Altezza info

Blitzkrieger

After extensive googling I still can't find a good source of info for these cars. Does anybody have a link to accurate informtation on them?

I'm thinking of getting a 2001-2003 RS200 in the 10-12k range. I'm hoping to get a reasonably clean BEAMS one. I'm guessing it'll actually be about 190bhp on Irish fuel, which is a bit disappointing, but one of the reasons I'm going for one is that the insurance should be cheaper than my current car. Am I correct in thinking they all have a LSD and traction control as standard? Can the traction control be turned off?

So far the main thing I've heard to watch out for is the condition of some rubber thing on the rear wheels. The 'faulty' CD changer shouldn't be a problem on the cars I'd be looking at.

I'd love a TOMs one, but they're a bit rare and a bit old. TBH, I didn't want to go older than 2002 and I'm hoping for <50,000kms. Is there any other limited editions that I should be looking for? Any particular trim level that's significantly better than standard?

[disclaimer]The OP is not responsible for any flame wars that are generated by OT discussion about whether the Altezza is a scumbag's car or not.[/disclaimer]

Beta Ray Bill

you could probably ask over in modified motors?

a lot of lads there no stuff about these types of cars

could also ask the same question here:
http://altezzaclub.org.au

Beta Ray Bill

you could probably ask over in modified motors?

a lot of lads there no stuff about these types of cars

could also ask the same question here:
http://altezzaclub.org.au

--Kaiser--

LSD and traction control are standard, and yes, traction control can be turned off....

CV joints and power steering pumps can go...a lot times from guys messing with em (drifting and donuts etc...they do have a reputation for idiots driving them)

They're handy enough but not rockets and most of the power is higher up in the rev band.

Atomic Pineapple

They are fairly bad on fuel even when driven normally and not pushed.

Handling isn't that great on them.

Interior is fairly dull.

Even with 190 - 200 bhp there very slow.

Plenty of better cars out there in your price range to be honest

Vertakill

Ah I wouldn't call them 'very slow' to be fair.

They're fairly quick for a 2litre saloon without any turbos.
Quite spacious, and a bit of RWD fun.
Interior is a bit dull, yeah, but I thought their handling was ok?

Volvoboy

Schwaaaar :pac:

Gary ITR

Volvoboy wrote: »

Schwaaaar :pac:

Such a generalisation coming from a Carina driving taximan

Volvoboy

Onkle wrote: »

Such a generalisation coming from a Carina driving taximan

Ya know what they say about them, they're usally right! :pac:

dylbert

have a look at www.tezzaworld.com, lots of info there.

Blitzkrieger

draffodx wrote: »

Plenty of better cars out there in your price range to be honest

Define better. There's better car's out there than what I have now but it was the best car for me at a time. Every car's a compromise. Some people want more space, more comfort other's want more speed, better handling. If I just wanted fast and agile I could probably stretch to an Exige if I really wanted. I'm looking for something very specific and the Altezza seems to be the best car for me right now.

I don't want an engine bigger than 2 litre, so that rules out Skylines, GTOs, 350Zs, Focus ST/RSs and newer Scoobys straight away. Most of those would be ruled out for other reasons too.

My first thought was an EVO, but that would burn too much juice and the insurance would be too high. This also rules out a Sylvia Type R. Ditto for an earlier WRX. I was thinking of a Lancer GSR but everytime I drove it I'd wish it was an EVO.

So very quickly we're in normally aspirated territory. My first tought here was a newer model Celica, but I've spent the last four years mocking one of the lads in work for having one, calling it the 'girls Celica'. I've never liked the look of the things and even though I've heard they handle quite well, I'm not willing to go FWD for that car.

It can't be a Civic because I'm not 12. The image of a car isn't very important to me but there are limits. Integras have always left me cold and after a couple of long journeys in one, I never want to see one again. A Prelude is just too fugly, plus a complete knob end in work has one so I'm not copying him.

I was thining of a Levin/Treuno but, bar one, every one of them I've seem has been badly modified. Over fuelling, badly aspirated and woefully tuned. The one that wasn't needed a fortune spent on it to get it right.

Soft-tops like the MX-5 or the S2000 just wouldn't work either. You can get folding hard top versions of both new, but the budget wouldn't stretch anywhere near that. A 3-series would be an obvious choice too and there's plenty of them around.....which is part of the problem. There's loads of them around and everybody who drives one seems to be a wanker.

So the Altezza will be more comfortable than my current car and give a reasonable level of performance while being easier to maintain and lighter on fuel.

Having said all that I'm very tempted by Homer's Porsche......

martydunf

Blitzkrieger wrote: »

My first thought was an EVO, but that would burn too much juice and the insurance would be too high. This also rules out a Sylvia Type R. Ditto for an earlier WRX. I was thinking of a Lancer GSR but everytime I drove it I'd wish it was an EVO.

Sylvia Spec-R's arent that bad on juice, high 20's low 30's when driven reasonably(;)) which is about the same if not better than an Altezza.
Also there 250bhp standard.

Ferris

Blitzkrieger wrote: »

My first thought was an EVO, but that would burn too much juice and the insurance would be too high. This also rules out a Sylvia Type R.

