Toyota Levin bz-r, what are they like??

outer

Hi all,
I was thinking of buying a toyota levin bz-r. I was just wondering if anyone could give me some insights on what they are like to drive, to maintain, running costs ect.
I know there a bz-g and i heard that the have slightly less power is this true.
Also how high is too high millage on a car like this??
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Atomic Pineapple

nothing wrong with them for a 1.6 car, you'll have about 150 - 160 bhp from one so quick enough,
they handle quite well thanks to the super strut suspension but this does wear out and is expensive to fix, 3k from toyota i've heard but can be got for 1k elsewhere,
I'm not sure about the r and g differences but one of them is less powerfull i think i'm not sure which.
if you find one that has been looked after then high mileage shouldn't be a problem

woop

I love them never been in one though as the guy above said the superstrut seems to be a common problem
but I see one everyday and its lovely

meant to be hard to insure due to them being classed a perfomance car or something

Dirty_Diesel

I took this as a trade in on my car. It was a lovely car to drive but too hard. It was a BZR (blacktop) with the superstrut. They are nowhere near the claimed 170bhp!
I had to replace a lower arm in the suspension before I sold it, overall cost €580 :eek: I've heard of fellas wanting to swop the superstrut with a non-superstrut suspension.

dcGT

Great. I really like them.
BZ-R is the better spec. Both the BZ-G and BZ-R have the same engines (1.6L 4A-GE 20V. Spec sheet says 165BHP but you won't get that, even on Jap Fuel.
Differences (among others) between the R and the G are:
BZ-R has:
ABS
Limited Slip Diff
6 speed box
Better Brakes

DC.

MATTHEW18

i was just woundering i bought a 2000 levin and the sales man told me that it was a bzg but he wasnt quiet sure i think it could be a bzg it has a 6 speed gear box and abs i was just woundering is there any noticable difference if anyone can help thanks

omb0wyn5ehpij9

I've never driven one, but anybody who owned one that i have ever talked to have said they are great car :cool:

miss enzo

good car! very comfy to drive... have to say i love the 6 speed gearbox (i wish the FTO had one!) Not unreal fast or nethin but decent pickup for a 1.6. Go for the BZ-R not an awful lot of difference between the two but if ur gonna buy one you might as well get the top spec one!

as stated above the suspension is expensive to fix and quite a few ppl take out the super strut but these cars are quite popular now so second hand parts are handy enuf to come by!

ExoduS 18.11

Many tuning capabilities?

miss enzo

i know the older ones came in a super charged version.... dunno about the newer ones but i know you can get a supercharger for the new ones but as far as i know they didnt come from factory like that!! i could be wrong tho!

MATTHEW18

i was just woundering does anyone know an on line store that sells brake pads fo levin and is the any good pads to get

dcGT

MATTHEW18 wrote: »

i was just woundering i bought a 2000 levin and the sales man told me that it was a bzg but he wasnt quiet sure i think it could be a bzg it has a 6 speed gear box and abs i was just woundering is there any noticable difference if anyone can help thanks

The only thing that's potentially different in terms of power is the 'blacktop' and 'silvertop' engines. Blacktops, due to lighter internals and a few tweaks here and there put out a few more BHP than the silvertops (not much though).

MATTHEW18 wrote: »

i was just woundering does anyone know an on line store that sells brake pads fo levin and is the any good pads to get

Not sure about online stores, but Jomo Engineering sell the EBC Red Stuff pads for the BZ-R (about €100 for a front set). I've bought them and used them and they're pretty good. Low-dust pads too so won't dirty the alloys as bad. The BZ-R usually has the same front pads as the 92 MR2 Turbo.

DC.

dcGT

ExoduS 18.11 wrote: »

Many tuning capabilities?

There always are if you have the money -
5zigen exhausts
4 branch manifolds
Toda flywheels
Uprated clutches
ITB trumpets

are popular

There aren't huge power gains to be had but the 4A-GE block is a proven and solid base.

DC

damo2006

Ae111 is a cracking car, most common models are BZ-G and BZ-R the latter coming with super strut suspension as standard and six speed box,lsd,bigger front brakes(same as mr2 turbo),super strut was an extra on the BZ-G and came with 5 speed, they both stock black top 20v engines which produced 165ps, lovley revy engine, imo the expensive super strut is well worth the enjoyment you get from the amazing handling.

