Deal sweetener for late Levin ZR delivery...

[SteveAndBelle]

Hi.

Just found out that the Levin ZR we ordered back in late June is now going to be pushed back another month so we wont get it until late October. We were originally told 3 months and because our current 2001 Corolla is still OK-ish we were fine with that... but it's been a painful wait and to now find out we have to wait longer isn't good. On top of this is the fact that we wont even be in town from late November through to early January so we'll only have the car for three weeks and it'll then be stored at a family members place until we get back in 2011 all while we're paying off the loan for no reason. Again, not too impressed.

Our dealer/salesperson has been excellent though. He is perfectly OK with us walking away from the whole deal and getting our deposit back even though it was a special order and required to be built from scratch (apparently Manual Transmission Graphite Levin ZRs with Moonroofs are rare for some reason). He says it's their fault and there's no way they can lock us into following through with it. We're 'on the fence' about it all and have been thinking of our alternatives including buying a different brand car (shock horror) or leaving it until approx. Feb/March next year so we get a 2011 plated model but we can't decide. I then shot an email through to the dealer this morning asking if any 'deal sweeteners' could be arranged and he said yes, but only once they get the car and do up the final invoice becasue he's not 100% sure how much room they have to move. Fair enough I suppose. I then asked that instead of a monetary sweetener if a 'parts sweetener' could be arranged in the form of four 18" Kappa rims off a Camry/Aurion and he said that they are very expensive but he'll see what he can do.

Now, I'm still not what to do. I'd love 18's on the Levin and then drop it a little bit (jealous of Dutchies work you see) but I'm not a big fan of the Kappas design or worth. I'm now thinking I could take the monetary sweetener and trade the original wheels & tyres at Bob Jane while they're still brand new and get some nicer yet generic 18's. Would the Kappas even fit with 40 tyres (offset & rubbing issues) ? I don't even know.

Confused. Stick with the Corolla or look elsewhere or cancel this order and buy a 2011 plated model next year or accept the sweetener (once I find out what it is) and get nicer wheels which will end up being parked in a garage for 5+ weeks in December while we're paying it off.

Hmmm, dilemma. Anyone want to throw their 2c worth in ??

Steve.

[juvenile]

October will be here before you know it,unless you really want the plate to say 2011..

I still love the Kappas and photos do not do them justice,I miss mine sometimes and they wont scrub no matter how low you go.

Thousands of nice rims are available these days,forget Bob Jane and his "bogan wheels for the masses collection" your stockies would sell for sure,dont trade..

A cash sweetener would be nice too.I'd say wait :) Did Toyota give you Track my car code? or is it not even built yet?

If you did go elswhere what are you looking at?

[master.Cuong]

john aka juvenile is right there is no doubt you'll scrub with the 18's and the kappas are nice wheels no doubt about it. I've never had an issue with my 17's kappas whatsover even running on coilovers :). If you happen to get the stockies im looking at trading my kappas for stockies !

[SteveAndBelle]

October will be here before you know it,unless you really want the plate to say 2011..

I still love the Kappas and photos do not do them justice,I miss mine sometimes and they wont scrub no matter how low you go.

Thousands of nice rims are available these days,forget Bob Jane and his "bogan wheels for the masses collection" your stockies would sell for sure,dont trade..

A cash sweetener would be nice too.I'd say wait :) Did Toyota give you Track my car code? or is it not even built yet?

If you did go elswhere what are you looking at?

Yeah John, I agree with you about the wait. It's not much longer but the issue is that we'll only have the car for a few weeks and then it'll be garaged until 2011 :(

Do you have any pics of the Kappas on your Corolla? I don't think I've ever seen them on a Corolla before so you might be right, they may look good when fitted but I'd need to see them first (& they'd have to be the 18" type). You then say the 18" Kappas wont scrub no matter how low I go (obviously speaking from experience ;)) but 'Master.Cuong' has just said that they will scrub. I'm confused. Will they or wont they ?

The only reason I mentioned Bob Jane was becasue they're less than 500m away from the Toyota Dealer I'm going with and I've had work done there before and have been very satisfied with it. Great genuine advice & friendly management/staff but I know what you mean, their range isn't exactly great and is very mass-market kinda stuff. Selling the brand new wheels & tyres would be better, you're right.

