Nawzzz's Car(s)

INEEDNAWZZZ

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Thought I might as well keep a journal of my car(s); should make for interesting reading if I stick at it for a few years.

1st car - 1997 Toyota Starlet CD
Owned from:
24th of May, 2013 - 6th of February, 2015
My first car; went through numerous stages of being an unloved run-around, to a wannabe JDM/Glanza thing to a trusted, reliable (yet still very much my own) workhorse. It got some new wheels, a head unit, optional clear indicators, strut brace and a splitter. I would have gladly driven the wheels off this little trooper, but it was rear ended to a state which was beyond worth repairing and was sadly written off.

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2nd car - 1991 Nissan Micra 1.2 GSX
Owned from:
14th of February, 2015 - 21st of March, 2015
This was an impulse buy/stop gap to replace my Starlet. The MOT inspection revealed a lot of cheap welds which were covering up rust on every suspension mountings as well as whole host of other issues. The cost of the welding alone was more than the car itself, so I cut my losses and got rid. Shame since there isn't all that many left out there.

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3rd car - 1998 Toyota Starlet S
Owned from:
22nd of March, 2015 - October 2017
I'm quite a fan of the EP91 platform, and whilst several thoughts came to mind as a replacement for the replacement, another Starlet always stuck at the back of my mind. Then (almost as some kind of eerie coincidence), a red 3 door model cropped up for sale for a stupidly low price. Amazingly clean, well maintained and fun to chuck around; its everything my five door was and should've been. Lasted a good few years before everything but the kitchen sink went wrong with it and it was not economically viable to keep running, so it was sold for spares before presumably being scrapped.

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4th car - 2005 Mitsubishi Lancer 1.6 Elegance
Owned from:
October 2017 (forgot the exact date) - 5th of August, 2019
This was intended as a simple, 'grown up' choice to replace the Starlet, and on paper it seemed perfect. I've always had a minor affection for the Lancer of this period, and this particular one was a one owner, high-spec model with a full service history and only around 55,000 miles - plus it was cheap to boot. The reality was a miserable experience, with constant ignition and electrical issues, getting crashed into multiple times (only minor collisions) and just being such a woeful lump to drive; to the point where I never even took an actual photo of the thing. Does get the distinction of being the first car I've owned that wasn't a red, Japanese hatchback though, so... there's that. The thing was sold for a pittance, though thankfully my circumstances changed, and I was able to upgrade to...

5th car - 2010 Renault Sport Twingo 133 Cup
Owned from:
2nd of August, 2019 - 16th of August, 2022
Another car I've always had a soft spot for, and after cross-shopping with a closely matched rival (the Swift Sport), I was able to find this for an absolute bargain. Was the first performance oriented car I'd owned, though it is technically just a 'warm' hatch, yet it still had unreal levels of grip, and was more than quick enough on a B-road. Also has the distinction of being the rarest and most reliable of my cars so far; ironic given that it's a small French hatchback! Apart from cracking the two front wheels (and replacing them with aftermarket ones), the car was mechanically sound and never missed a beat. The only reason I replaced it was to enter the world of car loans in order to gain some credit history to help with adult life things... and because the suspension broke my spine every time I drove it to work.

6th car - 2020 VW Up! GTI
Owned from
: 16th of August, 2022 - Present
The Up! was the first VW since the Lupo I really, really liked, and the GTI was one of the few new car choices I would consider, given the circumstances allowed for it. Wanting to trade up and get my crap together, I decided to jump in on a payment plan and see what it's like to own a car made in the current decade, which is something of a culture shock for me. Feels way faster than the numbers suggest and is far more refined than anything else I've had before, and so far is serving me more than well.
 
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Hey all, thought I may as well show you my car. It's a 5 door 1997 Toyota Starlet CD.

The CD model (funnily enough) came with a CD player from the factory, as well as a few other touches such a sunroof and a tachometer. Mine also has a few optional extras; namely uprated parcel shelf speakers and front electric windows. Bought it in May 2013 as my first car and have learnt many things, both in driving it and in basic maintenance. Cost me £595 with just over 115,000 miles.

