Toyota Soarer 2.5 TT 92-98

[Adam230K]

Has anyone owned or know anyone thats owned one of these cars? I'm starting to take quite a liking to it and it might cause me to 'defect'.

They appeal to me because of how rare they are and how good they can look when tasteful mods are added.

But hey, at least i wont be going to the Dark Side .

 

[d w124]

Prety cheap cars mate.and as lexus they all come fully loaded.Not my cup of tea anyway

 

[flango]

Has anyone owned or know anyone thats owned one of these cars? I'm starting to take quite a liking to it and it might cause me to 'defect'.

They appeal to me because of how rare they are and how good they can look when tasteful mods are added.

But hey, at least i wont be going to the Dark Side .

I presume you are talking about the Z30 series

I did some homework on these when I was looking for my weekend car, as I remember it there are 4 engine variants, a 2.5 twin turbo, which on later cars became a single turbo, a 3.0 litre and a 4.0 litre V8.

2.5 engines are very head prone and numerous problems were reported with them. They feature 2 small turbo's which run together and not sequential as in the celica think it produced about 275 bhp, but they are very modable to big bhp figures but consenus is although the bottom end of the 6 cyl is strong the heads can't take it if they are stock.

Don't know anything about the 3 litre I'm afraid.

4.0 V8 is pretty bullet proof in the engine department but there are known glitches with the electrics only minor and nothing to worry about (switches etc). The touch screens on them are known to fail and If I remember right the V8 cars come with 2 suspension set ups, Coil springs or an air system. The air system is known for giving problems and is hard and expensive to fix. Best cars are the ones which have the LS400 running gear

Great car for very little money but the thing that put me off was the horrendous prices for parts if things did go wrong. It could soon turn into a money pit

 

[Baron_Samedi]

Reading the first thread made my mind wander towards one of them....

Until I then read flanaia1's post - nice (IMO) motor but prone to problems.

Hmmm, not a Japanese MB are they?

 

[BlackC55]

Adam.

Go and hide in the corner and get those thoughts out of your head!

 

[Baron_Samedi]

Alas, that corner is already occupied - he'll have to find another one.

 

[popuptoaster]

My freind looked into these for ages before buying a 4 litre V8 one (easier to get parts for the V8 as it was sold here in the saloon) had some minor glitches but was otherwise a good car, would stay with the Escort Cosworth too despite its autobox and comfy ride.

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

My father-in-law had one - a 1992 2.5 TT IIRC - although he sold it about 10 years ago.

He absolutely loved it and kept it for several year - very unusal for him back then.

It really did look good - very sleek but masculine. Performance was very strong. Great noise too. Some really nice engineering touches - the door hinges especially were impressive.

 

[jaymanek]

Ive owned a few.

back in the day they were hard to insure and put most people off instantly as it was never a UK model.

They are a money PIT.. no doubt about it.. The 4.0 is great but even more of a money pit.

Parts are only available from Jap Import specialists.

Compare to a W140 coupe... great cars, cheap to buy, but VERY expensive to maintain.

 

[Chris Akabusi]

try the lexusownersclub forum for info. Theres a few peeps on there who have them

 

[V12]

My landlord has one, white with 19's. Has the V8 and has had a supercharger conversion done.

Goes like an absolute rocket and leaves a hell of a lot of tyre smoke from the lights.

Has poured money into it, and keeps having problems, but then again he owns so much land/houses he can afford to.

He also drives a skoda fabia diesel as his daily...i cursed him when he changed from his 140 s-class!!

 

[Adam230K]

I'm not interested in modding it too heavily in the engine compartment (it can be pushed to 350 without stressing surrounding components out of the ordinary).

I was under the impression that the 2.5TT is a very un-stressed and reliable unit... it makes one hell of a noise (far better then other straight 6's i've ever heard, bmw 6's dont compare to it), and it goes like the flippin clappers.

I'm starting to like it because when i had a ride in it the other day the guy let me drive it, and OH MY GOD was it fast. It had 400bhp on stock internals! (converted from TT to BIG single turbo though), the seat-surging kick i kept getting when the turbo-lag came to an end was nothing short of stunning.

 

[flango]

I'm not interested in modding it too heavily in the engine compartment (it can be pushed to 350 without stressing surrounding components out of the ordinary).

I was under the impression that the 2.5TT is a very un-stressed and reliable unit... it makes one hell of a noise (far better then other straight 6's i've ever heard, bmw 6's dont compare to it), and it goes like the flippin clappers.

