Corolla Sportivo vs Everything else

[Charlie Trout]

Hey Peeps,

I just found out a few days ago after leaving my sportivo at my panel beaters place, that its had panel work done to it. Since i bought it from a dealer, im returning it and getting my money back (trust me, sounds a lot easier then i make it sound). Anyway, since im getting my cash back, ive started looking at sportivo's to buy online, however nothings really tickling my fancy at the moment. Either their cars have been repaired after being in accidents or they've clocked too many km's for my liking, or they say the cars located in a particular area when really their located in the middle of Punchbowl/Lakemba. Regardless, i decided to research other cars but im lacking info on whats out there which you could classify in the same elite category of the sportivo. I know this seems a little against the grain, but i was just wondering if anyone knows/or is willing to admit what car beats the sportivo for price. There are so many variables i know, but all in all is the sportivo the best car in its category, i mean i would believe so, its got it all, all electric options, 141kw, fuel efficiency, and leather seats.

Eddie.

[JT3]

zzt231 celica.

[maca_10]

For that price, options, servicing, and all the other costs associated with the car, its pretty good. I'd agree the ZZT-231 is probably u next best option unless ur like me and prefer four doors.

Civic Type R - same sorta thing but more and more money too (talkin EP3 or even EK9 if u can find one)

Then you've got the assortment:

Holden Astra, Ford Focus, Mitsubishi Lancer, Subaru Impreza, Mazda 3

You could possibly go German with A3, C-class or 3 Series but would get no perf for the money

Otherwise the new corolla seems to be quite a hit on here but u'd miss Lift.

If the Sportivo is what you really want just wait a while and see what comes up

[Mole]

ZZT-231 Celica is what I would go for as well. Mechanically its essentially a 2 door sportivo, but it has independent rear suspension whereas the sportivo doesnt.

If you want a hatchback tho... its either this or a Civic TypeR.

[Charlie Trout]

Cheers guys,

i was looking at the ep3, it seems like its a sportivo equivalent in terms of power output and might be better torque wise, however the crappy in cabin trim isnt really turning me on as much as the sportivo does. Plus, the type-r looks too "Tokyo drift" for my liking. That being said the celica, no offence, looks even worse. In the 1 month i owned the sportivo, there wasn't one bad moment i had with it (other then the occasional miss-shift). As for the other sub-category for hot hatches, i.e, vectra, focus, A3, their okay i guess, but still dont compare to a sportivo(I remember from test driving them, other then the A3(my mates one which is worked) nothing quite has the same "zippiness" as the sportivo).Even the new levins, my mates got one and its got no ball. I'll check out the type r for kicks anyway and see if i can get a test drive, as well as keeping my eye out on more sportivos. And again, i know theres a notion that you should by stock as a rock cars as they have probably been less likely thrashed, but is it worth checking out sportivos that have been modded with a little higher km;s in the $18,000-$20,000?

Eddie.

P.S hopefully if i do get my hands on another sportivo, i can just mod it with a powerFC chip and have even more fun.

P.P.S, i called up a few guys and asked about their sportivos, i cant believe the amount of accidents most of them have been in, funnily enough its all front end damage. I learnt my lesson thought, NRMA inspection from now on.

Edited January 20, 2011 by eddiebravo

[dorifto]

Sportivo Corollas all look so similar to their Ascent and Levin brothers, least when I see an FN2R I can appreciate the engineering and race heritage inherent in the Honda DNA. I'd say, you get more out of the FN2R than a Sportivo for a fraction more cost wise.

[RedSportivo]

Im selling my sportivo if you like not on revs or anything like that~! Still Original parts and all Pm me :)

[whitestivo]

Hang in there, getting a clean sportivo is what makes it all worthwhile.

If i was to digress from my beligerent belief in the might of the all conquering sportivo and suggest another car

...no wait

.. i can't

whitestivo

[RedSportivo]

Some people say if it has a bit of modifications done to it its thrashed well i have CAI and an exhaust Tip and i look after as if it was my own daughter :P Service her all the time always best stuff in it it just depends on owner but yeh before i bought mine i had some headache as you did.

[Kenneth.]

EP3..

You get the added bonus of Recaro Sport seats, 158kW JDM K20A, factory LSD, and reinforced chassis.

Oh, and other tiny things like awesome gear knob position (counter to what most think, it's actually a very comfy position).. privacy glass, auto-folding mirrors, and factory HIDs.

You know you want it.. :P

.. that is ofcourse if you don't need 5 seats and 4 doors..

