Re: Quest to get a jdm car may be over

"1337HPMustang" (1337hpmustang) 10/15/2014 at 15:44 • Filed to: Subie quest

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Getting an Alteeeeezzzza! So previously I was looking at this !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! but it sold as I was going to put a deposit down. Tough luck. Probably for the best anyway because researching Subarus is seriously depressing and a jdm car that I've never seen before is a huge gamble.

I haven't given up on getting a jdm car, yo (though), and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! altezza has caught my eye.

They're cool cars and I'll be putting down a refundable deposit as I collect the information I need.

Pros

-200 hp jdm 2.0 "yamaha-tuned" 3S-GE

-6 speed

-Lsd

-Rwd

-auction grade of 4

Cons

-jdm only engine (sourcing timing belt and other stuff [pro?- overnight parts from japan])

-rwd (it'll be a winter driven car)

what do you guys think?

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > 1337HPMustang 10/15/2014 at 15:58

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What country are you located in? What's the total cast once you factor in getting it shipped to you?

How much does an IS300 with a manual go for around you? Parts would be way easier to source on one of those.

CAR_IS_MI > 1337HPMustang 10/15/2014 at 16:02

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Yea but, Altezza tail lights are so rice, even on Altezza's

HammerheadFistpunch > 1337HPMustang 10/15/2014 at 16:10

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3s-ge blacktop with mt and lsd....swoon.

Textured Soy Protein > 1337HPMustang 10/15/2014 at 16:11

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You have now joined the club of people who I want to slap when talking about a potential winter car they're going to buy.

Things you should focus on when buying a winter car:

Good at driving in snow.

Cheap to buy, cheap to fix.

Enough room inside to fit you while wearing a big fat winter coat.

You have met 0.5 of these 3 criteria—cheap to buy—but don't get the full point because it won't be cheap to fix.

Step away from the Altezza and go look at an old Jeep or Subaru or something.

1337HPMustang > Textured Soy Protein 10/15/2014 at 16:36

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well I mostly bus across town for work and I've got a f350 4x4 for when it gets hairy outside. This car will probably be driven short distances not meant for big diesels. Basically I want a fun winter car instead of something depressing. I'm sure the tezza can handle the snow with studded winter tires (which is the plan) and that lsd. As for fixing, it's a toyota. Come on. After some high mileage maintenance it'll probably go another hard 100k kms.

1337HPMustang > CAR_IS_MI 10/15/2014 at 16:41

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lol I shall red them out

1337HPMustang > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 10/15/2014 at 16:41

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I'm in Canada, shipping would be $900 and 5 grand around here gets you a car that will pass inspection but isn't anything more special than a civic.

1337HPMustang > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 10/15/2014 at 16:53

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3 is300s on sale in my area with similar mileage for 9 grand and above.

1337HPMustang > HammerheadFistpunch 10/15/2014 at 17:00

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This guy gets it!

HammerheadFistpunch > 1337HPMustang 10/15/2014 at 17:03

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TRD ITB's...overnight from Japan.

1337HPMustang > HammerheadFistpunch 10/15/2014 at 17:21

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Gosh you're making me want to straight up buy the car right now.

Textured Soy Protein > 1337HPMustang 10/15/2014 at 17:24

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Normally the "come on it's a Toyota" answer would be fine. Personally, I'd be concerned about it being a Toyota with a motor that was never sold in North America.

Are you allowed to drive on studded tires? Most places here in the US don't allow studs on public roads. Not to mention that if you drive them in anything other than deep snow, you'll wear down the studs.

I can tell you that when I wanted a winter car, I went out and got an old Grand Cherokee. Goes great in snow, comfy, cheap, and has a bunch of cargo room (for when my gf wants to go on yet another Home Depot run, regardless of season). Sure, as winter wears on, I wish for something more fun , but I'm pragmatic about it. The Jeep is fine for when the weather is shitty.

RazoE > 1337HPMustang 10/15/2014 at 17:24

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Nice! Are you sure it's the 3SGE? They were also available with the 2.0L 1G-FE 6 cyl pumping out a dizzying 150 hp~.

They're not bad winter cars as they have traction control and a "SNOW" mode that cuts the power.

You'll love the car, no matter what. Just keep an eye on the dash if it's an 02+ as they love to melt.