Yeah, the salesperson sent through the order/build schedule to prove he wasn't taking me for a ride. The car hasn't even been built yet however the schedule has it down to be built tomorrow (15th September). He then said it'd be 3-4 weeks until the car reached Australia and then another couple of weeks on top of that until they got it, did everything they needed to do (tinting, protection pack, parking sensors, pre-delivery etc.) and it would be ready for us to drive away. All that seems fair, don't get me wrong, but after already waiting 3 months the extra few weeks just seems unfair especially as we wont even get to use it much until 2011.

If we were to go for a different brand/model what would we go for? Well, it pains me to even think about getting anything but another Toyota as we've loved them so much in the past (had four over the last 20+ years and they've all been excellent) but to be honest we did test drive an Impreza RS (don't need/want the turbo in the WRX) and we were very impressed with it. It just drove sooooo nicely and even though I couldn't give a rats about engine performance etc. the AWD alone was a dream. I also think the Subarus look better than the Corollas in stock form (in my opinion) and the ride is lower to boot... but I just can't bare to part ways with Toyota which is why we signed up for the Levin ZR. Basically the same price as the Impreza RS bu the Levin ZR had a few nifty little extras like the auto-wipers & headlights and the push button start (which we thought was a bit of a toss at first but fell in love with it as soon as we got to use it). The Toyota had a slightly better quality fit & finish than the Subaru plus as we all know the resale value of the Levin will be streets ahead of the Impreza in the long run. Close call but the Corolla won for us. We also test drove a Suzuki SX4 and although it was a great little car (& much cheaper) it just didn't come close to the Corolla or Impreza.

So, anyone got pics of the 18" Kappas on a ZRE and know if they'll scrub ??

Thanks guys,

Steve.

[dwee.]

Looking at previous models ('03 ZZE, late? '05 ZZE, '07 ZRE, late '09 ZRE), it's about 2 years apart between each pre-facelift and facelift. I know it's not accurate but you can roughly guess it. I think the earliest the new model come out will be late '11 if not '12. I would say get it (quality & reliability: Toyota > Subaru).

Should also look at the VW Golf 108TSI. A friend has it with sports part and it's an awesome little hatch also. Quality is decent but cost and running costs are slightly higher than the Corolla.

Not sure about the 18" Kappas but it should be okay? Heaps of ZRE guys are running wheels wider than 7". The only thing would be the offset, but I'm not sure about that.

Peter.

[juvenile]

October will be here before you know it,unless you really want the plate to say 2011..

I still love the Kappas and photos do not do them justice,I miss mine sometimes and they wont scrub no matter how low you go.

Thousands of nice rims are available these days,forget Bob Jane and his "bogan wheels for the masses collection" your stockies would sell for sure,dont trade..

A cash sweetener would be nice too.I'd say wait :) Did Toyota give you Track my car code? or is it not even built yet?

If you did go elswhere what are you looking at?

Yeah John, I agree with you about the wait. It's not much longer but the issue is that we'll only have the car for a few weeks and then it'll be garaged until 2011 :(

Do you have any pics of the Kappas on your Corolla? I don't think I've ever seen them on a Corolla before so you might be right, they may look good when fitted but I'd need to see them first (& they'd have to be the 18" type). You then say the 18" Kappas wont scrub no matter how low I go (obviously speaking from experience ;)) but 'Master.Cuong' has just said that they will scrub. I'm confused. Will they or wont they ?

Yeah, the salesperson sent through the order/build schedule to prove he wasn't taking me for a ride. The car hasn't even been built yet however the schedule has it down to be built tomorrow (15th September). He then said it'd be 3-4 weeks until the car reached Australia and then another couple of weeks on top of that until they got it, did everything they needed to do (tinting, protection pack, parking sensors, pre-delivery etc.) and it would be ready for us to drive away. All that seems fair, don't get me wrong, but after already waiting 3 months the extra few weeks just seems unfair especially as we wont even get to use it much until 2011.

Steve.

Firstly I'd stick with Toyota,I looked at Honda and Golf but there's something about Corollas I love especially trying to make them stand out,cos they are so popular people do notice modified ones,hard to believe but true,because in a world of a gazillion white rental Ascents,the modded ones do stand out..

I also went to Bob Jane but nothing has ever caught my eye there,with ebay and online shopping great and rare rims are so easy to obtain, with surprisingly good prices.