An irish 200sx is pretty easy to insure and I get 25mpg on a short trip and 35+ on long trips. Certainly no worse then an Altezza. I find it a comfortable car even tho the suspension is quite stiff. No traction control however.

The main problem is finding one that hasn't been trashed or is rusty - same as the Altezza. I have a reasonable one but I know of another one owner car thats in lovely nick, the owner won't sell it to me even though he's bought a new A5. Don't know what that says about the sx or the A5:)

Midnight_EG

Blitzkrieger wrote: »

traction control as standard? Can the traction control be turned off?

So far the main thing I've heard to watch out for is the condition of some rubber thing on the rear wheels.

Those rubber things would be your tires


The bum likes to step out, wouldnt recomment turning off TCS

Blitzkrieger

Smart arse. There's some sort of bushing that's part of the hub assembly that can be dodgy.

I might see if I can get a quote on a Sylvia to be sure, but I can't imagine it'll compare well to an Altezza quote. Can't get a quote on any website I've tried online.





@dylbert - thanks for that link. Plenty of info on there if you're willing to sort though it.

Midnight_EG

I know

Sqaull20

Dont see the point of spending that insane money on one of those OP.Haven't driven one, but figures of 180-190bhp on normal fuel and 0-60 of 8 secs is nothing special, diesel Octavia's, A4's, 320d's are capable of that with double the mpg and no insurance issues.

Quotes are cheap because you are being tricked into think the Altezza is something its not, ie fast.I would gladly pay the extra in fuel ( wouldnt be much worse ) and insurance of the Evo or Wrx etc as you are getting the real deal.

Some modern petrol turbo charged cars, that would be all round better buys for similar money.

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200925194362619

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200927194475929

For 12k cash you would take away this MPS ( I know people are sick of me posting this, but its insane value ), which would annialate an Altezza.Its a year old and under warranty, see now why people think you are crazy;)

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200926194444273

If I wanted something big and comfortable, with some poke I would buy this.Is an Altezza 6-8k better than?I thjink no.

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200933194918099

Ferris

Sqaull20 wrote: »

For 12k cash you would take away this MPS ( I know people are sick of me posting this, but its insane value ), which would annialate an Altezza.Its a year old and under warranty, see now why people think you are crazy;)

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200926194444273

Jebus, that is an unreal car for that money.

anthony4335

I really don't think that the RS200 is really worth the money that is been asked for them. I looked at them before buying a IS200 ,you can get better kit for less money. However those that own them seem to love them. For 12K you can get a 2005 Is200 exec, as compared to a 2002 RS200. As for MPG I get a constant 30MPG out of mine, and I have been told that the RS gets the same. If I was going to get one I would go for an original one, no mods. The only issue I know of with both the IS and RS is the gear box can be dodgy, so check them out carefully, use all the gears, and check for clutch judder, especially in 3rd and 5th.

Blitzkrieger

TBH I'm not interested in the extra kit the Lexus has. To me the Altezza being lighter and more powerful is more important.

That said power isn't everything. I hadn't considered an MPS 'cos I thought they'd be out of my price range and it does actually break my 'nothing more expensive than a 2.0 to tax' rule. I'm still not considering it because 250bhp+ in a FWD car is madness. It's also slower than my current car so would have to compensate in other ways for it.

The Octavia RS is tempting but again is slower than my current car and doesn't offer significant enough savings to make me want it's ugly ass.

I couldn't have the Saab - I'm not 90

Atomic Pineapple

How about a uk spec 200sx S14a?

Cheaper than an Altezza, Faster, Turbo with massive potential.

MPG will be better or the same as the Altezza on a standard one and insurance is cheap as its not a Japanese import.





Only thing is going to the UK might be the only way to get the exact one you would want, some bargains to be had though

Midnight_EG

Mister tax man would like to stick his thumb in you and wiggle the metaphorical cash out of your metaphorical wallet :P

Blitzkrieger

Nah - too old. I'm hoping to not go older than 2002. I'll probably keep the car for a good few years so I don't want the milage to be too high either. Gets harder to find lower milage cars the older you go obviously.

It's not that I'm not open to other cars. Just spent a half hour looking at a 2003 twin turbo Legacy for 7,500. Just couldn't get past it's woeful power output - 187bhp. Nice price though. I know I could spend more but I'd really rather come in closer to 10k for a car rather than 12. Sub 10k for a 2003 did appeal to me.


BTW, did anybody else find it weird that I described an Octavia RS as ugly when I'm thinking of buying an Altezza?

Atomic Pineapple

You'd probably get a 2002 Legacy B4 RSK for 10k?

bladebrew

would insurance not be a problem because they are jap imports?? and the reputation there owners have:)

i have heard somewhere (sorry cant remember) that they are very heavy and thats why they are not as quick as you would imagine,wikipedia says 1570kg! and


"The 2JZ-GE powered IS series are popular amongst tuners[11] in the U.S. because of their 6-cylinder engines and FR layout. The Altezza is mostly popular amongst tuners not only because of its possible engine swap for the previous generation Toyota Supra's 2JZ-GTE motor,[5][12] but as it is viewed as the successor to the AE86.[12] Modified versions of the 2JZ-GTE have been seen with over 750 kW (1000 hp)."

