mick0082

Thats true about the package price but you also have to be weary of what its going to cost you down the track when its time to buy new tyres. Personally i'm more worried about how its going to ride with 18's and lowered moreso than the money

Is the Corolla wearing 16's or 17's?

I've had a few issues with 2-3 shifts in the first day or two as well. For me it was just like alot of the other members here....getting used to the car. I only mainly drive the car on the weekends so it will take me a little longer to sort it out exactly. Practice makes perfect!

ZAV - Let me know how you go finding tyres for 18's or 19's. I've found that good quality tyres (no no name chinese or taiwanese crap) for 18's start from around $300-350 per skin. Thats for a 225/35/18. That perfrectly fits an 18x7.5 rim and stays close to original rolling diameter, thats will the correct load rating too. I'd hate to think what tyres for 19's are worth. This is why i might end up with only 17's (starting from $150 a tyre) Anyways the subject here is colour. Joefran, If you want a colour that is easy to maintain then go for white or silver. If you have the time and patience to be detailing 2-3 times a week then go for the black or blue. If you really want to stand out for for the red. I've had a dark blue, light blue, black and Burgundy cars. My girlfriend has silver. This time around I chose white as I no longer have the time to be detailing every second day. (I cant stand the car being dirty). Plus its different and looks very sharp in the Sportivo. Theres some food for thought!

I think the level of performance and equipment for the price that is getting people in. Its one of the reasons i'm behind the wheel of one now!

After just having read the article I can say I dodnt really see eye to eye with the writer of this piece. Seems hes comparing apples with oranges. listing the retail price of a Sportivo and then going on to list a list of "quite used" alternatives for 2/3 of the price doesnt seem to make a convincing story. I dont need to tell anyone here that used cars carry so much more risk than buying a brand spanker. I cant see how the writer can compare a swag of mid to late 90's performance car with a brand new vehicle. Sure some of the vehicles mentioned would beat a sportivo down the 1/4 but its not all about that. Yes, the used vehicles are cheaper but these cars are mostly over 5 years old and 100,000km's. It doesnt really seem like a fair conparison to me. Relevant for people looking to buy on that budget but then again they wouldnt be looking for a Sportivo in the first place would they?

Your right Jade, the rings in the GenIII's weren't the best and many owners had alot of problems (rebuilds and even new engines to resolve). 5w-30 is what Castrol recommends for that engine and to be honest 4 GenIII's cant be wrong. None of these vehicles ever used a drop of oil and 3 of the 4 covered over 80,000km's before sold. The 5w-30 oil was used from the first 1000km service right through to the end of ownership with no hassles. That has to say something right? ← Hate to break this to you but our cars don't have genIII's :P :P :D ← Of course, how silly of me. Merely trying to illustrate that this Oil has been proven in a variety of situations. Its one thing for people to say a product is good/bad. Its experience that actually proves these comments. This is not to say that any of the other oils mentioned here arent any good. Everyone has their preferance for a reason and this is what we are here to discuss.

Hi Overloade, I've had my 2005 Sportivo for about 10 days now and noticed the exact same thing the day after I picked it up. There was condensation inside both headlights which went away after the first day or so. Since then I havent noticed any condensation although I am keeping an eye out for it. If this continues to be a problem then this would mean that the headlight assembly is not properly sealed and should be replaced under warranty. My last car (Hyundai Accent) has this problem twice from brand new, both times Hyundai replaced the whole light without hesitation. I would assume that Toyota should do the same. Keep and eye and an ear out for other issues that other members on here have experienced. My car has about 700km on it and last night for the first time I heard a scraping sound during engine braking that other users in pre facelift model sportivos have encountered. So just be weary of everything, listen to the car while you drive it, every problem you have should be raised with Toyota before or at the 1000km service.

In order of preferance... BP Ultimate whenever possible or failing that Synergy 8000, Optimax or Vortex 98

Your right Jade, the rings in the GenIII's weren't the best and many owners had alot of problems (rebuilds and even new engines to resolve). 5w-30 is what Castrol recommends for that engine and to be honest 4 GenIII's cant be wrong. None of these vehicles ever used a drop of oil and 3 of the 4 covered over 80,000km's before sold. The 5w-30 oil was used from the first 1000km service right through to the end of ownership with no hassles. That has to say something right?

2" should be enough. I'm fitting 18's before the drop, a quick measure up after fitting the rims will confirm if I need to go lower. I love the lowrider look but I need the car the be practical. I travel long didstances at time and need a compliant ride, i've had rough bouncy cars so this time round i'm looking to maintain the stock ride quality as much as possible.

