Just Paid Deposit On T Sport. Please Help:)

[ballist1x]

hi guys, im hoping to join the t sport club properly as of Saturday this coming weekend.

I did some research checked out the cars, anyway. i put a deposit on a 04 Corolla T sport in Thunder Grey. 35k on clock.

so my questions,

is it usual that one (or more) of the bolts in the engine bay would have like a red mark on it? Like a red chalk/marker pen or something. (signs of tinkering?)

The bolts near the back of the engine bay are spotless whilst the ones further forward show some signs of corrosion? (signs of replacement, or natural due to more water near those at the front of the engine bay?)

is the radiator fan a single white/biege plastic fan?

to the passenger side of the engine at the front there are like 4 lines (wires, cables, whatever), that get tucked into a cable holder that keeps them in. One was loose of this. (show signs of tinkering?)

im a bit wary as i have never spent this much cash in my life, and i now find that my previous (current car) may have potentially been clocked unbeknown to me when i bought it...

any help appreciated.

Regards

Nickg

[cabcurtains]

hi guys, im hoping to join the t sport club properly as of Saturday this coming weekend.

I did some research checked out the cars, anyway. i put a deposit on a 04 Corolla T sport in Thunder Grey. 35k on clock.

so my questions,

is it usual that one (or more) of the bolts in the engine bay would have like a red mark on it? Like a red chalk/marker pen or something. (signs of tinkering?)

The bolts near the back of the engine bay are spotless whilst the ones further forward show some signs of corrosion? (signs of replacement, or natural due to more water near those at the front of the engine bay?)

is the radiator fan a single white/biege plastic fan?

to the passenger side of the engine at the front there are like 4 lines (wires, cables, whatever), that get tucked into a cable holder that keeps them in. One was loose of this. (show signs of tinkering?)

im a bit wary as i have never spent this much cash in my life, and i now find that my previous (current car) may have potentially been clocked unbeknown to me when i bought it...

any help appreciated.

Regards

Nickg

Some Questions back to you:

Has the car got a clear HPI Report (that you have seen)?

Has the car got a Full Service History (that you have seen)?

How many Previous Owners, & have you seen the logbook?

Is the car private or at a garage?

If its an 04 it should have 2 MOT'S, have you seen them and if so whats the mileage on both?

[ballist1x]

hi guys, im hoping to join the t sport club properly as of Saturday this coming weekend.

I did some research checked out the cars, anyway. i put a deposit on a 04 Corolla T sport in Thunder Grey. 35k on clock.

Nickg

Some Questions back to you:

Has the car got a clear HPI Report (that you have seen)?

Has the car got a Full Service History (that you have seen)?

How many Previous Owners, & have you seen the logbook?

Is the car private or at a garage?

If its an 04 it should have 2 MOT'S, have you seen them and if so whats the mileage on both?

car is HP clear.

Full service history. 2x stamps at RRG, 2 at somewhere private.

2 revious owners. i have seen the service book.

its at a garage near Bradford.

i didnt see the MOT

concerning part was

year 1. 9k miles.

year 2 19k miles

year 3, 27k

year 4, 28.xx k

current, 35.11k

What happened in years 3-4? infact i have a good idea that this was a members car from here.

infact i think its this dudes;

http://toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=82734

as there is still an issue with the drivers window when the door is closed:/

[cabcurtains]

Well the basics seem ok, why not drop fmrl a PM and see if he can clarify the year 3-4 service query and if it had any issues prior to being px'd. Now he no longer has any interest in the car you should be able to get some quality feedback.

Did you drive it? Did lift engage, and was it free from knocking sounds and not pulling to either direction? Were all 6 gears present and the clutch bite wasnt at the top of the pedal?

[ballist1x]

Well the basics seem ok, why not drop fmrl a PM and see if he can clarify the year 3-4 service query and if it had any issues prior to being px'd. Now he no longer has any interest in the car you should be able to get some quality feedback.

Did you drive it? Did lift engage, and was it free from knocking sounds and not pulling to either direction? Were all 6 gears present and the clutch bite wasnt at the top of the pedal?

