Is Safe To Own A Carina Gt

[bimalnp4me]

I would like to own a bit sporty car before Midlife crisis hits me. My budget is around 1.7Mil mark.

Currently I own a Mazda Demio Manual -1998 Model – grate on fuel , not sporty

Yes I have read most of the threads about carina GT - which are 3-4 years OLD.

I need the feedback about current market... Most carinas will hit 20 year mark next year

Apart from Fuel consumption – what are other downsides? maintenance/parts etc.?

My other options are –
Honda Ek3
Toyota Cerus
Mazda BJ5W (Love the look)
nissan primera P11

[iRage]

First of all...is 1.7mil your total budget ? I would highly recommend you keep some of that money for some basic repairs, so in reality you should be spending only about 1.5 - 1.6 mil on the car itself.

Not really going to comment on the other cars....but where the Carina and the Ceres are concerned:

For starters some parts for 4A-GE engines are hard to come by. I was looking for a distributor cap and searched all the usual jaunts. Some were willing to bring it down but at a really high cost. Same goes for the cables.

Also, I believe some body parts would be hard to come by (lights, etc have a slightly different trim than in other variants of the cars).

For 1.7mil I think you will be looking at the pre-face lift version of the Carina ? Most of the face lift Carina GTs I have seen around seem to be closer towards the 2.0mil mark. The 6-speed M/T variant which is a bit rare is even a bit higher.

Where the Ceres/Marina is concerned you should try going for a G Type grade with the 4A-GE Silver top or Blacktop engines. The other Marino/Ceres are just 1500cc AE100 Corollas with a sporty looking body and interior and nothing too much to write home about. Granted the lower stance makes the driving dynamics a bit more interesting. There are a few 1600cc 4A-FE based ones around as well which is bit better than the 1500cc variant.

[tuner88]

i guess your question is answered above , but let me add somethings as well, a well kept properly maintained CGT would be hard to come by, as 4AGE Blacktop 20v engine is not the most petted engine in here, most of them are not in good shape. but its totally worth it if you buy one, a manual one, because it's clearly a Japanese under dog , it will make you smile when you throttle that 4AGE , no doubt at all.

Things to concern.

1) mileage - be very concern about it , if its more than 160k-or near 200k now its time for proper repair, because it's a high compression engine, there will be some known issues with the above mentioned mileage , such as engine oil sludge, bit of mechanical wear and tear ( valve buckets, Rods, Cranks). don't get terrified, all these comes with the age and mileage. it's important find someone who tells truth . ask about repairs he did, take a good mechanic with you, check the oil color, check engine idle rpm,

2) power - car should be pulling without issues if it has been maintained properly , apart form the normal checkups, you should feel a big difference when you're driving this car, she is "going",

3), noises - 4age blacktop comes with vvt , you find this solenoid right under the valve cover , check for oil leaks, ask the owner about the vvt pulley replacements. because it's a common problem with blacktops.

5 speed vs 6 speed.

5 speed gearbox is the toyota c-56, and the 6 speed is the c-160 which comes with LSD. it's a great car, let us know about your buy.

[nsiva]

OP,

This was my question sometime back, if you are interested. I had a similar reservation..

http://forum.autolanka.com/topic/16616-toyota-carina-gt/?fromsearch=1

[bimalnp4me]

Thank you very much iRage & tuner88 for thare Valuable feedbacks.

These are very useful. Thanks for even going for extra distance.

I will start looking.. May be a Ceres or Carina GT. But I will go for a well maintained car.

With the current one (it is also 17 years OLD) I got lot of repairs, I will definitely let you guys know once I made my choice.

@ nsiva Do you still own the car? Tell me more about your experience as an owner?

[tuner88]

  On 11/5/2015 at 2:52 PM, bimalnp4me said:

Thank you very much iRage & tuner88 for thare Valuable feedbacks.

These are very useful. Thanks for even going for extra distance.

I will start looking.. May be a Ceres or Carina GT. But I will go for a well maintained car.

With the current one (it is also 17 years OLD) I got lot of repairs, I will definitely let you guys know once I made my choice.

@ nsiva Do you still own the car? Tell me more about your experience as an owner?

ah no worries I'm just one happy owner that's all

Edited November 6, 2015 by tuner88

[nsiva]

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="bimalnp4me" data-cid="285934" data-time="1446735134"><p>

<br />

Thank you very much <a href='http://forum.autolanka.com/user/51257-irage/'>iRage & </a><a href='http://forum.autolanka.com/user/70095-tuner88/'>tuner88</a> for thare Valuable feedbacks.<br />

<br />

These are very useful. Thanks for even going for extra distance.<br />

I will start looking.. May be a Ceres or Carina GT. But I will go for a well maintained car.<br />

With the current one (it is also 17 years OLD) I got lot of repairs, I will definitely let you guys know once I made my choice.<br />

<a href='http://forum.autolanka.com/user/45859-nsiva/'>@ nsiva </a>Do you still own the car? Tell me more about your experience as an owner? :prankster

Sorry bimal

I havent owned any carina Gt.

I was trying to buy one for my friend.

?