Sorry to hear about everyone bad experiences on Magnatec. I used it from new in my last car (Hyundai Accent). It covered 62,000km before I sold it, it never burnt a drop of oil, never blew smoke nor smelt like it. I would use it again on the new car (05 Sportivo) except Castrol recommend Formula R 5W-30 (for fast fours and latest technology engines). My family has used this variant of Formula R in 4 GenIII's (from both the Holden and HSV family) as well as in a new V6 Prado. None of those vehicles used a drop of oil and all of the GenIII's were driven very "spiritedly" on a day to day basis. (note: services occurred every 5,000km) At the end of the day everyone has their own preferences, but I thought I would share my experiences and findings.

I thought I in other posts that many users have experienced little or no issue with the stock shocks if they lower 35mm or less. Is this not the case? I guess what I am trying to work out is if I lower on kings and then find shortly after that I have to replace the shocks I would have rathered fork out for decent coil overs to start with. Alternateivly, if lowering on a better spring (eibachs etc) stops the need for shock replacement then obviously I would rather spend the extra money on those upfront. I understand some people concentrate on getting the desired effect for the lowest price but i'm more concerned with having to pull the car apart and change parts all the time. I'd prefer the job to be done once and done properly. Any input would be appreciated!

Yep, Engine, gearbox, kit and interior all nice pieces of gear that would fetch good cash, especially seeing as though it was all brand new.

Seriously that reaks of an inside job, but hey lets not get too carried away with that thought in this day and age. I picked up my car on friday and would have been absolutley horrified to find it gone on saturday morning. Sorry to hear about it man, as has been mentioned above, as horrible as this sounds just hope that the car isnt found or is written off, who wants a car thats been thrashed by someone. You brought a new car, new car is what you should get. Lets hope you find out who it is so you can bust his kneecaps!

Wow, Cant believe the box blew after 500km. I spent the weekend getting aquainted with my new baby. It took a whole weekend of driving to get used to the car, At first I took it very easy with gear changes and the speed of which that I was trying to complete them. The slower the better when your starting out. Because the gears are so much closer than most cars you really have to take care, especially on down shifts, you dont wanna go looking for 5th and land in 3rd. Once you've worked the box out and are confidnet that you can land it in any gear u wish you can now go out and have some real fun. Bashing your box around from day one is no doubt why you've experienced some problems. Clutchless shifting (cant remember the correct terminology guys) in a car your not familiar with, not a good idea, you should know it inside out with the clutch before trying that. Not saying that there wasnt something wrong with the drivetrain but it doesnt sound like you've helped it out any.

i may be wrong but i thought threadlock is just to stop the bolt from loosening only from vibration. i have the genuine toyota short antennas as the runx from japan. but at $39 each i do not think people here would pay that much. the reception would still be good with no antenna whip attached if you are in a good reception area but if you drive out and far it should deteriorate quite fast. ← KCorro - When you say your antenna is "genuine toyota" do you mean it is available here in Australia from a Toyota dealer? I've been looking around at alot of cars over the weekend and also noticed that apart from the Nissan X-Trail, the Honda CRV has a nice stubby antenna that looks like it might fit. Has anyone tried one of these?

Thats a good idea considering I just rang Nissan and the spare parts dept quoted me $57.25 for an x-trail antenna, what a rip!

Can anyone who already has an X-Trail antenna please post up the cost? I would imagine it wouldnt be too expensive but with Genuine parts you never know.

Depends, there are a couple of others on here that prefer to be part of 'Team Panda'... :P ← Panda? Do their cars have black spots? Or are the sports the tinted windows and tyres?

Are there many in Team Snowflake? I havent heard of there being many white owners on here....

Yay, a new guy like myself. I pick my Sportivo up tomorrow! Is there a Team Snowflake? I think i'm part of a minority arent I?

8000rpm with 250km on the clock??? If she grabs a piston you'll know all about it. Yes you should take it easier til the first service, you can still rev it up and give her some, but going near that redline, valve bouncing, dumping clutches and carrying on isnt something i'd be doing too often regardless of km's on the odometer. At this point I am clearly reminded why I went for a brand newie!

Yes, some very valid points there. Another thing to add in there jus tto illustrate the issue though: In most cases its well documented and tested that most of the slightly dearer reknowed brands of tyres will handle better, stop quicker and perform better in the wet than the cheaper tyres when tested under the same conditions. This is the safety issue i'm talking about. So whether its slow driving, normal driving or track driving the better tyres will be safer when tested back to back. I realise purchase comes down to things like budget and driving style, some people wont ever have a problem with the cheaper tyres as they may be more conservative. But for people like us who like to enjoy "spirited drives" i'm sure most of us would be happier with the better tyre simply because of the combination of ride, hold and feel. Personally, i'm happier with the peace of mind that I may have a little better chance on the better rubber if something does happen to go wrong. Yes this rambling contains alot of ifs, buts and variables but this is how I feel on the subject.

I'd be interested in a set at those prices. I rang a suspension guy here in canberra the other day to have a set of low king springs supplied and fitted and he quoted me $600. I smell a rip off.