Despite apparently having no care given to it in it's entire lifespan, the car runs like a dream after a very basic service. It failed its MOT a few weeks back (yearly inspection to test a car's roadworthiness) due to a bunged up catalytic converter; considering newer cars fail on things like suspension bushes and slightly dim lights, I'm actually impressed such a hammered, worn down, 17 year old car managed to pass, aside from that one setback. The only other thing that has gone wrong with it was the battery dying, and that was my own fault for leaving the lights on overnight (yeah, go me...). Oh, and the key can't be used to open the boot/trunk. Seems this little thing is otherwise bulletproof! Here's some pics:

The faded front. Will be rectified one day. Ignore the 'broken' splitter; I'll get to that in a minute.
View attachment 159104

Also, ignore the glue on the doors. That is the result of taking off the ugly grey bump strips that the UK models came with. The glue does come off, and the majority has since been removed, but a lack of motivation and college work means its taking way longer than anticipated.
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Mismatched wheel trims = +10HP
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Best looking part of the car in my opinion - the back.
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And now, the interior:

Feral driver's seat. One of my priorities to sort out.
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Prodrive gear knob from my dad's old MY05 WRX. Done for looks, but mainly to replace the unhygenic standard one.
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My Domo mascot!
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My 'track day' fire extinguisher.
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This is what the car looked like around January time by the way:
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The reason for the change is due to my insurance policy, who don't like aftermarket wheels or what have you. Also removed the majority of the stickers since they looked out of place on the standard wheels - hence why it looks like it does in the OP.

I've since grown to like the simpler, clean look, and that's the theme I'm going to go with. As its my first car, I'm not gonna go the whole hog with Glanza parts, engine swap or even performance components at all. Instead, I plan on adding minor, subtle changes, acquiring a few Japanese-spec OEM optional extras, accessories and just looking after the car in general.

So far, the list of what I've done/added is:

- Replaced spark plugs
- Replaced oil filter
- Replaced paper air filter
- Engine oil changed
- Gearbox oil changed
- New catalytic converter
- New battery
- New wiper blades
- New mats
- Replaced faded Toyota Starlet rear stickers
- Removed CD trim badges
- Removed bump strips
- Modified front splitter from a Renault Megane
- Optional clear front indicators
- Prodrive gear knob (back to the stock one for winter)
- Fire extinguisher
- Blind spot mirrors
- Mighty Car Mods stickers
- Replica Japanese parking permit
- Opie Oils air freshener
- Domo-kun plushie

What I plan on doing/adding is:

- Remove bump strip glue
- Fix the splitter
- Clean and de-grease the engine bay
- Clear side repeaters
- New wheels with good tyres
- Optional Glanza front strut brace
- Optional Glanza rear strut brace
- Optional coin holder
- Optional rear spoiler
- Optional TRD oil filler cap
- Optional TRD radiator cap
- Glanza cupholders
- Emergency hammer
- UK Starlet Owners stickers
- Replica Japanese registration/emission stickers
- Replica Corolla Store dealership windscreen sticker
- Mario Kart banana peel drift charm

Of course, that list will expand and be ticked off as time and opportunities progress. Comments and criticisms welcome. Thanks for those who read it all! :D
 
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Standard Glanza rims look fantastic, especially for OEM kit - I'd go for those personally.

As for that drivers seat, that's not feral :lol: I've owned waaaaay worse. That rip hasn't even been there that long =P
Definitely look into OEM replacement seats, you've got the right idea seeking out Glanza kit.

I got an entire new interior for my Skyline from a car with 67 thousand Ks on the clock for 100 bucks - it just takes patience to find the right deal :)

Good on ya for doing everything properly though! My priorities (PERSONALLY) would be the Seats, Cupholder, Strut brace, Rims.

Then go for cosmetic stuff like the mirrors, handles, bonnet, splitter etc etc
 
Haha, thanks man! The seats are quite grubby, the camera just doesn't quite pick up on it. You're right, there definitely are way worse out there, they just irritate me for some reason. :P A lot of people tend to go with GT Turbo seats for the simple fact they're more supportive. The design of them (I find, anyway) is a bit outdated for EP91s, so Glanza ones would be better to me.

I did win a set of front and rear seats for just £20 on eBay back when I bought the car. Then the seller said he'd 'sold them to a friend the day before and hadn't taken the ad down', so he refunded my money and the ad was gone - then it was back up the next day at a start price of £50. :grumpy:

I don't really have a list of priorities exactly, just planning to do and buy stuff as they come. I don't have a job currently, so the respray on the bonnet is probably right at the bottom end of the list at the moment. The splitter fix is easy, as I have left over parts to trim down - I'm just lazy. :embarrassed:

Coloured mirrors and handles were optional extras, so they're out there, just not very often. Its all about the waiting as you say. :cheers:
 
THINGS ARE (sort of) HAPPENING.

Bought an optional front GT Turbo/Glanza strut brace from someone on the Starlet forums which should be arriving soon! Its been painted blue though, so I've gone and bought some black paint ready for when it turns up to return it to its factory look. Small updates include getting all but one section of the glue off the doors and finally trimming a piece of plastic ready to fill in the gap in the splitter.

