Soon to be sportivo owner!?! advice and tips needed on buying one

[gymjunkie23]

Hey guys

New here just after some question and advice on corolla sportivos

Ok so I had a budget of $14,000 max to buy my new car I wanted 4door with abit of power and has to be 4cylinder

So i landed on an 04 accord euro k24 ivtec or a 03-04 corolla sportivo

Now im leaning towards the sportivo as its 6speed manaul more fun,cheaper to insure,cheaper to run,less wear and tear because its a smaller car.

So i just need some tips on what to look out for on this sportivos?

Anything that usually goes wrong? I heard the gearbox had some issues? someone car to elaborate what the issue was and what I should look out for when test driving the car? high rpm shifts crunch?

Anything about the motor I should look out for?

What about service history Every 5000ks or?

Gas does it run on 98octane only? or can it run less without harming the engine?

How about kms most of them have done 150,000kms Plus is that abit to much for these car? what will be worn out by then clutch?,bushing?bearings?

vvtLi or lift as ive heard? what does it feel like can you real feel it kick it at 6000rpm or is it a smooth transition? and when you shift at 8000rpm does the rev drop below lift range like ive heard or no?and ive heard that the lift bolt comes loose on the old 2zzge?

Model difference 03/04/05/06? what are the main difference besides facelift and pre facelift? same enigne?brakes?interiour? anything change?

whats a fair price for these cars? $14,000 abit to much as most people are asking for $15-$18k for them

Im looking at this one tommorow

http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/privat...ivo&trecs=9

thank you very much for your help appriciate it alot ;)

[SuperDave]

Anything that usually goes wrong? I heard the gearbox had some issues? someone car to elaborate what the issue was and what I should look out for when test driving the car? high rpm shifts crunch?

Anything about the motor I should look out for?

What about service history Every 5000ks or?

Gas does it run on 98octane only? or can it run less without harming the engine?

How about kms most of them have done 150,000kms Plus is that abit to much for these car? what will be worn out by then clutch?,bushing?bearings?

vvtLi or lift as ive heard? what does it feel like can you real feel it kick it at 6000rpm or is it a smooth transition? and when you shift at 8000rpm does the rev drop below lift range like ive heard or no?and ive heard that the lift bolt comes loose on the old 2zzge?

Model difference 03/04/05/06? what are the main difference besides facelift and pre facelift? same enigne?brakes?interiour? anything change?

Only gearbox issues are user error. The clutch on about half was out of adjustment from the factory. Easy to see if it has been fixed/didn't have the problem is to try and change gears above 7000rpm; if you need to be he-man to do it, then it needs the adjustment. Cheap and quick to fix.

Nothing extra on the engine to look out for than any other engine.

Service is every 10,000km

98 octane only

How long is a piece of string?

Yes, there is a kick at 6000rpm.

No lift bolt issues on Sportivos, the problem was fixed for the 2003 enigne revision.

Yes, on a 1-2, and 2-3 shift it will drop below 6000rpm, but in the grand scheme of things isn't that big a drama. You can do some fancy shifting to keep it on cam, but that just damages the gearbox.

No Sportivo in 2006. No other changes other than cosmetics, everything else is the same between facelift and prefacelift.

[gymjunkie23]

Anything that usually goes wrong? I heard the gearbox had some issues? someone car to elaborate what the issue was and what I should look out for when test driving the car? high rpm shifts crunch?

Anything about the motor I should look out for?

What about service history Every 5000ks or?

Gas does it run on 98octane only? or can it run less without harming the engine?

How about kms most of them have done 150,000kms Plus is that abit to much for these car? what will be worn out by then clutch?,bushing?bearings?

vvtLi or lift as ive heard? what does it feel like can you real feel it kick it at 6000rpm or is it a smooth transition? and when you shift at 8000rpm does the rev drop below lift range like ive heard or no?and ive heard that the lift bolt comes loose on the old 2zzge?

Model difference 03/04/05/06? what are the main difference besides facelift and pre facelift? same enigne?brakes?interiour? anything change?