Hi we actually tried to call the owner whilst we were there but he's ex directory:/

i have dropped him a PM just hoping he responds as there is no email/msn in his profile.

i test drove it with my dad in the car. Lift did seem to engage. there was no knocking from front suspension on full lock. Brakes were very strong. It had Bridgestone Touranza's on all corners + 1 spare alloy with new tyre in boot.

didnt test all 6 gears, but reverse 1-2-3 were present.

Clutch smoother than my current car (cracked cross member, dead motormounts...:/) so hard to say really.

Bodywork seemed inconprehensibly clean without any stone chips. at all.

( i did view another CTS last weekend, which ended in failure as the car had had a 1/2 body spray in a mdifferent tone silver!!)

[cabcurtains]

Well the basics seem ok, why not drop fmrl a PM and see if he can clarify the year 3-4 service query and if it had any issues prior to being px'd. Now he no longer has any interest in the car you should be able to get some quality feedback.

Did you drive it? Did lift engage, and was it free from knocking sounds and not pulling to either direction? Were all 6 gears present and the clutch bite wasnt at the top of the pedal?

Hi we actually tried to call the owner whilst we were there but he's ex directory:/

i have dropped him a PM just hoping he responds as there is no email/msn in his profile.

i test drove it with my dad in the car. Lift did seem to engage. there was no knocking from front suspension on full lock. Brakes were very strong. It had Bridgestone Touranza's on all corners + 1 spare alloy with new tyre in boot.

didnt test all 6 gears, but reverse 1-2-3 were present.

Clutch smoother than my current car (cracked cross member, dead motormounts...:/) so hard to say really.

Bodywork seemed inconprehensibly clean without any stone chips. at all.

( i did view another CTS last weekend, which ended in failure as the car had had a 1/2 body spray in a mdifferent tone silver!!)

Yeah, definitely best avoided those multi coloured cars!

So its super clean straight looking car that drives well and likely to be an members car, the chances of anything sinister do seem low. You will no doubt get some more detailed posts re under the bonnet. I would say go for it

[Hogie]

hi guys, im hoping to join the t sport club properly as of Saturday this coming weekend.

I did some research checked out the cars, anyway. i put a deposit on a 04 Corolla T sport in Thunder Grey. 35k on clock.

Nickg

Some Questions back to you:

Has the car got a clear HPI Report (that you have seen)?

Has the car got a Full Service History (that you have seen)?

How many Previous Owners, & have you seen the logbook?

Is the car private or at a garage?

If its an 04 it should have 2 MOT'S, have you seen them and if so whats the mileage on both?

car is HP clear.

Full service history. 2x stamps at RRG, 2 at somewhere private.

2 revious owners. i have seen the service book.

its at a garage near Bradford.

i didnt see the MOT

concerning part was

year 1. 9k miles.

year 2 19k miles

year 3, 27k

year 4, 28.xx k

current, 35.11k

What happened in years 3-4? infact i have a good idea that this was a members car from here.

infact i think its this dudes;

http://toyotaownersclub.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=82734

as there is still an issue with the drivers window when the door is closed:/

Ring RRG. Ask them what warranty work was done on that car, they should have a record of anything. The gave me a full print out of anything ever done to my car by them. Also the service by other toyota garages.

[ballist1x]

Ring RRG. Ask them what warranty work was done on that car, they should have a record of anything. The gave me a full print out of anything ever done to my car by them. Also the service by other toyota garages.

thanks will do.

If anyone knows this forum member, id really appreciate if you could point him in this direction. i have PM'ed him and also added my msn to my profile. i could just do with a 5 min chat.

Regards

Nickg

[Fmrl]

Hi Nick, sorry for the delay. I've not been on the Toyota forum much since selling my car. I'll reply to your PM too.

[786s13]

..... clutch bite wasnt at the top of the pedal?....

does this mean the cluth is on its way out or is it something worse?

thanks.

[ballist1x]

Hi Nick, sorry for the delay. I've not been on the Toyota forum much since selling my car. I'll reply to your PM too.

All questions answered. Thanks Fella.