I have my final exams over the next two weeks, so any work on it will be postponed until they're over, since they're my priority right now. I'll have plenty of free time after though, and will be looking for a job which will fund some more exciting stuff, so watch this space! 👍
 
Great attitude you have to this. Way too many people now days with crappy cars or first cars going "OOOH MUST MAKE NEW TRACK WEAPON WATCH OUT GT-R."

You're actually a clone of what I'll aiming to achieve when I get my car next year. Make it as clean as possible, and just make it a generally nice car. +rep :)
 
Nice little car. A bit better than my current daily which is a white EP81. Fun to drive and great on gas but not as fun as my SW20.

Nothing wrong with an EP81 man! You don't need much engine in such a spartan shell 👍

(Though after being spoiled with an MR2 I totally get where you're coming from)
 
SVX
Great attitude you have to this. Way too many people now days with crappy cars or first cars going "OOOH MUST MAKE NEW TRACK WEAPON WATCH OUT GT-R."

You're actually a clone of what I'll aiming to achieve when I get my car next year. Make it as clean as possible, and just make it a generally nice car. +rep :)

Thanks man, really appreciate it! I'll admit, I bought the car with the whole intention of making it into a Glanza replica and planned some stupid ideas like Celica brake discs and taking the rear seats and interior panels out (yeah, that would've made sense in a 5 door). I then realised for the amount of money, time and effort those ideas would've needed... I could just instead buy an actual Glanza or GT Turbo.

But yeah, I became fascinated by the weird Japanese-spec OEM extras available out there, and started to like the look of the regular car and realised it could look decent with some minor, subtle work, so I decided to fuse the two together!

Nice little car. A bit better than my current daily which is a white EP81. Fun to drive and great on gas but not as fun as my SW20.

EP80s are my personal favourite Starlet models - just prefer the boxy, early 90s shape I guess. Easily would've gone for one over an EP91 if it wasn't for:

A. Most of them rusting away or getting scrapped
B. Higher cost for parts and insurance due to them getting quite old now
C. Scarcity means they end up costing a bit more to buy too
 
If you enjoy driving your car hard I would actually recommend getting the bigger brakes from a Celica tbh.

Uprating the brakes, tyres and suspension are the most rewarding things you can do to your car 👍

OEM+ is very in right now - I feel very hipster because I was doing it before it was cool ;)
 
Part of my cheap, first time drivers insurance is a black box, meaning my quality of driving - including cornering speed - is monitored. Drive safely (read: slowly) and I get discounts and refunds on my premium. Drive quickly and the premium goes up. I like money, so I went with the first option.

To be fair, the idea for new brakes stemmed from me finding the standard ones too sensitive, and needing a lot of work in order to stop the car. A quick check-up showed that the pedal travel had been adjusted for whatever reason, so that was reset and the car stops way better now. Also, I only really commute around suburbs and occasionally the city centre, so I'm not in dire need of bigger brakes. :sly:

Tyres are one thing I need doing however. They're still legal, but there is very little tread, feels quite skittish at times and will need to be replaced soon. Each tyre being a different budget brand probably isn't helping either. Thats why I'm praying some GT Turbo/Glanza wheels with decent tyres all around crop up quickly and cheaply!

As for suspension, I'm hoping the strut brace will be enough to suffice for now. Not expecting massive changes, but it should make it feel less like land-yachting when I go around a sharp bend. I don't really want to go with the cheap Taiwanese lowering springs, as they supposedly mess up your struts in the long run. Conversely, I don't wanna spend heaps on coil-overs when I'm not doing any hard driving. Optional (can you tell I like OEM stuff? :D) KYB gas shocks from a Glanza would be a good option; they're stiffer than standard, and even when coupled with lowered springs, still retain a lot of comfort.
 
Ew.. black box..

I totally understand how it makes it cheaper but.. I couldn't live with something monitoring my every move.. it makes me physically sick just thinking about it..

It reminds me of how almost every passenger I have freaks out about my cornering speed, screaming to brake or to take turns slower - all the while I'm barely even trying and often look at how beautiful the scenery is..

What is deemed "Safe" is incredibly slow compared to what is actually perfectly safe as you increase your comfort zone - pushing harder gradually over time improves how fast and safely you can drive - given I started at 8 years old - without the fear instilled by people screaming at me - my comfort zone started out big and went from there.