EDIT: Just saw the ad. Yup its an RS200! Nice. You have 200hp (a little less than the 215 from the 2JZGE in the IS300, but it weighs much less)

You can make a pretty penny selling your headlights, front bumper/support, fenders, grille, fog lights and rear bumper to USDM IS300 folks looking to go JDM.

RazoE > CAR_IS_MI 10/15/2014 at 17:26

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No they're not. Get an OEM dark chrome set and you're good to go.

1337HPMustang > RazoE 10/15/2014 at 18:03

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Do you have one? You seem to know a lot about them. What kind of reputation does the 3sge have? Any shortcomings? I'm kind of worried about the whole variable cam for both the intake and exhaust; sounds expensive to fix if anything ever went wrong. Do you know anything about the 6 speed? Thanks RazoE

RazoE > 1337HPMustang 10/15/2014 at 18:08

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The 3SGE had been around essentially since the 80's with the Celicas. Very VERY reliable engine. They can be boosted to hell. The GT500 Supras you see running around actually ran 3SGTEs instead of the 2JZ-GTE in JCGT races. I don't know about the tranny, but it's definitely stronger than the W55 in the IS300.

Also, yup. I have a 2003 5-speed with LSD (very rare combo)

http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/my-cars-152974…

http://oppositelock.jalopnik.com/tag/is300

1337HPMustang > RazoE 10/15/2014 at 18:28

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Sorry I should have specified if you're familiar with the 3s-ge with the BEAMS head, aka blacktop. I'm always kinda paranoid about buying a car with a belt driven valve train with interfering pistons. I guess since that 3sge's been in celicas and mr2s I wouldn't be too stranded if the engine went kaput.

Really cool car btw. Always loved the is200 and a rs200 with a high revving i4, titanium exhaust, 6 speed and lsd just seems like the funnest car and the price is damn good

RazoE > 1337HPMustang 10/15/2014 at 20:01

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don't think that 3SGE was ever offered in the IS200, only the 1G. It's a very reliable engine either way. It even makes 100hp/L!

1337HPMustang > Textured Soy Protein 10/15/2014 at 21:09

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Well the 3sge is in 80s celicas and sw20 mr2. It's just the heads that were never sold in North America. And yes if there was ever a place to use studded tires, it would be winnipeg canada where winter is damn near 6 months.

I drove a f150 in the winter (in 2wd) and, while fun, isn't sporty which is what I want. A sporty rwd shouldn't be mutually exclusive with winter driving. Just imagine how people got around in the 60s and you'll see that a rwd car is perfectly capable of driving on plowed city streets.

Textured Soy Protein > 1337HPMustang 10/15/2014 at 22:16

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I know full well that a rwd car is capable of driving in winter: I live in Wisconsin and drove a Miata as my only car through 4 winters. With Blizzaks, it did decently.

Now, my main car is a BMW 135is. When I leased it in June 2013, I thought I'd put snow tires on it in winter. But as winter approached, I decided to get a cheap winter car instead of snow tires and wheels. Mostly because I didn't want to drop $1500 on snow tires and wheels for a leased car I would only have for 3 years.

Once I decided on getting a winter car, I didn't think, "I've got a small, sporty rwd car, I think I'll get another one to drive in winter." I looked for something that offered things the 135is doesn't have: 4wd, ground clearance, and interior & cargo room. Hence my Grand Cherokee.

The way I see it, if you only have one car, and you want rwd, then snow tires are good for getting that one rwd car to work in winter. BUT if you're buying a second vehicle, and the main reason for buying that second vehicle is as a dedicated winter car, then you might as well focus on something more tailored to winter driving.

To put it another way, if you had a pair of running shoes, and decided you didn't want to wear them in the snow, why would you get another pair of running shoes, when you could get a pair of boots instead?

Dsscats > 1337HPMustang 10/16/2014 at 15:48

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Where do you live?

Dsscats > 1337HPMustang 10/16/2014 at 15:50

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Wait, why import this? You can get an IS300 with more power and a 5 speed for around the same price it would cost to import this....

1337HPMustang > Dsscats 10/16/2014 at 19:07

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Well there are is300s for sale in my area (winnipeg, canada) but they're all for a few grand more. And they don't have the zippy jdm beams 3sge with a six speed.

To be honest though I withdrew the deposit for the tezza to look at a gc8 sti in my area which, if everything goes smoothly, will be mine. Look there's even a picture of it parked beside a Z.