Vios to Altezza

[Mitevo7]

Hardrace bushings are great. I know not many brands (available to us) have bushes available for BMWs. Hardrace and Superpro have bits and pieces of bushings for E36 but not everything.

Or i just buy a fullkit from UK, its quite cheap for set of lower armbar and bushing with meyle bush in it, will that be better to hold 1JZ torque ?

 

[Izso]

Or i just buy a fullkit from UK, its quite cheap for set of lower armbar and bushing with meyle bush in it, will that be better to hold 1JZ torque ?

I don't know tbh. I feel even stock is good enough but I like how it feels when I went and did Superpro last time in my old car.

 

[Wayne_92]

Wah suddenly so many replies and moving into BMW territory, sorry for the late reply, was flooded with work..

It's a Toyota. Parts are not that easy to wear down if you change everything properly and not skimp on maintenance.

Yeah, im estimating atleast 8k ready to accommodate the new change of parts one-go (bushings, new o2 Sensors, timing belts and water pumps, solenoid, Ignition coils, oil gasket, normal fluid changes) in hopes to have a hassle free ride for few thousand miles. but correct me sifus if my estimation is off target .

I've been reading bout the issues this car may pop-up, and SEEMS, seem la.. not much on Engine and gearbox issues. Most issues would be the solenoid, o2 sensors and plugs. Any altezza owner can validate?

If you’re going for an AUTOMATIC, might as well get an E90 325i with an in-line straight 6 engine with a ZF 6 speed automatic.

That screaming BEAMS engine isn’t all that fun without a manual, and since you’re a casual driver, no 4 banger comes close to the in-line 6 for smoothness.

Also, the current ZF 8 speed automatic used across all BMW is the best automatic transmission in the market right now. Period. The E90 is using the predecessor ZF 6 speed, which was the best 6 speed of its time. Not as seamless as the 8 speed, but still very good. So if you want an auto, why not get the best one for its time.

If you want godlike fuel efficiency, the E90 320d. If you cover a lot of KMs then get this for sure.

Next thing people will talk about reliability, cost of maintenance etc. For such an old car, both the Altezza and BMW, wear and tear is certainly there. Lots of things need replacement, rubber parts, AC coil, radiator etc. Oh for the same money I believe the BMW will be a younger car than Altezza.

Now comes the argument of the badge, Toyota vs BMW. Usually, Toyota is easy to maintain, due to abundance of spare parts in Malaysia, and ease of maintenance. That being said, comparing a Vios and Altezza is far fetched. Parts for Vios is super easy to come by, you can be stranded in Kota Bharu and still able to easily get spare parts there, worse case scenario you can go to UMW Toyota there. But remember you can’t do the same with an Altezza. Whereas with the E90, it was sold here in Malaysia, so there are still BMW specialists all over Malaysia that service it and carries parts for it. Don’t go to BMW dealerships they will slaughter you.

With your income and budget, DO NOT get a modified car. Maintaining a stock one at this age will not be easy. Getting a modified one will end up #1jzparking

Would agree with you bro ixeo, I've heard that the BMW E46 & E90 driving experience is awesome. I driven a F30 328i for a moment when CNY during late night in city area.. It was lovely wei... that was what poisoned me to get a RWD, haha. Of course, its a newer car la, cant expect the same experience for older gens of cars.

Personally i would try to avoid BMW cause most friends and relatives have sold off their old ones due to a few headache in maintaining it. Like fix this part, the other parts becomes gone case. I didnt ask too in depth.. but just the summary of it made me quite skeptical of their running reliability. Then again, it could be the age of the car like you have mentioned. But this is all my personal view la (Hope no BMer's gets offended ) and do correct me.

For the 325i engine with inline 6 of 6L+ engine oil capacity, Im assuming a higher maintenance cost for regular interval services (E.g. Spark plugs & oil change)? Plus, roadtax is doubled from altezza being a 2.5L .

Based on what i've gathered, i think altezza could be the balance? Have more performance than a Vios, though not as great performance as BMWs, but have the reliability to last like a Camry? that is IF, most of the major wear and tear parts are changed before driving out one.

With your income and budget, DO NOT get a modified car. Maintaining a stock one at this age will not be easy. Getting a modified one will end up #1jzparking

Haha, definitely will avoid them for now.. Heard alot of horror stories about modified car. Even if i do get the altezza, my aim would be to keep it well stocked and running, except for few handling tweaks (Arms, Bars, Coilovers, etc.). Wont be hardcore whacking it on tracks all the time.

Lesson to TS and all of us here who wants to keep or buy an old car, all the above might be something we might ran into, especially if we don't know the history of certain cars. With you capability, pretty sure you will be rolling in another fast car (define your fast) very soon. I am stopping all car mods effective Jan 2020, with this pandemic hit us so harrrdd. I think i will be stopping it until next year end, until things start to look abit better. However, what needs to be fixed must be fixed ... Stupid lower arm bushing went out during these times, together with the rear arm bush ... Considering its already 21 years old, i think those bushings consider quite durable since they never been changed before. Should i go with Hardrace bush ?

