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Registered:
October 2002
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soarers
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Sun, 12 January 2003 00:07
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i was recently in bateman's bay waiting outside allens for my girlfriend and her sister to finish shopping... i spotted what i think was a '91 cressida in a nearby caryard and thought i might check out what's changed since my old '82 cressida (cressidia if the official keyring was anything to go by  )
so i sat in it, had a looksy... it was still nice.
i get out of the car... and HELLLLOOOOOOOO BAY-BEEEEE!!!
no prizes for guessing what car i noticed for the first time, sitting in front of me with a v8 engine, full electrics, leather seats, 18" wheels, flawless metallic black paint and 47,000k on board!
my first sight of a toyota soarer... i was hooked, to put it mildly...
ever since that day (3 weeks ago) i've been spending every minute of spare time finding magazines with reviews, looking at webpages with more information, asking people for their experiences with this car... then 2 days ago i found out that some INSANELY good deals can be had by importing the cars directly from auctions from japan... until february that is...
what an evil turn of fate... get me hooked to the balls on a fantastic car... show me that it can be had for what's basically pocket change in the car market... then taking it all away with the new import restrictions...
so... i'm hardly going to give up on getting one, but i'm a little worried about buying a soarer in australia privately, since by now the car would have had at least two owners and as far as i'm aware the process of modifying the odometer reading is a very simple one for someone with the right tools, which means that i can't be sure what condition the engine really is in, being a bit of a car laic myself...
what would you recommend to look out for as signs of wear and tear on soarers? what are the actual problems with having a car that's done a lot of kilometres? my '82 cressida had done 460,000 by the time i sold it and it ran just fine... wasn't leaking oil at all, nor was it stalling or running bumpy or whatever...
lastly... would anyone living in canberra with a soarer be able to tell me what their fuel consumption is like and whether that's driving normally, or driving like you should drive 
i guess the type of engine and transmission would help too 
i know there are a few soarer owners in canberra, let's hope they read this post
thanks guys
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Location:
Southern Sydney
Registered:
August 2002
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Re: soarers
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Sun, 12 January 2003 00:44
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The V8 Soarers will run for at least as long as your Cressida went no problems whatsoever.
If your worried about false odometer readings then check the general wear and tear of the interior and see if it matches.
Things like steering wheels, brake and accelerator pedals, drivers seat etc.
If these items look a lot more worn then the odometer would lead you to believe then chances are its been played with.
As far as I'm aware it isn't easy to change the odometer, however a lower milage dash can be put in place very easily. Another trick is to cover up the last digit on the odometer so that 100,000 would read only 10,000. But you should realise this has been done if the digits only change every 10km's and theres no decimal place on the trip computer.
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
January 2003
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Re: soarers
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Sun, 12 January 2003 00:59
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http://www.users.bigpond.com/pgscott/
Planet soarer gives you a lot of info about these grey imports.
Mechanical parts aren't so hard to get for the Soarer but glass, panels and trim watchout. Took two weeks to get 2nd hand side glass for my brother's and yet a power window regulator took 4hrs to get o.O The parts aren't "hard" to get, they just take a long time and cost a fair bit.
Things to watch out for
1. Odometer, the digital is easily diddled with most common as has been said is to remove the 100,000's digit, and has been said, look for signs of bigger kms (interior wear is a good sign) while looking we came across one that said 11,000kms but even the guy selling said it was probably 111,000kms (looked like it too)
2. For the UZZ30 and JZZ30 there's not really a lot of specific things to look for, just general
3. For the UZZ31, the TV and satellite navigation will not work in australia. The tv can be changed to work here but its pricey.
4. The electromultivision screen (an touch screen option) has a habit of dieing and can be fixed but is expensive. and if that doesn't work you can't control A/C, ventilation or audio.
5. For the UZZ32 with Active suspension and yaw control, check that it works and that the hydropnumatic cylinders aren't leaking.
And that the 4ws system is okay.
