Newbie questions

[iOnic]

Hey guys. Long time viewer but first time poster. I'm Chris from Auckland and currently own a 1990 Toyota MR2 street/track car. I've recently started thinking of using the MR2 less on the street and this leaves an opening for a street car to replace it.

Just wondering what Legnum VR4's (and Galants of the same shape if I absolutely have to get one) are like on a day to day basis. Any annoyances/common faults that need to be looked at when car shopping? Anything else I need to keep an eye out for?

I'd like to buy one that is lightly modified already (exhaust, intake, wheels, suspension) and MUST be manual which leads me to my next question - What are the manual gearboxes like? Strong enough to handle the occasional spirited drive? and what is this AYC business? I've never really looked into it but several close friends of mine own Lancer Evo 6's of the GSR and TME varieties and they all seem to have complaints about their AYC systems and rear diff's......is this a Lancer only problem or do the Legnums also need special attention in this area?

Sorry for all the questions chaps. Hope you can help and cheers in advance. My other options at the moment are a Subaru GTB Legacy or Nissan Stagea RS4 - Any comments on the Legnum as compared to the other two?

[bradc]

The manual gearboxes are the same as EVO4-9 5 speeds, even share the same W5M51 part number so they are basically bullet proof. The AYC diff's can be fragile if you launch regularly or don't use the right oil, but other than that they are fairly reliable, and make the car handle amazingly well.

They are reasonably quick cars, when mine was stock it was getting to 190kmh at Pukekohe, now it does 230 down the back straight and 205 just past the starting line.

Compared to a Legacy they are quicker and have quite a bit more power, as well as no valley of doom because our turbos are set up properly, one per bank of 3 cylinders. Stagea's are about the same speed in a straight line (maybe a wee bit slower) but are quite a bit heavier and slower around corners. They are also extremely ugly!

[1hotvr4]

whatever Brad said

[iOnic]

cheers guys. i'll go on a few test drives and test the waters as it were. keep any info/tips coming

[Subaru ETA]

subbies are crap - dont go there.

stageas look like crap...

body wise, check for rust in the strut towers and firewall.


try to get as much service history as you can