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Location:
Castle Hill
Registered:
August 2003
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Sprinter VS Starion??
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Sat, 05 June 2004 14:00
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Hey, I just saw the Mistubishi Starion in the For Sale section, and I liked what I saw, so I have done some surfing and seen more and read a bit about them, I was just wondering if anyone had ever compared the two? in terms of prices,prices/availibility of parts, running costs, performance, weight and stuff like that? I rekon it would be interesting?
If anyone can point me to a website or somewhere that has done someting similar to this, I will thank you now.
cheers.
-Whitchy-
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I supported Toymods
Location:
Epping, Sydney
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Sprinter VS Starion??
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Sat, 05 June 2004 15:27
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http://www.starion.cjb.net/
from my experience, starions are old unreliable hunks of crap. That said, they're faster than a sprinter, and for the time they came out they handled pretty well and stopped pretty well (in a car mag comparison of the starion, mk2 supra and 240Z (or maybe another 2xxZ) the starion came out overall best.
my brother owns one, and it's been nothing but trouble. As starion owners say... they're great when they're going. personally I think they're pretty ugly (think ra65, but uglier). Of course, I'm not a huge fan of the sprinter either, 'specially the oz-spec 4a-c version.
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Location:
Melb, Victoria
Registered:
April 2004
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Re: Sprinter VS Starion??
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Sun, 06 June 2004 00:22
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i've heard that starions are very unreliable, are overpriced and parts are sooo rare.
they did have awesome performance (for their time), but i think they were carby turbos which aint that good.(they may of changed to efi later on, not sure)
my .02c 
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Location:
Melbourne
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Sprinter VS Starion??
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Sun, 06 June 2004 00:32
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anything is better then an overpriced corolla
Get an MA61
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I supported Toymods
Location:
Epping, Sydney
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Sprinter VS Starion??
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Sun, 06 June 2004 02:58
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I'd agree with that.. ma61
my brother's starion is EFI, but he has custom inlet plenum, throttle body, computer.... someone (a long time ago) loved that car very dearly and spent shitloads of money on it
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Club Member
Location:
sydney
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Sprinter VS Starion??
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Sun, 06 June 2004 03:01
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having driven a brand new top spec Starion ( many years ago in NZ when my Dad had a Mitsi dealership) and a 2 yo GTS Levin id take the Starion every time, they handle as well if not better than the AE85/6 the engine had a lot better response (obviously the turbo helped)
clearly time will have taken its toll on both cars, if your prepared to put in the effort then either car will be reliable and a lot of fun, I saw an immaculate one on Victoria Rd the other day and had fond memorys also they are now clear under the import rules.. but even in Japan its hard and very expensive to get a good condition one... most were snapped up for the Starion series in Japan many years ago.
the cyclone turbo engine from Japan was a pretty good engine in its time, and is still a very popular conversion option for the Cordia's here. Obviously just like any 4AG they are going to need some attention at the least and more than likely a full rebuild to be reliable again. Bang for buck the 4AG with turbo will probhably cost you less in terms of parts etc... but the 2.0L turbo starion is an awesome engine.
I have fond memorys of making a starion fly about 40cm off the ground over a railway crossing ... and sadder memories of smashing every bit of the factory flare kit and the front suspension when it landed  at least my dad laughed at the time
goto the overseas mitsi forums and i think theres a japanese starion forum as well, do some research before you make a decision
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Location:
theres a castle on my hil...
Registered:
October 2003
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Re: Sprinter VS Starion??
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Sun, 06 June 2004 05:19
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The starions have IRS which is something the sprinter doesnt.
pretty sure its an easy conversion to swap the head off an evo lancer onto the starion and you get great results.
the starions did pretty well at bathurst in their day aswell beating the RX7's and that.
you could pay anywhere up to $10,000 for a starion in good condition.
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Location:
The Rainy City
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Sprinter VS Starion??
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Sun, 06 June 2004 08:29
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Lets see..
..........Starion....AE86
EFI:......Yes(SPI)....No
IRS:......Yes.........No
Turbo:....Yes.........No
Capacity:.2.0.........1.6
PW........Yes.........No
PS........Yes.........No
But note, ALL are single point injection (wet manifold) unless you have an MPI conversion like dravens brother and myself. This itself is not very straightforward either, and an ECU is required.
VR4 Heads do bolt on. But it is far from straightforward. Thermostat, CAS, Inlet, Exhaust all have to be modified or fabricated. VR4 blocks do not bolt to the Starion gbox.