I may have missed the reason why it will be garaged till 2011 sorry, any particular month? If its early Steve then I would wait,after all you are getting what you wanted,graphite,roof and manual. Who knows what will be available next year if you still want a Corolla.. When I tracked my car from new it was 5weeks away but would've been longer if I got the roof..

re: Kappas I think Cuong meant they won't rub, pretty safe with 18 x 7.5 +45 wheels and I don't think you would go superlow would you? Mine were 17" but here are few pics

Your car with 17" :D

Mine

These are 18"

[dutchie101]

These are 18's lower :P

[juvenile]

Pete your a champion

edit: this car has all all the TRD goodies and was at a Toyota dealership in NZ.. If they did it here they would have sold them all.

[dutchie101]

Wait! WAIT!!

Close enough to Graphite, 18;s and low? :D ;)

Oh and i know Steve has some smoked LED tails, but thats just a bit overboard for me to drop those in...

[johnnieboi]

I ordered mine from scratch too. Think i waited a month to 2months for it. Levin ZR 2008 Graphite 6spd Manual but no sunroof. I tracked it from japan to shipping to australia to my dealer. I think Dwee made a point with any 'new' corollas coming out early 2011. Late 2011-12 should be expected for a change.

Another member here waited 3months for his Levin ZR built from scratch White 2008 6spd Manual with sunroof. Maybe its the color? I dont know.

The Kappas wouldnt be so bad as a 'deal sweetener'. I think they're around the 1k mark for the rims only for 17s.

The kappas are good because they add a 'sportier' look without going too overboard and they are Genuine toyota rims. Sometimes i wished i had kappas but sometimes i wished i had Black 18" TE37s with 35+ offset. Its all about the look you're trying to achieve and go for i guess.

And regards to buying another car/make thats entirely up to you. If your experience with toyota/corolla/dealerships in the past havn't impressed you then and your not happy with it then you can try another make/model. Toyotas have been in the family for a long time and my 1st car was a toyota celica and i've just stuck with them. For relative economy, availability of parts and service and reliability of the cars itself.

Good luck in your decision whatever you choose to do.

John

PS: hope you go with Toyota :)

[SteveAndBelle]

Wait! WAIT!!

Close enough to Graphite, 18;s and low? :D ;)

Oh and i know Steve has some smoked LED tails, but thats just a bit overboard for me to drop those in...

Nah, nah, nah, Dutchie, you've got it all wrong. That's not a facelift model (kidding of course) :P Get those side indicators off my fenders and onto my mirrors dood!

Thanks so much for all your help guys. I think you've talked me/us into sticking with it and waiting for the Levin next month. Irritating but if we don't do it now we'll probably have to wait another 3-4 months next year again anyway. I suppose the good news is that whatever happens we already know we'll get some kind of 'sweetener' even if it isn't enough to get the 18" Kappas... but after seeing Dutchies handywork above I think they're growing on me. They really do look different in different light and I didn't realise they were darker silver on the inside as seen in the 2nd photo of Juvenile Johns ZRE above (front corner closeup). That would look pretty nice on a Graphite Levin, hmmm :)

I did really like the Impreza but hey, I've already got a pair of smoke tails, 6000k Garax HID bulbs and a Black Hazard Switch for the Levin so there's no turning back now :P

Thanks again guys. How could I ever go for a non-Toyota, sheesh!!

[u54mot]

18" Kappas will fit with 225/40R18 Tyres, i've seen a set on at Sydney City Toyota.

Here is a picture of a graphite Corolla with 17" Kappas

[GTL05T]

18's DO NOT SCRUB AT ALL!! TRUST ME!!!

[SteveAndBelle]

18" Kappas will fit with 225/40R18 Tyres, i've seen a set on at Sydney City Toyota.

Here is a picture of a graphite Corolla with 17" Kappas

Nice... but wow I'm gunna need to drop it by at least an inch it seems.

Steve.

[SteveAndBelle]

18's DO NOT SCRUB AT ALL!! TRUST ME!!!

Yeah, OK then, I see what you mean... 18" = no scrubbing at all :P

[GTL05T]

18's DO NOT SCRUB AT ALL!! TRUST ME!!!

Yeah, OK then, I see what you mean... 18" = no scrubbing at all :P

Yeah ive got 18s to n i have had no dramas with scrubbing at all.. mine n my mates tyres are 225/40/R18...

[dwee.]

Nice... but wow I'm gunna need to drop it by at least an inch it seems.

Steve.

If you just want a nice drop (but not crazy drop), go low fronts and superlows rear. And you should start looking at the ZRE FAQ while you wait for your car!

