SR5 and GT4???

[Den]

After like two months or three, I am back again.

My Gen 3 Camry is gone; I got hit by a GMC van. It is total lost...
Anyway, to replace my Gen 3, I decided to get a older car for myself.
I find two choices for myself on autotrader:
89 corolla SR5 180k on it
88 celica GT4 200k on it

I have a few questions about two cars:
first of all
what's the common problems of those car
anything that I have to pay special attention to it?

second
GT4 is a turbo car, and how can I know if the turbo is working fine
how to I test it out?

third
similar to second, 89 sr5 has a carb. engine. Anything I have to take special care?

thx to answer my question
hopefully, I can pick one of out these two before the coming week.

: )
________________________________________________
Always Toyota~!

[Xenon]

I have a 1990 SR5, it's a really nice car and I love it! You can check my www if you want. I can't really help you with the engine because I have the EFI and not Carb.
But there's a few things you need to watch out with when buying an AE92 in general..

Headligh motors, driver rear tail light area usually leaks water into the trunk (So take the carpeting in the trunk off and check that. Car doesn't come with rear speakers, I had to make a space for the 6x9" I installed in mine! Wheel wells alaways rust, (lower fender area's) unless the car was taken care of and rust proofed.

If you have any specific questions, don't hesitate to ask. I'm willing to help.

[Lafora]

get the GT4
for 3500, u can't go wrong.

that's if it's a TRUE GT4 and not a GTS like it's listed

[project trueno]

it depends on what u are looking for

if you want a sporty car, they both fit the list

if you want a more reliable, fuel efficient vehicle, then for sure the SR5

but if you're tilting more towards power/performance, then no doubt the GT4, they're rare and unique

i've read reviews way back on GT4s, the most common problem ppl list is the engine overheating, but a hood scoop (since it doesn't have one until the ST185) will help, and upgrade your cooling system

best of luck to you

[Deep]

I saw the ad for the Alltrac. The body is a GTS, but the ad reads Turbo 4wd so I dunno. The Alltrac has fogs integrated into the bumper but the car in the pic doesn't, then again it is wearing Alltrac rims. If it is an Alltrac grab it, he seems to have replaced all the problem parts, just watch out for oil leaks and rust.

No offense to anyone but these two cars are in completely different leauges. The Celi was one of the top performance cars offered by Toyota at the time, on par with the MKIII Supra.

[Den]

First of all, thx all everyone who have replied.

NOW, let me tell you guys what i have noticed about both cars

89 Corolla SR5

-It has repaint in last year, the exterior body is excellent, except a rust spot on rear passenger fender.

-Four tires are new, it were installed on May this year.

-It has a sunroof(power), working fine.

-the interior is excellent as well, very very clean. ( can't believe it is 14 years old )

-engine sounds healthy, the idling is good. e test and certified

-the exhaust systerm has been replace

actually, i am quiet satisfy with the SR5.
if it is $ 2995 CAD, what do you guys think? 180km on it
how much should a 89 SR5 worth toay??


Celica GT4
I just checked this car out an hour ago.
It is a real GT4, i opened up the hood and the trunk. It is totally different with GTS. It has intercooler(very small); and it is 4WD, the spare tire pop out of the mat.

Condition:
interior: very dirty and dusty , kinda messy in the car.
exterior: has be repainted too, last JUNE, not bad, pretty much same as SR5, but this car has fixed all exterior rust. I can see the body filter had been used on the fender.

engine bay: the two struts are perfect condition. But the car has been put outside for a while, many leaves inside the hood, look untidy and some leaking too.. Hard to tell, i am not an expert.

Head lights: working fine
Fog lights, one is broken and the front bumper has a little bit damage on the bottom

Tires: they are ok, quiet new

Trunk: no leaking, very good condition

lubrication: this car is totally out of lubrication, i believe it hasn't been driving for a long time.'

today is snowing, so i can't really see the bottom of the car, but it looks ok to me. There is no rust under the doors, but the locks are damn out of lubrication. power lock are broken as well.

owner told me the turbo is working fine, but today is snowing, so i didn't mean to have test drive. I will look that car again on Sunday; haven't tried the engine yet.

this car is $3500 CAD as you can see on trader.ca

Two questions for the GT4
how much does it worth today?? it is not really in good shape
200km on it.

When i step on the clutch and try to shift the gear, i found that it is hard to shift, totally different than my camry and the SR5.

