Buying A Ae92/93 Sx/Gti - What To Look For?

[Onikage]

I'm looking for a car which is good around the corners, reasonably quick in a straight line, good on fuel and reliable. The AE92/93 SX/GTi with the 4AGE motor seems to be one car that meets all those requirements. I would prefer a hatchback version but i'll gladly take a liftback Seca for the right price.

 

Firstly, how many K's is too many to remain reliable? I'd like to hang on to the car for at least a few years. Lowest ive seen is around 150xxx k's. Most seem to be around the mid 200xxx mark, and i've even spotted a few pushing 300xxx.

 

Secondly, how much would be too much to pay for one that is in good condition? Cheaper ones I've seen are 1.5k, though I've seen a fair few that are close to $4000 with either no rego or almost about to run out.

 

What common issues would I be on the lookout for? Some older cars tend to have rust issues and mechanical issues but I have no idea if rust tends to affect these particular cars. I've heard that the 4AGE is good when looked after but no engine is invincible.

 

Final question for now, would the AE92/93 become cop bait with lowered suspension and aftermarket (tasteful) wheels?

[Trev]

200 - 300km is the average for them, you can get a nice SX/GTI for under 3k, the AE9* are not really prone to rusting like the AE8* was, just check to see if it has a good service life and blows any smoke. My mate has a SX seca with RJR wheels and it is lowered and it still looks like a very clean car, not one to be picked on.

[Onikage]

I've seen a fairly cheap example of a Series 1 Seca. It does have rather high k's (339xxx). Would this car be worth a look to see how it runs and see how its been treated or are the k's too high to remain reliable for say a period of 2-3 years?

[Trev]

A car is as reliable as you make it, skimp out on servicing and looking after it and you may run into trouble, I have had a few 4age's with over 300,000k's on the clock and and they still got driven hard.

[ke70dave]

A car is as reliable as you make it

 

agreed completely with this trev.

 

any car you buy can be reliable if you put the effort in.

 

as for the ae92, good cars, been test driving a few for my brother. even the 4afe is a fun engine to drive in the little corolla.

 

if your going for a 4age one, i would just try and get a nice and clean non molested one.

 

funny thing with the ae92's, that i have found, is that the km's vary quite a bit. some have been driven into the ground (300+), some have been owned by lady's that never drive them (might even get as low as 150k on these ones). being the econobox of the time, alot were bought by people that will look after them and never drive them, those are the ones you want to try and get.

 

not much to look out for that is different to any 2nd hand cars.

 

-CV joints is probably the big one, though still easy/cheap to change if required.

-rust too, but you don't see too many rusty ae92's around like trev sais.

-wheel bearings

 

my 4age in my ke70 i reckon must have over 300km on it, blows a bit of smoke. but i look after it and it doesnt miss a beat. let the servicing go and it may not be so friendly to you.

 

just remember you are talking about ~20yr old cars here, the fact is stuff will need replacing, but if you can look for the early signs and get onto it asap, then you wont be stuck on the side of the road.

[Onikage]

 

if your going for a 4age one, i would just try and get a nice and clean non molested one.

 

By molested, do you mean any example which is not bog stock, or just examples where the car has been modified, where non/few mods actually benefit the car? I have seen a few examples online which potentially look like they were tastefully modded

 

funny thing with the ae92's, that i have found, is that the km's vary quite a bit. some have been driven into the ground (300+), some have been owned by lady's that never drive them (might even get as low as 150k on these ones). being the econobox of the time, alot were bought by people that will look after them and never drive them, those are the ones you want to try and get.

I've seen 1 or 2 so far that were under 200,000km. Is it worth chasing down a low kilometre example, over something in the mid 200's, which was owned by an enthusiast and appears to be looked after, and has has modifications which benefit the car?

 

 

-CV joints is probably the big one, though still easy/cheap to change if required.

-rust too, but you don't see too many rusty ae92's around like trev sais.

-wheel bearings

 

CV joints would be identifiable by a clunking sound when steering hard?

 

How would I identify a worn wheel bearing and are they a big/expensive job to replace?

[ke70dave]

yeah CV's usually click and carry on when you turn corners hard under acceleration, and when they get really bad they click bad in a straight line under acceleration.

 

wheel bearings, you can jack up the wheel and grab hold of the top and bottom and give it a good shove, you may feel clearance. or when you turn corners they can make funny noises when you load/unload the wheel. not difficult to replace, but you do need a press.

