jps137

http://trdparts.jp/english/list_estima5.html BE AFRAID

I heard rumours that the 4th model will be the new Supra and it would be available in 3 grades N/A, Twin Turbo and a very limited run of exceptionally high powered twin turbos

That's because for Toyota owners reliability is actually a factor in the choice of car where as the Holden owners know they are getting crap and are not concerned with reliability (it's got a V8 [insert yellow circle with brainless moron look])

Double thumbs up to that idea May not be practical but it would be brillant, and before you all say no way would cost too much who would pay more than 50k for a Corolla, think how much the Evo's and STi's first went for

One can get prescription safety glasses (I work in construction and have arranged them for several foremen and labourers) and whilst they are not the most trendy items they do the job, otherwise there are safety glasses that you can buy that go over normal glasses. PM me for more info.

Ford Focus XR5 is selling quite well

According to Toyota Motorsport they are available from Toyota Australia (I guess that would mean dealerships but they tend to know nothing Toyota Motorsport or TTE). The other two options are to order it direct from Germany (www.tte.de) or to contact Neil Bates Racing (who are the official Australian distributor)

You are aware that Toyota lied with those figures. Mid to low 15s for the 1/4 mile is possible stock which translates to, at worst, high 7's in the 0-100 run. Holden could have lied about their figures too. but then again, the VS is an older car i.e not putting out as many ponnies. anyway, these car comparison topics always end in frustration/arguments/duels at noon...etc :P . Holden would be unlikely to have lied, Australian manufacturers are almost always trying to report as quick a time as they can whereas the Japanese prefer to be a bit more conservative to be sure that all vehicles can meet the stated figures regardless of drivers ability. It's a bit irrelevant anyway I mean would you really want to be seen driving a VS (or VT or any other Commodore for that matter) when you could driving a Corolla?? B)

Does anyone know if the current model Tarago V6 GLX can be made an 8 seater, (yes I know it is not a listed option but then foglights on a Corolla Ascent is not a listed option but is possible). I need an 8 seater and I want a V6, Does anyone know if it is possible to install the GLi 2nd row into a GLX or do I have to buy a GLi and try to option up to get close to GLX features? I have spoken to a couple of salesmen and they said it was not possible but then they don't appear to think outside the square, in fact they don't appear to even think to the edge of the square.

Be wary not all foreigners are aware of the concept of servicing (in certain countires it translates to washing!!!). I was at a Toyota Dealer recently and overheard the service manager struggling to make a couple understand that engines do require an oil change a bit more regularly than every 2 1/2 years and that it was not a fault of the vehicle that the engine seized due to a distinct lack of oil

From what I had read the cost of the V6 transplant for a SW20 was comparable with Turbo-ing (properly)

Depends on the colour believe it or not. After looking at the photos that Terry provided I agree with you but I actually saw one on white Sportivo just recently at Kellyville / Castle Hill NSW and I must admit it actually looked good. It's a shame the people at Toyota that prepared the Camry brochure only provided one side on picture of it, they may have sold a few more is customers could actually see what it looked like

We got the Camry Gen 5.5 (2005-2006) because of the boot space, sure the Corolla (and other small to midsize cars) might look like they have a big boot, but when you start putting prams and highchairs and ride on toys in there your space disappears fast. We took the pram with us when we went to buy (this proved to be a wise move), we thought the Ford Focus (yes I know shameful looking at a make other than Toyota but there was a corporate deal to be had) had a decent size boot until we put the pram in and found there was not much space for anything else. At the time we bought our Camry it had the biggest boot of the large domestic cars (50L bigger than Falcon and 100L bigger than Commodore which was actually smaller than the Vectra)

A few pointers I found from recent purchasing experiences 1) Get quotes for the car with the accessories/options you want when comparing dealers as the car with the cheapest price for the base vehicle may be more expensive than others when you start optioning. I found one dealer was 20% more expensive on genuine accessories than two others. 2) If you are trading in get your quotes as "change over price" (new vehicle less tradein) as some dealers offer gret trade-ins others offer low prices. 3) Check the detail to be sure you are comparing like with like. A friend purchasing a Ford Territory was quoted $1350 for a roof mounted DVD player and thought he had a bargain as the Genuine Ford item was around $3k he was a bit disappointed to later find that it was an after market article 4) If you are approaching the luxry car tax threshold ($57,123 for 2007-2008 I believe but check for yourself) consider if you need to get those extra dealer fitted accessories at time of purchase (and therefore subject to Luxury Car Tax) or can you get them a week later (afterall do you really want to pay 25% more for floor mats). Of course you need to consider your financing arrangments as this may not be possible. 5) If you wan window tinting contact a window tinter and get a quote before getting dealer quotes as it may be cheaper to take it to the same tinter yourself (have seen $100 saving by taking it yourself) 6) the most important thing ....... have a good read through the Toyota website, this forum and others before going to the dealers to ensure you know as much as you can (and probably more than the salesperson) and if in doubt have a chat with the spare parts counter as they tend to be a bit more knowlegable than the salesperson on technical issues

Of course, as long as they are well dressed

www.trd.com.au now has a list of the TRD dealers, and yes some of you may have doubts about the dealers chosen

Wouldn't surprise me Customer Service were a bit out on the Corolla release date too. I suspect 23rd or 24th is probably more likely, get a write up in Friday's paper and get everyone in over the weekend Excellent :D

Spoke to Customer Service again today, there are to be 5 dealers in Metro Sydney and Castle Hill is one of them. TRD Aurion goes on sale 27/08/07 (according to Customer Service)

According to Toyota Customer Service 27th August is the release date Dealerships - there are to be 5 in Sydney Metro Castle Hill is apparently one of them, they couldn't tell me who the other 4 were just that Windsor was not one of them.

Here are some examples from the USA but I do not know of any in Aust and I was after some feedback from Australian owners (ie. people who like to go around corners quickly not just in a straight line) http://www.bryanf.com/MR2/index.htm http://www.v6mr2.com/

I have read that in the USA installing the 1MZ-FE in the SW20 is a popular option in lieu of installing a turbo engine. Has anyone done this here? and if so what are the results (performance, handling and costs) vs. other engine options?

At last a 3.0L Camry with a little bit of work done. In the words of my friends of non-English speaking backgrounds "Fully Sick Mate".

Dam right, the education of drivers is the issue. Quite a few years back in NSW (not sure if it is the same in other states) the RTA made attendance of a practical course part of the requirement for getting your motorcycle licence, apparently the number of motorcycle deaths dropped drastically, I found having attended the course also made me a safer driver. If only they could introduce something like that for cars and perhaps take the attitude that driving is truly a privilege and not a right and if one fails there test then perhaps they should not get a licence

Got the lights installed last week, a bit pricey but was worth it (I'll keep telling myself that until the Mastercard bill comes in). Had them supplied and fitted by the people at Ryde Toyota and I am very happy with the result, they actually took the time to think through the install (even had the dealer principal involved) and included OEM switchgear rather than a simple "$x for parts and whatever the auto elec costs and lets hope it works". At the same time they carried out the headlight recall work.

The older ones were what I was talking about