It all depends on the person I guess - I just couldn't live without the mountains.. if I was told I had to drive "Safely" everywhere I wouldn't even bother :lol: so I have a massive amount of respect for you to put up with that, though it comes from necessity 👍

I hope you can bin that thing ASAP and start to experience what driving is [really] about ;)
 
Oh absolutely, I hate it, don't get me wrong. Even worse is that the accelerator in a Starlet is very sensitive; too little pressure, you'll be barely moving. Slight twitch of the foot and it just goes. Not saying 'OMG WOW IT ACCELERATES SO FAST', but its enough for the box to think that I'm effectively flooring it every time I move off from traffic lights. Thankfully, my driving feedback says its all good, so thats something.

I can see what you mean about safety though. Even though the posted speed limit on a motorway/highway or dual carriage way is 70MPH, most people touch around 80 or even 90 - even cops. Thing is, this isn't such a bad thing since everyone is moving in flow of each other. Then there's me. Because I'm stuck to 70, I have everyone else barreling up behind me going a tad faster which leads them to get impatient, switch lanes and then cut in front of me, meaning I have to slow down again. That is more likely to cause an accident in all honesty. Worse still, this makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong, even though legally I'm not; its just I've grown accustomed to watching my family (and everybody else) drive at 80+ and having no issues with other motorists.

The basic plan is to have the black box until my annual renewal (in March of next year), get my no-claims bonus to drop the cost even more, then ditch this insurance firm and go elsewhere. Then after a few months, try and get a quote for another car. I hate the black box, but considering this company was the cheapest for me (one wanted £9,000 a year!), I figured it was a decent decision in the long term. Apparently, your driving feedback is given to other insurers when you change, so thats handy I suppose.

In a word though? Yes - it will be gone at the first available opportunity. :lol:
 
Thanks man! At first, the second post had the interior pics, what I planned to do with the car and the whole 'thanks for reading' stuff at the end, which is why it has more likes than the first. The day after, I moved it all to the OP to leave space for something which be coming (if I remember anyway) shortly...
 
'Supdates!

My strut brace has arrived and is in!
It will be sprayed back to black at some point in the future (still got this week's exams), but I actually really like it with the blue and might keep it like that. Actually amazed at how much difference it makes; I was guessing it would only really help on very tight bends, but you can feel the difference even on slight curves. Very impressed at such a cheap and easy mod. Also ticks one off of the optional extras list! :D
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Also got my UK Starlet Owners forum stickers, but that isn't as relevant to everyone on GTP. :sly:
 
Quick 'beauty shot' I took whilst out and about.

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Also have some good and bad news.

Good: College is done! No more exams or anything ever! Which means my little nugget here will be getting some love. Might spray the front grill black first, but I'm not sure.

Bad: I scraped my rear bumper after trying to reverse into my garage. And it is very noticeable. There's definitely way worse damaged panels out there, but still frustrated at both the damage and myself. Might post a pic later or something.
 
Thought I may as well post a pic of the damage.

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In hindsight, it isn't really that bad. I think I was just ticked off at myself for doing it in the first place. And to be fair, that side of the bumper had a lot of small scuffs anyway, so it isn't as though its a massive setback. Hell, it gives me more of a reason to buy a Glanza bumper instead!
 
It's alright bud, everyone scrapes their car eventually - it's an easy mistake to make 👍 You've learned to take more care and that's the main thing!
 
Yeah no worries. Paint will do the trick. Scratch remover on the fender.

Love the car, like the plans.. Weird JDM stuff is where it's at.. :) Would like to see it on coilovers and wheels though.. :D
 
Oh trust me, if I had the money, I would go on coilovers and decent wheels in a heartbeat. That said, I'm considering instead just saving the money to put towards buying and insuring a GT Turbo when the opportunity becomes available. Factory Glanza wheels are on the cards though; just need to wait for a good set to show up.

The beauty of these cars is that almost all of the optional extras from the older model fit into the newer one, and vice versa, meaning any little bits I acquire can simply be taken out when this one goes and put back into whatever one I get next.
 
My pa's rocking a decent Charade as a holiday ride down in southern Spain.. Red with a black hood and all.. I think I influenced him. I'd like to get my hands on it when he's done with it, throw coilovers and wide wheels on it and the whole Detomaso package, red carpets and all.. Keep the OG 150k mile powerplant though.

It's a Japanese thing though - many other makes require wiring, different panels etc, the Japanese threw in more or less the same wiring harnesses in their respective cars; I'd assume that means easier thus cheaper production and also the joy for us serial modders of older cars :) I'd actually love to see coils and dope wheels on this car.. Low powered cruiser that will keep up with more powerful cars on B-roads.. :)
 
That's part of why I love Japanese cars. Parts are relatively inexpensive, they're just plain weird at times (in a good way) and are stupidly easy to work on. As I said, it depends on when I can upgrade to a much more powerful GT Turbo model, which usually have basic mods like aftermarket wheels and suspension already installed by a previous owner. If its gonna be a while, I might see if I can get a hold of some used coilovers as they're fairly cheap - but still out of my budget right now, since I don't currently have a job.

