Legnum Any VR-4 - Waikato

[Dom B]

Model: Legnum
Trim: Any VR-4
Transmission: Manual

Colour: Any Colour!
Style: PFL or FL

Location: Waikato

Budget: 5500NZD

Other Requirements:
Ok so I am New Zealand for a year or so and my Baby is at home in the UK which means I need another VR4 whilst I live here.

I want a nice example without astronomical miles at a reasonable price and a very very health engine and mechanicals. My budget has to include some on the road costs.

I do Want:
Legnum or Galant
AYC and hopefully high vis dash.
Manual Gearbox
Tein HA if possible.
Alarm Immobiliser
Big exhaust to get rid of the standard pea shooter. (Has to pass WOF)

I do not want:
Stability or traction control.
Tasteless junk screwed to the dash like embarrassing massive revcounters, or badly fitted intercoolers (although professionally neat fitted ones are welcome.
A car that has only ever had the front 3 plugs changed due to laziness.
A car that someone has decided to paint everything inside in colour coded and then it has all gone wrinkly over the years.


The car must be well looked after and run on good oil all of its life (Fully synthetic).
I do not want any major work to do over the next year or so. If you have a worn clutch or knocking bushes/arms or dodgy headgasket than no thanks. At most I want to put tyres on it.

Show me what you have got
Dom

[taylor]

This is probably the tidiest one on trademe for that money: http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/mitsubishi/legnum/auction-524374073.htm

You have been very specific about what you want. That itself is going to be a challenge let alone for the money you are asking.

You have to bear in mind that over here these cars are quickly becoming ****boxs owned by young kids or people who have no interest in looking after them at all. This is in my opinion is why the NZ base of this club is all but non-existent.

They haven't been able to be imported for about 6 years so that makes finding a tidy one even tougher.

[low_vr4]

Best of luck getting that in NZ

[low_vr4]

This is probably the tidiest one on trademe for that money: http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/mitsubishi/legnum/auction-524374073.htm

You have been very specific about what you want. That itself is going to be a challenge let alone for the money you are asking.

You have to bear in mind that over here these cars are quickly becoming ****boxs owned by young kids or people who have no interest in looking after them at all. This is in my opinion is why the NZ base of this club is all but non-existent.

They haven't been able to be imported for about 6 years so that makes finding a tidy one even tougher.

That is Quintons old one, tried to sell it to me.

[taylor]

That is Quintons old one, tried to sell it to me.

Yeah. As much as the guy has as much people skills as a brick wall, and did try to screw people on prices. He did do a pretty good job at maintaining his cars. I personally wouldn't have an issue buying an ex quinton car, I just wouldn't want to negotiate with him.

[CANDEE]

As said above its hard to get these cars in the specs that you are after..

That one was Mike's(the guy who does his fibreglassing) "new" one when we did the big palmy meet a couple of years ago.

Also if you get one with height adjustable suspension, make sure that it has a Cert, thats another $500ish to get done.

[Dom B]

Hi Guys thanks for the advice. I saw that one on Trademe and it indeed does look the tidiest so far, is it known to be a good one? Have to find some suspension to get it to what I want.

What does the cert need? Is a guy looks over it and says it is safe? My uk legnum came with a JASMA cert for the teins installation do they count in NZ?

How do you guys deal with big exhausts and the WOF, I heard it cannot be louder than standard but loads of people seem to have loud cars here?

Do all car mods need a cert?

[Subaru ETA]

JASMA is not worth the paper it is written on here.

The main thing you will get stung on for a cert is seats, brakes and suspension. If you put coil overs in you need a cert. if you put lowering springs in you will be fine.

You can go get a cert on your exhaust, which is separate to the LVVA cert.

If the crash bar is cut you will also need on. It can end up very costly!

Also, don't buy a car because its cheap because it is dereg - that will really cost you!

[Dom B]

Basically if reg has run out or not been renewed then it probably needs a bunch of work?

[Subaru ETA]

If the rego has lapsed meaning that the rego has expired, and then not re regoed for over a year the car will need to be revined and new plates issued. This means going through compliance.

If the car has EVER been in an accident and has to go through compliance it will need a engineers report done which is about $500 just for the paper work. To get this paperwork the car may have to be completely stripped to bear metal at times.

So yeah, get something with current WOF and reg!

[Ryan]

Also, if the car doesn't have a valid WOF (MOT), it can't be registered.

[Dom B]

Cheers guys, lots to learn, just picked up my NZ Driving licence, looks like the AA is the place to get the rego too.

