05 corolla sportivo or 10 corolla levin sx

[Shogun125]

Hi guys and girls

Been on this forum for a while but have never posted anything before.

this is my first post, so bare with me

Well at the moment i'm driving my parents hand me down ae92 since i've gotten my P's (exactly a year ago actually, get green P's today )

the AE92 is a great car to drive, never missed a beat and have had tonnes fun driving it. however its time to upgrade.

I originally wanted a Honda civic type r ep3, but my dad wouldn't let cause its and import and insurance is way too expensive, oh and he loves toyota's especially corollas and since his lending me a few grand to help me pay for a new car, i couldn't argue with him... so to make him happy i have decided to buy a corolla.

i really want to buy the 05 FL corolla sportivo and have found a really nice one, a white stivo with OEM rear lip, TRD CAI, TRD short shift, CES headers with 2.5inch CES catback and a few other goodies. the seller is willing to sell for $17,500, which i think is a bargain considering all the mods his done, however it has traveled 77,000kms which is pretty high.

My dad also like it, but his telling me to buy a brand new corolla, which we went and test drove at a toyota dealership. the car is very nice and smooth, but it was a little too smooth for my likeing, but i wouldn't mind owning one i guess. I also mananged to get the dealer to sell the levin sx for the price of an accent, including on road cost, which is pretty awesome :D.

so my question is, which corolla should i buy? my heart says stivo but my brain says levin sx.

the stivo has 41kw more then the sx and i like the body shape of the 05 rollas.

but the sx is more fuel efficient and can run on 91RON petrol which is the main thing now, with petrol prices high.

any advice will be much appreciated as i am very easily persuaded :D

Thanks in advanced

Hung

[eviltwin]

if you want a good sportivo make sure it's stock standard ... with stuff like a CAI and a short shifter you expect the car to have lived a live . 77k for a 6 year old car is quite good especially for a sportivo! My lady just bought herself a brand new accent and i reckon it's a really nice car far better built and finished than the sportivo but about 1/2 the fun and she agrees , if she feels like some fun she will always take the sportivo..

[dwee.]

Shop around a bit more, you might be able get a '05 stivo for less than 17k.

Well, this was similar to my situation (kind of). I was going to get a '99 WRX STi but decided to go for a new Corolla ZR.

The way I see is this; both are Corollas and will be both reliable and fuel efficient, supposing you pick a well-looked after stivo and the saying is "if you look after your car, the car will look after you".

Stivo have heaps of parts readily available, opposed to the new Corolla; being new parts are a bit harder to get but will become more readily available with time.

Ok, now I'll tell you the reasons why I went with a new Corolla instead of a STi. Firstly, it's a new car. You'd have it from the start and you'll know everything (and everything) that happens or what you have changed (making it easy guessing work if some problem arises). Secondly, it's not as "fun" but you can certainly make the new Corolla more fun! Thirdly, it also had all the nice cool features, which I love! Haha saying that, if I didn't save as much, I would have gone for a '05 stivo without the drop of a hat. Like eviltwin above said, you have to get a good stivo; make sure it's stock otherwise it would have been most likely given a bit of thrash.

I hoped that helped somehow. Haha :)

Peter.

[Kenneth.]

I recently purchased an EP3.. but you're right insurance and rego sky rockets due to 3 factors:

- It's an import

- It's a "Coupe" according to the RTA

- .. and Myself being under 25.. lol :(

Expensive car to keep, but I'm loving it.

Anyhow, either Corolla will be awesome. They're super reliable cars.. IMO it really comes down to what you priorities higher, performance or something newer.

77,000KM is pretty average for a car of 6 years as eviltwin stated earlier.

[Synthetic05]

Either is good, i would have liked one of those new Corolla Levins. 77,000kms is pretty good for a 2005 sportivo too. I spend over 2 months finding my one so the one your looking at seems pretty good but i suggest getting a stock one aswell.

And dont get me wrong, my car does heaps well on fuel

Edited January 13, 2011 by Synthetic05

[SuperDave]

You need to work out what you want from a car. If you want to get around reliably then both do the job. The Sportivo will be faster and more fun, but use more fuel. The 2010 Corolla will cost more up front (I assume) but use less fuel and be safer. No one can tell you want you want so you have to think about your needs.

Don't forget to look at Celicas. All the speed of the Sportivo for less money.