I'm starting to like it because when i had a ride in it the other day the guy let me drive it, and OH MY GOD was it fast. It had 400bhp on stock internals! (converted from TT to BIG single turbo though), the seat-surging kick i kept getting when the turbo-lag came to an end was nothing short of stunning.

If I were looking at this type of car then it would be a no brainer if you want 400 bhp a big whack in the back when the turbo kicks in then it would have to be a Skyline, miles in front of a Soarer JMHO

 

[car1tref]

If I were looking at this type of car then it would be a no brainer if you want 400 bhp a big whack in the back when the turbo kicks in then it would have to be a Skyline, miles in front of a Soarer JMHO

Totally agree, having had a GTR33 as standard the power was great but modified you tended not to notice anyone trying to compete?!?!

 

[Adam230K]

Thats what i thought... but when i go to the drift days with my friends EVERYONE uses the 2JZ engine from the soarer because its far more robust than the skyline engine 2.6 GTR engine.

Obviously you do get people who use the 1JZ (3litre TT), but its far more expensive and more prone to over-heating.

At the end of the day i'm never going to have the car over 320bhp as i think this is enough and if i could afford a skyline and its running costs (not in the same league as the soarer) then i would've tried to get one when i was 30, because insurance is going to obviously be a no-go at my age.

 

[vibesg]

I did a lot of research into this car as I almost bought one back in 1999. Wish I did. I drove all the variants but the 3.0 V6. This variant is not very popular as it is generally believed to be under powered. The 4.0 is a very smooth V8, whisper quiet and practically the same engine in the LS 400 Saloon.
The Twin Turbo 2.5? Whew or shall I say Whoosh! Fastest turbo I ever drove. The Skyline is fast but not quite so cool..more boy racer...no offence at all if you like that sort of thing.
I really wanted one and went as far as Ireland which was the main entry ponit for Japanese imports back then. I found a field with about 30 of them in all colours and modifications...mouth watering.
Why didn't I buy one back then? I had a lot of contacts in the trade and they warned me off them. I felt they were prejudiced as back then dealers wouldn't even service japanese imports...yellow bellies the lot of them.
Anyway I never believed in motoring costing me more than it really should. I weighed spending 25 grand on imported metal with no warranty or back up. I developed lowered temparatures in my feet and still loving Lexus went for the first BATCH OF IS200s that Lexus

 

[car1tref]

Quote: Thats what i thought... but when i go to the drift days with my friends EVERYONE uses the 2JZ engine from the soarer because its far more robust than the skyline engine 2.6 GTR engine.
People dont rate the Skyline just for the engine- it's the whole package, combined with the driveability. Also the difference between the GTR and the GTS skyline, GTS being closer to the soarer as only rear wheel drive!!
Dont get me wrong I have driven all three inc. the Soarer and the GTR was a different ballgame, hence I bought one and used it for years.
Must say though that the Soarer is great value for the performance.

 

[vibesg]

(sorry hit wrong key) first BATCH OF IS200s that Lexus got off the boat i.e 3 year warranty, chronograpgh dials etc etc.
Today? I'll say go for the 2.5 TT as enough of them have been run with little problems. Find one thats been run by someone who has kept up the history and changed the oil frequently. Check for a cambelt change and the lcd dash display all functioning. Electrics are usually durable and go for one with leather and 12 CD Changer. The 2.5TT rarely comes with the Lexus Navigation which is more common on the 4.0.
Go for the latest you can find. There was a change in 1994, slightly different front and rear lights but still 280 bhp. Lots have been modified but straight stock models are more likely to be trouble free.
I was tempted just before Xmas so I know prices are really good now. Should you get one?
Look for one from a good home, keep your wits about you and you'll grin from ear to ear after each drive (make that after each blast).

 

[bpsorrel]

My Russian father-in-law has one of these. He's had a 2.5TT for about 5 years now and has very few problems with it, and, bearing in mind the hideous condition of Russian roads is a true testament to the robustness of these cars! In fact, Japanese imports of all kinds are very popular in Russia because of their reliability. I actually own a Japanese import Nissan Sylphy 2.0 in Russia and in the 2 years I've had it, have had no problems at all and it's done some serious driving over there!!!

 

[bpsorrel]

For anyone interested, here's a pic of me and my Sylphy in Russia this New Year!