Pre facelift or not?????

[minimike]

Hi guys,
I have decided to buy a MK3 and have got my eye on a couple. Problem is one is pre face lift 2000reg (a look I prefer) and the other is a 53reg. They have both done 32k with FSH and are virtualy the same price. Is the pre cat issue so relavent that it makes the choice a no brainer or is it ok to get the older car and modify it?
I bought a brand new roadster in 2001 hence my love of the pre face lift version. Both are black like my old car.
Looking to buy this week and going through the ads is starting to do my head in..........

[greglebon]

If they're virtually the same price, its a no brainer, really...?

Unless you're prepared to take the risk, that is.....?

If you can get the non-oval-bore 1ZZ, then that would be my choice, given the circumstances....

If the pre was £1k less than the post, and you prefer the look, then it would be a different story....

[HighwayStar]

So long as there is no engine damage yet you could get the older car then just get rid of the pre cats asap. Buy whichever is in best nick.. though I prefer the later look with the 16" rears and nicer nose and lights. With that mileage neither should have a prob but I even took the precats out of the g/fs facelift 'red' model.. better safe than sorry n all that.
Look forward to pics...

R.

[minimike]

Thanks for your replies guys.

I am going to see the 53 plate car tomorrow, it has checked out on the HPI and the owner says it is in 1st class condition.....fingers crossed. Your comments confirmed my suspicions about it not being worth the risk. My missus would drive me mad if I bought a car and then found that the engine was less than ok.

I promise to put up some pics if I buy it.

Was also looking at another couple, one black, one grey but they went at the w/e.

Is it generally ok to leave the pre-cats in the newer car? Didn't the revisions solve the problem altogether?

[Ekona]

No, remove them still. I had a post facelift car that had the precats start to disintegrate at under 10k miles, so had the manifold changed under warranty. Two days later I gutted the new manifold myself, but not before noticing that the brand-new precats were already cracked...

Toyota used very cheap, very fragile ceramic material in their precats on the mk3, so get them out ASAP regardless of year. Interestingly TTE used metal precats in their turbo conversion kit, guess they learnt the lesson.

[BLZ-8027]

I bet theres plenty of prefacelift owners ,that would swap all the bits over,so your newer car looks like the older car

[minimike]

Bought it today!

Really happy. Had a bit of a blast back home, and even had the top down for most of the way.

Couple of minor things. The rear piece of trim that covers the towing eye is missing which is quite common I think. Ordered one after getting the part off here. 8 pounds odd delivered.
Also the tyres are about shot.
Any idea's on what I should put on? What type of money should I be paying for all four? Going to grab some this week.

What should I use to clean the Vinyl roof?

Polishing and cleaning tomorrow and then I'll put some pics up.

Thanks for all your help and advise in advance.

Mike.

[minimike]

......I think my clutch is on it's way out.................

[tonigmr2]

Oh dear, what makes you think that?

Do post up pics, we are interested.

I've got some vinyl roof cleaner and vinyl roof protector, these guys sell it:
http://www.seriousperformance.co.uk/Products,79.html

[minimike]

I have got very slight clutch slip in 3rd/4th gear low down in the revs (3 to 4000revs). Didn't notice it yesterday on the test drive or driving home. 1st and 2nd are fine. I've only got 32k on the clock with FSH so I am a bit surprised. The car has had long spells of no use but i don't think this matters.

Toyota want 240 for supply of a clutch kit.

Has anyone sourced the parts elsewhere?

Will tackle the job with a mate who is in the trade. He is going to have a look on Friday night. I am confident we can do it easily in a day after reading a couple of 'how too's) on different forums.

I took some pics today but it is proving awkward to post them on here. You can't just drag em over........

What do you think of a set of Yokohama's, 400 quid fully fitted?

[minimike]

Just had a look in your garage tonig..........Don't feel so bad about a few 100 quid on a clutch now!!!

[MR2O12]

I rember this old carina we had the clutch was slipping for years. Never gave up completly. But my mk2 has sliped like yours low revs high gears before. its done it twice scared me thought i needed new clutch!! but it fixed its self try trashing it ir somthing before you replace

[minimike]

I think you mean thrashing??

I hope you are right. I am just shocked that it might be worn out at 32k. Sun is out so it might be time to get the roof down and go for a blast.

[Ekona]

You can wear a clutch out in 5K miles if you're completely ham-footed, I wouldn't read too much into the mileage.

That seems awfully expensive to me for a clutch kit from Toyota, I seem to remember paying about £90 back in the day. Depends on what they class as a 'kit', what comes with that?

[minimike]

Just been for a drive, lots of hills up here on the N.yorks moors. The car feels great. I was struggling to get the clutch to slip at all, even at low speed in a high gear up hill? Seems to be 50-60mph and boot it in 3rd and even then it is hardly anything........

I am hoping that using it everyday might sort it out and that I am being overcritical. It didn't seem as bad today as I thought it was yesterday.

Had a look at the fluid reservoir under the front cover and fluid looks okay too.

I think it would be worse if it really was letting go, I will monitor it and see.

It certainly pulls all the way up to 100+ before my nerve went. Lots of other roadsters out today in the sun. Saw a W reg MR2 and wondered if he still had his pre-cat in, there was a bit of grey smoke...............

That price was for a clutch kit??? not sure what that exactly contained. It would be friction plate the release bearing and the springy bit I guess. Even gave him the chassis number to make sure it was the correct one. Can't be sure if he only knows the date of manufacture he said.