[Shogun125]

Thanks a lot for the reply guys really helpful

Yeah i guess a stock corolla will be much better, but it seems quite hard to find one with less then 100,000 kms in Victoria. However the one i'm looking at right now seems pretty good, the owner actually works for Toyota in altona so he gets discounts for TRD parts and what not. He also has the receipts and log book for all of his servicing which have been done at Lemans Toyota. which is a positive i'm guessing? and since he works for toyota, he would most likely take good care of his car?

oh here's the link to the stivo :D

http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/private/details.aspx?R=8618700&__Qpb=true&Cr=13&__Ns=pCar_RankSort_Int32|1||pCar_PriceSort_Decimal|1||pCar_Make_String|0||pCar_Model_String|0&keywords=&__N=1216%201246%201247%201252%201282%204294962861%204294962707%204294927688&SearchAction=N&silo=1011&__No=30&seot=1&tsrc=allcarhome&__Nne=15&trecs=65&__sid=12D42CC61B37

As for the new corolla. i wouldn't mind buying it if i cant get the stivo. only thing i don't like is the round body shape, the 100kw opposed to the 141kw, and how there are so many of them on the road nowadays. but i guess i could always make mine more unique then the others :D.

oh and i would mostly likely be using it as a weekend car, as i would have uni on weekdays and would catch public transport. so the car would be used for cruising around, going to hill runs with friends etc etc.

[barraspalding]

yes the 100kw thing is bloody horrible... I bought a 2nds Levin ZR for 21k, 40k's on the clock.

I like it - but as I've voiced on here already - seats are lacking, and yea the lack of power kinda sucks. No idea why they didn't do a punchier engine... the stock suspension would be up for it.

[Pro86]

i wish if that guy selling the stivo would part out the bonnet? if it's for a weekend cruiser the stivo would out win the new rolla

[King Young]

i wish if that guy selling the stivo would part out the bonnet? if it's for a weekend cruiser the stivo would out win the new rolla

Mark, the owner of the car posted on his sales page "No time wasters and tyre kickers thanks. Parts are NOT for sale

separately.". Looks like no bonnet for you.

[whitestivo]

easy, get the stivo...i don't fancy your chances against those fkg rcolts in a zre, or a hyundai i30 for that matter, friggin everywhere those things

I've seen plenty of shttr sportivo's that are stock and i've seen plenty of mint modded examples at tocau annual meets that tell me how well they are cared for, so seek out the service history and drive a few sportivo's you will soon know

whitestivo

[Shogun125]

easy, get the stivo...i don't fancy your chances against those fkg rcolts in a zre, or a hyundai i30 for that matter, friggin everywhere those things

I've seen plenty of shttr sportivo's that are stock and i've seen plenty of mint modded examples at tocau annual meets that tell me how well they are cared for, so seek out the service history and drive a few sportivo's you will soon know

whitestivo

thanks man. i agree the new rollas are really slow. but parents dont see the point of buying a stivo when i could add in a few extra grand and get a newer car with lower kms. interior wise however the new rolla does seem nicer and more gadgety and well built. saw dutchie10101 and dwee's threads on their own rollas and was quite impressed at what i can potentially do to the zr's. to be honest i'm just sick of trying to persuade my parents in to letting me get a sport car, so i'll get get either a Zr or Sx and do what i can to it and hopefully enjoy the journey.

[Shogun125]

does any of you guys know about this red sportivo? is he on the forum?

looks really nice and mint. but kms seem really low for a sportivo.

too good to be true? or.....

http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/private/details.aspx?R=9957789&__Qpb=true&Cr=0&__Ns=pCar_LastModifiedDate_DateTime|1&keywords=&__N=1216%201246%201247%201252%201282%204294962861%204294962707%204294927688&SearchAction=N&silo=1011&seot=1&tsrc=allcarhome&__Nne=15&trecs=67&__sid=12D98F8589D3

[FATRLA]

Mate u should really look at buying the sx cause this way u know it's perfect buying a car with mods also comes with problems and u say that u got the guy down to the price of an ascent is a bit funny I'm a new car sale men for Toyota in campbelltown and there is no way they will do that price so just b carefull in my opinion buy the ascent lower it CAI and a exhaust then you can watch the sportivo in ur rear view mirra trust me it's true I done this.

[FATRLA]

Mate u should really look at buying the sx cause this way u know it's perfect buying a car with mods also comes with problems and u say that u got the guy down to the price of an ascent is a bit funny I'm a new car sale men for Toyota in campbelltown and there is no way they will do that price so just b carefull in my opinion buy the ascent lower it CAI and a exhaust then you can watch the sportivo in ur rear view mirra trust me it's true I done this.

[eviltwin]

Mate u should really look at buying the sx cause this way u know it's perfect buying a car with mods also comes with problems and u say that u got the guy down to the price of an ascent is a bit funny I'm a new car sale men for Toyota in campbelltown and there is no way they will do that price so just b carefull in my opinion buy the ascent lower it CAI and a exhaust then you can watch the sportivo in ur rear view mirra trust me it's true I done this.

