nzdm vs jdm ae82

[1984FXGT]

Can someone explain to me why the nzdm one is worth more and what makes them different? Can the parts cross swap over? Can i use a nzdm stearing rack on a jdm fxgt?

[Makaveli]

NZDM = car has been registered first in New Zealand as new. That generally means the odometer reading is correct/accurate. A lot of imports have wound down odometer readings & no service history/poor maintenance. Also a lot of cars imported from Hokkaido or Northern Japan have rust underneath due to snow. Parking is very scarce in Japan. Most cars in New Zealand are garaged & in generally better condition.

[matt dunn]

Usuallly the difference between JDM and NZDM is more things like
NZ models are more likely to have manual windows than electric windows,
and Less likely to have A/C than JDM.
Also there are sometimes differences in interior colors etc too.

[Finx88]

There were some big differences between the NZ new and Jap new ae82's more so on the GT models than the nana spec machines. There has been quite a few discussions about this in the past.

In terms of the GT models
Externally the NZ new ones have different body kit grill and guard trims etc, and a very sweet front lip!
Internally NZ new ones came with leather, and red trimming among other things.
Also from memory i might be wrong but the NZ ones had a few handling and performance tweaks over the Jap counterparts

I think personally most of the appeal of the NZ GT models is that there were only a limited number produced. Any performance car that has a few extra good bits over its sibling and is a rare bread is going to hold its value a bit better.

[sergei]

That generally means the odometer reading is correct/accurate. A lot of imports have wound down odometer readings & no service history/poor maintenance. Most cars in New Zealand are garaged & in generally better condition.

These are mostly myths...

Regarding odometer:

There is no guarantee that the owner was not driving it here in NZ with disconnected/disabled speedo. It does not matter for an old FXGT if the odo has been wound in japan, as even if it has been, it would have been in NZ 10+ years anyway which it had under kiwi servicing plan (which I will expand more on below). At this age of the car it does not really matter if the car has done 250k or 350k.
It is irrelevant anyway as if you buy 25yo car that has done only 130k, it either means two things: it hasn't been driven at all, and unless it has been religiously serviced every 6 months regardless it will be all gunked up and perished. If it has been driven, then it is most likely in traffic and engine worked most of it's life in unfavourable conditions.

Regarding maintenance:

Most of Japanese are actually very good at maintaining their cars, WoF equivalent in Japan is a lot more intense as well. There are of course lemons, but they are very easy to spot. Besides if the car survived NZ for 10+ years it means most likely it was serviced in Japan.

Most of Kiwis are actually very bad at maintaining their cars, they tend to do only when the things are making loud noises, smoke badly, not going, or fail WoF. WoF here is pretty pathetic, a lot of vital things are not looked at at all beyond extreme basics (ie shocks, engine, gearbox etc.). Most mechanics here are working with lowballers, so you will not find parts replaced with genuine like they would be in Japan (or even do the coolant properly). How many of non-mechanical people take their cars for brake bleed and coolant changes every 2 years (as per service manual)? I have also encountered that service history means jack shit, if the mechanic who did it is a cowboy (and there are plenty in NZ of those) or owner is a cheap bastard. The $250 cambelt changes and $80 services are very popular for a reason.

Regarding garaging:

Most cars in NZ are not garaged (you can tell just by looking at how many faded cars are in shopping mall). Additionally most cars in NZ are near coast, and get coated with sea salt mist. They will be rusting not only underneath but from inside as well (as the salt is in the air).

If you look at newer cars (ie younger than 10 years), then you are far better of buying fresh import. The servicing side of things is very easy to check by any mechanic (ie gunk under the rocker cover, rusty or old coolant, etc.). It will have less mileage on odo (and most likely will be certified as genuine, as most these cars are these days). It will be guaranteed free from shoddy crash repairs (as in NZ you don't have a record if the car has been in accident). It will come in a better package as well (most NZ New are poverty spec).