Parts are VERY rare, especially later model Starions in Oz. They are an absolute ball to drive, and good examples (stock) scare the s13 boys. Modified they can haul ass. Just dont expect it to be cheap to run/modify/own. Reliability is dependant on what you do to them, as turnaround time for repairs are not short as most of the time is spent hunting for parts. Even Repco doesnt have a listing for them which is a joke. Turbos are hard to find also.
Compared to an MA61 is a fairer comparison.
but if the MA61 was modified (EG 1jz/7m-gte) it would only be fair to compare it to an imported widebody 2.6 starion, which would be very interesting to say the least.. [/edit]
cheers
tom.
[Updated on: Sun, 06 June 2004 08:37]
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I supported Toymods
Location:
Epping, Sydney
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Sprinter VS Starion??
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Sun, 06 June 2004 09:12
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him smart person.
some parts are hard to find, but my brother managed to get simple things like water pump etc very easily.
He's also running a supra intercooler, which makes spare parts easy.
They are fast, I think they're ugly, but I'd take one over a sprinter any day of the week.
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I supported Toymods
Location:
Perth
Registered:
October 2003
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Re: Sprinter VS Starion??
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Sun, 06 June 2004 12:40
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sprinter, starion is a mitsubishi, brother and sister to the sigma.. do not get one, tis a hunk of junk.
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Location:
Baulko Hillo
Registered:
April 2004
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Re: Sprinter VS Starion??
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Sun, 06 June 2004 12:56
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| mutilate wrote on Sun, 06 June 2004 22:40 |
sprinter, starion is a mitsubishi, brother and sister to the sigma.. do not get one, tis a hunk of junk.
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What do you base this on dude? Personal experience? (just curious)
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Club Member
Location:
sydney
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Sprinter VS Starion??
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Sun, 06 June 2004 21:33
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actually the Starion was never a | Quote: |
brother and sister to the sigma
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it was a response from Mitsubishi to build a new sports platform to counter the upcoming Ford XR4i,Datsun 280Z,RA Celica/Supra as well as to break into the european sports market and take some of Fords market share there. Its platform was started from a concept car that the Mitsi designers made for the japan annual motorshow (cant remeber what year sorry). The Starion doesent have a single item in it that is relateable back to a Sigma.. thats why its so hard to get parts.
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Location:
Terrigal
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Sprinter VS Starion??
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Sun, 06 June 2004 23:54
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I've got a mate who has done quite a lot of development with the starion engine.
First went with the L300 multiport injection manifold and aftermarket ECU. This was much better than the crap inlet manifold it comes with.
Now has put a VR4 head on the starion block with custom turbo manifold and VR4 inlet manifold (with throttle body moved to the front).
Goes very well.
Cheers
Joel
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I supported Toymods
Location:
Epping, Sydney
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Sprinter VS Starion??
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Mon, 07 June 2004 00:40
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is there a reason why the ma61 isn't in the equation?
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I supported Toymods
Location:
Perth
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Sprinter VS Starion??
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Mon, 07 June 2004 01:03
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I used to own a Starion, and even with all the problems I had with it, I'd STILL take one over any AE86. It WAS fun...when it was working. I took the smart option and replaced it with effectively a Mk2 Supra (lets not go there  ) and they are in a whole other world in terms of refinement and are generally in a much better condition for their age.
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I supported Toymods
Location:
Epping, Sydney
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Sprinter VS Starion??
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Mon, 07 June 2004 01:13
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I just dont think the starion has quite the build quality of a mk2 supra
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I supported Toymods
Location:
Perth
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Sprinter VS Starion??
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Mon, 07 June 2004 01:17
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That would be roughly the understatement of the century. Some of the poorest kept Mk2's I've come across, rust in the tailgate aside, are in better condition that a decently kept Starion. Everything just feels more...fragile.
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Location:
NSW
Registered:
August 2003
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Re: Sprinter VS Starion??
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Mon, 07 June 2004 02:28
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Never been a big fan of Mitsubishi, 
their reliability sucks the big one. 
I'd go ae86, any day of the week. 
If anyone decides to buy a Starion over ae86,
one piece of advice, stock up on heaps of Panadol. 
My 2 cents.
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Location:
Auckland NZ
Registered:
December 2003
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Re: Sprinter VS Starion??