6. Turbo models, check for hooned out engines, turbos etc, as they are very expensive to fix/replace.
7. The v8's usually are trouble free just check general things and a full fluid change is a good idea, only use Toyota fluid in the transmission as problems arise with Dexron substitutes (including Dexron III)
Usually you can find pristine examples in stock standard form with about 30,000-50,000kms on them
Here's the 48,000km UZZ30 my brother got for $20,000
[Updated on: Sun, 12 January 2003 01:06]
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Location:
_Sydney _
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: soarers
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Sat, 18 January 2003 01:24
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Get a twin turbo
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Location:
Wollongong
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: soarers
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Sat, 18 January 2003 05:53
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I second that Bounty
Seriously, if you want all the luxury goodies, go the V8 models, alternatively if you want something quick (and weighs 200kg less) get the 2.5TT model.
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
January 2003
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Re: soarers
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Sat, 18 January 2003 10:28
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Its kind of a trade off
The V8 is probably more longer lasting and trouble free, but all those electrical gadgets can cost a fortune when they break.
With the twin turbo, its the other way around, trouble free inside, cost a fortune if the turbos go.
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I supported Toymods
Location:
yandina sunshine coast
Registered:
September 2002
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Re: soarers
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Sat, 18 January 2003 14:21
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do yourself a favour in both resale and performance
BUY a TWIN TURBI 1JZ
my fathers an importer and out of 50 soarers picked up off the ship there has not been 1 with a crook motor
i have seen 2 with deat turbos bu tit was self inflicted after 12lb of boost was applied
you will love it bleive me 
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Location:
Preston
Registered:
June 2002
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Re: soarers
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Sat, 18 January 2003 16:50
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Go the TT. They rock!!! 
My turbos have done 215,000km's now with at least 140,000 of them being hard, and rough, and they still seem to be fine.
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Location:
Southern Sydney
Registered:
August 2002
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Re: soarers
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Sat, 18 January 2003 20:39
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ok how bout this.... Test drive both a V8 and then a TT.
We all know what the result will be.
Just don't go and make an uneducated decision that you might regret.
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
January 2003
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Location:
Goulburn
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: soarers
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Sun, 19 January 2003 14:28
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as above go the TT
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Location:
MACKAY
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: soarers
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Mon, 20 January 2003 10:47
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I run a 1991 GT 1UZFE soarer with big exhaust on the dyno at work today and was very disapointed with the results , The best I could get out of it was 113 RWKW where a few weeks ago I ran up a 1995 N/A JZA 80 ( 2JZGE )with big exhaust and got 122 RWKW , If it's power you want , Go the 1JZGTE .
Trevor
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
January 2003
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Re: soarers
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Mon, 20 January 2003 11:23
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*coughs* Seen a twin turbo 1uz-fe?
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: soarers
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Mon, 20 January 2003 11:40
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yeah it's funny I was trying to explain to a guy today that a 1uz seems to only be able to put the 120ish down on a dyno..
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Location:
Southern Sydney
Registered:
August 2002
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Re: soarers
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Mon, 20 January 2003 21:40
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take the results at the dyno day for example.
a 1uz soarer put down 130ish and my 1jz soarer put down just under 160.... and that was with the most awefully rich air/fuel ratio i've ever seen and completely fouled plugs.
These results are on the same dyno, same conditions, same day. They speak for themselves.
When I get my SAFC it should be more like 175 just from a bit of tuning.
*coughs* no I haven't seen a TT 1UZ-FE in person. Have you?
If they were such a simple/cheap thing to do we'd probably all have them.
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I supported Toymods
Location:
south of the big smoke
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: soarers
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Wed, 22 January 2003 11:20
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thanks alot remedy! after ridding with you on dyno day you have made up my mind for the next car
btw auth me on icq
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: soarers
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Wed, 22 January 2003 13:46
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But there is a Tom's Supercharger kit of the 1UZFE I think.
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Location:
Cabramatta, NSW
Registered:
May 2002
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 Re: soarers
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Wed, 22 January 2003 22:51
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| Ollygt wrote on Mon, 20 January 2003 22:23 |
*coughs* Seen a twin turbo 1uz-fe?
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| SmellyTofu wrote on Thu, 23 January 2003 00:46 |
But there is a Tom's Supercharger kit of the 1UZFE I think.
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There are prolly 5 different T04 kits for the 1JZ-GTE too....
What's the point in saying these things?
And, yes, quite a few of us here have seen a TT 1UZ... 
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I supported Toymods
Location:
Central Coast
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: soarers
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Thu, 23 January 2003 01:07
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| Quote: |
And, yes, quite a few of us here have seen a TT 1UZ...
