Interest In A Seca

[PorkoWog]

Alright guys, to start off, don't give me crap cause I'm new and what not to the whole Toyota scene (I've only ever owned Holdens; a VL and a VS) when reading this post. I am just trying to do as much research and get as much understanding with Corollas and what not before making decisions for my next vehicle.

 

Firstly I'll give a brief summary of my current situation. I lost my license for two years (since September this year) and am planning on appealing. If I do manage to get it back on good behaviour bond or 1 point or whatever it is, I am thinking about selling my Holden Commodore VS Acclaim and purchasing a Toyota Corolla Seca (liftback); like the one pictured here. I am unsure on all the models and what not, but I plan to purchase it for everyday driving as well getting to work, TAFE/uni, etc.

 

Now I know I may be downgrading to something older or not as powerful, but if I do get the bond from court then I obviously don't want to get myself into any more shit by driving a car that will go nuts once you put the accelerator down. All that I'm looking for is opinions and/or constructive criticism to see if I am making the right decision and whether getting the Seca is worth it in the end or not. Like I said, I do plan to use it daily for approximately two years until I am back to normal and what not.

 

I look forward to hearing from you guys, hopefully you can help me out. :)

[Toy-Yoda[RL]]

Completely indestructible cars those, but boring..... Will go forever and keep you within (most) legal limits, unless you go for a big run up first......

 

If it was me, I'd think something oldschool and properly slow, but comfy, something that FORCES people to look at the pimp in the sweet old car holding everyone up....

 

But I'm kinda twisted like that..... Ultimately, if you like the car, it does what you NEED it to, and it's in respectable condition, go for it.

[PorkoWog]

Well my cousin used to own one and I loved the look of it for some odd reason. The car just does something to me which is why I chose it out of all the cars in the world. Going older; ain't my style. I'm not too into older cars, I tend to stick to the late 80's plus. When you say boring; how so and why?

 

And another reason why I joined the forum to ask this question is specifically due to the fact that it comes in 6 different market chassis and 5 different market engines (according to this page on Wikipedia). I prefer the one with most power and the one that has most features. In other words (if you understand the Holden talk), I am looking for the Calais of the Secas, not the Executives...

 

I hope you guys can help me out...

Edited November 13, 2009 by PorkoWog

[Toy-Yoda[RL]]

Well my cousin used to own one and I loved the look of it for some odd reason. The car just does something to me which is why I chose it out of all the cars in the world. Going older; ain't my style. I'm not too into older cars, I tend to stick to the late 80's plus. When you say boring; how so and why?

 

And another reason why I joined the forum to ask this question is specifically due to the fact that it comes in 6 different market chassis and 5 different market engines (according to this page on Wikipedia). I prefer the one with most power and the one that has most features. In other words (if you understand the Holden talk), I am looking for the Calais of the Secas, not the Executives...

 

I hope you guys can help me out...

Ahh, the top spec Ultima with the 7AFE..... I can see the appeal, and they are good cars as I said before (I own an AE92 SE with the 4AFC, unkillable), only reason I call it boring is because to me personally it's bland and lacks character, this is entirely my own opinion though....... That and I'm a proper RWD fan, and the hatch is a little too "shopping trolley" for me...... *but the 4AFC is a revvy little bugger*

 

If you can find an AE94-96 ('92 onwards) 7AFE Ultima with the options you're after, it's a fair bet it'll be as reliable as the sunrise and keep you happy.....

 

I like the styling of the '99 models, it's just the FWD that kills it for me......

 

I hope this helps a little, You can pick up a good one for under $7k, with less than 250,000K's on it, manual, and a royal shit-ton of options, right here Clicky Clicky

Not sure if it's exactly what you're after, but it's a start......

 

Good luck, Yoda.

[200Boy]

Let me start off by disagreeing with Toy-Yoda. The only boring thing about them is that they're fwd and a little heavier than other rollas. Still if you get an ae93 SX like the one you pictured then it should be plenty livable, reliable and fast enough to still get you in trouble if you look for it.

 

Smallport 4age's are not what I would call boring engines unlike the 7afe and 4afc, and despite the previous advice these are the most powerful at a declared 100kw at the fly. You should be able to find one with all the fancy bells and whistles that the ultima and rv have considering the only good bits they have are the sx seats, sx rear brakes, aircon and power steer (both of which sx has optioned) and the slightly larger engine version (7afe) of the pleb models with the 4afcs.

 

Plus the sx is nice, thrashable, fun and feel faster than they are. Also cops will almost never look at you unless you rice it up or make it obviously noisy or drive like an idiot.

 

Personally though I'd go a hatch over a seca as they're a bit more compact, lighter and a bit more rigid.

