Buying AE111 BZG

[regamaster]

hey all

just have a few queries about the AE111 BZG.
Am thinking of looking around for one if I can find one at a good price.

Anything that I should be looking at interior/exterior/under hood/rust etc?
problematic physical things?

what are peoples experiences with blacktop 4age engines when the vehicle has over 200ks on the clock? how much more life does the vehicle have after that?

any general problems with the blacktop 4AGE/ the gearbox's?

Can someone also state where the factory speakers are in a AE111, and what sizes they are from factory?

Thanks

[Flunk]

when i brought mine, it had done 45k.. has now done about 105k... not a problem with the motor at all ( blacktop ).

umm... in mine ( im guessing they were factory ) were 2x sony 8cm speakers in the front door panels, and 2x 12cm sonys on the rear sill... i couldnt tell you what wattage they were, but they went ok...

[Rick]

There are heaps of them around now so you shouldnt have a problem finding a good one in your price range.

Apart from the usual overall inspection of the car for crash damage/repairs there is nothing major to look out for. If you are not experienced enough to look over a car yourself I would recommend getting vehicle inspection done, well worth it.

Things to look out for:

Smokey engine
Hesitating motor
Miss firing engine
Noisy motor
Oil consumption (motor)
Oil leaks
Gearbox syncros (usually 2nd and/or 3rd)
Rumble in the rear (wheel bearing/s)
Thud noise, in the rear when going over speed bumbs etc.. (rear swaybar bushes)
Soft Shocks (the rear seem to go first)

Just like most japanese cars especially toyotas if serviced regularly they should last very long time

Oh and if you are young ie. under 25 levins/truenos are expensive to insure and it happens to be truenos are more expensive to insure than levins? (well was for me)

[Flunk]

Oh and if you are young ie. under 25 levins/truenos are expensive to insure and it happens to be truenos are more expensive to insure than levins? (well was for me)

realy?

i was 19 when i registered my '96 facelift bzg.... i pay $25 a month. for full coverage, not 3rd party.

[Rick]

realy?

i was 19 when i registered my '96 facelift bzg.... i pay $25 a month. for full coverage, not 3rd party.

Sh!t I pay $71 a month for full cover.. who you with? Do you have insurance under your own name?

[regamaster]

There are heaps of them around now so you shouldnt have a problem finding a good one in your price range.

Apart from the usual overall inspection of the car for crash damage/repairs there is nothing major to look out for. If you are not experienced enough to look over a car yourself I would recommend getting vehicle inspection done, well worth it.

Things to look out for:

Smokey engine
Hesitating motor
Miss firing engine
Noisy motor
Oil consumption (motor)
Oil leaks
Gearbox syncros (usually 2nd and/or 3rd)
Rumble in the rear (wheel bearing/s)
Thud noise, in the rear when going over speed bumbs etc.. (rear swaybar bushes)
Soft Shocks (the rear seem to go first)

Just like most japanese cars especially toyotas if serviced regularly they should last very long time

Oh and if you are young ie. under 25 levins/truenos are expensive to insure and it happens to be truenos are more expensive to insure than levins? (well was for me)

thanks, thats sorta like the information I Was looking for, and a great big thanks goes out to the others. So there are no issues with the blacktop 20valves? None at all? This sounds too good to be true.

I am rather hesitant when it comes to getting a car inspection done now days as my last one was a total f*ckup and they didn't spot stuff that was very clear to the eye, and Im pretty confident I can check over the car well enough to cover most of the usual things to look out for. Im more looking more specific to the AE111 .. Particular places I should look for that rust or stuff like that. General checking things I can do. Dont know much about the AE111 if not that, toyota's, so Im here asking for some advice.

Some other questions to help me make up my mind...

What kind of performance should I expect from a bone stock one?
1/4 mile times standard (if anyone has taken theirs - and list mods if yours has any).
Comparisons between the BZG and what is an equivalent honda in full factory form? Im a honda guy so have driven basically anything under the H stables...

Thanks

[Flunk]

realy?

i was 19 when i registered my '96 facelift bzg.... i pay $25 a month. for full coverage, not 3rd party.

Sh!t I pay $71 a month for full cover.. who you with? Do you have insurance under your own name?

yep. through my bank, bnz.

[Rick]

thanks, thats sorta like the information I Was looking for, and a great big thanks goes out to the others. So there are no issues with the blacktop 20valves? None at all? This sounds too good to be true.

Aye? did you read what I wrote?

Some other questions to help me make up my mind...

What kind of performance should I expect from a bone stock one?
1/4 mile times standard (if anyone has taken theirs - and list mods if yours has any).
Comparisons between the BZG and what is an equivalent honda in full factory form? Im a honda guy so have driven basically anything under the H stables...

Thanks

Performance, well if you are coming from a honda assuming vtec motors, then it would compare to a early integra. They arnt a 1/4mile beast but I have heard of one doing a 14.7 with very few mods.

[sergei]

Also look out for clunky Super Strut suspension and I've seen a lot of black tops sludged big time coming from japan, just look under oil cap - it should not have any solid/semi-solid black deposits on it, with high kms it should be dark brown underneath and if you wipe it with finger it should be clean metal.
I've got 20v silver top, it sometimes sees 9000rpm (aftermarket ECU), it has done 230+kms, does not take oil (although I have oil cooler), and pulls with same slowness as 100kms ago ..