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*drools* Jamies 1UZFTE Celica.... 
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Registered:
October 2002
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Re: soarers
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Sat, 25 January 2003 00:36
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thanks a lot guys, there's some very good info there
i think remedy hit the nail square on the head with the test drive suggestion too...
right now i'm leaning heavily towards a twin turbo... however i've read several reviews and their fuel consumption seems to hang at around 16-17L/100km's in town... that's why i'd like to hear from some other people who drive them (specifically in canberra, as canberra hardly has any "city" driving as such... just a series of interconnected villages  )
apparently the twin turbo models use more fuel than the v8's... i'd just like to get some personal observations on the topic
i'm hopeful that at the end of this year at the latest i won't have to worry about how much fuel my car uses, but just in case i do... well it just might be the deciding vote
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Location:
Wollongong
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: soarers
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Sat, 25 January 2003 01:08
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Yes, I have also heard about V8 Soarers using less fuel than the TT as well.
Here are my fuel figures for pure city driving:
410 km
67 litres
Quite hard on the pocket when you have to buy Optimax.
Highway driving is better though. I did a few 100km trips, and I managed to get around 550km from the same amount of fuel (67-ish litres).
As for fuel use according to driving style, I will be brutally honest and say that flogging the crap out of the car uses virtually the same amount of fuel as not using boost at all.
Last time I tried the experiment, I drove without overdrive enabled, and with ECT Power mode switched on (auto trans) and drove like an idiot for the entire tank of fuel. I got 400km out of the tank. Next tank (always Optimax) I kept overdrive enabled all the time, and was in ECT Economy mode. I got ~410km !
So now, I just don't care how I drive, cos it really makes bugger all difference to fuel use in the long run. I have repeated this test many times over the last 18 months, and the results are always the same.
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I supported Toymods
Location:
yandina sunshine coast
Registered:
September 2002
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Re: soarers
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Sat, 25 January 2003 03:30
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on a trip to bundy and back i got 550 km for 52 litres
this was with the cruise control set to 104 kph all on highway
around town i get 11.9 l/100 km and i do drive it reasonably hard
before i put the 4 inch exhaust and hks panel filter on, you could add at least another 3 litres/100 k to the around town figures and could not get 10/litre on the open road
i am totaslly rapped with the feul economy of the ijz tt turbo
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
January 2003
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Re: soarers
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Sat, 25 January 2003 10:34
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Fuel economy VS Performance, its hard to do well at both
You could always run it on LPG *scurries away to avoid things being thrown at him* seriously, if the fuel economy is a worry you might just have to consider getting another car for "everyday"
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Registered:
October 2002
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
January 2003
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Re: soarers
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Sun, 26 January 2003 00:40
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Vroom vrooom
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Location:
Wollongong
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: soarers
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Sun, 26 January 2003 10:55
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ttsoarer, have you done any mods to increase mileage, because I don't even get close to your figures. At best I get 13.8L/100km, at worst usually 16L/100km.
Even when I had the stock system on I got similar figures to what I am getting now. I installed a full 3" mandrel system from the dump pipes (but not including) to the rear and it hasn't affected fuel use very much at all.
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
June 2002
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Re: soarers
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Sun, 26 January 2003 11:01
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| Soarer wrote on Sat, 25 January 2003 12:08 |
Last time I tried the experiment, I drove without overdrive enabled, and with ECT Power mode switched on (auto trans) and drove like an idiot for the entire tank of fuel. I got 400km out of the tank. Next tank (always Optimax) I kept overdrive enabled all the time, and was in ECT Economy mode. I got ~410km !
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When I'm driving the car normally I get 12km/L, mix of city/hwy and normal/hard driving.
Example today I went up the coast to Wangi Wangi from Sydney, and the trip is around 150km, my car used up around 10~11L of fuel (BP Ultimate), and another 150km back my car used up around 11L~12L (lower grade premium), so I'm doing around 11~12km/L averages, half hwy/city driving. This is with aircon on and mostly cruise control @105km/h on the hwy, but a lot of the driving (around an hour) was stop-go traffic from Hornsby to east Sydney.
BTW I've got a Soarer 2.5GT, with a simple inlet mod, stock everything else and ICE... that's all.