18's DO NOT SCRUB AT ALL!! TRUST ME!!!

Yeah, OK then, I see what you mean... 18" = no scrubbing at all :P

Yeah ive got 18s to n i have had no dramas with scrubbing at all.. mine n my mates tyres are 225/40/R18...

Hey Wy, you should post the offset you guys are running. :)

Peter.

[GTL05T]

Nice... but wow I'm gunna need to drop it by at least an inch it seems.

Steve.

If you just want a nice drop (but not crazy drop), go low fronts and superlows rear. And you should start looking at the ZRE FAQ while you wait for your car!

18's DO NOT SCRUB AT ALL!! TRUST ME!!!

Yeah, OK then, I see what you mean... 18" = no scrubbing at all :P

Yeah ive got 18s to n i have had no dramas with scrubbing at all.. mine n my mates tyres are 225/40/R18...

Hey Wy, you should post the offset you guys are running. :)

Peter.

Hey Pete, im not to sure what it is.. lol

[juvenile]

Lenso GF7 in 18 x 7.5 only with +42 offset I believe

[master.Cuong]

offset plays a big matter in scrubbing or not

[SteveAndBelle]

OK, open up the opinion floodgates guys, here's the latest !

The car has finally arrived at the dealer who's now been able to crunch the numbers so with the refund for the moonroof (which is now standard, see: http://au.toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=29808) plus a refund because the price dropped by about $1000 since we ordered plus even a bit more as a small 'deal sweetener' to keep us keen it looks like we could potentially be saving about $3000 on the original price when we ordered the car. Nice... but I'm still not 100% sure yet.

I just got the details of the 18" Kappa upgrade. Here's the deal:

18” Kappa’s + 40 series Falken ZE12 = $2250 (changeover price)

OR

18” Kappa’s + 40 series Falken SK452 = $2370 (changeover price)

I don't personally like the wheels that come standard on the Levin (they're not bad at all, just not as good as I think they could be) and although I'm still not completely sold on the Kappas I think it'll look OK with the 18's instead of the 17's. I'll look into getting Pedders Coilovers fitted at a later stage just to drop the extreme height off a tad (only by an inch or so) but that'll be about all I'll do I reckon.

So, what do you all think about the above combo ? You think the price is OK ? Are those Falkens OK or are they bottom-end cheapies ? I'm used to paying around $200-$250 for a stockie profile tyre because I like decent quality however I'm a bit concerned that these Falkens might be inferior quality to make up for the fact that they're a lower profile. Hmmm.

So, go for one of the above deals or just take the car 'as is', save the money and get nicer wheels, tyres & suspension later on ?

Opinions more than welcome.

[juvenile]

Congrats Steve, Forget the Kappas/Falken combo, I would take the car as is and enjoy it as is, go for a spirited drive on stockies and yes you'll be surprised how good the stock Yokohamas are if thats what is on them, or have they changed tyres? Levins got Yokis and others got Dunlops..Get a good feel for the car and I think from there you can decide on rim size and design.. I honestly still love the Kappas but Iam looking at something new now and there is so much wheel goodness out there.. Shopping around makes all the difference too, I have priced top Dunlops in 225/40/18 for $800 and quality Jap rims for around $2k.... Don't forget pics :D

[dutchie101]

Steve, Im with John here, take the cash and run!! You have a multitude of rims and tires that you can get for around the 3k mark. Check out YahooJapan if your so inclined for something special or do the rounds of your local wheel shops and interwebs shopping. Im sure you will come up with some awesome wheels.

[MacDavo]

I found this to be a really useful thread. I tried to get 17" Kappa's thrown into the deal on my new ZR, but they'd already bent over backwards on the price.

Thanks to the advise of this thread, I think I'll drive around on the standards for a while, then look around for some sexier wheels later. I had no idea you could get 18s to fit!

What do the larger wheels do to handling and fuel economy? Would it affect the new car warranty?

[Ascendant Rice]

I found this to be a really useful thread. I tried to get 17" Kappa's thrown into the deal on my new ZR, but they'd already bent over backwards on the price.

Thanks to the advise of this thread, I think I'll drive around on the standards for a while, then look around for some sexier wheels later. I had no idea you could get 18s to fit!

What do the larger wheels do to handling and fuel economy? Would it affect the new car warranty?

shouldnt be a problem if the overall diametre of the wheels are the same ie bigger wheel lower profile tyre.