Only gearbox issues are user error. The clutch on about half was out of adjustment from the factory. Easy to see if it has been fixed/didn't have the problem is to try and change gears above 7000rpm; if you need to be he-man to do it, then it needs the adjustment. Cheap and quick to fix.

Nothing extra on the engine to look out for than any other engine.

Service is every 10,000km

98 octane only

How long is a piece of string?

Yes, there is a kick at 6000rpm.

No lift bolt issues on Sportivos, the problem was fixed for the 2003 enigne revision.

Yes, on a 1-2, and 2-3 shift it will drop below 6000rpm, but in the grand scheme of things isn't that big a drama. You can do some fancy shifting to keep it on cam, but that just damages the gearbox.

No Sportivo in 2006. No other changes other than cosmetics, everything else is the same between facelift and prefacelift.

thanks mate great info

[Kenshin X]

Can't put it better than sd but in short, although I've been paranoid at times, my TiVo hasn't given me grief so far... It's very economical (when u want it to :P) and gives u the fun when u want it as well

happy lifting :D

[kizz]

The Sportivo is a really fun car! Great combo of reliability (Toyota FTW!), Fuel Economy, maintenence/rego/insurance and power when you want it too!

Lift = awesome! There's a definite boot at 6k-6200rpm.

It will run on 95 octane.

Great car dude, you won't be disapointed!

Edited February 27, 2010 by kizz

[maca_10]

As someone said to me when i was doin the same thing u r doin atm, all people on here are enthusiasts and therefore biased towards the car however

it really is an awesome car and drives and handles great

Also redbook quotes the 05 model to weight 1200 instead of 1224 in the 03-04 model but that could be wrong

neway good luck with the buy

[Kenshin X]

...all people on here are enthusiasts and therefore biased towards the car...

I would say that most people here are enthusiasts, buti wouldn't say that they are ALL biased towards thier car... I for one prefer a honda over a toyota because of thier Type Rs but the prices are a little high... *sob*

but i couldn't pass the corolla sportivo becuz of the features and the engine reliablity... had all the important things i thought was the basis for my needs.

I think what u need to do it research more on the actual car (any car for that matter) before making a purchase... give it like 2 or 3 weeks and if the cars gone, big whoop, just wait for another one. don't rush...

I was looking at another black sportivo in my area and he was selling it for 15,000 but in the end, i found out that it had alot of wear and tear on it (its done 100,000km). it was gonna take an extra 2000 to fix...

the current i got fully checked by my uncle, and he said it was all good... this one i got for 15,500...

oh, remember to check the car with RTA too just in case there are any shifties :D

hope this helps

happy lifting :)

[maca_10]

fair comment not everyone here is biased but most of the people aren't exactly gonna say bad things about their sportivo's

also, getting off topic a litte, the tyre R's are awesome but probably arent as good as daily drives as say a sportivo but for the track, the r's especially the integra is good

also agree with waiting for the right car, i ended up looking at 6 sportivo's b4 i got the right one so look around

[gymjunkie23]

thanks guys deff taking my time deciding preety much made my mind up on a sportivo though...

test drove one today very nice was very impressed except the gearbox@! felt a little clunky if you will didnt seem right still havent hit lift as it was poring down lol...

http://www.carsales.com.au/all-cars/privat...&__Qpb=true

heres the one im pretty keen on owner wants 15.5k ill try bargain it down to 13k then we got a deal..

about the hondas...im a honda boy had my fare share of vtecs from dc2rs to dc5rs also had an ek civic with k24 149.1kw atw na good fun but after something more cheap/reliable that nothing will go wrong if you know what i mean...