[CANDEE]

Cheers guys, lots to learn, just picked up my NZ Driving licence, looks like the AA is the place to get the rego too.
You can get it at AA, VTNZ, NZ Post outlets.. Even some dealerships(usually main dealers) do it as well.

[Dom B]

Do the coilovers have to have a cert if not set below 100mm ride height?

[Badger_01]

Coilovers need a cert regardless

[CANDEE]

Coilovers need a cert regardless
Exactly. :) Even Brembo's should be certed...

If you want some light reading have a look at this:
http://lvvta.org.nz/documents/suplementary_information/LVVTA_LVV_Cert_Threshold.pdf

Thats the doc that tells you what should be certed... At the moment its a minefield with some documentation currently being questioned even by the certer's.

Another thing to watch out for with the whole cert thing is the camber rules - basically its the factory threshold + 0.5 deg, so front is 0 deg - 0.5 deg. So with the total its 1 deg on the front.. Lowering springs arent affected by this..

[CANDEE]

Double post

[Dom B]

So If I fit exhaust, brembos and coilovers for example at once I can do it all at the same time on the same cert and not have to pay 3 times?

[Gly]

yes, but exhaust cert is a different process with a different company/person and is $300ish

and is only needed if the plod decide you car is to loud in there opinion.


your going to have to spend more to get exactly what you want, or get something thats not quite what you want and stay in budget

[wintertidenz]

To be honest your best bet is to find a nice condition VR4 that hasn't been lowered and go from there - some of the speed bumps over here are horrific, and the car will scrape even at normal height.

Finding one that has an exhaust shouldn't be hard - if it is a bit loud you can just get a silencer put in anyway.

[Oggie]

sorry to highjack ya thread but in just over 4 years we can import 1996 legnums/gallants into NZ again :) 20 yo rule ftw.

[wintertidenz]

TBH I would be surprised if there are any left in Japan now. But... it does mean I can look for a V6 Lancer again ;)

[Dom B]

Ok so The car on trade me above, does anyone know Quintons contact details. There is a bit of an issue with the AYC being removed and I wondered if anyone knew what he did as regards to differential etc?

[Subaru ETA]

He prob wont talk to you being associated with cvr4 :p

[Dom B]

Ah, is there a bit of history there? Does anyone happen to know about the car, perhaps an old friend etc? I would hope that if he binned the AYC that he put something better in and not just an open diff?

[Subaru ETA]

Personally I wouldn't touch a car he had touched, but that's my personal opinion.

Do a search for vr4wgn - that was his name on here

[scott.mohekey]

He sells open diffs to numpties as upgrades for the ayc.

[Gly]

it will just be open diff from a st(r) or gdi 4wd legnum.
he loves his open diffs, the guys clueless.. wouldn't trust him, or buy a car hes fixed/touched...

could be a vr4 re-powered non turbo legnum, which legally needs to be certified.

OR WORSE....

you might get his "keeping the chassis number/vin plates for a rainy day" car

[CANDEE]

The car is an actual manual type-s vr4... But he prob had just pulled the ayc diff and the fuse...

59079

Interestingly enough the is a re-registered car in 2009 and did 30k when it was unregistered...

[scott.mohekey]

30km or 30,000km ?

[Dom B]

I had a look at the car today, it has the whole AYC pump missing and the AYC light is of course always on.

There were a few clues that it may be an auto to manual conversion? Can you check the gearbox on CAPS to see? It seems to have a transmission cooler in front of the rad, made out of some pipe. Have no idea where the cooler goes to though.

You have to press the clutch down to start the car, is this normal in NZ?

I gave it some stick and I couldn't get the rear to misbehave despite the roads being very wet today.

Actually didn't seem as quick as my UK Legnum or the second car which I saw today. It didn't even sound like a VR4 Legnum so I have my suspicions that is may be a 260bhp one?

Overall the car wasn't too bad.

What does anyone think it would cost to get an AYC diff and pump back in there? Anyone up for the job?

[Subaru ETA]

You might find it has a 4 cylinder exhaust on it - nothing would surprised with that guy!

And no it is no normal to have to depress the clutch to start

[CANDEE]

30,000k Scott.

As per my ASA snapshot above its a Type-s Manual Legnum, the actual running gear in the car could be a different story though. It could be slow as I remember it was run on 95 octane not 98 which will make a difference. Also an incorrect exhaust wouldnt help.

Looks like the AYC fuses havent been pulled correctly so cause the light to be on all the time.

