Hey there guys,

I'm very close to getting my P's and am looking to buy a first car, my budget is 3 grand and i just love the look of ke30's and want to get one as my daily but also be a bit of a project. My parents arent very keen on the idea of my first car being so old because 'anything can go wrong' I was wonder your guys opinion if a ke30 is a good choice for a first car/how reliable they are. If you don't agree with this being my first car list some ideas would be great,

Thanks guys

Anything can go wrong, but is generally easy to fix, at least mechanically.

 

What it doesn't have is modern safety aids and dynamics. If you can stretch your budget a little further, you may be able to get a late 90's model with better road handling and comfort.

 

Just my 2 cents as a person with kids reaching teenage years.

Thanks for your input, and yeh i'm aware the ke30 has barely no safety features, but i just love the look of them

I suggest you go to your local pickapart and see what models are there, cause then you can get heaps of parts and panels cheaply if required.

 

Even cars like the later Cressida's. They are a hell of a lot of car for bugger all money.

 

I'm tipping also that your KE30 will have rust issues

I'd go up to KE70s for the suspension. Anything to get away from those rear leaf springs but not go front-wheel-drive...

 

Its all up to you. $3000 is quite a high budget, and whatever you decide just make sure you take your time and buy a car as original as possible and off someone who has owned it for a long time. DON'T buy some sacked out piece of crap off a young guy with black underbonnet and a skull for a choke knob, it will be endless trouble.

 

My neighbour bought home two Holden (Daewoo!) Captiva's to show me as his wife is having a baby and he wants a bigger car. I said "not a fking chance in hell, these are rubbish! For an extra couple of grand buy a brand-new Skoda Yeti (VW) with a 5year warranty..."

 

Nope, today I see he's signed up to borrow over $20K and get one of these boats, something his wife can't even see over the dashboard of!! He just couldn't resist it once he'd got all enthusiastic. I just want to go and shoot myself for even knowing him!

 

So start looking now and give it 4 or 5months. ..and don't buy the first one you see!

Good advice, thanks mate

3000 gets you an ae92 sx corolla. Fwd sure, but they are great cars with a great engine.

I bought a ke30 for my first car, still got it 15 years later.............

yep me too, stil got still get a buzz everytime i drive it. Unless you plan on circuit racing there is little advantage in the ke70 rearend. the ke30 rear end is far better for drag racing.

can anyone vouch for the reliability of ke30, as i don't want to be breaking down all the time

Get it back to as good as it was 30years ago and it will last another 30years! Certainly if anything does go wrong it is easy to fix!

 

They have no 'model faults' that I can think of, so there is nothing that breaks regularly on all of them. Take them a drive and see if the diff whines, the gearbox whines or the motor has rattles, they would be the main things that slowly wear out. Check behind the wheels for leaking brake fluid and make sure the pedal is firm, not soft. All the usual things you would do buying any car.

 

I paid $1800 for the first KE70, it was overrated but had the wrong oil filter on and rattled in the bearings when started. You can read about it in The Girls KE70 in my sig. We've done a lot of mods to it, but I could have left it as it was. The maintenence over the last 6years would be brakes and steering balljoints.

 

Then I paid $900 for the gold car, body not as good but better than average, and a blown head gasket. I've only had it a year or so, and haven't had to do anything except the head job. More mods are planned...

 

$1500 should buy you a granny-spec original KE, but it will take a while to find. You'll have to do some things, usually rust I'd expect, but once done it should run for years. I'd take one over ANY non-Japanese car, including newer Fords, Holdens or any Euro & Korean car!

I'm with KE70dave. Spend the money buying the best AE92 SX twincam you can find. It is far more likely to be reliable than any KE30 you find, and a far better car for the cash.

Another vote for the SX. KE30's are cool, but as time goes on, getting parts is going to become harder and harder. Great if you're an enthusiast. Not so great if you need it to get to work or studies.

Bought my first KE30 a couple of weeks ago for only $500, I'm loving it, but its got no features of modern cars

 

Its bare bones basic, AKA the minimum to be classified as a car. They look cool but thats all they got going for them and for 3 grand you could pick up something much better

just turned 18 when I bought my KE35, not a shred of regret a year and a half later so far.