new face

[Aaron]

Hey, im new to this scene but am looking to buy an ae86 before the end of the year! ive had a passion for a couple of years now for the ae86 and cant wait to get one for my first car. im still unsure which model to hunt down if possible and would like to get to know other owners and speak and hopefully obtain some useful knowlegde for buying and what to look for. I have always prefered the hatchback, but recently have come around to like the style of the coupe (although still unsure about the rear taillights).

please drop me a line and tell me what to look for. Cheers aaron

[Widar]

Welcome!

Be sure to post lots and lost of pics when you finally find a hachi!

[Mux213]

Welcome mate,

Good luck hunting for one, hope you find a good one. There is a nice thread about the different tail light styles around, the later model kouki lights look alot better on the coupe imho, it is the only bit I find a little bit of a let down on my Hachi.

I must say that after seeing the jap style zenki lights on Calavera's friends car on Zandvoort last weekend those were pretty much to my likeing aswell, they are a much darker colour then our eurostyle lights and it fits the coupe very well indeed.

Still my fav style still is a Levin hatch

[Aaron]

Mux213

yeh i would say i am leaning towards the trueno hatch but would like some clarification. is there any difference between the kouki and zenki models apart from build dates? im guessing the kouki would be a better choice(newer = less rust)?

cheers aaron

[NZ Trueno]

The only difference is the styling, the rust in each hachi is an individual case.

Personally i wouldnt worry about rying to find a kouki or whatever, just find one that's straight and as rust free as possible, don't worry too much about the engine; ive found the engine is very easy to find in aussie and nz.

[Mux213]

Yupz, rust is more a factor related to how the car was treated then the build year. There is only 2 or 3 year difference between the models and over 23 years that really doesn't count. The manufacturing of the cars didn't change body wise so they didn't use a better paint system or something.

Actually that said, I would even dare to say that a Zenki car would generally be more rust free because the aero kit and the plastic around the fender arches that where supplied with most Kouki cars are a well known source of rust as they trap moisture very badly.

Engine wise, what NZ sais, engines generally are cheap to swap, body's expensive to repair. Get a good body, even if it has a dead engine. Though weren't 4AGs scarse down under? I though you guys all had the 4AC/3?? engine's over there?

Other then that, its just trim and options. Some love the Kouki look, some the Zenki look. But most bits can be mixed and matched if you really want to.

[NZ Trueno]

Mux:

4ags are quite cheap down here, especially the fwd ae92 ones, and i actually got my new 3au engine for $1.50.

Im not too sure about aussie but we never had the 4ac sold here, that was only made for the US to comply with emission standards i believe, other wise they would have had a 3au (Or so i've been told).


On the flipside: a very average condition door costs over $100 and to get a whole car panelled and painted costs in excess of $10k.