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Ke30/35/55 Market Value?


yeethen

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Hey everyone just some questions from a newbie.

 

I've been wanting to buy a Ke30/35/55 for awhile now and have researched for the past 3 months and this place provided me with great information. I don't have much mechanical experience..can change/fix a few things here and there.

 

Would like to know what price I'm looking at for a ke30/35/55? Whether immaculate, no problems, rebuilt car everything fresh and don't need to put a single dollar in it for a while OR has a bit of rust problem, or need to fix a few minor things here & there.

 

Is it cheap to maintain, reliable, easy to repair?

I would like to repair it myself if problems arise. would it require a lot of expensive tools?

What are the most common problems?

 

I'm looking to spend 3-4k

 

Please no bias comments:) would like help as I have no experience with old school corolla's(I own modern corolla lol) would like to learn as much as I can so possibly I can past this car on to my kids in the future :)

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Greetings mate, welcome to the roller club.

 

Just gotta remember that we are talking about 40yr old cars here, so its not so much what common problems are, the cars are so old that basically anything can have deteriorated by now just due to the age.

 

Take my 30 yr old Suzuki sierra that i have, its only done 160,000kms, but i have had to replace lots of odd and obscure things (rubber seals, bearings etc), not because of the kms or it being looked after or not, its just because that after 30yrs things just wear out!

 

That being said, like the sierra,the ke corolla is a very simple car, and its really is the basis of automotive "technology". Points distributor, carburetor, very simple drive line etc.

 

If you are into tinkering and potting about under the bonnet, then you will have no trouble maintaining it. You just have to remember, like i said, that the car is old, and even if its been looked after by the previous owner, there's a good chance its going to need basically constant tinkering and maintenance to keep it 100% reliable. Not necessarily major jobs, but to keep them in 100% you need to keep an eye on things and act quickly when things come up. (ie deal with the noisy bearing before it collapses and ruins more things).

 

As for tools, you can basically do everything with a socket set, spanner set and some screw drivers and some pliers. The trick is as you start doing jobs, you might need an additional tool or two which you pickup while buying parts, and over the years you start to build up a good tool set. I started with a socket set, and although i now have quite a few additional tools, generally I only use the basics for most jobs.

 

If you ever need to change any bearings that require a press (eg axel bearings), I usually just take the axel itself down to a mechanic and get him to swap it over for me. Easy and means i don't need to buy a press.

 

Also remember, that fixing engines and mechanicals are much easier than fixing rust and dents. So if i were you id look for the best body you can with no rust and dents and good paint. Even if it needs a whole new engine, that will be much easier and cheaper than fixing dents and respraying the car.

 

As for price, well they vary so much, but i wouldn't be spending 3-4k unless it was 100% spotless. A runner but needs work, $500. running and on the road but not registered $500-$1500. Running Registered, great condition, evidence of major repairs done well, $1500-$2500. Major restoration completed, $2500 +

 

The coupes will be "worth" more than the 4 door variants.

 

As for modified ones, modifications don't tend to add too much to the price. Need to make sure mods are done well or they can cause more dramas than they are worth! But like i said, easy car to work on, so you can pick up a bargain that isnt running and get it going yourself.

 

anyway, hope this helps.

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Hard question to answer, I believe market value is going up for these old cars i think a registered ke30-55 on the road that is good will be 3k plus, have seem some clean cars lately been advertised for large sums 7k plus, and have sold. Unsure what they have sold for though, during the 90-s to early 2000s you could by unregistered ke30 for $100 and registered ke30-55 for under a grand. gone or those days.

 

on a another note, i am also starting to believe that these models are starting to become collectable and desirable which is forcing there dollar up.

 

it is a bit bit like a Datsun z series or 1600 or even 120y look how they have sky-rocketed over the last 10-12 years.

lets not even talk about Ae86 or 1st gen celicas Ta22-ra28 etc:

 

Even the humble old Ke70 is up in value due to rise in drift seen etc: there starting price for a stocker is 2k plus

 

in 3-5 years time i think the minimum market value for a good ke30-55 will be around 5k and start, to go up from there.