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Mon, 07 June 2004 08:26
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can't bolt a vr4 (4G63T) engine (evo engines are no good, they mount from the gearbox, not the engine) up to a starion gearbox but you CAN to an L200 gearbox, just use the internals from the starion box, they go straight in (easily apparently). gearbox and engine mounts are the same. as for the other stuff its no more involved than a fwd to rwd 4age conversion.
i'm not a huge fan of the body shape, i like the rear end and side view but imo they went way wrong with the pointy front and popup headlights.
a way to get around the ugliness? i am currently bolting in a starion engine (4G63T SOHC, TC05, no intercooler yet but got a big front mount in the pipeline) to an EX lancer (1981 RWD) along with a few rwd gsr lancer bits to make it all come together nicely. this conversion is going to come in under $2K including the cost of the car and should be fairly quick to start with and once i start spending some money (multi point injection, aftermarket computer, TD05, whatever else i come up with) it should be deadly.
obviously the users here are biased with this being a Toyota based forum but looking at the facts the starion looks pretty good.
that said i'd take a original AE86 (a proper 86, not like the SOHC 85's you Aussies call 86's) any day of the week. held their value a hell of a lot better (in NZ at least), there's a whole lot of spare body's around (AE85's, well they're still fairly common over here but quickly being snapped up for 4age conversions) that aren't too expensive and better looking cars.
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Banned user
Location:
Liverpool NSW
Registered:
March 2004
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Re: Sprinter VS Starion??
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Tue, 08 June 2004 00:34
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If you have the money go for the starion, thx to their high diff ratio and torquey engine, with a intercooler and boost controller you will put a lot of s15 into shame, their very hard to drift, making it more of a circuit car with excelent handling, but dont forget, these cars are more rare than the ae86, their prices are high and getting parts are hard. And another thing, the inspector gadget car was based on the starion eheheh. If you really like these cars, the jdms came with bigger flares and diferent tail lights, put a vr4 head commodore v8 throttle hks gt35 and you got yourself a reall sleeper, but yes the stock engine has its dramas when modified.
Ae86 is a colt car in japan, jdm ae86 are more driftble at lower speeds and well balance making it easy to correct the drift, but expensive, once again rare and expensive, a genuine panda trueno gtapex will cost you at least 17g, nothing special, 2way lsd, 4ag,
Aus spec sprinters are just a waste of time, like the old owner spent 2000g on the levin rear end(they come with normal diffs), 350 for the rear brake wires, and pads, clips, shims, lsd oil, brake fluid just to make the car driftable, the engine(4ac) and the crape suspension ixent helping.
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Location:
Adelaide
Registered:
September 2003
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Re: Sprinter VS Starion??
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Tue, 08 June 2004 01:14
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| HooN wrote on Sun, 06 June 2004 18:29 |
Compared to an MA61 is a fairer comparison.
but if the MA61 was modified (EG 1jz/7m-gte) it would only be fair to compare it to an imported widebody 2.6 starion, which would be very interesting to say the least.. [/edit]
cheers
tom.
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Agree with the above and was very close to importing the widebody Starion, but they are hard to come by. I ended up with the MA61 & 7M-GTE, and I couldn't be happier. 
Spent a while looking a a few local Starions, and most of them are really showing their age, more so than the MA61's.
Having said that, I'd take a local Starion over an AE86 any day
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Location:
Gold Coast
Registered:
January 2003
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Re: Sprinter VS Starion??
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Wed, 09 June 2004 12:55
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i think they look better thana RA65 but are look almost the same!
But yeah my mate is building up one for driftign and shit, with the VR4 head and every thing, will kick some s15 arse!!
But yeah they can't beat a toyota's reliability!!!.
Nezza
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Location:
Perth
Registered:
September 2002
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Re: Sprinter VS Starion??
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Wed, 09 June 2004 13:44
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just dont get a cordia 
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Location:
NSW
Registered:
October 2003
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Re: Sprinter VS Starion??
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Wed, 09 June 2004 14:17
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I would also take the starion over sprinter in stock form, my mate has two and has done a lot of work to one, it is quite quick but he has had a few problems with it.
If the sprinter had a 4AG Z/T E conversion I think I would go for the sprinter.
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Location:
melbourne
Registered:
November 2003
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Re: Sprinter VS Starion??
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Wed, 09 June 2004 20:46
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go the starion! i drove a mates JD a few years ago, hiflow turbo, headwork, forged pistions, big FMIC etc, the thing was a beast!!!
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Location:
Hindmarsh, South OZ
Registered:
June 2004
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Re: Sprinter VS Starion??
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Thu, 10 June 2004 07:33
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Starion all the way, mine got written off by a falcon
I miss that car all that drifting fun
but hay it made way for the celica
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Location:
Cabramatta, NSW
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Sprinter VS Starion??