 

by molestered i mean a car with like dodgy mods, we went and checked one out not long ago, apparently had HKS cams, head porting, some sort of upgraded ecu. appart from the car being VERY sluggish, under the bonnet alot of stuff was missing, had a differnet engine in it from factory and the replcaement had not been done very cleanly. just in general overall the car was quite tatty and was missing bits etc.

 

sure there is no problem in buying a car with upgrades, its a good way to save money, since the person who is selling the car will most likely be losing money on the upgrades, just make sure they have been done properly! and they havent cut any corners etc. like lowered springs and stock shocks, not such a good idea.

 

its too hard to say "you shouldnt get one under 200,000km" as the condition will be individual to the car. obvisly its better to get as low as K's as possible, but like you say, you could get an awesome car with 250km's on it, or a shitter with 150km's on it.

[parrot]

There should be plenty around, so just wait for the right one.

 

Look for one that isn't modified, looks to have been well looked after and ideally garaged. If you don't know what to look for, get the car you decide on checked for accident damage.

 

You should be able to find one with a good service history, especially check that it has had regular oil changes.

 

What you do with it next is up to you.

[Hiro Protagonist]

I disagree with the "you don't see many rusty ones" statement. At least in NSW pretty much every AE92 I've seen that hasn't been resprayed/rust-repaird will have some rust in it, and there are several classic spots which always go, namely across the top of the front windscreen, the A-pillars, and around the rear hatch and seals. Not as bad as a KE or AE82 though, but some of that will be due to age.

 

Crusty/brittle interior plastics are another common problem too, especially the B-pillars.

[Trev]

the AE9* are not really prone to rusting like the AE8* was

 

I disagree with the "you don't see many rusty ones" statement.

 

Not as bad as a KE or AE82 though, but some of that will be due to age.

 

Hmmm, I thought that that is what I had said.

[Hiro Protagonist]

Hmmm, I thought that that is what I had said.

 

Sorry, I interpreted it as "the AE92s aren't prone to rusting, unlike the AE82s", not "the AE92s aren't prone to rusting as much as the AE82s did, but they do still rust a fair bit".

[Pieman]

A lot of thrashed SXs, GTIs and even variants with 4afe/7afes will have stripped synchros for 2nd/3rd gears. High rev gear changes will reveal this issue.

[LukeAE71]

I just picked up an AE93 SX.

 

It's done 220,xxx ks, serviced every time on time. Had all major service items replaced recently, was last owned by an 82 year old lady. In my opinion it drives every bit like its done more like 150,xxx ks. I asked a mate who has had three of these for his pointers on where to look and he said:

 

1. Rust around windscreen and in the hatch area

2. Leaky water pump

3. Bad synchro 2nd and 3rd

4. Chalky brittle plastics

 

The only thing I could find on this one was the chalky brittle plastics. But I think this happened on all of them no matter what the owner does/did.

 

My only advice with something like this (as controversial as this might be) is don't buy one from a kid. Kids would buy these things, thrash the shit out of them, no servicing etc and then sell it on here.

 

Mine is one of those cars that you rarely find in a 20 year old car. Awesome as a daily. Cold air con - comfy and doesn't use much petrol.

[Ben-89]

Another point for consideration, as I'm on the hunt for a Corolla of this vintage...

 

Six Corollas I have seen from the hatch to seca in the flat Centre red or Rio red which are in very clean condition or could do with a polish all the same issue of the red paint crowsfeeting. More noticalbly on the roof and pillars. I have noticed this on cars with the original paint. I assumed it may have had a repaint but was wrong as all the rubbers were clean and like Hiro/luke mentioned, there was rust formation which was there for quite a long time around the front/rear windows. It must be a paint fault, just like with the metallics..

 

But speaking through experience, look for rust above the front windscreen, a pillars, bottom of the back wondow on the hatches, and sun damaged interior trim. Whether its chalky console lids, pillar trims or wrinkly door cards.

 

Purely my opinion, but reds and metallics I have wiped off my list. White is the sensible

alternative for me. You may even find a white SX :)

[Hiro Protagonist]

Six Corollas I have seen from the hatch to seca in the flat Centre red or Rio red which are in very clean condition or could do with a polish all the same issue of the red paint crowsfeeting. More noticalbly on the roof and pillars. I have noticed this on cars with the original paint. I assumed it may have had a repaint but was wrong as all the rubbers were clean and like Hiro/luke mentioned, there was rust formation which was there for quite a long time around the front/rear windows. It must be a paint fault, just like with the metallics..

 

Toyota's red paint from the 80s and early 90s was terrible for fading and crows-feet...