Altezza Vs E36

[lidistick]

Hey guys.

i need opinions.
I need a car that handles well, has low maintenance costs and is comfy for long journeys.Oh and RWD (so no honda ) Not worried about petrol consumption.
I've narrowed my search to 2 cars (but if I'm missing any, let me know).

Altezza Rs200 (Z edition?) manual/tiptronic.
BMW E36 323i or 328i (depending on $$) - no manuals that Ive seen yet.

I've thought about a Caldina Gt-t but the interior is a bit naff.

Cheers.

[defy]

Having owned an e36 and been in a fair share of altezzas, id prolly reccomend an altezza, just cos they're a toyota, and dont generally break under normal use. Although for long journeys an E36 would be more comfortable.

E36's suffer from quite a few problems, electrical and mechanical.. your cam angle/crank angle sensors will probably fail, the jatco 5 speed autos arent the strongest specially if its been used in start/stop traffic rush hours in Japan/singapore etc, the plastic water pump impellers (pre faclift E36) will fail around 100km and need to be changed, the cooling system needs to be well looked after, the M5X motors will warp heads. Your door lock actuators will prolly fail um yeah.

as for altezzas only common problem i have heard on them is the TPS's sometimes play up.

Originally Posted by lidistick

Hey guys.

i need opinions.
I need a car that handles well, has low maintenance costs and is comfy for long journeys.Oh and RWD (so no honda ) Not worried about petrol consumption.
I've narrowed my search to 2 cars (but if I'm missing any, let me know).

Altezza Rs200 (Z edition?) manual/tiptronic.
BMW E36 323i or 328i (depending on $$) - no manuals that Ive seen yet.

I've thought about a Caldina Gt-t but the interior is a bit naff.

Cheers.

[nva2nd]

Altezza because I think they look better then E36 Stock.

[GecKo]

Originally Posted by NVA2ND

Altezza because I think they look better then E36 Stock.

Except Altezzas are now EVERYWHERE, every man woman and dog has one..

[canman]

What but you don't see E36 3 series around !!!

[22]

I might have a 328i M-Sport Japan for sale.. pm if your keen,

[Spanky69r]

im the opposite of Defy

owned a altezza and been in many e36's

i would prob own the altezza over the beamer

pretty reliable but gas? well not that great but u said u dont care about gas

and i reakon altezzas pull more chicks haha

[defy]

or



:idea:

[valentino08]

low maintance cost definately go to Japanese cars... easy & cheap to find parts... by the way don't get E36 is a piece of crap got too many problem

[lidistick]

Thanks guys.

Heard that the Altezza head units is a pain to change.

[divz06]

Originally Posted by lidistick

Thanks guys.

Heard that the Altezza head units is a pain to change.

I heard that too, or a rediculous price?

Id go for the altezza, the RS200Z?

They are both common cars, but id say you see more beamers then altezzas.

Altezza definatly looks better

[calibre]

out of those two, 5sp Altezza RS200z :thumbsup: forget the tiptronic one.

[workhackSIR]

Buy a NZ New 328, plenty more grunt than an altezza and such a nice cruiser

[Green Machine]

Originally Posted by lidistick

.Oh and RWD
Cheers.

Ahh that just screams NSX.

[nva2nd]

Originally Posted by Green Machine

Ahh that just screams NSX.

I new some one would say that, and out all people, had to be you....

[NZRacerX]

Originally Posted by divz06

I heard that too, or a rediculous price?

Id go for the altezza, the RS200Z?

They are both common cars, but id say you see more beamers then altezzas.

Altezza definatly looks better

Yup... had an RS200Z with the 6CD+MD head unit, and the CD player shit itself. Got quoted $4500+GST from Toyota for a replacement head unit.

$800 for a replacement tail light too. Parts are definitely not cheap.

[Spanky69r]

Originally Posted by lidistick

Thanks guys.

Heard that the Altezza head units is a pain to change.

nah easy as to change

u just have to buy a new surround for them, theyre cheapish now a days anyway

i changed mine before i got the notorious ERR3 msg and sold it for like $290 haha

[lidistick]

Hey thanks for the replies.

I've traded in the Accord for a BMW 328i.
Missus didn't really like the funny Altezza lights and the back seat was kinda tiny. 8O

The 328i was such a torquey machine and I think that sold the both of us.

Anyone wants a CF4 CL1 Cusco strut brace (ex TakeITeg?)

[workhackSIR]

Originally Posted by lidistick

Hey thanks for the replies.

I've traded in the Accord for a BMW 328i.
Missus didn't really like the funny Altezza lights and the back seat was kinda tiny. 8O

The 328i was such a torquey machine and I think that sold the both of us.

Anyone wants a CF4 CL1 Cusco strut brace (ex TakeITeg?)

It would be a good idea to get a mechanical warranty, easy to get for a BMW, saves any nasty surprises

[lidistick]

Originally Posted by workhackSIR

It would be a good idea to get a mechanical warranty, easy to get for a BMW, saves any nasty surprises

Yeah I think I will get one once the MTA warranty runs out

[the_chad]

Good buy. Last month I found a 1997 328i for my parents. Im really impressed by it, full leather interior, looks great, NZ new, 118kms. The torque of the engine is great, and it still revs right out. A 330i must be amazing!

And all that for $8500 8)

[lidistick]

Originally Posted by the_chad

Good buy. Last month I found a 1997 328i for my parents. Im really impressed by it, full leather interior, looks great, NZ new, 118kms. The torque of the engine is great, and it still revs right out. A 330i must be amazing!

And all that for $8500 8)

didn't get the leather interior but it had only done 74k kms and a full service history from Japan was in the glove box 8O.

Serviced by a very anal driver. Every 4000kms ~5000kms.
yeah the torque is something else after driving a Honda.

[lidistick]

I'll buy a honda again in time. But I love the straight six. Probably the best straight six in the world. :thumbsup:

[uh-oh]

i haven't read what other guys have written, it's 6am and i just got home, i can't be bothered, please dont flame me if i've said anything similar to them

as far as i know, an european car that is over 10 years of age, you have to be careful. minor problems might occur and they might not all pop up all at once. and parts wont be as cheap as japanese cars.
if you're lucky, you could find one that was owned by a senior citizen and problem could be to the minimal.

my friend has bought an imported altezza, 6 months after owning it, problem started to pop up, and costed him a bit to get things fixed. not sure what he had to get fixed but from memory, the ECU was one of the things. wasn't cheap, due to not having mechanical warranty in NZ etc.

so from what i can see, both vehicles of your prefered options might have problem.
if you want low maintainance costs, i would suggest altezza, because it's age isn't as old as an E36 would be, and parts would be cheaper if anything unfortunate does happen to the car.
but if you found an E36 with reasonable conditions, having it checked by a bmw mechanic, go for the E36. with a set of AC Shinzer suspensions (or other aftermarket brands) and some good tyres, i m pretty sure it would handle great.

if you want to keep it stock and have good handling, bmw wont be your choice. old car, old spring = sack
i have an E46 at home, owned it since new for 4 1/2 years, and the front springs are starting to sack, it's only been normal daily driving, rear tends to stay good for a while if you dont frequently put lots of weight in the back, i.e., 3 adult passengers and/or luggage

just my 2cent

//edit
just realise you've bought an E36 already ops: ops: ops: