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Brisbane. Looking into AE111s
Topic Started: Oct 21 2015, 12:54 PM (102 Views)
AdamAw11
Stage 1
Hi there,

I'm an aw11 owner and allround Toyota lover.
My aw11 has a blacktop 20v, so I've been a big fan of the engine for quite a while.

I'm considering an ae111 as my next daily driver (currently a basic ae101 hatch), but I'm actually tossing up between it and a zzt231.

I thought I'd snoop around here to learn a few things about these neat little cars.

Whats the space like in the ae111s? boot space? back seats fold down?

Do you guys have lots of good things to say about their handling? compared to fwd celicas? compared to Civics, Integras etc.

They have the appearance of being a good rigid little coupe, and fairly light weight I guess.

cheers,

Adam.
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ales_000
Stage 6
They are a good little car.

As you'll know from owning your AW11, the engine is fun when you wring it out, but doesn't have much torque down low.

The AE111's are just over 1000kg, and exactly how much over depends on model, options etc.

In terms of space they're actually pretty good inside, some people find the driver's seat can leave them a wee bit short of headroom - if you're tall that might be an issue. The boot is reasonable, have loaded mine up for a few trips and never had an issue. Mine has a split-folding rear seat (40% folds down, the other 60% is fixed) but I'm not sure if they all have folding seats or not.

Mine is a Superstrut model with LSD and I love the handling of it. Get it on some twisty roads and it's fantastic. I prefer the handling of mine to anything else comparable that I've driven. Having said that I haven't driven a DC2 Type R so if that's a realistic alternative for you, then it would be worth a direct comparison. The Type R would easily beat the Levin/Trueno on power etc too.

The superstrut is a bit of a b*stard to replace when it flogs out, which it will every 100,000kms or so (depending on your roads). The process is not overly tricky (although everything is seized up after 100,000kms of rust) but the cost of the parts is pretty steep.

Nice rigid little coupe sums them up well.

I'm given to understand that parts over your side of the ditch are a little bit tricky to come by, so bear that in mind. Although parts availability in NZ is great, shipping anything sizeable from NZ is expensive.

Hope that helps, and if you do decide to get an AE111 I'm sure you'll enjoy it!
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AdamAw11
Stage 1
Cheers mate, good info.
I'm guessing if a car has coilovers already, the superstrut problem flogging out has been dealt with already.

Do the LSDs last well on them or do they wear out after a lot of ks and start single-spinning?

What other fwd cars have you driven to compare with?
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ales_000
Stage 6
There are superstrut coilovers available, so still worth checking, but in all likelihood it'll be mac strut with coilovers.

The (factory) LSD's are not the toughest items in the world. For track use or significant abuse most people seem to opt for an upgraded unit, the TRD plate diff is pretty strong, though noisy. There's a few guys on here with them.

FWD cars I'm comparing it to:
AE92 Levin
N14 Sentra SSS
Renault Clio 172
Audi A3 1.8T
Mitsubishi Mirage Cyborg
Honda Civics EF & EG
A bunch of fairly ordinary hatchbacks

So hardly a complete list, but I find the balance on my AE111 to be great - the handling is nice and sharp, the weight isn't too much. The power isn't exactly mind-blowing, but that's not why I enjoy the car - it is at its best on twisty roads, working between 5500 and 8000 revs.
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