1000hp:eek:,nice cars in my opinion but to many have been modified and abused!

Blitzkrieger

Insurance would be less than a third of what I'm paying now which was one of the main things that attracted me to it. They are fairly heavy so that blunts the performance a bit, but I'm willing to sacrifice a fair bit of performance for reduced running costs.

I like that RSK. There's a nice '03 saloon that could be in my price range. I could forgive it's looks (not that it's ugly, but it's not nice either) especially since I'd be halving my insurance, but it seems a bit thirsty. I'm seeing horror stories of sub-20mpg.

Sqaull20

Blitzkrieger wrote: »

TBH I'm not interested in the extra kit the Lexus has. To me the Altezza being lighter and more powerful is more important.

That said power isn't everything. I hadn't considered an MPS 'cos I thought they'd be out of my price range and it does actually break my 'nothing more expensive than a 2.0 to tax' rule. I'm still not considering it because 250bhp+ in a FWD car is madness. It's also slower than my current car so would have to compensate in other ways for it.

The Octavia RS is tempting but again is slower than my current car and doesn't offer significant enough savings to make me want it's ugly ass.

I couldn't have the Saab - I'm not 90

Why do you say its madness?

Times have moved on and the MPS goes around a track brillantly as does similar powered FWD Focus RS etc, the MPS is loaded with every kind of traction control and what not, you can imagine.

http://www.caradvice.com.au/489/mazda-3-mps/

What car do you have now? Fella's have been able to push the MPS past 290kmh with electronic limiter turned off and its faster to 0-200kmh than a EVO X FQ 300;)

http://www.caradvice.com.au/489/mazda-3-mps/

What about the 6 MPS, has 4wd and blistering quick as well.

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200932194846359

cpoh1

Sqaull20 wrote: »

Why do you say its madness?

Times have moved on and the MPS goes around a track brillantly as does similar powered FWD Focus RS etc, the MPS is loaded with every kind of traction control and what not, you can imagine.

http://www.caradvice.com.au/489/mazda-3-mps/

What car do you have now? Fella's have been able to push the MPS past 290kmh with electronic limiter turned off and its faster to 0-200kmh than a EVO X FQ 300;)

http://www.caradvice.com.au/489/mazda-3-mps/

What about the 6 MPS, has 4wd and blistering quick as well.

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200932194846359

How many different types of traction control is there out there?!

If you have such a horn for these cars and paper stats then go away and buy one and stop mentioning them in every thread :rolleyes:

Blitzkrieger

I'd love a 6 MPS but they're fairly rare - that's the only one I've seen for sale. I drove a 626 before and found that surprisingly good for what it was. The 6 is supposed to be a vast improvement on that, and the MPS a vast improvement on the standard car. I'd live with how bland it looks. What type of money would I have to pay for parts though? That car has 40k miles on it too. Wonder when the timing belt would be due....


The 3 MPS needs it's fancy diffs and traction control to reign in the power. It doesn't even give full power in first and second. Doesn't the fact that it needs all this hint at a fundamental problem? It'd be like sticking the engine over the rear wheels so the car's tail happy then spending 40 years trying to engineer around it

Sqaull20

cpoh1 wrote: »

How many different types of traction control is there out there?!

If you have such a horn for these cars and paper stats then go away and buy one and stop mentioning them in every thread :rolleyes:

Ok I wont post here anymore.

Blitzkrieger

Jebus but the new VRT rates are good for Irish car dealers. There's a lot more Mazda 6 MPSs and other cars mentioned here in the UK, and some even offer a decent saving over the Irish price, but the VRT ****s it all. I tried to get a quote on bringing in a 2005 MPS but the online calculator just returned that it couldn't be found, said it was applying the highest rate in bold font, and said it would be 33% of the market value of 43,000 :eek:

Even if I phone them up and get a quote with less of the retardedness attached to public sector undertakings, it would still bring the price up so close to what Irish dealers are charging that it's not worth my while. ****ing government and their illegal taxes....

--Kaiser--

Blitzkrieger wrote: »

I was thining of a Levin/Treuno but, bar one, every one of them I've seem has been badly modified. Over fuelling, badly aspirated and woefully tuned. The one that wasn't needed a fortune spent on it to get it right.

I agree there are an awful lot of ham-fisted Levins around, badly placed induction kits, too-loud exhausts, bulky body kits and ridiculous 17" wheels. At the same time it's easy enough to get a standard one fresh from Japan, won't have been dogged and more than likely spotless. They are quite practical and easily get 30-35 MPG

Biro

Sqaull20 wrote: »

What about the 6 MPS, has 4wd and blistering quick as well.

http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=200932194846359

Something sus about that 6... could be a scam. Too cheap and they only came in this country in 2006, I think it's hard to find a 2005 one in the UK even. Plus that reg looks like it says 06.

Blitzkrieger

It's not that cheap really. There's one in a dealer in Dublin for 4k more with lower milage.

bumble1

they are the new VW Bora they are the ultimate chavs car lol buy a fast car