A healthy black top on the rollers here would be anything form 150-160bhp at the flywheel

They tend to use oil, mainly down to valve stem oil seals, this coupled with a small sump see's the big ends going if you dont check your oil regularly, they will go before you get an oil warning light on your dash.

Thats it really

dcGT

Just on the Superstrut suspension - There are 2 main parts on either side:

1) Camber control arm, AKA 'Figure of 8'
2) Lower suspension arm

Having had to replace some of these, I just thought I'd share the prices:

1) is €90
2) is €300

from Toyota (supply only)

Symptoms include:
- Squeaking suspension when turning
- Poor steering response
- Steering wheel pulling to one side under heavy braking & accelerating

If you're looking at one, check these parts out thoroughly. As already said, when it is working properly, the results are fantastic.

If you do get one of these cars, be prepared to drive slowly/carefully on poor roads & speed ramps if you want to keep your suspension.

DC

damo2006

dcGT wrote: »

Just on the Superstrut suspension - There are 2 main parts on either side:

1) Camber control arm, AKA 'Figure of 8'
2) Lower suspension arm

Having had to replace some of these, I just thought I'd share the prices:

1) is €90
2) is €300

from Toyota (supply only)

Symptoms include:
- Squeaking suspension when turning
- Poor steering response
- Steering wheel pulling to one side under heavy braking & accelerating

If you're looking at one, check these parts out thoroughly. As already said, when it is working properly, the results are fantastic.

If you do get one of these cars, be prepared to drive slowly/carefully on poor roads & speed ramps if you want to keep your suspension.

DC

Exactly

The part shown here where the finger is pointing, the part the connects the suspension arm to the super strut arm is the fig.8 i.e. €90, what joins into that is the more expensive arm i.e. 320









Bigger arm


sus diagram as on Toyota computer

outer

Thanks for all of you who posted info. Ive been doing alot of research on these cars.
I have to ask though, do you guys not think that some dealers are riping the piss a bit for 9+ year old cars???

dcGT

outer wrote: »

Thanks for all of you who posted info. Ive been doing alot of research on these cars.
I have to ask though, do you guys not think that some dealers are riping the piss a bit for 9+ year old cars???

Yes, but like anything, the market will charge what people will pay (or it used to, things have change recently in the used car market!)

DC.

S.I.R

outer wrote: »

Hi all,
I was thinking of buying a toyota levin bz-r. I was just wondering if anyone could give me some insights on what they are like to drive, to maintain, running costs ect.
I know there a bz-g and i heard that the have slightly less power is this true.
Also how high is too high millage on a car like this??
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

To be honest, the levin is a discrace to toyota, a cheap low budget banger made to keep costs down...


either buy a e10 onwards or pre 84 corrolla, nothing else in the corrolla range will do.

thats just my two cents though, feel free to go on and experiance the econemy that toyota was putting into there cars at the time... Though they can be fun with the giant blower bolted on, you cant really insure or test a car like that.... you'd get a skytline or a supra for less.... even a half decent porshe if your fellin lucky.

outer

S.I.R wrote: »

To be honest, the levin is a discrace to toyota, a cheap low budget banger made to keep costs down...


either buy a e10 onwards or pre 84 corrolla, nothing else in the corrolla range will do.

thats just my two cents though, feel free to go on and experiance the econemy that toyota was putting into there cars at the time... Though they can be fun with the giant blower bolted on, you cant really insure or test a car like that.... you'd get a skytline or a supra for less.... even a half decent porshe if your fellin lucky.

Mmmmm porche, alas that will be a lone time coming.

outer

JimmyCrackCorn! wrote: »

9k is taking the piss. Do a search privately you will be very surprised what's in the market at those prices.

9k is taking the piss, but i dont know that much about cars to buy privatly if ya know what i mean. At least with the dealer if something goes wrong, i have some come back.

JimmyCrackCorn!

outer wrote: »

9k is taking the piss, but i dont know that much about cars to buy privatly if ya know what i mean. At least with the dealer if something goes wrong, i have some come back.