 

But it all comes down to what your are prepared to pay for your gem that you find.

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Hey guys.

I've got my 1975 KE30 up for sale on ebay, literally just put it up 10 mins ago

 

 

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/271676076325?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1558.l2649

 

If you're looking for a car that needs nothing done mechanically mine is amazing! Just had roadworthy done in July. Just needs a little bit of TLC.

 

Also, if you know of anyone looking for one please pass the link on. :)

Cheers

Edited by TomCremins
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40 million corollas made. thats a lot of cars. ive owned a 55,35, 2 36s, 2 ke70s and now have another ke35. i see them go for silly money but i don't know if they sell for that. my old 35 i sold for 3200 in absolute granny spec with a rebuilt motor, no rust to a collector who tried to get 7000 for it. needless to say it sat on the market. ive picked some of my cars up for 300-500.

 

there a really easy car to work on and theres heaps of parts if you float round on forums/ebay/gumtree/facebook buy swap sells. you'l always get some good deals. good platform to learn on and to build/modify/restore and enjoy. great base to learn flaws with motors and to fix on the side of the road and keep goin, so yes pretty reliable

 

i say look at a few around and get an idea of what your price buys you. tyres, soggy suspension, paint, condition of engine, panel damage all make things more expensive and more dramas to fix but depends on what you want. the more you look the more you will realise what is worth your money.

 

i think if you want a car thats worth more down the track look for the likes of the rarer models, - ke30 2door, coupes etc.. but then parts can become an issue. if your interested in tinkering buy a nice good clean example, clean it inside and out, polish it, get it back to granny spec and drive it round and enjoy it. bushes are cheap as are brakes and suspension, k motors run for centuries, be nice to it and itl be nice to you, they have personalities!! but what ever you do don't hold back on this forum. theres a wealth of knowledge and alot of great people willing to help you through jobs on the car. good luck

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Would like to know what price I'm looking at for a ke30/35/55

Don't spend a dollar over $1000. They are 40-50yr old cheaply built pieces of shit that were worth sweet fkall when new. These are not Datsun 280Zs or Porche 911s we are talking about, these are mass-produced cheap runarounds from a country that was the newest on the car scene, just like China is today.

 

Spend time, not money. If it takes 6months to find that unmolested granny-spec one you actually buy from a granny, that is great. Be prepared to travel.

 

Steve and I decided to rally a KE70 after he wrote off the Celica in about March this year. Within 4months he had about 6 KE70s of various conditions, including two immaculate ones. One did literally come from a little old lady who bought it new!

 

Leave a note on any you like, or find out who owns it and write to them. My immaculate KE70 XX came just that way... I left a note on a car in the street in some small town we were driving through.

 

$3000??!! You'd be a sucker!

Edited by altezzaclub
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Spend time, not money. If it takes 6months to find that unmolested granny-spec one you actually buy from a granny, that is great. Be prepared to travel.

....

$3000??!! You'd be a sucker!

 

This, big time.

For a year i wanted a ke30. Alot came up, but not for the right money. Eventually, i found that 1 ke30 in decent nik for only 500

where others i found in shittier condition they tried to sell off for the 3000 dollar mark.

 

Be patient, a good deal will come up.

 

Also, they were a dime a dozen cars in the time. Just treat em like that and you can see what they're really worth. They're the most basic cars ever, the only luxury you got was a radio and a clock unlike with newer cars

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Hey guys.

I've got my 1975 KE30 up for sale on ebay, literally just put it up 10 mins ago

 

 

http://www.ebay.com....984.m1558.l2649

 

If you're looking for a car that needs nothing done mechanically mine is amazing! Just had roadworthy done in July. Just needs a little bit of TLC.

 

Also, if you know of anyone looking for one please pass the link on. :)

Cheers

 

You got to be kidding. I bought the car in my dp for 500 and you're asking 3000 for a rust bucket

 

EDIT: a better question for this thread is how much venetian blinds should be worth :P

Edited by Dzhoel
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