Sorry mate but theres no way an intake and an exhaust is going to extract 40kw from an N/A Corolla engine - then theres the fact that the ZRE weighs more than the ZZE chassis... we just drove my girlfriends ZRE Ascent on a 700km round trip and it is one of the nicest cars to travel in , for a small car it doesn;t get knocked around on the freeway and it is so smooth and forgiving i highly rate the new corollas and best of all they are built in Japan and not bloody S.A so you know the build quality is there and it shows!

[Shogun125]

Mate u should really look at buying the sx cause this way u know it's perfect buying a car with mods also comes with problems and u say that u got the guy down to the price of an ascent is a bit funny I'm a new car sale men for Toyota in campbelltown and there is no way they will do that price so just b carefull in my opinion buy the ascent lower it CAI and a exhaust then you can watch the sportivo in ur rear view mirra trust me it's true I done this.

Hi mate. sorry but are you sure you can match a stivo by adding a CAI and exhaust to a zre? the power figures it self prove that you cant, since you only get a gain about 5kw. maybe its possible to beat it on track? but in a stright its highly unlikely.

lol as for the price of the sx, i somehow managed to get the saleslady to sell for the price of an accent, i cant tell you how i did it, but i did (no dirty business :D haha) but i do agree, buying a new car is much better then buying a used modded up one.

Mate u should really look at buying the sx cause this way u know it's perfect buying a car with mods also comes with problems and u say that u got the guy down to the price of an ascent is a bit funny I'm a new car sale men for Toyota in campbelltown and there is no way they will do that price so just b carefull in my opinion buy the ascent lower it CAI and a exhaust then you can watch the sportivo in ur rear view mirra trust me it's true I done this.

Sorry mate but theres no way an intake and an exhaust is going to extract 40kw from an N/A Corolla engine - then theres the fact that the ZRE weighs more than the ZZE chassis... we just drove my girlfriends ZRE Ascent on a 700km round trip and it is one of the nicest cars to travel in , for a small car it doesn;t get knocked around on the freeway and it is so smooth and forgiving i highly rate the new corollas and best of all they are built in Japan and not bloody S.A so you know the build quality is there and it shows!

yeah i 100% agree with you there. the new corollas are extremely smooth and quiet, very nice to drive. but for me, thats kinda boring as you can barely hear it accelerate, it just doesnt have that extra kick the stivo has. But yeah, being made in S.A during that time, the build quality is not as good as it is now. the new corollas interior is much more refined.

such a hard decision. don't know weather i should sacrifice comfort or performance.

[FATRLA]

Ok well I did beat 2 stivos off the mark and mate if u got it down it's cause they dnt have the car I an discount a car I dnt have I looked on SAP which shows where any brand new toyota is in Australia and there's only 3 in the country and my dealership has 1 of them

[eviltwin]

Ok well I did beat 2 stivos off the mark and mate if u got it down it's cause they dnt have the car I an discount a car I dnt have I looked on SAP which shows where any brand new toyota is in Australia and there's only 3 in the country and my dealership has 1 of them

Dude... what the hell are you on about jesus

[Kenneth.]

Maybe the stivo driver was noob..? Mis-shift perhaps?

[Shogun125]

Kenneth, your ep3 is mint. i was going to buy one from img as well, but they didnt have any when i was up in sydney.so disappointed :( . now every time i see one, a little bit of me dies inside haha

[dwee.]

I sense this discussion about ZZEs vs ZREs will become more frequent with time.. :(

I own a ZRE and I'm telling you, in a straight line, we won't beat a s'tivo. Around the corners, it's possible but that depends on your skill, if you can drive, if you have balls, the skill of the other driver, the mods on either car etc to a list a few. You can beat s'tivos on launch if you're lucky and get ahead, what happens when you hit 6k rpm?

Like Kenneth said, maybe the s'tivo driver was a noob. Maybe that driver thought he could drive 'cause he had a stick. Maybe it was a Levin rather than a s'tivo. I don't know, just saying there are so many different scenarios..

[rthy]

street vs 1/4 mile?

take it to the track then you will get offical times, where as street would be more bragging rights

[RedSportivo]

Lol rather weird debate the sportivo is a faster and quicker car at the end of the day, ZRE owners dont take anything to offense

But Shotgun125, at the end of the day your buying the car your driving it its up to you its not what other people reacon the best way for you to chose is go look at a number of sportivos and compare them to a brandnew factory ZRE, people can keep giving you there opinion all day & night but its up to what satisfy's you remember you buy to satisfy.