altezzas

[gleem]

im looking at getting an altezza just wondering if other owners can shed some light on them..

what to get 4 or 6 cylinder? what are the differences?

Mechanically what are they like, how are the 6spd gearboxes, engines, rear diffs etc? what normally goes wrong with them? what are key things to look out for when purchasing, what kms are they good for?

Ive got around 12k just want a manual one less than 120,000km and upgrade the suspension and exhaust don't want to go to hard out with it. Am i dreaming or will i be able to get a nice one with this much coin.

yes i have used the search function and a lot of questions i cant find, also the search function is pretty shit on these forums.

cheers

[Emperor]

get beams 4 cylinder much better!!

[sleeektoy]

Clutches and diffs on the manual ones can be problematic once higher KM's

Have also seen a rather knackered set of valves (burnt) from one after the person used 91 petrol over a period of time in the 4cyl model

[Crimson Tears]

It really depends what you want.
The 4 cylinder does make more power but it is more of a sports engine, you have to rev it to get the most of it.
There are more aftermarket parts available for the 4 cylinder beams and the turbo kits seem to be reasonably well priced.
The 6 cylinder has a little more torque but it is in my opinion one of the laziest 6 cylinders I've ever driven.
In saying that in my experience having worked at the Toyota dealer the 6 cylinders are more reliable, they don't seem to give any trouble whereas the 4 cylinders tend to have problems with the throttle bodies (fly by wire setup) and the air flow sensors are prone to playing up as they get dirty over time.
Other than that they are pretty reliable cars provided they are well serviced as with most cars. You're probably not too far off with your price.

[spinster]

Gotta agree that the sixes are lazy....go for the 4 its a heap of fun and loves revving!

[RomanV]

Either way, a 2l NA engine in a car of that size/weight is not exactly gonna fly.

I thought the worst of the 6cyl, until I actually went for a drive in one.. Performed a lot better than I thought, and IMO has a more sensible powerband for daily driving etc than the 4cyl.

If you love the feel of an NA powerband, and wanna fang around at 7000rpm all day, there are better performing NA cars for the price IMO.
If you want a cruisy, comfortable daily driver, then the 6cyl has the more practical and usable powerband.

But at the end of the day, it's gonna come down to personal preference, go drive both and see which of the two tickles your fancy.

[gleem]

how thirstier is the 6 over the 4?

roman good idea will go to some dealers and test drive a few, however wont be buying froma a dealer

[strx7]

It really depends what you want.

The 6 cylinder has a little more torque but it is in my opinion one of the laziest 6 cylinders I've ever driven.

ERR WRONG....

The 1GFE 6 cylinder make 200Nm at 4400rpm while the 3SGE make 215Nm at 4800rpm

[Mr.Phreak]

Maybe he was talking about the torque curve being more linear as opposed to maximum numbers which don't really mean much unless you're planning on driving around everywhere at 4.8krpm

Having not seen plots for either, I don't know if it's the case however.

[barryogen]

the 4s are the revvy version, the 6 is smooth.
the 6 is very much a cruiser.
They share the same gearbox, but have different bellhousings.
The GB seems to be "notchy" in all of them, thicker GB oil "fixes" it.

They appear to be reliable enough, nothing major wrong, tend to have dodgy fuel gauges from what I've read.

$12k may be pushing it for what you're after, but the older ones would be about that.

The exhaust is fairly sensitive, make changes, and they tend to sound (20v 4age) tinny.

Fuel economy is better in the 4, but not by much, around the 12km/L on a trip if you nana it, 9-10km/L if you drive at 110-120, round town you seem to get 8-8.5km/L
I filled up yesterday, and put 46L in for the 469km I had done, combination town/motorway(50/50).

Do not use 91, they run like crap, and knock like a motherf**er.

MAF is picky if it gets dirty, stay away from pods.

There is a dyno plot in the link in my sig for the 4cyl. which seems fairly typical for them.

[Skin]

Air flow sensors tend to get dirty and die in them, as do the coils. Both rather pricey for new ones.

[1I1]

Air flow sensors tend to get dirty and die in them, as do the coils. Both rather pricey for new ones.

yup thats why you get a warrenty when buying of a card yard

[rollaholic]

i'd get a 3S personally, may not be super quick but neither is the 1g - but lets face it, its all about how much fun it is - and for occasions where spirited driving is appropriate a revvy 4 pot is going to be more fun than a lazy 6 cylinder with yawn inducing redline

dunno if you can get manual 1gs either? certainly havent seen one personally.

[bluemaumau]

cant you get them 2jz?

[Emperor]

wagons and auto

[Bling]

[guess]

I think thats just in the wagons, gita or something?

[/guess]

[strx7]

you could always buy a 1GFE powered one and replace the 1GFE with a 1GGZE or 1GGTE

[barryogen]

the coils are expensive, but there are others that fit(have read, not certain) and work with the stock system from later models, that are quite a lot cheaper.

Manual 1gs are common enough... hell, probably more common than manual 3s.

2jz only comes in wagon(Gita), and only with an Auto box. They even come in 4wd too somewhere I think.

[rollaholic]

all the 2jz gitas i have seen have been 4wd.

the engines are substantially altered (front drive assembly runs through engine sump) so i'd be surprised if theres a rwd only version.

but i guess you never really know!

[GTTpower]

all the 2jz gitas i have seen have been 4wd.

the engines are substantially altered (front drive assembly runs through engine sump) so i'd be surprised if theres a rwd only version.

but i guess you never really know!

Always wondered how those 4wd systems work, must be similar to the GTR's. Pity they only came out auto.