Thanks,
Ken

Haha i will take note on that, brother ken. Im not sure if Vios is considered fast ah, but its well taken care off with minor tweaks by installing ARB's and struts bar with steel brakelines. I do throttle harder on highway corners from time to time . Though i think have change my driving habit when it comes to RWD. But like what izso said, I think its best for me to go a test drive 1st and see what are my expectations and considerations on it. really cant wait for this Virus to go away..

Btw wanna ask, i heard altezza always have this Lower arm bushing issues and ball join issues. Most of the bushings i can find on the web are "Hardrace" brands. They dont supply Original Toyota or any other alternative OEM bushings anymore for altezza?

And do coilovers replaces entirely the need for absorbers and springs? The stock absorber almost 3k for 4 sides . If thats the case, wouldnt coilover be a better option?

 

[Mitevo7]

Wah suddenly so many replies and moving into BMW territory, sorry for the late reply, was flooded with work..



Yeah, im estimating atleast 8k ready to accommodate the new change of parts one-go (bushings, new o2 Sensors, timing belts and water pumps, solenoid, Ignition coils, oil gasket, normal fluid changes) in hopes to have a hassle free ride for few thousand miles. but correct me sifus if my estimation is off target .

I've been reading bout the issues this car may pop-up, and SEEMS, seem la.. not much on Engine and gearbox issues. Most issues would be the solenoid, o2 sensors and plugs. Any altezza owner can validate?



Would agree with you bro ixeo, I've heard that the BMW E46 & E90 driving experience is awesome. I driven a F30 328i for a moment when CNY during late night in city area.. It was lovely wei... that was what poisoned me to get a RWD, haha. Of course, its a newer car la, cant expect the same experience for older gens of cars.

Personally i would try to avoid BMW cause most friends and relatives have sold off their old ones due to a few headache in maintaining it. Like fix this part, the other parts becomes gone case. I didnt ask too in depth.. but just the summary of it made me quite skeptical of their running reliability. Then again, it could be the age of the car like you have mentioned. But this is all my personal view la (Hope no BMer's gets offended ) and do correct me.

For the 325i engine with inline 6 of 6L+ engine oil capacity, Im assuming a higher maintenance cost for regular interval services (E.g. Spark plugs & oil change)? Plus, roadtax is doubled from altezza being a 2.5L .

Based on what i've gathered, i think altezza could be the balance? Have more performance than a Vios, though not as great performance as BMWs, but have the reliability to last like a Camry? that is IF, most of the major wear and tear parts are changed before driving out one.



Haha, definitely will avoid them for now.. Heard alot of horror stories about modified car. Even if i do get the altezza, my aim would be to keep it well stocked and running, except for few handling tweaks (Arms, Bars, Coilovers, etc.). Wont be hardcore whacking it on tracks all the time.



Haha i will take note on that, brother ken. Im not sure if Vios is considered fast ah, but its well taken care off with minor tweaks by installing ARB's and struts bar with steel brakelines. I do throttle harder on highway corners from time to time . Though i think have change my driving habit when it comes to RWD. But like what izso said, I think its best for me to go a test drive 1st and see what are my expectations and considerations on it. really cant wait for this Virus to go away..

Btw wanna ask, i heard altezza always have this Lower arm bushing issues and ball join issues. Most of the bushings i can find on the web are "Hardrace" brands. They dont supply Original Toyota or any other alternative OEM bushings anymore for altezza?

And do coilovers replaces entirely the need for absorbers and springs? The stock absorber almost 3k for 4 sides . If thats the case, wouldnt coilover be a better option?

Vios is a good for its league, a car that help lots of my friends in building their careers and businesses until they are financially stable and get their ideal car. I would say keep it as your daily with low maintenance costs.

This is ZTH style, original topic will sway to others stuffs eventually so get used to it :). Altezza is very uncommon car in Malaysia, if you look for parts at Ebay probably you will see more. Any car with bushing will have issues eventually, not to mention a 15+ years old car. Hardrace is a good brand, i also want to upgrade this brand of bushing to my E46 but i consider cheaper and durable option.

Stock absorber gives you the comfort and performance where most people can accept, it will definitely one or 2 levels above Vios as its sports tuned. I would recommend get properly designed and performance proven coilovers like BC Racing, Tein, F-Tuned, or the one i am using Premium (Ex-Titan).

 

[ixeo]

Well, my advice to TS would be to go find Altezza owner groups on FB, not sure if they are still active now as most of them are no longer in the modding phase, and just maintain and drive. Over there you will also get real life feedback on running one.

