Greetings!

[tobias]

Hi everyone,
Only just registered. Great site by the looks of it. Am looking for an ae86 for drifting. Have heard that they are a lot cheaper in the states. Is this true? Anyone got any idea how much a basic one would be in the US? Cheers,
Toby

[Mux213]

Hey Toby,

Welcome mate!

Depends on what you compare it with. SR5s go relatively cheap I've heard but they don't have the LSD nor the 125hp engine. The GTSs I've heard are getting pretty pricy over there but it does depend on where you live. Best to check out club4ag's sale sections for a car there or an idea about prices.

Also don't forget, if you are serious about drifting prepare to spend ALOT, a stock GTS you can play with nicely but you'll find yourself wanting suspension upgrades very quickly if you get serious, especially because the stock stuff is most likely worn out after 25 years. Also at some point you'll most likely want to go with a 2 way diff and beef up the engine power a bit which can be pricy. Also hachi's do break when you drift them hard, anybody seriously drifting with hachi's will tell you that (well with some exceptions, zax here on the forum some how kept his hachi from braking for 2 years while doing alot of serious touge work, to him )..

So if you are looking for a cheap drift car, there are better options out there. If you are just looking for the best fun on 4 wheels, you came to the right address but don't ever make the mistake of thinking this fun comes cheaply

[tobias]

Cheers matey. Much appreciate the advice. Yeah totally agree about there being cheaper drift cars out there, I just don't want to jump on the S13 bandwagon! Plus I think these hachi's look stunning in drift spec.

[Mux213]

Very true indeed just dont forget, if you want a proper hachi drift car, they do come with a price tag

[Ivan141]

How about the BMW bandwagon? Well, at least in holland that's the nr.1 drift-banger. Performs like a charm and parts-a-plenty... I have much respect for the ae86 drifters, but it's really not for everyone to keep an ae86 in shape. Especially with the prices on spare parts, you need to be pretty resourcefull to get what you need now that everything is becoming rarer by the day. I think the ae86 these days is way to expensive for drifting purposes. It became popular in japan due to being a readily available cheap rwd car, ideally you would choose a european equivalent if you dont want to break the bank.

[banpei]

Ivan141 Wrote:How about the BMW bandwagon? Well, at least in holland that's the nr.1 drift-banger. Performs like a charm and parts-a-plenty... I have much respect for the ae86 drifters, but it's really not for everyone to keep an ae86 in shape. Especially with the prices on spare parts, you need to be pretty resourcefull to get what you need now that everything is becoming rarer by the day. I think the ae86 these days is way to expensive for drifting purposes. It became popular in japan due to being a readily available cheap rwd car, ideally you would choose a european equivalent if you dont want to break the bank.

I agree with you. E30 is relatively cheap and easy to get by, in contrary of the hachi in which a touche with a wall or guardrail could be a costly business. Especially if you break your headlights.
On the other side I have to agree with tobias: the looks of the ae86 are a lot better than the E30 or S13.
What about a AP61 for drifting then?

[tobias]

AP61 as in starlet? If so, have just been looking at one on egay. Saw one drifting a few months back and it was brilliant. Was a proper tramp drifter and looked ace next to the shiny nissans!! It's only the old ones that are RWD tho, right?

[Ivan141]

Yep...they're really called KP61...but technically toyota would have called it an AP61 once there is a 4AGE under the bonnet.

[banpei]

Yeah, I meant you should put a 4AGE under the bonnet, so that's why I put in the A instead of the K. It's a swap which has been done a lot lately. Makes the starlet very tail-happy.

[tobias]

Do you know how easy the swap is? Got an engine hoist etc etc but am not the worlds greatest mechanic.