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June 28, 2010 7:09 a.m. Luke SuperDork

...I pull the trigger on this. '84 Toyota Crown 'Royal Saloon'.

I need a new 'daily while the BMW is off the road for some suspension/brake/electrics/minor rust repair.

I went and drove the Crown today. It's like a Japanese Cadillac - big, comfy, (has electric everything and a built-in fridge), overweight and underpowered. But I liked it. Engine is a 5M-series, 2.8, fuel injected, automatic of course. It's all a bit Yakuza-ish, which is cool.

Most likely going to make an offer on it tomorrow, as it's the cheapest 'not a total POS' car I can find anywhere near locally. Also a potential candidate for a 1JZ turbo/manual swap later on .
June 28, 2010 7:25 a.m. 93celicaGT2 SuperDork

OH man that is awesome.

My words of wisdom? DO IT. Then VIP that sucker out. I normally don't like the "VIP" style, but it works so well on old japanese sedans.
June 28, 2010 7:33 a.m. John Brown SuperDork

I am thinking Transporter - Tokyo

Blacked out, BBS wheels, light tint, Jason Statham hooning around sideways.
June 28, 2010 8:41 a.m. Luke SuperDork

May have posted this a bit prematurely .

Just found a Saab 900i, non-turbo manual. Going to see it tomorrow afternoon. Never driven one before, and MiataPowar on here has, like, 10 of them. So I've got to see what that's all about, first.
June 28, 2010 8:52 a.m. 93celicaGT2 SuperDork

Saabs require turbos.

Get the Yoter.
June 28, 2010 8:54 a.m. Powar Dork

Luke wrote: Just found a Saab 900i, non-turbo manual. Going to see it tomorrow afternoon. Never driven one before, and MiataPowar on here has, like, 10 of them. So I've got to see what that's all about, first.

Does that make me famous or just stoopit?

Let us know if you have any questions. There are a few C900 enthusiasts here. N/A C900s make great daily drivers.

Look for rust in the front lower control arm area. Its fixable, but you'd have another project.
June 28, 2010 9:02 a.m. Luke SuperDork

Thanks. Rust is usually not a problem around here, but this one's been living on the coast, so I'll definitely have a poke about.

Do you know if a 900i is an 8v or 16v car?
June 28, 2010 9:10 a.m. patgizz SuperDork

line up an lsx/t56 before you go and get some fender flares, deep dish wheels, and black paint for it.
June 28, 2010 11:43 a.m. Vigo HalfDork

I vote for the toyota by FAR
June 28, 2010 1:47 p.m. Schmidlap Reader

Am I the only one who doesn't get excited about the Crown? There is nothing at all on the car that stands out. In low light you could confuse it with an early 80's Chrysler K-Car or an early 1980's Mazda 929 or a Cadillac Cimarron or a cardboard box. If you're just looking for a comfortable, reliable daily driver, I get it, I just don't understand the super enthusiastic responses for it. At least with the K-car you could build a sweet turbocharged engine for fairly cheap. Am I missing something?
June 28, 2010 2:10 p.m. ReverendDexter Dork

Schmidlap wrote:

Am I missing something?

Yes. RWD + Inline6, and IIRC, most if not all the suspension swaps out with Supra bits. It's an M-block, so a 7M-GTE shouldn't be all that hard of a swap.
June 28, 2010 2:14 p.m. ClemSparks SuperDork

Schmidlap wrote:

Am I missing something?

The unexplainable draw of RWD. Must...have...RWD. I understand completely. [edit: ReverendDexter summed it up much better as we composed our posts at the same time]

They have Crowns as Taxi's in Japan. They're no-option base models with a 3 speed manual and column shift (3 on the tree).

Clem
June 28, 2010 2:25 p.m. 81gtv6 HalfDork

SAABs are more fun with turbos, but I have gotten in enough trouble with an 8v non turbo C900. They do make a great DD.
June 28, 2010 2:44 p.m. Redhornet New Reader

93celicaGT2 wrote:

OH man that is awesome.

My words of wisdom? DO IT. Then VIP that sucker out. I normally don't like the "VIP" style, but it works so well on old japanese sedans.

+1billion
June 28, 2010 3:00 p.m. 93celicaGT2 SuperDork

Schmidlap wrote:

Am I the only one who doesn't get excited about the Crown? There is nothing at all on the car that stands out. In low light you could confuse it with an early 80's Chrysler K-Car or an early 1980's Mazda 929 or a Cadillac Cimarron or a cardboard box. If you're just looking for a comfortable, reliable daily driver, I get it, I just don't understand the super enthusiastic responses for it. At least with the K-car you could build a sweet turbocharged engine for fairly cheap. Am I missing something?

I would also rock the hell out of a Mazda 929.
June 28, 2010 3:04 p.m. mistanfo SuperDork

I just found out that a guy I work with has a 929. It is PERFECT. Really, it looks like it just came off the showroom floor. He said that he bought it from the proverbial "little old lady", only she didn't drive it to church. Only to the mall on Tuesdays.
June 28, 2010 3:32 p.m. Appleseed SuperDork

mistanfo wrote:

I just found out that a guy I work with has a 929. It is PERFECT. Really, it looks like it just came off the showroom floor. He said that he bought it from the proverbial "little old lady", only she didn't drive it to church. Only to the mall on Tuesdays.

And you haven't tried to swindle it from him for $500 yet?
June 28, 2010 6:12 p.m. Nitroracer Dork

Is it VIP to have a crown royal shift boot in your crown royal sedan/living room?
June 29, 2010 6:19 a.m. Luke SuperDork

Quick update, for those of you playing at home.

Just got back from driving the Saab. It was overheating rather badly, with the hose to the radiator reserve tank hissing steam. So it's a no go. Drove pretty good otherwise, though. I can see why people like them. Really solid feeling, and nice steering.

Going to jump on the Toyota tomorrow. I just hope it hasn't sold already.

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