Don't ask questions like "easy to maintain or not". Too vague. Ask questions like, have the Altezza ever leave you stranded. Or was there a time you couldn't get parts. Etc. Easy is relative. What is easy to you may not be easy for me.

As for alternatives in that price range with a RWD. Other than BMW I cannot think of anything else.

 

[lsm1991]

Well, my advice to TS would be to go find Altezza owner groups on FB, not sure if they are still active now as most of them are no longer in the modding phase, and just maintain and drive. Over there you will also get real life feedback on running one.

Don't ask questions like "easy to maintain or not". Too vague. Ask questions like, have the Altezza ever leave you stranded. Or was there a time you couldn't get parts. Etc. Easy is relative. What is easy to you may not be easy for me.

As for alternatives in that price range with a RWD. Other than BMW I cannot think of anything else.

other rwd's that might not break the bank huh.....

mark X
- honestly speaking, since ts is looking for an automatic, this sounds like a way better option
- its more 'boatish' but will do the job fine i guess

mercs nothing interesting

audis are fancy vw's

...

wow that was bout it

 

[Mitevo7]

other rwd's that might not break the bank huh.....

mark X
- honestly speaking, since ts is looking for an automatic, this sounds like a way better option
- its more 'boatish' but will do the job fine i guess

mercs nothing interesting

audis are fancy vw's

...

wow that was bout it

Oh yesss the Mark X, and if he doesn't mind a Lexus badge, the 2011 IS250 is also a good one but V6 engine (not sure its inferior to inline 6). The cabin, seats, NVH, comfort level is super good, better than my Volvo but its too "unsporty" to me.

 

[Izso]

Yeah, im estimating atleast 8k ready to accommodate the new change of parts one-go (bushings, new o2 Sensors, timing belts and water pumps, solenoid, Ignition coils, oil gasket, normal fluid changes) in hopes to have a hassle free ride for few thousand miles. but correct me sifus if my estimation is off target .

I've been reading bout the issues this car may pop-up, and SEEMS, seem la.. not much on Engine and gearbox issues. Most issues would be the solenoid, o2 sensors and plugs. Any altezza owner can validate?

You talking about auto or manual? Let's just talk about the cars I've been scoping out - only 1 had the vvti solenoid swapped out, the rest all needed changing. The O2 and spark plugs are wear and tear parts. A car that old it's probably a good idea to change these wear and tear parts.

For automatics you'll need to find out when was the last time the oil changed? And then whether it was modified with a ATF cooler or not. If not consider getting one into your budget

The higher the mileage of the Tezza the more wear and tear bits and pieces will need looking at. Oil seals, gaskets, bushes and potentially even driveshafts. All these things are wear and tear so check receipts if any and test drive cars to know what needs work.

Personally i would try to avoid BMW cause most friends and relatives have sold off their old ones due to a few headache in maintaining it. Like fix this part, the other parts becomes gone case. I didnt ask too in depth.. but just the summary of it made me quite skeptical of their running reliability. Then again, it could be the age of the car like you have mentioned. But this is all my personal view la (Hope no BMer's gets offended ) and do correct me.

No one gets offended unless you flame someone directly.

Anyway BMWs F-series and G-series are newer and cost way more to maintain. The E36 and E46 generation of BMWs are older and cheaper to maintain. But they don't drive and feel like the newer cars la. E90 is when it starts to get more expensive to maintain but still cheaper than F and G.

For the 325i engine with inline 6 of 6L+ engine oil capacity, Im assuming a higher maintenance cost for regular interval services (E.g. Spark plugs & oil change)? Plus, roadtax is doubled from altezza being a 2.5L .

Oh come on. 6L of oil isn't that much more mah. Roadtax is still 800+ vs 400+. Not that much more for smoother response and more powahhhh

Based on what i've gathered, i think altezza could be the balance? Have more performance than a Vios, though not as great performance as BMWs, but have the reliability to last like a Camry? that is IF, most of the major wear and tear parts are changed before driving out one.

Yes. Close to a Camry. But expect a little more cuz Camry no rear diff oil to change.

Btw wanna ask, i heard altezza always have this Lower arm bushing issues and ball join issues. Most of the bushings i can find on the web are "Hardrace" brands. They dont supply Original Toyota or any other alternative OEM bushings anymore for altezza?

And do coilovers replaces entirely the need for absorbers and springs? The stock absorber almost 3k for 4 sides . If thats the case, wouldnt coilover be a better option?

Hardrace and Superpro should have bushes for the Tezza.

Coilovers are suspension sets la.. do you know what they are in the first place? 3k for 4 sides sounds like you're opting for original parts taken from Toyota directly. Did you check other options?

If 3k you probably should consider coilovers but coilovers will compromise your ride comfort. So you gotta find out what you want.