[Updated on: Sun, 26 January 2003 11:05]
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
January 2003
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Re: soarers
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Tue, 28 January 2003 07:56
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Volatile, I have owned a Saorer V8 for over 4 years now and it is one of the best car I've ever had. Sure there are problems, just luck with the draw. I have been lucky only costing me under $200 in necessary parts so far.
It is true that it is very hard to extract more Kw from the V8. I know guys spending $5000+ to get just 10~15kw extra (I don't know why it can't produce more Kw). The standard does 124rw kw, mine normally has 133kw (but for some reason ran 122 on the dyno day).
I suggest that you talk to Neil Griffiths autotech1@ozemail.com.au who is a Soarer owner and Mechanic in Canberra (Queanbeyan). He is very helpful and honest.
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Location:
Goulburn
Registered:
May 2002
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Re: soarers
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Tue, 28 January 2003 11:19
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are you going to get those extractors?
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Registered:
October 2002
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Re: soarers
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Thu, 30 January 2003 04:48
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| BigK wrote on Tue, 28 January 2003 18:56 |
I suggest that you talk to Neil Griffiths autotech1@ozemail.com.au who is a Soarer owner and Mechanic in Canberra (Queanbeyan). He is very helpful and honest.
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ohhh fantastic, i'll follow up on that, thanks!
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Registered:
May 2002
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Re: soarers
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Thu, 30 January 2003 05:37
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The problems in getting much more power out of a stock NA 1UZ stem from the cams...They are "F" (or "economy") cams, similar to the cams in, say, a 4AFE. So, if you could wear the expense of having some made up in a "G" spec - a 1UZ-GE, in effect, (and some appropriate mods for high revs), you'd get more power, delivered higher in the rev range...
Having said that, Bullet quote their standard NA 1UZ at 225(crank) KW, some 30-odd over stock (and, yes, I've asked them how they do it - no answer yet), and they also had an example at one point which was NA, but ran individual throttle-bodies (and I'm not sure what else) which produced 300KW...
They also have a sprintex supercharged one at 330KW.
So, you can get power out of one, you just need to:
A) Know where to look
B) Be prepared to spend $$
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
January 2003
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Re: soarers
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Thu, 30 January 2003 09:30
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I have seen 1UZ Soarers with performance cams, extractors and ECU upgrade done, still had 143kw.
(NB. you can buy performance cams off the shelf for the 1UZ).
I know a lot of experts with money to burn and still under 150kw (please correct me if I am wrong and tell me who has done it).
Yes there is a supercharger kit for under $10k, but I would like to keep mine N/a.
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Registered:
May 2002
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Re: soarers
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Thu, 30 January 2003 22:04
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Mate, if you know where to buy performance cams "off the shelf" for a 1UZ, please let me (and about 50 other 1UZ enthusiasts I know - oh, and also people like Ivan Tighe, who does regrinds of the existing cams etc) know, as I'd be very interested...
BTW. I have seen empirical dyno evidence of 1UZ Soarers with extractors, exhaust and modified intake (Pete Scott's "BFI") which produce 147KW on a dyno...no aftermarket cams to be seen!
So, please, let me in on your secret. Where do you get 'em, and how much do they cost. While you're at it, why not reveal the grind, so that I can discuss it with Neil Griffiths (another local 1UZ enthusiast) to see if they're what we're after.
What ECU upgrade are you referring to? Are we talking a piggy-back fuel controller, or a full MiNes re-map? (I wasn't aware of any after-market ECUs which would replace a Soarer's and I should know, having owned a '31 for a couple of years, and researching the car for about 4 years...)
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Location:
Eastwood, Sydney, NSW, Au...
Registered:
July 2002
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Re: soarers
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Fri, 31 January 2003 00:22
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Yeah, I was considering a soarer too...
My bro has one.... he has had it for almost a yr now.
He bought a v8 soarer with about 100K on the clock... but only paid $13000 for it
He is pretty happy with it except for the fuel economy. He gets about 400-450kms from his 60-70L tank in the city. He drives alot because he works for homecare.
He has had pretty much no probs with the car so far.
