Corolla Sportivo - I feel dissapointed...

[eviltwin]

So, as per title i for some reason feel dissapointed...

it ticked all the boxes and made me really happy when i got it , havn't run into trouble with it , but i feel like im not getting my moneys worth. Im to scared to really open it up and get into it ( never had this with any of my cars prior ) because im to scared ill break a driveshaft ( people have warned me ) then i hear about cam bolts being faulty, i get in it when it's hot and the interior pieces on the door cards are **** loose whats the story? is it just me or what? i really don;t get it? anyone got any advice on this , preety hard to just say she be sweet mate but sometimes i feel as if i should sell it and buy something cheaper like another AE82 , never ever had any drama with one of those things. I mean do all new cars have this sort of feel about them? i know my g/f's daewoo does 2004 model . hmm , scattered...

Mick

[eviltwin]

rereading i must say , the cars general running is pleasing , the gearbox needs oil and treatment as ive spoken to other guys and this seems a good fix , so many little pieces i just wanna grab and put a lick of paint on or change them but at the same time i feel like im going to ruin its resale etc , advice there would be priceless

[Blind Kid Seeks]

ahh man... that sucks to hear.

From my experience, owning a 2ZZGE powered car, they are supremely sedate when you are sticking to the "standard" cam. They are a barrell of laughs when they get up in the RPM and sing.

As far as Lift bolts are concerned.... forget about it. the problem was well and truly rectified before 2003 when you're car was built, but snapping driveshafts is a new one. I've never been concerned that they will let go.

I havent experinced any Interior issues like you are mentioning. I'll take a look at it when you are down this week mate.

perhaps let me take you for a drive in your car.... we'll try and get it close to its limits, just so you know how far you can actually push it before it lets go.

just an idea.....

the reason i got out of my sportivo, was purely as i had acheieved all the goals i wanted to get to with that car... and now owning a new/old car, sure i've had some hassles, but i love the fact i can work on the thing and not worry about throwing CEL's.

speak soon mang.

[eviltwin]

cheers dude , i think one thing that i must come to terms with is it's not like my other cars in that you don;t just roll down to the wreckers grab what you want and drive off , it's new , it costs more coin etc etc , im not into it much , im usually just gettin groceries or going to work or something , i took it out the other night with a friend and he was genuinley impressed with the look , comfort , general ride and running , where as i see all of it's little faults and feel like im unhappy , maybe im just a perfectionist

[Blind Kid Seeks]

its not that you are a perfectionist... but more that when you are unhappy with something... you modify it to your tastes.

the sportivo doesnt neccassarily have the ability to do that, whereas the 82, you start with an old car, and you make it better by either refurbishing with new parts, or working on it mechanically to improve its performance.

with regards to modifiying, my thoughts inline with yours. Too many tweaks or adjustments, could hamper resale.... hence why i sold her stock.

[whitestivo]

Corolla sportivo, best sports car with 4 doors and a toyota badge made in oz

period

whitestivo

[Kenneth.]

Corolla sportivo, best sports car with 4 doors and a toyota badge made in Africa

period

whitestivo

Slight correction. :)

Edited October 26, 2009 by KEN33F

[eviltwin]

half the problem is it's so ******en boring as is i reckon .... *plots nasty debt*

[jaderd]

i think andy sums it up....you get to a point where you personally feel i have done what i want to achieve without throwing heaps of cash at it......for those reasons and wanting to get ahead on house payments while interest rate low, save for wedding etc it all pointed towards selling and getting another car.

i must say though it seems quite odd i was explaining to fiances dad who is into cars that i am not at all upset to see the sportivo go.....maybe because i know i have a nice little AE82 and from my POV and most of us on here they are a bit of a classic and you feel good to have one....getting the odd thumbs up from a 35+ yo who maybe had one back in the day makes you feel great.....

and i guess it boils down to it sportivo's are quite expensive and i wouldnt like to break anything.....4age....whole engine rec'd under 1k.

decisions decisions i guess mate....either way i think you could get rid of it no prob

[CME-LFT]

I dont know how long most of you have had your sportivo but ive had mine for 2 years now. i drive it to and from work everyday in peak traffic and i still get excited when i climb into it.