I do have a set image in my head of what I want out of this car; a simple, yet stealthy looking car that you could see a young guy in Japan driving. I'm not gonna BS and say 'OH YEAH I'M PLANNING A TURBO SWAP' or anything because its my first car - I wanna get used to the roads first. But it will end up looking good, I can assure you.

DeTomaso Charades are awesome, its just a shame that body style of Charade is practically non-existent here in England anymore, since they've all been either crashed, rusted away or scrapped because of government incentives.
 
Right, finally got round to spraying my strut brace back to black. Not the best job, but it's not too bad considering it's my first ever try painting with spray cans! Only one run in it, and its on the bottom, so it isn't even visible. Also, the flash was on, so it makes the middle look like its unpainted when it actually is. Looks way stealthier and standard - which is the point. :sly:

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Thanks man! Sorry for the late reply, not having a working computer of my own sucks. :grumpy:

Not much else to report on the car, but I am working on getting an apprenticeship, which means I'll finally have a steady income and that means more mods!
 
Update time, and its a fairly big one for a change!

Firstly, I got around to fixing the splitter.

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As you can no doubt tell, it really isn't that great, but it does look way better in person than in the photo; the seam between the gap is nowhere near as noticeable for a start.

But the big thing I'm excited about is these...

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...new wheels! Kosei Prauzers. No idea on the exact model of wheel, but I'm pretty pleased either way! Centre caps need a solid clean (one needs a good amount of superglue), but they're amazingly tidy for their age.

The more savvy people will have noticed that they are still 13" - the same as the standard steelies. They are also the exact same width and offset as the standard wheels. I know that seems backwards to get aftermarket wheels that have no difference in dimensions, but I have a few reasons for my purchase:

1. Black box. Putting bigger wheels on a car gears the whole thing up and the speedometer could read incorrectly by a fair few MPH - something which occurs mostly on cars that have small wheels when they're stock. Having a black box that reads off my actual road speed instead of the speedo means I could be putting my premiums up without me even realising, so having the exact same tyre dimensions stops that from happening.

2. Price. These were £50 with £30 delivery, whereas brand new tyres would cost £90 alone and that's not including labour.

3. Tyres. Other than being a bit dusty, these are virtually brand new, which was my main priority. One still has the remains of the label!

4. JDM. Yeah, shoot me for saying that, but after a bit of research, these are like the AutoZone/Halfords budget wheels of Japan, and that seems to fit my car's theme perfectly. Usually fitted to stuff like minivans and Kei cars, these ones came from a Nissan Figaro. And they suit the car way better than those curbed, over-sized Wolfraces I had months back.

Another bonus is that my insurance is happy with it - £30 extra on my premium, but since I get monthly discounts anyway (because I'm such a pro driver :sly:), it basically pays for itself. I was honestly expecting them to just go 'lol no' and put the phone down. Instead, I explained my situation, reasons, went through the tyre sizes etc. before they said they'd still cover me. I think actually phoning to declare a modification got me in their good graces, since most lads my age don't even bother.

Also got a few other tidbits from eBay; an original KP61 Starlet brochure from 1980, a cheap hammer/seat belt cutter similar to Toyota's optional Rescueman units (which are rare and pricey as hen's teeth) and the guy also threw in a TRD iron-on patch with it for free!

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Also ordered a Chinese copy of a TRD oil cap, which was optional for Glanza models (but is still sold today). Still waiting for it arrive though!
 
That booklet, Starlet RWD 1980.....
Wow, Toyota Starlet . my first car was a Starlet 1984.
Very last model with rearwheel drive and plastic bumpers.
This brings back memories, hahaha still got some pics. I loved that car.
Blew up the 1.0 ltr engine and replaced it with a 1.2 ltr.

That was back in 1987. i was 19 yrs old.I had lots of fun with it, also body tuned it big time.
 
KP60 Starlets are brilliant; if I won the lottery, I would genuinely go out and track one down and go all-out with a TRD widebody on it. Shame they're very hard to come by these days, even as project cars. Like you said, one of the last mass-marketed hatchbacks to have RWD, and was the only Starlet model sold in America. Great little car.

The brochure is quite a good read, especially for seeing how far cars have come since then. Some of the big things they advertise is the clock and wiper stalks for instance.
 

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