What to look for in a used SR5

[jlm_photo]

I am looking to purchase an SR5 that has been sitting for at least 3 years. What are the highs and lows of what I should be looking at as for as engine, trans, body, suspension goes. Is it worth getting it going again? What are the chances is will be easy to get running. This will be mostly a SOLO II competition car that is driven on the road so if it is a little rough around the edges...its fine by me. Also, are all SR5's manual transmission. Thanks in advance for the advice!

[jlm_photo]

Okay I finally have a photo of the AE-86 I am looking at possibly buying. Please tell me any details you know and what to look for when reviewing the vehicle. I know it has been sitting for at least 3 years. Thanks.

[jlm_photo]

Bump...

[Uzelac]

Use search.
Also, there is buy guide on main page.

[vlgi]

Depends on what work you are willing to do.

Its an old car so the most important is rust!

Sills and wheel arches are typical places to go on cars but there is a guide on here about common places that rust occurs.
http://www.aeu86.org/viewtopic/ae86-buying-faq/t/3415

You can if you have the time, skills, money and will, you can restore a rusted car, depends on what you want to do really. If the body work is fine then you can replace the rest of the components.

For the front suspension look for leaking dampers, rusty springs, most likely would need a replacement if that is the case, similarly check the bushes for wear / fatigue.

I know nothing about the rear axle or the trailing arm suspension to look out for.

Engine wise check for oil around the gasket, check the timing belt is it worn. Check filters to see if they are ancient or reasonably new, check dipstick for amount of oil in the engine, is it clean is it dirty. Check the pipes, anything rubber for perishing.

If the engine runs hear it from cold and listen for any bad noises.

Ultimately you can always rebuild the engine, if you want to do that.

I think whatever you want to do buying a car like this will require a lot of time and effort to get to a good state so make sure you're willing to do the work.

Generally its best to buy the best you can because ultimately if there is too much work, and you lose motivation, the poor car won't get the love it deserves and you won't get the car you deserve. Everyone loses ;_;

[banpei]

If the car has been standing outside like that for more then 3 years I would certainly check the following:
- rust under windshield
- rust in sidepockets of the trunk (they are a water trap in the 2 door coupe!)
- rust in doorsills (also a rust trap!)
- rust under carpets in footwell (if any water leaks into the car it will stay there)
- rust on the bottomside of the car. You don't want to have to restore anything like this:
http://www.aeu86.org/viewtopic/mine/t/4562
The car looks great from the top and was parked outside in a garden for only four years, but on the bottom it was so rotten that it could not be saved after all!

Not all SR5 were manual, as you can find here:
http://www.toyodiy.com/parts/q_U_1985_TO..._AE86.html