Edited January 20, 2011 by Kenneth.

[eviltwin]

AE82

[chicken]

colt ralliart?

renault megane II sport cup?

golf?

[Guest]

AE82

this.

[Charlie Trout]

I had a look at an Ep3 today, its not bad, but looks surprisingly bigger than a 5 door sportivo. The price on the 2002 Ep3(stock with 85,000km)is a rip off as well($23000). With that kind of money spent, not including the extra $300 comprehensive insurance would cost me, buying an '05 sportivo plus mods is looking like it would cost less for the same performance. None the less, the search goes on. Im having a look at a few more Ep3's tomorrow and the day after, as well as continuing my search for a sportivo. RedSportivo thanks for the offer, ill look into it, but cant promise anything, either way ill pm you and let you know. Are you going to be upgrading to anything thats caught your eye? Are you sick of the sportivo, or is it just time to move on?

Eddie.

[eviltwin]

take no offense , but locate a country car with a mature owner thats the best way to find a good clean sportivo and make sure it's stock buying one with "Mods" is always a risk

[Charlie Trout]

thanks for the help guys.

Do you really think a country or rural resident would actually be driving a corolla sportivo, let alone a mature owner? i thought they'd be more of the ford falcon/holden commodore type.

In regards to the sportivo, has anyone seen this one before at meets?

http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/private/details.aspx?Cr=1&R=9478320&keywords=&trecs=21&__Ns=pCar_PriceSort_Decimal|1||pCar_RankSort_Int32|1||pCar_Make_String|0||pCar_Model_String|0&__sid=12DAC9F62B60&__Nne=15&__Qpb=true&seot=1&__N=1216%201246%201247%201252%201282%204294962707%204294962861%204294927688%20898&silo=1011

Or does anyone know the owner and what not. Eviltwin i know you said a modded one has most likely been thrashed, but maybe if someone knows him they might be able to give some insight as to how much its possibly been thrashed. And the sportivo in general, im sure, can cop a bit of a hammering every once in a while.

Also, having a look at 2 Ep3s today, luckily they are local, they seem to have ridiculously low km's for their age, does anyone know if its possible to clock back an Ep3? I know with the corolla if you clock it back, it snaps the gears so the ODO isnt able to turn forward again. Is it the same thing with these Ep3's?

Eddie.

[Kenneth.]

I have heard rumours of a certain importer/dealer within Sydney who clock back their imports (however I am not sure, so I can't comment further). With most imports, it's more so the condition you're after. A majority of the EP3's will have around 70,000-80,000kms on the clock by now. If you're lucky, you can find one with 4x,xxxkm like myself. Also, ask for the import papers. Most often then not, the KM's are noted down on the paper work from Japan, and the dodgy dealers will discard of such paper work so you won't know. Perhaps try and avoid these sorts of dealers..

That's all I can say really.. go inspect them, drive them, and see if the condition inside/outside resembles the KM's on the car. :)

[Charlie Trout]

I have heard rumours of a certain importer/dealer within Sydney who clock back their imports (however I am not sure, so I can't comment further). With most imports, it's more so the condition you're after. A majority of the EP3's will have around 70,000-80,000kms on the clock by now. If you're lucky, you can find one with 4x,xxxkm like myself. Also, ask for the import papers. Most often then not, the KM's are noted down on the paper work from Japan, and the dodgy dealers will discard of such paper work so you won't know. Perhaps try and avoid these sorts of dealers..

That's all I can say really.. go inspect them, drive them, and see if the condition inside/outside resembles the KM's on the car. :)

Thanks for the info Kenneth,

Edward Lee imports on parramatta road in concord has their Ep3 advertised with 50000kms, then when i went to check how many it had on it, it displayed 85,000kms. Also, when i inspected teh engine bay, some of teh bolts where mis-matched and starting to rust?

Also, im getting confused with the type r's, apparently there's an EDM (euro domestic market) and JDM version (which has the LSD, and was generally recognised as a better car). How can you tell if its the JDM spec or the EDM spec, does it state it on the import papers? If i do decide to go for the type r, what year model do you suggest? Like everyone else on these forums, im just after one with high performance, easy to maintain and wont break down on me anytime soon. Are there any tips you suggest when inspecting an Ep3?

Eddie.

[Kenneth.]

There are some slight variances visually between the JDM and UK Civic Type R.