Have a look on CBG that will give you a range of prices.
For 9 grand the car would want to be absolutely spotless as that's top Price.

If you get it from a dealer your paying more anyway for the warranty(if any or if the warranty covers anything).

Dont buy one from a dealer without seeing the auction sheet either. If they give you some crap story about not having the auction sheet one walk away.

Also its a buyers market now so go fight for a good price.

outer

JimmyCrackCorn! wrote: »

Have a look on CBG that will give you a range of prices.
For 9 grand the car would want to be absolutely spotless as that's top Price.

If you get it from a dealer your paying more anyway for the warranty(if any or if the warranty covers anything).

Dont buy one from a dealer without seeing the auction sheet either. If they give you some crap story about not having the auction sheet one walk away.

Also its a buyers market now so go fight for a good price.

Thanks jimmy, thats some sound advice regarding the auction sheet. Would a private individual have that aswell, or is it really only something the person who bought at auction would have?

dcGT

S.I.R wrote: »

To be honest, the levin is a discrace to toyota, a cheap low budget banger made to keep costs down...


feel free to go on and experiance the econemy that toyota was putting into there cars at the time...

I know it's each to their own, but now I'm curious........examples?

DC

MATTHEW18

does anyone know the colour code or where it is on the levin its a blue one

copeyhagen

dcGT wrote: »

I know it's each to their own, but now I'm curious........examples?

DC

ignore him he talks a serious amount of sh1t.

know all that knows fuk all

SV

copeyhagen wrote: »

ignore him he talks a serious amount of sh1t.

know all that knows fuk all

Exactly..


lol, he tries to make everyone believe he is a mechanic, Has drove EVERY car ever talked about here and has owned several cars(which if ya look over his posts, his first car is only recent)
His posts are full of ****. Sooner he stops posting the better.

fallon54

S.I.R wrote: »

To be honest, the levin is a discrace to toyota, a cheap low budget banger made to keep costs down...


either buy a e10 onwards or pre 84 corrolla, nothing else in the corrolla range will do.

thats just my two cents though, feel free to go on and experiance the econemy that toyota was putting into there cars at the time... Though they can be fun with the giant blower bolted on, you cant really insure or test a car like that.... you'd get a skytline or a supra for less.... even a half decent porshe if your fellin lucky.

For the little amount of browsing I do on here your posts never cease to amaze me considering how ill-informed they are. Couldn't agree more with ClioV6.

--Kaiser--

I may be a little biased (having bought one a few months ago) but I think they're fantastic. It's a Blacktop 20V BZ-R, which is the top model, mostly stock with TRD exhaust, lowering springs and air filter. Great acceleration (it's limited to 111 miles an hour or so cos it's Jap) and unbelievable handling thanks to the Superstrut, I heard a lot about banjaxed suspensions arms, but I've had no trouble with it, just be careful around speed bumps, country roads and the like.

The guy who owned before me had fitted TODA cams and throttle bodies and managed to get 0 - 60 in 6.9 secs, not bad for 1.6 litres!

MATTHEW18

hi does anyone know how to fix the air con on a 2000 bzr or where the filter for it is

Yakult

S.I.R wrote: »

To be honest, the levin is a discrace to toyota, a cheap low budget banger made to keep costs down...

lol.

Anyway, I like Levins. They always appeal to me for some reason. Just the looks alone I love. Great handling cars and quiet quiet if tuned right.

Just wondering, where do levin owners get their mods? I cant find any.

chawkey9

MATTHEW18 wrote: »

i was just woundering i bought a 2000 levin and the sales man told me that it was a bzg but he wasnt quiet sure i think it could be a bzg it has a 6 speed gear box and abs i was just woundering is there any noticable difference if anyone can help thanks

I bought a BZ-R levin not so long ago .. the main difference is the BZ-G is like the standard model where u can request extras (like a sunroof, 6 speed gear box etc..) The BZ-R was only sold with 6 speed gear box, either way theres no real difference ... basically, everything on ther bzr was an opintal extra on the bzg.

Atomic Pineapple

This thread is over a year old, please don't drag up old threads