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Login to post Forums » Grassroots Motorsports » School me on Starlets please?

April 26, 2011 11:17 a.m. accordionfolder New Reader

Hey all!

I have about 5k to burn on a car, and I think I want a Starlet. Oddly all the ones I look at on Craigslist run about that, and seem to be in excellent condition? I knew it has a niche, but I didn't think I'd find so many in such good condition.

A few questions:

How are they on rust? Reliability? What swaps are popular? A fun car? How's the aftermarket (parts) on such an aged toyota? Do they share components with any of the more common yotas? From what I understand there was only one model that came to the states? Anything I should be wary of?

Sorry, I've been scouring the web, but I've got to learn a lot fast as I've got 2-3 lines on Starlets and have to purchase sight unseen if I like any of them. My google fu is slightly failing as I get a lot of websites pertaining to Starlets abroad.

Thanks in advanced!
April 26, 2011 11:18 a.m. 93EXCivic SuperDork

$5k is a hell of a lot for a Starlet. You can get one cheaper. For $5k there are better cars out there. I like the Starlet though. The RWD and hatch combination is fairly cool. I have seen 13B swaps in them before. I can't imagine a 3TC swap would be to difficult. Have you looked at plain Jane Corollas from that same era? They tend to be cheaper and are RWD as well.
April 26, 2011 11:20 a.m. accordionfolder New Reader

I fear that they may be far more expensive then normal as light RWD cars are popular right now.
April 26, 2011 11:23 a.m. accordionfolder New Reader

I'm open to other vehicles, I like most 80s cars. I would like good long drive reliability and (relative) comfort.
April 26, 2011 11:24 a.m. oldeskewltoy Reader

4AG swaps are common, orignal engines (K series) puts out about 53hp, so a 4AG swap doubles power. Car can be twitchy since its wheelbase is so short AND it is somewhat easy to get the rear suspension into trailing arm bind

$5 k is a lot unless it is already finished, although I do know of a number of $10k Starlets

Rust is rust, check it out very carefully...

accordionfolder wrote:

I'm open to other vehicles, I like most 80s cars. I would like good long drive reliability and (relative) comfort.

your last bit is NOT a Starlet.... a lot can be done with a Corolla of the same period... here is my 1983 AE71 - http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/reader-rides/2130/
April 26, 2011 11:27 a.m. 93EXCivic SuperDork

accordionfolder wrote:

I'm open to other vehicles, I like most 80s cars. I would like good long drive reliability and (relative) comfort.

If you are looking '80s and RWD, other choices I can think of right now are fourth generation Corollas, Supra Mk2, second generation Cressida, RX7, first generation MR2, third generation Celicas, Nissan 300ZX.
April 26, 2011 11:29 a.m. Woody SuperDork

Log drive comfort and short wheelbase are mutually exclusive.
April 26, 2011 11:31 a.m. accordionfolder New Reader

Long drive reliability and RELATIVE comfort. I like my cars a bit rough around the edges. :D
April 26, 2011 11:43 a.m. Jerry From LA HalfDork

93EXCivic wrote:

$5k is a hell of a lot for a Starlet. You can get one cheaper. For $5k there are better cars out there. I like the Starlet though. The RWD and hatch combination is fairly cool. I have seen 13B swaps in them before. I can't imagine a 3TC swap would be to difficult. Have you looked at plain Jane Corollas from that same era? They tend to be cheaper and are RWD as well.

The only one I've seen worth anything even remotely close to 5K sold for just that on eBay a few years ago. It had 30K miles on it and was in perfect unrestored condition.

That being said, most Starlets in my experience were rode hard and put away wet by folks who bought them because they had absolutely no money for maintenance and the buy-in was cheap. I owned one for three years that I bought at an impound auction for 200 bucks. It had 138K on the clock and the original spark plugs. Luckily, these cars were built to last in the third world where parts / maintenance were hard to come by.

As you can tell by the above posters, the original engine is a dead end. Non-crossflow heads and no hot cam availability are a deadly combo. There was a spec series for these cars in Japan but those hot parts are unobtanium. Nice box flares, though.

VERY tall rear gear (< 3:1) makes acceleration leisurely. The car will hit top speed (93-ish) in any of the three top gears. gas mileage is insane. I was getting 26 in the city and 38 hwy averaging 80+ mph. Running the AC causes the car to lose a few mph.
April 26, 2011 11:47 a.m. fast_eddie_72 Dork

I was looking at them for a bit about a year ago. I agree with everyone who said $5k seems high unless it's a really nice finished project. I'd say an engine swap really has to be done for it to be a great car. There's just not enough in the stock engine to be a good foundation. As mentioned, 4AG is popular and there are parts available to make it a bolt in.