I personally only buy fresh imports, as once a car has been in NZ for more than 2-3 years, it does not matter if it is import or NZ New, it has very high chance of being neglected, as Kiwis drive their cars into the ground. FFS they put 91 octane in everything.

FXGT:

NZ-new "FXGT" (Corolla GT?) probably will not have Oxygen sensor or catalytic converter (I remember looking at 1990 Corolla GT, NZ-New having neither) as it will be designed for Leaded Fuel (easy to tell: the fuel tank filler hole will be without restrictor - ie large). It will probably have NZ tune to run on lower octane. A lot of NZ-New Toyotas come with "NZ-Spec/Gravel Road" suspension - [WRONG]softer springs and shocks[/WRONG] EDIT: looking at EPC the Corolla GT got NZ-Spec which is different from Rough Road Package: http://www.toyodiy.com/parts/p_G_1991_T ... _4803.html after doing some research it appears that NZ-Spec suspension been improved by Chris Amon and could be a very good thing (providing that the shocks and bushes are replaced with genuine items). Although you will find 240kph speedo and no 180kph cut (how useful is that ???).

[rollaholic]

werent the ae82 GTs actually NZ assembled too? (probably a bad thing )

[Mr Revhead]

A lot of NZ-New Toyotas come with "NZ-Spec/Gravel Road" suspension - softer springs and shocks.

Chris Amon might be a little upset to hear you say that.

[Al]

They are rarer than your mass produced FXGT. There must be sweet fanny adams left. I've only ever seen three liftbacks and two other hatches driving around Christchurch since owning mine for the last two years.

Yes NZ GT's were assembled in Thames.

[Leon]

A lot of NZ-New Toyotas come with "NZ-Spec/Gravel Road" suspension - softer springs and shocks.

Chris Amon might be a little upset to hear you say that.

Exactly what I was about to say too

[sergei]

A lot of NZ-New Toyotas come with "NZ-Spec/Gravel Road" suspension - softer springs and shocks.

Chris Amon might be a little upset to hear you say that.

A lot of NZ-New Toyotas come with "NZ-Spec/Gravel Road" suspension - softer springs and shocks.

Chris Amon might be a little upset to hear you say that.

Exactly what I was about to say too

Sorry guys, I fixed my original post.

[THA SHZ]

nz new - 240 km speedo / jappa - 180km speedo
nz new - manual steering / jappa - power steering
nz new - leather seats / jappa - cloth seats
nz new - square edge guards and bonnet / jappa - slanted edge guards and bonnet
nz new - big grill , bumper slanted rearways and lip / jappa - small grill , bumper flat
nz new - no air-con / jappa - air-con
more differences aswell just cant remeber them all , basically as said nz gt was alot rearer whereas jappa fxgt was everywhere

[Leon]

Both rust like they are built by Alfa though, so they have that in common

[Al]

Both rust like they are built by Alfa though, so they have that in common

No my Alfa Romeo had far less rust.

[TRD Man]

I sold Corolla GT's new. They were quite an expensive car at the time - about $45k from memory. They were well spec'd with the leather trim and the alloy wheels, and the twin cam motor was a rarity at the time. There was only a couple of grand difference between the price of a Corolla & that of an MR2 (AW11) which was considered a real 'exotic' at the time.
The suspension was certainly 'beefier' than the ex Jap FXGT which I started importing just a few years later. But I'm not sure Amon had anything to do with it. He was involved with the Corona and , possibly, the Corolla sedan but not all of the models. The GT wasn't sold in big numbers and was more likely imported CBU. Commonly Jappa's of the era destined for export had a heavier setup than those for the domestic market.
If a NZ model today fetches more that an import FXGT, which I doubt is universally the case, it will simply be because they always have. At the time the imports began to arrive the NZ GT version was still an expensive well spec'd car, far superior in quality and whose owners placed some real value on them.
I imagine an original one would be near impossible to find today, most being like Grandad's axe and therefore of no more value than an FX.
As for the suggestion that NZ'ers service their cars less than Japs or any other country ... absolute bullshit.