JDM EP3:

- VIN will start with EP3-1xxxxxx

- Centre console around the stereo is different (it has rounded edges)

- Speedometer is in KMH only, whilst UK will show MPH (and KMH in smaller print)

- Factory LSD

- Factory HID

- Came in Championship White (NH0)

- UK Flag emblem

- Will still say Made in U.K. on the VIN plate as it was built in the U.K. but finished in Japan.

Way to spot a pre-facelift (01-03) and facelift (04-05)

- Obvious visual differences like headlights, tail lights, front bumper, red & black Recaros

- VIN plate should state LA-EP3 for pre-facelift and ABA-EP3 for facelift.

Somethings to check for is noises from the steering rack and or cracked engine mounts. Both common issues with the EP3.

Pay Gavin at International Motor Group in Lidcombe (also on Parramatta Road) a visit, top bloke. They mainly import exotics, but they import some of the cleanest EP3's. Say Kenneth sent you! :P

Hope that helps,

Kenneth

[T_Money]

Hey Dude,

You should really have a look at a ZZT celica. Having owned a 05 sportivo for 6 months before my ZZT, I can confidently say the Celica is 100 fold better in almost every way (apart from the 5 door thing).

I suppose it really depends what you are chasing, but don't knock them until you try them. (you get used to the looks after a while :P)

[Charlie Trout]

There are some slight variances visually between the JDM and UK Civic Type R.

JDM EP3:

- VIN will start with EP3-1xxxxxx

- Centre console around the stereo is different (it has rounded edges)

- Speedometer is in KMH only, whilst UK will show MPH (and KMH in smaller print)

- Factory LSD

- Factory HID

- Came in Championship White (NH0)

- UK Flag emblem

- Will still say Made in U.K. on the VIN plate as it was built in the U.K. but finished in Japan.

Way to spot a pre-facelift (01-03) and facelift (04-05)

- Obvious visual differences like headlights, tail lights, front bumper, red & black Recaros

- VIN plate should state LA-EP3 for pre-facelift and ABA-EP3 for facelift.

Somethings to check for is noises from the steering rack and or cracked engine mounts. Both common issues with the EP3.

Pay Gavin at International Motor Group in Lidcombe (also on Parramatta Road) a visit, top bloke. They mainly import exotics, but they import some of the cleanest EP3's. Say Kenneth sent you! :P

Hope that helps,

Kenneth

Hey Kenneth,

I appreciate the guidance. Ill give the Ep3 at IMG a look at today or tomorrow. Looks like its pretty clean from the pics. One thing that did phase me, is that i asked about the import papers at two dealerships like you said to do to check the km's, and neither of them could provide me with them. They stated that they never received any log books with the cars and that with some cars they dont get the import papers and some cars they do. Seemed very shonky to me. Also another question, the Ep3 looks bigger than the 5 door sportivo, did you find that the case when you first looked at your car? And also, is the car fuel efficient, ive been looking on different forums and apparently the general consensus is that the majority of owners get over 10.5L/100km on them.

I also just read that the Ep3 can achieve 0-100km/hr in 6.4 seconds, whiles the sportivo only gets there in 8.4secs? I thought guys were getting low 15 second passes in the quarter mile in their N/A sportivos.

Eddie.

[T_Money]

buy a celica!! :P

[Kenneth.]

Hey Kenneth,

I appreciate the guidance. Ill give the Ep3 at IMG a look at today or tomorrow. Looks like its pretty clean from the pics. One thing that did phase me, is that i asked about the import papers at two dealerships like you said to do to check the km's, and neither of them could provide me with them. They stated that they never received any log books with the cars and that with some cars they dont get the import papers and some cars they do. Seemed very shonky to me. Also another question, the Ep3 looks bigger than the 5 door sportivo, did you find that the case when you first looked at your car? And also, is the car fuel efficient, ive been looking on different forums and apparently the general consensus is that the majority of owners get over 10.5L/100km on them.

I also just read that the Ep3 can achieve 0-100km/hr in 6.4 seconds, whiles the sportivo only gets there in 8.4secs? I thought guys were getting low 15 second passes in the quarter mile in their N/A sportivos.

Eddie.

No problems mate! Yeah most imports have no log books, so don't let that discourage you. Mine didn't have any. Again, look at the condition in and out.

6.4 is about right. They put out approximately 122-125kw atw stock. The facelift comes with a lightened flywheel which reduced the 0-100 time by 0.2 seconds. Lol

Check out my flickr and you should find a couple images of my EP3 with an 05 stivo. Lengthwise it's pretty much the same. Possibly a tad wider.