Hiro Protagonist

Power doesn't kill gearboxes, torque does....

and TA22/23 Celicas (RAs had the W50 I believe), but pretty sure there are some minor differences, such as number of splines

Winamp3 was crap, but Winamp 5 fixed most of the problems and I've stuck with that ever since........I really only use WMP for the odd video

Considering the Speedweek episode WAS the highlights of the '06 Jamboree, I wouldn't be surprised at all

The second one is more tragic, 'cause it's Grolsch.....

Custom wheel outer? Cut and shut on the rim? Stock MA61 (and there were only ever one kind in Aus) rims are definitely 14x7, +8, but they fit fine on the KE55 so I'd assume KE70 would be fine as well

Thats why it's easiest just to say Rolls when referring to a Rolls-Royce. Everyone will understand that

Any real car enthusiast knows that a Rolls-Royce is called a Roller, and a Corolla is a Rolla. If they don't know that, ignore them, and never trust their advice on anything car-related

Mine is higher than standard too, only because of the 195/65/14 tyres though.....mmmm, rally-tough

The only AUDM AE101 sold here was the CSi, but yes it did have 13" wheels. The AE102 (aka with the 7AFE) Conquest, RV, Ultima etc had 14x5.5"

I quite like them, haven't gotten around to fixing up the LED ring though (was in a rush to install them, so didn't bother doing all the wiring)

Look around then, chances are there is a very similar style in a 4x100 pattern. These days, practically every alloy wheel is a copy of another. Or look at different wheels altogether. Sometimes you can't have your cake and eat it too. I really want a 3SGE Beams engine, but it won't fit easily in either of my cars (and the amount needed to make them fit is pretty large), doesn't mean I should fork out the money to try. Instead, I should look at alternatives which DO fit, or require only minimal outlay. Basically, you always have to limit your options, otherwise all sorts of problems will open up.

I love how people make broad sweeping comments about an entire car company simply by their experience in one car. Of late, it's tended to be the Commodore with the worse build quality (the BA generally regarded as being quite a solid, high quality car compared to the VX-VZzzzzzz). Most Fords you buy aren't even made in Australia, so local build quality can't be used as a generalising factor. In short, don't treat a whole company purely on one car (especially if its an old one). Hell, our KE55 has got it's fair share of squeaks and rattles, thats just one of the things about owning an older car. I'm not even going to consider that your car was a lemon. If you thought the noise in a X-Falcon is bad, there is probably one model in just about every car manufacturer's back catalogue that suffers just as much from poor build quality/NVH issues. If you drive each of them, would you say that you'd never buy a car from those companies again? If so, I'd invest in a good bicycle and pair of walking shoes, because based on those principles you'd never buy a car again.

Considering the OP said it was a 98, not an 88, I assume he means a E10x series Corolla. In that case, the BCM (in RHD cars at least) is usually behind the glovebox. Can be a bit of a pain to get to, but nowhere near as annoying as the ECU

I don't see whats unreasonable about 2 grand for the wagon, it's got a full 12 months rego (& CTP), which in total is worth about $700. New tyres, which is another couple of hundred, in good nick, straight, and what appears to be a 5K in it.

Soarer wheels on Xany's ride MA61 Supra wheels on my ride

If those wheels are 15x6", they're from some xZ10 Soarers, quite rare to get your hands on. A fair bit more common, and almost identical looking, are the 14x7" wheels off the MA61 Supra. They generally go for around $300-400 a set, including tyres, but can still be difficult to get your hands on. If you want to see what they look like on other cars, Xany has the Soarer wheels on his KE30 ("Grover"), and I've got the Supra wheels on my KE55 ("Billie"). Best place to get your hands on them would be the Toymods forums, MA61 wheels go on sale there every now and then. Be warned about the signup proceedure though, it takes quite a while and some people see it as invasive (it wants address, phone number etc)

AE9x run 4x100, which is THE most common small car stud pattern around. There are literally hundreds of different mags out there that can fit, all you have to do is look. I find it hard to imagine that the mag selection for 4x100 is "crap", you're just not looking hard enough

I'd say on a whole it looks more like a shrunk Mazda 626/929, can't put my finger on a year though

Because they look tough Also, grip is also important in going around corners, something that most drag racers forget. It's not always about breaking traction off the line.

I think Toyota Australia really do not value the Lexus models as much as ToJa do. In Japan, basically every Lexus model has had a Toyota variant (eg Celsior = LS, Soarer = SC, Windom = ES) but Aus only got the Lexii. If it could be made cheap enough, I reckon the best base for a Commodore/Falcon competitor would come from the GS chassis. Medium-large sedan, RWD, brilliant engines (and a V8 option), excellent handling, spacious, high quality etc etc. They just need to cut out the computer-controlled crap like the stability system, replace leather and wood with cloth and plastic/vinyl, and they'd have a winner. Now THATS an Aurion that I'd want to drive, even if it looked exactly the same as the current one. Or Hell, just bring back the Cressida. The Cressida name has so much history and reputation in Australia (and good reputation too, once you take away the granny/lawnbowls image). I bet the Avalon would have sold better if it had the Cressida name, even if it stayed FWD.

I highly doubt Toyota would make a RWD Celica again. These days, FWD is becoming the preference for anything smaller than a Falcon and doesn't come out of Germany. Space issues and weight-saving are the main reasons. Being RWD doesn't automatically mean it's going to handle better, and FWDs aren't all nose-pushing understeer barges....look at a DC2 or ST162, they could carve up the corners with ease. The only way Toyota is going to make a RWD Celica is to combine it with the Supra again, but this'll mean making it bigger. The size of a Celica has fluctuated over the years, but I doubt it'll do so again, as it's firmly entrenched in its FWD philosophy at the moment TA22-RA28 = small RA40 = medium RA60 = medium ST162 = small ST182 = small-medium ST202 = medium ZZT222 = small So according to the trend, it should be due for a size increase, but making it the same kind of size as a Supra again and keeping it FWD will totally blow the design philosophy, which as always been about small-ish affordable stylish (ignore the RA40 and RA60) zippy coupes and liftbacks. If it increases in size too much and stays FWD, it'll most likely turn into a barge. And considering the Supra will probably have a V6 or V8, I doubt Toyota could get away with a 4-cylinder version. It was only after the Supra and Celica split that the Supra got REAL power.

1986 you mean. The MarkII had very strong links to the RA60 Celica, just had an extended/redesigned nose and enough room for a 5M. The Supra didn't really split from the Celica, moreso the Celica split from the Supra in 1986 when the ST162 came out.....Supra didn't change in design philosophy at all, but the Celica did, which is why the Supra kept the A-series chassis designation and the Celica took over the (now FWD) T-series Corona chassis

I was only the 3rd year or so to start Mechatronics at UNCLE, and the course was shithouse. Poorly planned, lots of irrelevant courses/exams/topics, treated like second-class citizens in some subjects (we often missed out on being taught essential stuff like Matlab until 4th year, and didn't do many prerequisites for courses). If the Mechatronics degree is properly integrated between the Mechanical and Electrical schools, then it's alright. Otherwise, it's just a nightmare. Probably safer doing a Mechanical degree and choosing electrical/electronic majors/electives if you want to dabble

I'm currently in my 5th year of a Mech Eng degree, started out with 4.5 years of a Mechatronics one buy it sucked too many balls, so I changed to Mechanical start of this semester. Not much better, but at least I never have to see another electrical subject again....