[regamaster]

thanks, thats sorta like the information I Was looking for, and a great big thanks goes out to the others. So there are no issues with the blacktop 20valves? None at all? This sounds too good to be true.

Aye? did you read what I wrote?

Some other questions to help me make up my mind...

What kind of performance should I expect from a bone stock one?
1/4 mile times standard (if anyone has taken theirs - and list mods if yours has any).
Comparisons between the BZG and what is an equivalent honda in full factory form? Im a honda guy so have driven basically anything under the H stables...

Thanks

Performance, well if you are coming from a honda assuming vtec motors, then it would compare to a early integra. They arnt a 1/4mile beast but I have heard of one doing a 14.7 with very few mods.

hmm yeah the stuff you listed in terms of mechanical problems, just sound like the usual high km car problems so yeah .. I meant specific to the 4age

[strap-on]

If it sounds like a tractor that is most likely the VVT pulley they start getting noisy at high k's but as far as I know it is not detrimental to performance

[dotdog]

Just really check for engine smoke and engine oil consumption. My old BZR was starting to use a fair bit of oil at 127kms and smoke a wee bit

[xRyanx]

Mines done 211,000kms now and other than using a bit more oil than normal its all good. Keep it serviced and it should be fine.
Do watch-out for the superstrut problems tho, mine are starting to become more apparent now, and its hurting the pocket.
As said their not 1/4 mile destroyers. I'd call mine peppy, more of a "fun" car than a "destroy-anything-on-the-street" weapon.
With I/H/E they do have a nice pull tho.
My 2 cents anyway, good luck in your search dude.

[Leon]

I've got a non superstrut one for sale ... it has a few rattles in the front suspension, so I suspect there are a few flogged out bushes there. But that is to be expected in cars of that sort of age.

I'm assuming they're out of the rust years, as this one doesn't seem to have any rust starting anywhere on it.

Goes amazingly well for a wee front drive 1600. I've been blown away by how much quicker the blacktop is than my previous silvertop, and bigport powered 4AGE cars.

[pc]

thanks, thats sorta like the information I Was looking for, and a great big thanks goes out to the others. So there are no issues with the blacktop 20valves? None at all? This sounds too good to be true.

Some other questions to help me make up my mind...

What kind of performance should I expect from a bone stock one?
1/4 mile times standard (if anyone has taken theirs - and list mods if yours has any).
Comparisons between the BZG and what is an equivalent honda in full factory form? Im a honda guy so have driven basically anything under the H stables...
Thanks

I would suggest test driving one as you will find that it feels lots different to a vtec equivilent.... and may not be what you are looking for. Also, from what I have seen and heard, you can drive a b16 in vtec all day and it is happy, Blacktops driven at high revs seem to have an alarming failure rate in comparison.

[regamaster]

thanks, thats sorta like the information I Was looking for, and a great big thanks goes out to the others. So there are no issues with the blacktop 20valves? None at all? This sounds too good to be true.

Some other questions to help me make up my mind...

What kind of performance should I expect from a bone stock one?
1/4 mile times standard (if anyone has taken theirs - and list mods if yours has any).
Comparisons between the BZG and what is an equivalent honda in full factory form? Im a honda guy so have driven basically anything under the H stables...
Thanks

I would suggest test driving one as you will find that it feels lots different to a vtec equivilent.... and may not be what you are looking for. Also, from what I have seen and heard, you can drive a b16 in vtec all day and it is happy, Blacktops driven at high revs seem to have an alarming failure rate in comparison.

bugger, I thought Toyota were just as reliable, thrashable all day long, and drive home with out a sweat but yeah, the one Im looking at is around $3500 - cash got them down, and is a silver trueno BZG, with just under 210ks on the clock though, so am sorta having doubts with kms quite high. Am only considering it a lil because it has high kms and I can get it for what I think is a good price.

[Leon]

The blacktops have a reputation for having conrods exit the block at great speed. This doesn't obviously happen in EVERY blacktop, but does happen from time to time. Super light conrods according to everything I've read on the subject.

[Distrb]

Blacktop 20v is a fine engine for use on the street. Its when you start crossing over into use on the track that the ventilated block syndrome starts to become more common.

Have used a stock Blacktop 20v in race use and it died quite spectacularly (theres pics in one topic somewhere on here) destroying #4 rod, piston, exhaust valves not to mention the block, crank and radiator. But then again it didnt see too much life under 5krpm.

[regamaster]

Blacktop 20v is a fine engine for use on the street. Its when you start crossing over into use on the track that the ventilated block syndrome starts to become more common.

Have used a stock Blacktop 20v in race use and it died quite spectacularly (theres pics in one topic somewhere on here) destroying #4 rod, piston, exhaust valves not to mention the block, crank and radiator. But then again it didnt see too much life under 5krpm.

is there anything below 5k in terms of performance? whats the point of creating a performance engine such as the blacktop 20v 4AGE when it doesn't like it and spits the dummy when thrashed in its power range?

oh and, what do people think about the price on the particular BZG?
trueno BZG in silver, stock as, 208ks and $3500 cash, car dealer also, although that $3500 was just a lowball offer I tried and they're happy to take it. I still haven't seen the car in person nor driven it, but am planning on doing that sometime this week when I get some time.

[Leon]

It's pretty cheap for an AE111 alright.

Yeah, they are perfectly drivable under 5k. They don't all go pop, but if you give them *lots* of abuse, it might go pop.