I would just get an Evo lsd diff head rather than the whole conversion back to AYC. You can never know whats been removed or not,,

[Dom B]

It's a shame all this controversy hangs over this car as its actually fairly tidy. Just worries me that its a bitsa put together from random parts.

[CANDEE]

It's a shame all this controversy hangs over this car as its actually fairly tidy. Just worries me that its a bitsa put together from random parts.
This unfortunately is what a lot of Q's cars were, mainly non-vr4's converted. The fact that that car is a genuine vr4 is a surprise.

[Badger_01]

Factory manuals had to have the clutch pressed in to start it, theres a plug I think above the clutch pedal that you pull out and then you can start it normally

[Subaru ETA]

Well mine I never had to!

[Dom B]

Any idea what the wavy stainless pipe in front of the rad is. Looks a bit like a transmission cooler made from swageloc pipe but the car is a manual?

Some people say the str case is stronger but of course it needs an actual locking diff to get it back to somewhere near the ayc handling. Any thoughts?

[scott.mohekey]

Power steering cooling?

[Dom B]

Never seen it like that before on a VR4. The pipes seem to run back on the right chassis leg and disappear somewhere near the alternator so could be plausible.

[CANDEE]

If you mean the wiggly pipe in front of the intercooler, then that will be power steering.. Seems a bit randomly applied but thats what it should be.

[Badger_01]

Well mine I never had to!

Yeah it would've been unplugged :P

[Ryan]

Well mine I never had to!

Nope, nor mine.

[scott.mohekey]

I'm not going to put a switch in mine when I finally get around to finishing the manual conversion :p

[Gly]

kenneths white legnum had the depress clutch to start.
only one ive seen with it.
mine doesn't have it

[Subaru ETA]

Plus I had been under the dash MANY times in mine and never saw anything

[Badger_01]

Its a clutch safety switch. Id say a lot of them get removed since they're a pain in the ass, but I do see why it would be a good idea to have it.

[scott.mohekey]

The Supra guys with the 2jz turbo engines have real problems with that switch if they upgrade their clutches. What happens is, they start the car with the clutch pedal in, which pulls the crank towards the rear of the block, meaning there's a short span of time where one side of the bearings are not getting enough oil. It leads to destroyed bearings and crank walk.

[roryfromnz]

Mine hasnt got the depression clutch start either.. random. I wonder if its a NZ Assembled/ Jap import different?? Were there any VR4's assembled here?

On a side note.. you could always buy Galant.. HAHA http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=538466630

[Subaru ETA]

So you are selling?

[roryfromnz]

Im open to sell, going away to Europe next year so figured id see what sort of offers i get. Not into selling it any less than the price listed but i also don't expect it to sell at that price either. More just to see what interest i get so i can assess weather i keep it in storage for when i get back. It is my prize possession of course! :-)

[Ryan]

I always put my clutch in before I key the ignition anyway so any "feature" forcing me to do this would be moot on any car that I own.

[roryfromnz]

I usually just jostle the gear stick to make sure its in neutral before hitting the ignition. :-p haha

[Bender]

I would probably sell my manual legnum vr4 if i got offer that i couldn't trun down. :-)

[SEAN-NZ]

i dont have to put my clutch in either, neither does my mate in his legnum vr4.

id prob sell to if i got offered enough, then buy another vr4 lol

[Kenneth]

All the factory manual cars I have owned had that feature. That is 3, 2 Legnums and 1 Galant

I have put a switch on the clutch of my current one for Launch Control and Flat Shifting though :)


kenneths white legnum had the depress clutch to start.
only one ive seen with it.
mine doesn't have it

[Ryan]

"Lunch control"? Does it steal your sandwiches? :P

[roryfromnz]

Haha they are pretty hungry beasts.. i wouldnt be surprised! Reminds me of the Delorian the Doc used to feed that lunch

[Kenneth]

Yep, it lunches the drive train components /haz

have updated the post, thanks for pointing out the typo.

"Lunch control"? Does it steal your sandwiches? :P

[Fully]

Mine hasnt got the depression clutch start either.. random. I wonder if its a NZ Assembled/ Jap import different?? Were there any VR4's assembled here?


No VR4's were assembled here. The Legnums were, but Badged as "Galant" wagon :P



BTW: Have you found one yet?

[BEG4ME]

The Supra guys with the 2jz turbo engines have real problems with that switch if they upgrade their clutches. What happens is, they start the car with the clutch pedal in, which pulls the crank towards the rear of the block, meaning there's a short span of time where one side of the bearings are not getting enough oil. It leads to destroyed bearings and crank walk.

Bit off topic but could that not be remedied with the installation of decent thrust bearings?