Is there any problem with the transmission or lack of lubrication of the gear?

other stuff are ok..

thx for replying
___________________________
Always Toyota~!

[Lafora]

Two things:

GT4 will retain their value better than a SR5

it's also higher maintainence than a SR5


What a SR5 is not:

a sports car.

please. i know some of yall here *cough* ahmed *cough* is gonna jump on my case. but when you compare a SR5, whic his basically a el-cheapo verison of hte GTS with different suspension, different engine, etc etc to a car that was sold to the public because of HOMOLOGATION rules (GT4), i dn't think there's a comparison.

the quesiton boils down to: why are you buying htis car.

daily beater? SR5
daily car + fun + power + track + rallyx: GT4 handsdown.
but yes, that 3SGTE in THAT car's setup do tend to overheat like a bish :wink:

edit: I think anyone who spends 3 grand buying a SR5, is really idiotic. Thats a lot of money to shell out for that wee bit of a car

[REN69]

The problem with repainted cars is that you never know where the rustspots were, and how many of them they were.. for all you know this car could have big holes in it that were patched with newspaper and bondo (typical Kingston Rd used car dealership fix )

That transmission problem could just be that the car needs a new clutch, or maybe the clutch needs adjustment. and hopufully the transmission is not broken.

In my opinion, if either car was repainted last year and the rust is showing already, then it was either a bad paint job, or the rust on the cars was really really bad.. so watch out for this.. make sure you dont get a car full of holes.. take a magnet with you next time and stick it to the body panels.. if you find spots where it doesn't stick, then you might have a bondo-filled hole in there. just make sure the panel where you're checking is not plastic to start with.

Whether each car is worth what they ask for is up to you really.. just make sure you don't get ripped off.. take me for example.. when i got my 89 Corolla GTS, the car was in mint shape, the paint was faded a bit and the front passanger side panel was repainted and half the skirt was missing, so I knew the car had been in an accident, but the rest of the car and the interior looked like it had been well taken care of. and the rust didn't start to come out until about summer of last year.. which kinda made mad.. but for $1600 I thought it was a good deal.

[Den]

um. I agree, it has repainted last year and the rust has come back again. The SR5 might a big holde in the rear fender. I will watch out for that.

One thing I want to declear is : the clutch on GT4 is replaced, i don't really think is about the clutch, the clutch is fine.
But it is extremely hard to shift gears. Even I move it to left of right in the center part. I really think there is some problem with the shifter.

I have thoguth a moment, I think I want my car to be have more power.

I think both are reliable, because they are toyota~
but do you guys think it is worth of $3500 for the GT4 since the condition is not good.

I am posing all this to collect some comments and idea.
thx for replying

[fatredcircle]

if rust is comming back on the sr5 and it was just painted
that menas they didn't fix the rust the right way
stay away

[Lafora]

if u'r on a tight budget, don't get the GT4

look for something else.

[project trueno]

wait a minute, why not just look for a corolla GT-S then? the only reason why someone would choose the SR5 over the GT-S is the SR5 is available in A/T, and it looks like a GT-S, plus its usually in a better condition for daily beater than a GT-S

but you're looking at a standard one anyway, so might as well go for the GT4 or find another car...

be patient, there're lots of nice pebbles on the beach :wink:

[project trueno]

or wait awhile and 3 grand can get you a decent 240sx, 1988-1993...

usually in way better condition (in terms of body), plus it has decent power, plus RWD :wink:

and modern interior styling...instead of toyota's "interior styling" :P

[REN69]

Originally Posted by project trueno

or wait awhile and 3 grand can get you a decent 240sx, 1988-1993...

usually in way better condition (in terms of body), plus it has decent power, plus RWD :wink:

and modern interior styling...instead of toyota's "interior styling" :P

hahaha.. actually I like the interior of my gts better than the plain 240sx interior... the whole dashboard looks too plain on those 240's I was gonna buy an 89.. when I sat down in it, I swear it looked like when they designed the car and they were just ready to release the final version, someone came running and said.. wait!! we forgot to design a dashboard!!

If I was you.. I'd wait for spring for the GTS's to get put up for sale. or keep looking on the autotrader, you might get lucky.

[Deep]

Originally Posted by borohachidesu

if u'r on a tight budget, don't get the GT4

look for something else.

Well said.