Nickg

[Hogie]

Mine is biting high, but it doesnt slip.

Clutches are crap in the CTS, but i knew this when i bought one. Anyone who hangs on to one for a while will prob have to put one in.

[Fmrl]

Hi Nick, sorry for the delay. I've not been on the Toyota forum much since selling my car. I'll reply to your PM too.

All questions answered. Thanks Fella.

Nickg

Welcome to the forum by the way! :)

[cabcurtains]

..... clutch bite wasnt at the top of the pedal?....

does this mean the cluth is on its way out or is it something worse?

thanks.

Typically its a sign of it being worn, nothing worse.

My car had a new clutch at 23k when i bought it, i think the low torque bottom end combined with the weedy bite make the CTS tricky to drive compared to most modern cars. If i let a mate of mine, use the CTS i honestly think he would wipe the clutch out in a day of normal driving, as he doesnt get controlling revs to well!

[SCOOB_81]

..... clutch bite wasnt at the top of the pedal?....

does this mean the cluth is on its way out or is it something worse?

thanks.

Typically its a sign of it being worn, nothing worse.

My car had a new clutch at 23k when i bought it, i think the low torque bottom end combined with the weedy bite make the CTS tricky to drive compared to most modern cars. If i let a mate of mine, use the CTS i honestly think he would wipe the clutch out in a day of normal driving, as he doesnt get controlling revs to well!

My dads the same as your mate! He's driven all my cars, but thinks the CTS has a very awkward clutch and he seems to over rev it at every change. Mine doesn't have a high biting point or slip either, but has the infamous squeaky clutch! Seems to be a quirk of the car! :D

[slarti54]

is it usual that one (or more) of the bolts in the engine bay would have like a red mark on it? Like a red chalk/marker pen or something. (signs of tinkering?)

The bolts near the back of the engine bay are spotless whilst the ones further forward show some signs of corrosion? (signs of replacement, or natural due to more water near those at the front of the engine bay?)

is the radiator fan a single white/biege plastic fan?

to the passenger side of the engine at the front there are like 4 lines (wires, cables, whatever), that get tucked into a cable holder that keeps them in. One was loose of this. (show signs of tinkering?)

Paint marks are a normal confirmation that all bolts were torqued properly in assembly.

Natural, probably water as you say.

Yes to the fan question.

I wouldn't worry about a wire out of the holder, not a sign of tinkering.

It's a good buy, don't worry!

[ballist1x]

here she is!

53 plate 04 Corolla 3dr 1.8 VVTLi (190ps) T Sport, 35 k etc

picked it up yesterday, drove it home from bradford area. really nice and smooth to drive. great ride quality. the car is very solid no bumps, rattles, squeeks etc. it has 4x Bridgestone Turanza tyres (good? Bad?), everything is in excellent condition.

So far im loving the car, 6200rpm-->8200rpm is where the power shows up, in "lift". Its quite difficult to use regulalry on the road, because as soon as u are near the rpms for lift, your typically getting towards the speed limit...

overall its different to the primera, probably a bit softer, and as resultingly a bit rollier through the twistier corners. seems very sure footed however.

front

http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/4630/ds...editedfryk7.jpg ---rehosted

http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/5015/dsc00186edit2bq1.jpg

back

http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/9925/ds...edirrearcx4.jpg

interior is full leather. much more comfortable than the primera, even though that had full leather too! ill post pics from inside sometime soon:)

[Jock Fran]

Looks good - identical to mine.

What Primera did you have?

Think I'm making the opposite switch soon and downgrading to a 1998 Primera SE. :(

[ballist1x]

Looks good - identical to mine.

What Primera did you have?

Think I'm making the opposite switch soon and downgrading to a 1998 Primera SE. :(

nice:) i had a primera 2.0 GT limited Edition V reg 1999! few choice mods, header, exhaust, cone filter etc! nic cars just make sure u get a good one.

[Fmrl]

Awww, my baby!

I hope you take good care of her.

It's interesting how the Thunder Grey changes colour in different lighting conditions - she looks quite beigey in those photos. If you catch her on a sunny day she will look a lot more silvery.