Personally, I am not too keen on the Soarer now... because I am a tight ass and don't like cars that chew too much gas.... plus the electronics freak me out...
but if i was to get a soarer... i would go the TT.... preferrably a manual... i find the v8 a bit sluggish.... i think the v8's strong point is the ingear acceleration
Also... the soarer is a very impractical car.... so big yet so little room inside 
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Registered:
May 2002
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Re: soarers
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Fri, 31 January 2003 00:46
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Personally, I think that the Soarers are one of, if not the best car ever produced...
I would categorically not have sold ours if the "impracticalities" had not existed...
Firstly, they are externally a BIG car, making it difficult for my wife to judge distances when parking.
Secondly, they are not as practical as other vehicles (ie. very big doors, small boot, limited interior room)
It is for those reasons that we sold ours. However, I could not be without a 1UZ in the garage, and I needed a practical car, which is why we bought a Cressida and put a 1UZ into it. In a manner of speaking, the "best of both worlds".
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Location:
Eastwood, Sydney, NSW, Au...
Registered:
July 2002
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Re: soarers
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Fri, 31 January 2003 02:39
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v8 in cressida.....
that's different....
did it fit in ok?
did u do it yourself or did u get a mechanic to do it?
how much did it cost???
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Registered:
May 2002
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Re: soarers
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Fri, 31 January 2003 04:31
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Actually, mine isn't the first...Darren (A.K.A V8 Cressida) had already done one some time ago. I had been wanting to do this for a while but wasn't sure it would work, but when I saw the initial photos of Darren's car and knew it would work, I set about making it happen.
As for the work, most was done by a local mechanic, as I don't have the tools, time or know-how. I also got some help with wiring etc from Erol Richardson and Russell (A.K.A kdog who, incidentally, is in the process of fitting a 1UZ to an NA Fairlane). I did dome of the wiring, including the wiring of the ignitors and mounting on a custom-made heat-sink assembly, and removing and re-fitting the tail-shaft after getting it lengthened.
1UZ fits well, but is tight. Extractors are a no go, unless custom fabricated (a "down the track" proposition)
Exhaust is via modified stock headers into single 2.5" single straight thru, with one cat and a resonator.
Engine management is via Autronic SMC (differs to Darren's in that he ran factory management).
Stock radiator is retained, though clutch fan is gone, replaced by a twin-thermo setup from an EF Falcon. Engine management uses MAP sensor, thus there is no AFM.
We even managed to retain the original (7M A/T) ECU to control the transmission.
It isn't finished, but the mechanics are done. All that remains are the cosmetics, sound etc.
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Location:
Sydney
Registered:
January 2003
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Re: soarers
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Fri, 31 January 2003 13:55
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HKS had cams for the V8 before, I recall they were about Yen 120,000 each (A$1900). May be I am wrong. I been on their site tonight www.hks-power.co.jp and they now only list cams models and not their application.
As for Pete Scotts car, he has already fitted performance cams a while back.
Also, as a matter of fact I was referring to the MiNes VX ECU upgrade. Rob Hayden fitted one on his car ($2300). Ask him how much more Kw he got. He will tell you he didn't get $2300 worth of power.
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Registered:
May 2002
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Re: soarers
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Sat, 01 February 2003 00:58
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Yes, Rob Hayden's (a good friend of ours) was the re-map to which I referred. As for Rob spending the $2300, he actually bught the car after being told that it had a re-mapped ECU when, in fact, it didn't; thus the dealer wore the cost...He claims that his RWKW are around 150-odd on a good day, and his rev limiter has been moved fom the standard 6600RPM to 7500RPM.
As for Pete Scott's cams, I assume you subscribe to either/both of the LSOC/ALSC sites? If so, (or even if you were to go to Pete's own site), you would find that his cams were, in fact, only the exhaust cams. They were not purchased "off the shelf", but rather sent to Ivan Tighe for re-grinding to more performance-oriented specs. Pete found very little difference in performance afterwards. This could be partly attributed to the fact that the inlet cams now do not "match" the profile of the exaust cams...
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Location:
Brisbane
Registered:
January 2003
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Re: soarers
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Wed, 05 February 2003 10:28
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Leave the cams alone, they take ages to get the right ones and if they're wrong the car runs like hell. Fiddle with everything else first and leave the cams alone, especially the 1UZ-FE since it has 4 which can get kind of pricey. If you're in Brisbane Ivan Tighe can make you up a set to your specs better and cheaper than HKS off the shelf stuff.
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