Maybe its time you do start personalising it and modding it. Everytime i do a mod, before it i get a sick feeling in my gut thinking it not worth it or it'll devalue the car, but as soon as its done i love it. I dont understand how your not enjoying your cars anymore. i know parts might be expensive but how much more is a sports car such as a skyline, think of what you save on insurance with the rolla.

Maybe your not really trying to have fun with it, hitting lift everynow and again does get repetitive but go on these cruises and enjoy what your car can do and how it handles. Go and play with it, cause if you dont how does it differ from the next car you own.

Learn to love your car. lol. You should enjoy it for what it is, a lil pocket rocket. Then again, i dont know how long youve had it or what youve actually done with it either, anyway enought talking from me.

[whitestivo]

There was a HSV club track session, I don't know anymore how much senators and clubsports are, more than the stivo i'm guessing

And the lil stivo was faster, by a lot, than every single one of them

And then I can throw the dog, the bikes, whatever i want in the hatch and go travelling, and still get 8km/100km

That's why i love my stivo.

whitestivo

[jaderd]

yeah white stivo i agree they are great like that....but it comes down to the individual, if you are not content with something or are getting over something its time to move on.

By the time i sell my sportivo it will be about spot on 3 year ownership and i feel i did all i wanted to do as i never had intentions of tuning it (too costly for me) or ever doing turbo etc.

for what they are they are great but everyone needs a change here and there.

Also the other thing i guess is

Whitestivo --- not saying you are clueless to mechanical things but Eviltwin enjoys being a grease monkey and playing with cars changing this and that.....with the sportivo there is only so much you can do and that could get boring

[eviltwin]

wow you guys are really good , it makes me feel alot better , and i do know im never happy with anything on any of my cars , thats why i always keep them so neat and tidy and go overboard with things trying to make them what i want. Im not over cars or anything like that , my AE82 ( first car ) is so close to me nothing will ever hit the same sweet spot , i guess it's either harden the fvck up and start making it my car and not one i step in and go i wish this wasn't like this and that was this and so on... it's not been on any cruises just yet but on the 30th im taking it to melbourne for a meet , so that will be cool , i must admit i do love the comfy seats and the fact that the a/c and heater is really premium etc. id love to take my jack russel/staffy in the car but i don;t want the little bugger to tear the seats , am i being a girl? whitestivo , it's nice to travell in!

[jaderd]

our dogs never ventured in stivo.....

leather can be annoying sometimes trying to keep it perfect

premium AC and Heat is nice.....

my ae82 got reg today and is sleeping at AC place overnight to be looked at tomoz

[whitestivo]

siena, my dog, she loves the stivo, shes been involved in some good driving, never once been sick, not torn it up, just a good dog.

i had a friend in the back, apparently she leans against the left side of the rear boot, in anticipation of my cornering style,

she gets is right 50% of the time

i'm not a grease monkey ppl like jaderd, mickwheels amaze me with what they can do, i'm not that.

agreed

whitestivo

[jaderd]

mate i would not classify myself as a grease monkey i can remember lots of facts and figures and data but i need help / guidance and prompts before i tackle anything decent most of the stuff i do is the easy stuff.....would love to learn more and i think i will having the AE82 and being able to tinker with help of ppl who know more than me (andy, michael etc)

[Guest]

siena, my dog, she loves the stivo, shes been involved in some good driving, never once been sick, not torn it up, just a good dog.

i had a friend in the back, apparently she leans against the left side of the rear boot, in anticipation of my cornering style,

she gets is right 50% of the time

i'm not a grease monkey ppl like jaderd, mickwheels amaze me with what they can do, i'm not that.

agreed

whitestivo

haha thanks phil... I wouldnt say I'm a grease monkey... just an idiot who dosent mind getting his hands dirty and trying things... regardless of if they work or not :D

[bradsm87]

Dude they're all easy fixes.