 

So long as you're not in love with donuts and drifting, and you can put up with understeer then you should be fine. :)

Edited November 13, 2009 by 200Boy

[PorkoWog]

Unfortunately that's not what I'm after... I'm after some thing like this:

 

[200Boy]

That seca is sexy as but I'd hope he has a gze to justify the scoop and although the 17's look porn, they don't give the most practical ride with passengers and lowered springs :)

Edited November 13, 2009 by 200Boy

[PorkoWog]

Well I'm not particularly after that one of course, but the model. Just to clarify that everyone knows what I'm after anyway, in accordance with my first post.

 

So the Ultima is the 'best' model in other words, with all the features and the most powerful stock engine?

[200Boy]

Read my first post in the thread. The ae93 sx has the most powerful engine (being the smallport 4age) and the same luxury options as the ultima. The one you pictured is an sx. If anything the ultima and the rv are just the end of run models that they put some sx bits on to help them sell off. Therefore the sx is best :)

Edited November 13, 2009 by 200Boy

[MYSTIK[RL]]

SX Seca S2(built after 6/1991) all the features of the Ultima, and with a more powerful motor(4age)

 

enough said :)

[anastasios]

This car isn't going to help you get out of trouble, these corollas are like the biggest P Plater choice along with the SSS and are usually decked out with big systems and habibs so the police tend to always pull them over, and being an older car they always have something thats defectable.

 

Make a change to you driving habits, because any car can speed!

[PorkoWog]

Awesome, thanks for the advice 200Boy MYSTIK. So what I should be looking for is a Seca SX with a 4age in it?

 

And that is very true anastasios, but comparing the Seca with a Commodore VS... That's what I was getting at. I don't know, may just be me of course, but if I have a bigger and more powerful car I'll tend to give it hits here and there more often then that of a smaller car. When I had my VL, I didn't do anything until the night before I sold it. :)

 

And I noticed you live in Earlwood. I DO TOO!

[rob83ke70]

you can get booked in anything, tone your driving style down.... race the car on a track with a car club, drive sensibly on the road!!! I say go for it with the little corolla, they are plenty fun to drive, nothing like a commodore, and you probably will be very happy with how much less fuel it goes through and you might find you are enjoying yourself enough not to want the commodore back!!! I love little cars, and there's nothing like a little car that handles corners well!

 

If you buy one, take it for a GOOD test drive first and make sure it doesn't have oil consumption issues. The one we bought has wear in the valve guides (i put new seals on it and it still blows smoke) and possibly worn bearings or something funny going on in the bottom end, and it was a bit of an oily scary mess when we bought it. Needless to say, it is now very clean, doesn't leak oil, has four new matching wheels and pirelli p6's, the steering rack stays put in the right place, it doesn't scrub tyres, uses sweet bugger all fuel, and I was happy to write a rwc out for it (seeing as I'm the mechanic in the family).... still have to rebuild the engine at some point next year. It is an ae93 seca with a 7afe (ultima).

 

Robert.

[PorkoWog]

Thanks for posting rob83ke70. That's exactly what I'm looking for if I do get my license back; fuel efficiency and/or using less then what I do now (some weeks I can pay up to $100+ for fuel with the Commodore). I am not going to be buying one within the next couple of days, but I plan to within the next month or two or whenever I get results from my appeal. And I must make a note of me missing my VL when I sold it to get my VS... Don't know why though. I guess I would've kept my license if I had my VL still! :)

 

Your ride sounds pretty good, and it's always good to be the more car-savvy person of the family, at least it helps with servicing and what not. I'm always the person that pays attention to detail especially when it comes to buying a car. I've done it twice only, true, but I try and notice everything before making a decision.

[LittleRedSpirit]

If it is just supposed to be a daily, don't get too hung up on having a 4age. Sure the thing is rated at higher KW but it makes less torque than the 7afe. Id prefer the 7afe for strictly well behaved daily duties as it will do the stop start a bit easier, carry passengers better etc.

 

Power in a 4age is linear with revs, so if you want to lay the 100kw down at any stage, you will be revving over 7000rpm. Not exactly 'well behaved daily driver' fasion, but lots of fun.

 

The 7afe will only pull a bit after 6000rpm, but will do all its business well before then.

 

All the 4a motors love to rev, even the puss box 4ac has a good go at 7500rpm if you are unkind. As stated above the 4afc revs well, so does the 4afe and don't get me started on the 4age 20valve. Its something about the 4a design, which is not unlike most other revvy inline 4 engines of the last 25 years, Cosworth BDA, Nissan FJ20, 4AGE, 3SGE.

 

7as like a rev too. Just not as much as a 4age.

 

Its time to go to car yards and test drive.

 

If you decide to get excited with a 7afe, you can always toss on a 4age head and an aftermarket ecu and tune it up for a kind of torquey rev monster 7age hybrid. It may sever conrods, however.