[dejacky]

I have a $3,000 budget for a new car to last me through 2-5 yrs of grad school. I'm considering buying something like a used 89 corolla and turbo'ing it with something like this or similar:

http://turbokits.com/corolla_turbo_kits.html

If both of these kits produce 6psi why would the more expensive give 56% hp increase instead of ~30% like the cheaper one?

My Question is, is the Corolla a good project car for my goal?
--> A fun, as.fast.as.can.be, but reliable daily driver at $3K max. Or would a Tercel be a better choice or something else? I want to stick with Toyota because I love their ergonomics and they've been very reliable cars for me.. cheers .

 

[REN69]

tercel...

A corolla would be a better choice.. providing you're chosing a GTS not an SR5 model, the GTS handles and looks better. Those turbokits are for the 4AFE which is the motor on the SR5, and not the 4AGE which is the motor on the GTS. The 7AFE is the motor on the 93 and up 4 door corollas.

 

[dejacky]

Okay,
Corolla it is!
so basically, the motors in order from best to worst are?:

1. 7AFE
2. 4AGE
3. 4AFE

& what are standard WHP/Trq figures with these engines in corollas?

REN69,
what do you recommend I look for or plan with my budget? Where can I find those old GTS corollas and which years are ideal? Were the Ae92 GTS Corollas all wheel drive, or just rear wheel, or front wheel drive? I've also been hearing of this "4AGZE swap". is it worth it? Thanks for helping me .

 

[toyotaspeed90]

uhh..... it should be 4age then 7afe..... easily

 

[dejacky]

Are there any 4AGZE step-by-step swap guides? Who is knowledgeablel in this and what would you all recommend the path I take with this budget?

 

[micro214_kp61]

dejacky.... in all honesty, if you have $3,000, just buy a decent daily driver like the 4dr. AE92s. it's fun to drive, can be fast and it won't kill you doing maintenance on it, that and just like you said, you're also going to school. if you start, turbocharging your stock motor, you're looking at more headaches in the long run. if you want more power and very reliable, swap a 4AGE in it. but that's just me..

now if you're gonna be a hardcore car guy, 4AGZE would be a perfect project for you. depending on what will be your base car, but the best candidate is the 88-89 corolla gt-s (AE92 coupe). remember, the older the car you choose the more work you'll be putting into it. and honestly, i don't think a $3,000 budget would cut it. unless you wanna buy your parts from junkyards and such. goodluck bro.

 

[dejacky]

are the ae92 corollas FWD or RWD?

 

[powderblue91]

FWD

 

[Chris Corolla S]

If I had $3,000 and wanted a turn-key fun car I'd be looking for a used factory turboed car. In general they can be tweaked with a little bit of money to be substantially faster.
You could look for a first generation MR2 Supercharged,
A 300ZX turbo or RX7 Turbo from the eighties.
Maybe a Saab 900 although they are kind of heavy.
A DSM would be good to.
Even a Subaru can be a fun car, there are plenty of AWD Turbo modles.
For a Corolla I would look for an AE92 GT-S From the later years with the High-comp 4a-ge.

 

[BigNazty114]

Adding to what Chris said, if you consider getting a factory turboed car, keep in mind that RX-7s are harder and more expensive to maintain because not too many people are really good rotary mechanics. My dad and bro have 89 RX-7 Turbo IIs and we don't even let the dealer touch them because no one knows what to do.

 

[dejacky]

All the more reason I'm looking for a toyota .

 

[dejacky]

All the more reason I'm looking for a toyota . How much HP/TQ can the drivetrain/transmission of these AE92 handle?

 

[89yotarollagts]

i love my 89 GT-S i think its really cool that the gts comes with oil cooler and rear disc brakes and a bunch of other stuff HONDas aint got hehe i laugh at them vtec fools

 

[89yotarollagts]

plus the 4age engine is very very reliable allthough im leaking oil at 178,xxx but better then burning oil

 

[dotmrep]

Just so you have another option, assuming you we're using the $3,000 to get a car, you COULD get a Tercel for under $1000 and even less if you tracking and dealing skills are good. Then you could have a low mileage 4E-FTE swapped in their and probably walk away with a nice reliable and upgradable turbo set-up for under $3,000. If you need info on how to do it PM me and I'll give you all the details. No need for junkyard motors here, a Tercel is a great choice for working in a budget and getting some suprisingly good performance out of it...an when in doubt spin by Tercelonline and you will see some beastly Tercels around their that will give some of the best Toyotas a run for their money..or in some instances take their money. :thumbup:

 

[dejacky]

www.tercelonline.com is having trouble with it's server... can't access the forums properly . anyways i pm'd you too