this was the best of the bunch.

the only one that evn compared is the subaru impreza rs

its basicly a wrx without the turbo.

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This is all news to me, the SP23 is 2.3L hence the 23 in the name, it is a detuned version of the Mazda6 engine, and the RS Impresa is a 2.5L where as the WRX in a 2.0T, but turbo the RS and you have an absolute killer machine, the Forester GT runs this set-up and has as much to play with as the standard WRX (not STi) with a significant detuneing, in the UK they have an STi Type 25 (SPEED 014, Aug 2004) which has a turbo version of the RS and it is one of the most powerful things you can buy off the shelf with full warranty, be it from a tuning house, but still..... :D

In Aus we are VERY lucky to get both the WRX and the RS as very few markets supply both at the tuning levels we have. In the US the WRX equivalent for many years was what we get as our RS, poor bastards were wondering what all the fuss was about!!!!!! Aus is suprising one of the larger markets for SUBARU so they take us seriously, unlike many other makes who couldn't give a s**t!!!

[ADR_rolla]

racv rating one $1100 <- no real mods allowed eg. no more then 6.5" allowed on tyres

AAMI rating one $740 <-- 3 real mods allowed, eg. unichip etc..

[ZEEROLLA]

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This car has the trd clutch and TOM's fly (if it is the car we think it is) so shifting should be smoother, at pace, but will take a bit to get used to (i've heard) But I agree with Zee take it for another spin and make sure it is warm before you try and hit lift (it is well worth it) if the dealer won't let you take it for a long drive just ask him if he is serious about selling it or not, you need to see this car in full flight to really appreciate it, get it on a highway or freeway and let it fly off the entry ramp in 2nd or 3rd (depending on the speed you corner at) and let your nose guide you from there....

the sp23 is 2.5 litre larger motor more fuel usage.

i checked out and drove all the cars under 30 thousand and this was the best of the bunch.

the only one that evn compared is the subaru impreza rs

its basicly a wrx without the turbo.

←

This is all news to me, the SP23 is 2.3L hence the 23 in the name, it is a detuned version of the Mazda6 engine, and the RS Impresa is a 2.5L where as the WRX in a 2.0T, but turbo the RS and you have an absolute killer machine, the Forester GT runs this set-up and has as much to play with as the standard WRX (not STi) with a significant detuneing, in the UK they have an STi Type 25 (SPEED 014, Aug 2004) which has a turbo version of the RS and it is one of the most powerful things you can buy off the shelf with full warranty, be it from a tuning house, but still..... :D

In Aus we are VERY lucky to get both the WRX and the RS as very few markets supply both at the tuning levels we have. In the US the WRX equivalent for many years was what we get as our RS, poor bastards were wondering what all the fuss was about!!!!!! Aus is suprising one of the larger markets for SUBARU so they take us seriously, unlike many other makes who couldn't give a s**t!!!

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Spot on with the specs Dylan, and youre right with Subaru having a huge market here. At the Sydney motor show the Subaru section had more people than Ferrari and Porshce combined They had to lock the door of the Sti after a while..

So whats going on Joey? Hows the car?

[E-Gene]

The drivers seat i noticed was well worn, I'm assuming the previous driver was a big fellow.

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Hahaha...er...you may be right actually!

For only $28K? I'll definitely buy it. And if you do, at least the car will stay in this forum. :P

Anyway, I can vouch that firstly the car is very well taken care of and secondly it's never been in an accident.

[Joey]

I couldn't see it there anymore! I believe it has been sold now