[DreadAngel]

fair comment not everyone here is biased but most of the people aren't exactly gonna say bad things about their sportivo's

also, getting off topic a litte, the tyre R's are awesome but probably arent as good as daily drives as say a sportivo but for the track, the r's especially the integra is good

also agree with waiting for the right car, i ended up looking at 6 sportivo's b4 i got the right one so look around

The old Type-Rs aren't for you if you think its not a good daily compared to Sportivo :P It never was and never will be "comfortable" ;) It was made purely to beat the living crap out of anything that's in its class and scare those above it XD

Type-Rs are basically (Old Type-Rs were, the newer ones are soft as...) road legal racers :) Never aimed at your average person wanting a little fast daily =P Minimalistic and raw is the best way to describe them =) They're made to go as fast as possible (NOT in a straight-line, absolutely not what Type-Rs are about) with total efficiency of all components, stuff creature comfort, road noise, etc etc etc...

If you can't handle that, don't bother =P

Edited February 28, 2010 by DreadAngel

[Kenshin X]

100,000 kms is pretty high ks, anything above is regarded as high ks... but if ur gonna just daily drive it then i guess its ok, hitting lift sometimes is good too. These engine were made for high rpms. 1zz also is for that matter too...

but i know ur not gonna drive slow now... r u? :P

if i decide to keep my tivo, i might rebuild (if needed) at 200,000 kms and give it a different colour lol... maybe green hmmm =)

[SuperDave]

100,000km in this day and age isn't all that high.

As for rebuilding at 200,000 km, it only needs to be done if there is something wrong; if there nothing wrong no need to risk a dodgy workshop creating a problem.

[eviltwin]

100,000kms is just run in for a Toyota , ive owned two 400k plus corollas now with no headaches.

[Kenshin X]

100,000kms is just run in for a Toyota , ive owned two 400k plus corollas now with no headaches.

HOLY**** bearings and valve seals and gaskets etc all ok? what year r they? and whats ur secret? lol :P

EDIT: BTW, the only car i saw with 400,000 on the clock was a holden <_<

Edited March 1, 2010 by Kenshin X

[eviltwin]

Both well looked after AE82 Corollas , theres alot of them up on these numbers as they are getting older and older.

[twisties]

i know this is getting a bit off topic but my hilux has done 300,000k's with no rebuild and its still running fine, never had a major problem with it to date :)

[chef]

i know this is getting a bit off topic but my hilux has done 300,000k's with no rebuild and its still running fine, never had a major problem with it to date :)

I hope iam still hitting lift at 300000

[gymjunkie23]

how much would you think a fair price for a sportivo pre facelift is? insuarance values 04 sportivo for $13,000 as most of them are asking $14,000 plus

[Kenshin X]

how much would you think a fair price for a sportivo pre facelift is? insuarance values 04 sportivo for $13,000 as most of them are asking $14,000 plus

fortunately for us owners (not for potential buyers) is that the corolla sportivo has ceased production... thats why the market value is held as it is... people know this so they are trying to hold the prices up abit higher than what its actually worth...

good luck though

P.S. hit lift yet? haha :D

[Kenshin X]

sorry didn't answer your question lol... yes thats reasonable price, but get it checked THROUGHLY before you buy it

good luck

[Kenshin X]

i know this is getting a bit off topic but my hilux has done 300,000k's with no rebuild and its still running fine, never had a major problem with it to date :)

hey twisties, is your hilux diesel? the reason why i'm asking is doesn't diesel engines last longer than petrol engines in general?

[SuperDave]

hey twisties, is your hilux diesel? the reason why i'm asking is doesn't diesel engines last longer than petrol engines in general?

Diesel engines typically have more meticulous servicing (and thus much more expensive) costs than petrol driven vehicles. Combined with the lower revs they operate at and the target market they can last longer. But all comes down to maintenance, a poorly maintained diesel engine won't last as long as a well maintain petrol engine.

[Kenshin X]

hey twisties, is your hilux diesel? the reason why i'm asking is doesn't diesel engines last longer than petrol engines in general?

Diesel engines typically have more meticulous servicing (and thus much more expensive) costs than petrol driven vehicles. Combined with the lower revs they operate at and the target market they can last longer. But all comes down to maintenance, a poorly maintained diesel engine won't last as long as a well maintain petrol engine.

cool, i thought it would last longer because of the oil thats also in the diesel that they use, that it lubricates the pistons n valves better than the petrol engines :P