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Thu, 10 June 2004 07:55
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Starions are too unreliable to consider.
Sprinters are too overpriced to consider.
There are MUCH better cars out there for the same money.
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Location:
The Rainy City
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Sprinter VS Starion??
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Thu, 10 June 2004 08:29
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www.austarion.com
Starions are great if you can afford to keep one.
Sprinters are great if you like the Initial D stuff.
Bubbles: A stock starion with a cooler and boost will NOT scare an s15. Have you ever driven both of these cars?
VR4/EVO head conversions need the proper pistons too otherwise you are stuck with woeful compression.
~=4k doesnt normally buy you a RWD car with EFI/4wDiscs/IRS/Power mod cons/stock buckets/Exclusivity but hey, theres a price in the long run. If I had the money I would restore my car to pristine condition, i love it that much.
Nark: What other car could you buy with approx 4-6k? MA61, Starions, RA65 ..?
cheers
tom.
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Location:
Adelaide, SA
Registered:
March 2004
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Re: Sprinter VS Starion??
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Thu, 10 June 2004 09:21
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Another thing to consider is the 20ish year old leather interiors which (all?) AUS delivered Starion came with. By now a lot of them are cracked and torn with age and to re-upholster will cost you a lot.
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Location:
Cabramatta, NSW
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Sprinter VS Starion??
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Thu, 10 June 2004 23:25
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| HooN wrote on Thu, 10 June 2004 18:29 |
Nark: What other car could you buy with approx 4-6k? MA61, Starions, RA65 ..?
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Dunno... But neither of those two. I'd prolly go for an MA61 if I could find one in good condition.
Or a Z.
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Banned user
Location:
Liverpool NSW
Registered:
March 2004
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Re: Sprinter VS Starion??
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Fri, 11 June 2004 04:18
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| HooN wrote on Thu, 10 June 2004 18:29 |
www.austarion.com
Starions are great if you can afford to keep one.
Sprinters are great if you like the Initial D stuff.
Bubbles: A stock starion with a cooler and boost will NOT scare an s15. Have you ever driven both of these cars?
VR4/EVO head conversions need the proper pistons too otherwise you are stuck with woeful compression.
~=4k doesnt normally buy you a RWD car with EFI/4wDiscs/IRS/Power mod cons/stock buckets/Exclusivity but hey, theres a price in the long run. If I had the money I would restore my car to pristine condition, i love it that much.
Nark: What other car could you buy with approx 4-6k? MA61, Starions, RA65 ..?
cheers
tom.
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Yes i have been in one, red starion with a black bonnet at wollongong, although is engine has been streghend, i dont understand when people say their are unrieable, its not like its a new car, i would like a starion with a vr4 motor has much has a rx7 series4or5
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Location:
The Rainy City
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Sprinter VS Starion??
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Fri, 11 June 2004 05:03
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in terms of unreliability, the block is almost bulletproof. I have yet to see a rod sticking out of one, though i have seen cracked blocks. Reliability stems from the fact that they are 1.approx 20 years old, 2.almost all of them were mistreated in their lifetime, 3.unavailability of parts (except for generic block related items like water pumps, alternators etc) and 4.poorly designed t/b injection. Keep these things in good nick and they will last a long while. However almost all starions have been "modded" to some extent, not all done proplerly (im guilty of this) and plus i only know about 2 people that specialise in starions.
Leather interior was an option. I have cloth seats. Lucky, because all the leather seats are now hard as a rock or cracked from the harsh ozzy sun.
A proper Z (with EFI and mod cons) or MA61 would be above the 6k mark. The only other car i can think of is a TA65 turbo, which i missed out on when i was car hunting.
cheers
tom.
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Location:
Cabramatta, NSW
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Sprinter VS Starion??
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Fri, 11 June 2004 06:03
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Don't forget that the Starions were not intercooled either.
And don't you mean a TA63 with a 3T-GTEU?
Never heard of a TA65, heard of a TA64 though, but I don't think they're around the $6k mark!!!
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Club Member
Location:
sydney
Registered:
May 2002
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Location:
The Rainy City
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: Sprinter VS Starion??
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Fri, 11 June 2004 07:39
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oops! yeah i meant the ta63. A white example was for sale for 4k here in melbourne a few days after i took delivery of the starion
Intercoolers were available as an option from the factory (JD Intercoolers can be retrofitted to older JB and JA starions). There is plenty of room to fit one behind the front bar anyhow.
tom.
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