Firstly for some extra piece of mind, change the oil every 7500 with some good fully synthetic oil. I use Mobil1 0W-40 and TRD oil filters. Also run 98 RON. I can physically hear detonation in the lower revs with 95 and although they say it's OK, I'm not a fan.

Change the gear oil to some good fully synthetic stuff like Motul Gear 300 or Redline stuff. CHECK THE SHIFTER LINKAGES AND BUSHES AND ADJUSTMENT. I can almost guarantee this is why the gearbox doesn't feel right!

With that stuff done, don't be scared! Drive every gear with foot flat to 8200rpm. They love it and U'll love it. They're made to rev. If u don't rev it above 6000, u may as well have got a ZRE152 Ascent for the same price!

Edited October 28, 2009 by bradsm87

[chicaboo]

I've tried Redline MTL/MT90 and Royal Purple SynchroMAX gear fluid, and didn't like either that much. Motul Gear300, and something from Castrol [can't remember which], are next on my list of geear fluids to try.

Update: I've talked about a high pitched sound in the upper dashboard on over-run. I've since come to realise this is exhaust gas hissing through the headers I can hear. So if you ever hear that, there is nothing you can do about it, short of trying to sound insulate the firewall somehow. And it might even get worse if you port your headers, and that might be why I noticed it more than other ppl?

Gav.

[eviltwin]

Cheers guys , i actually change the oil at 5k intervals and use penrite as ive used in all my other engines, gearbox oil wise ive been told to stay away from redline in this specific box , no idea why but ill cross that bridge when i come to it. Will definatly be doing a treatment though... As for the interior i ripped it to pieces and checked it all out , i found some clips were infact misguided and thus making some items flimsy , i also was experiencing a rattle which ended when i tighted a couple of screws.

Upon inspection of the driveshafts i find it hard to believe they would just "break" and nothings poor or in need of replacment mechanically - the rear brakes were squealing when reversing down my driveway , also sorted as the rotors were covered in **** ( i have no idea where this came from but the squeking is gone ) .

The shifter needed grease , it was near bone dry and the same for my linkages , so all in all it's now doing what i want it to and it feels worthy of my maticulous ownership - to sum it up , ive bought a nice head unit to kick the addons off and a clay bar kit to rid the exterior of all of the crap on top of the clear coat.

Im driving it to melbourne tomorrow so i will report on how im feeling when i return , but all in all very very pleased with the outcome! Thanks for all the help and feedback.

[jaderd]

sounds good...catch tomorrow mate.

cheers

[SuperDave]

gearbox oil wise ive been told to stay away from redline in this specific box , no idea why but ill cross that bridge when i come to it.

I can't comment on the MT90, but whatever you do, do NOT use shockproof in any form in the box.

[eviltwin]

i think it was you that told me about that Dave , cheers

[thegourou20]

gearbox oil wise ive been told to stay away from redline in this specific box , no idea why but ill cross that bridge when i come to it.

I can't comment on the MT90, but whatever you do, do NOT use shockproof in any form in the box.

OMG...why is that SD? I just changed my gearbox oil and went for redline shockproof...white bottle around $45/litre? right? :-s I thought it was supposed to be the best option for the car...

[chicaboo]

gearbox oil wise ive been told to stay away from redline in this specific box , no idea why but ill cross that bridge when i come to it.

I can't comment on the MT90, but whatever you do, do NOT use shockproof in any form in the box.

OMG...why is that SD? I just changed my gearbox oil and went for redline shockproof...white bottle around $45/litre? right? :-s I thought it was supposed to be the best option for the car...

The Shockproof bottles are always white. What colour was the sticker on it? ie: yellow, blue or red? Although it doesn't really matter, as even the thin stuff isn't great for shift quality. :o