Super cool cars.
April 26, 2011 3:02 p.m. jimbob_racing HalfDork

I sold my '83 a few years ago for $4000 but it had wide, old school 13" rims and tires, Corbeau seats, stiffer shocks and springs and was in perfect shape with working A/C and everything. I bought the car from down south and did a lot of upgrades and maintenance on it. It wasn't perfect but it was the nicest one I had ever seen here in Western PA. I cannot find anything close to the same condition for that kind of money. I had intended to do a 4AGE swap into the car and had everything that I needed but a divorce forced the sale to help me keep the house. I have no idea what part of the country you are from but that is a HUGE factor in price.
April 26, 2011 3:09 p.m. ReverendDexter SuperDork

In reply to jimbob_racing:

Word. Anywhere there're mildly educated jrift kids, Starlets disappear just about immediately.
April 26, 2011 3:52 p.m. pres589 Dork

There seem to be other cars that would make for good alternatives, like similar era Tercels and Corollas, the 510, maybe the Chevette perhaps? Opels, the mk1 Capri, etc etc...
April 26, 2011 4:07 p.m. turboHLS30 New Reader

Here's one for $4,300 that has all kinds of stuff done to it http://www.tamparacing.com/forums/cars-sale-wanted/728532-ft-fs-82-toyota-starlet-...
April 26, 2011 4:08 p.m. racerdave600 HalfDork

Wow...Starlets, we used to do anything to avoid cars like that when I was younger. That's what parents bought their teenagers because it wasn't fast enough to get you in real trouble, and cheap enough to throw away once you ran it into the side of a McDonald's after a football game! Group it in with GLC's, Chevettes, Cavaliers, Vegas and Monzas (the 4 cyl I barely have enough power to turn over my starter motor versions!)

Seriously, you need to drive one. They aren't stellar cars. For that kind of money you can find something fun to drive. A rear drive Corolla GTS, or even an FX16 with the 4AGE are available at that price, and you can buy the nicest 1st Gen MR2 out there for that kind of money.
April 26, 2011 9:50 p.m. accordionfolder New Reader

The one I'm looking at has 67k stock miles on the motor, nice rims/AC/lowered with new struts/new paint/amazing interior - (4500).

Thoughts?
April 26, 2011 9:52 p.m. accordionfolder New Reader

http://images.craigslist.org/3m33o73ld5T65R55S3b4qdd720132d9f31dbd.jpg
April 26, 2011 9:57 p.m. turboHLS30 Reader

Very clean from the pics!! Have you went and looked at it yet?
April 26, 2011 10:03 p.m. accordionfolder New Reader

Tragically, I cannot. It's pretty far away, hence all my random questions. He's emailed me several high resolution pictures and it appears to be nice as indicated by that one.
April 26, 2011 10:58 p.m. SnowMongoose

The comments about there being better options for the money hit close to home for me, I think about that every time I pull out the tools to work on mine... that being said, I have less than $400 (total) into mine - over the course of two years - so I've a way to go before I get to the point that the money invested would have really bought me anything that much better.

There's a $600 Hachi that's semi local that I might buy for swappage... we'll see eh?
April 27, 2011 5:25 p.m. sanman Reader

Agreed, with the group here. There are better choices for $5k than a Starlet. The Ae86 or AW11 Mr2 definitely would be a better starting point. There isn't much aftermarket for them and you will be doing a lot of customizing. If you are dead-set on a Starlet, find a solid roller for cheap and bolt in your engine of choice.
April 27, 2011 5:33 p.m. 92CelicaHalfTrac SuperDork

BOX FLARES!!!!!

http://www.aceengineering.ca/1982_Starlet.asp
April 28, 2011 1:38 a.m. CanadianTercel New Reader

Repeating what everyone else said, AE86 4AGE stuff will fit in there.. my uncle has a KP61 starlet with a bluetop lowcompression big port 4AGE rally car, and it was apparently bloody scary to drive.

In portugal they also had a big trophy race for these cars.. wish there were still more of them around. :(
April 28, 2011 10:24 a.m. MadScientistMatt Dork

accordionfolder wrote:

I'm open to other vehicles, I like most 80s cars. I would like good long drive reliability and (relative) comfort.

You could get a pretty decent C4 Corvette for 5K. Not sure I'd be looking at Starlet on that budget. There are a lot of other cars I'd consider first, as others have mentioned. Celicas, AE86 (or earlier!) Corollas, Z-cars (the 280ZX doesn't seem to have much collector value, but would be a great highway cruiser), Fieros, Porsche 944s, RX-7s...

One combo that is a pretty interesting use of a Starlet, though, is a 13B into Starlet swap. They're very fun to watch, but seem like a handful to drive. I once saw one powered by a naturally aspirated 13B that ran mid 12's - and yanked the front wheels about six inches off the ground when shifting from first to second, two feet off the ground off the line. The combination of a short wheelbase and high center of gravity makes Starlets with serious power a real handful to control.

If they were cheaper, it might be worth a closer look, but I can't see paying $4k-5k for one.

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