Hello, Im New (Info Needed)

[Guest]

Hi guys, My name is Shane and i live in Sydney, Im 20 and i currently drive a VS commodore. I just obtained my full license and am saving up for a new car. I have always been a holden man through and through. Love big beefy V8's etc.

My plan was to buy a VY SS or something similar when i got my full license. But as im in a weird situation with work at the moment i don't really want to get a loan for an SS as i would need to borrow around 20 grand.

I currently work for Coles and the store i work for just got sold to foodworks. They have guaranteed we all still have a job but to what extent they cannot tell us. Im currently Part time but i work a fair few amount of hours. So im not willing to get a huge Loan until i find out whats happening with work.

Now that you no my life story, I have a few questions about Legnum's. I usually dislike Japanese cars. But for some reason the Legnum's have really caught my attention. To me they look like a great wagon. But i have heard from some that they are very expensive to own. Things like repairs etc can cost a fortune, Is that correct ?

Also i was thinking of importing one from J spec or the likes. How much would i be looking at realistically for a decent one ? I have seen some with around 70,000 K's on them going for around $10,000.

Is there anything i should look out for ? Or any major problems etc ?

I guess i am really asking are they a good car ?

If you can think of anything at all that might help a potential buyer then please post and let me know.


Cheers.

 

[Peter_D]

Firstly Shane let me say welcome to the forum and you really can't go wrong with owning a Legnum.
Secondly I'd suggest that you use the "Home" link near the top of this page and return to the forum threads from there look for and read the stickies as most of your questions will be answered in them.
Thirdly use the search feature. When doing so use a couple of keywords as the use of a single phase ie ECU will get you nil matches.
Enjoy your search for info.

 

[snickells]

Bang for buck Shane, Legnums are winners. Yea, they aint cheap to fix, but what car is?

Good luck on your transition away from Holdens, you wont look back.

 

[Kitty's VR4]

Hi Shane, welcome to OzVR4.

another NSW leggy hopefully.....

 

[qball]

Where abouts are you $14000 gets a really good one with some after market parts, But you can get 96-98 Autos for down to $8500. If you have some tools there are guides for most services. I've got 2 Legnums and they aren't that expensive to run. If you go to Iron chefs(site sponsor) import site and search for legnums you'll see what price gets what level of car.

 

[trounced]

i dont think the legnums are any dearer then other cars and with todays postal times and costs you can get parts from japan direct to your door within 4 days if you know the right people.

service i do most of it myself and its not hard as david said there are guides on here for just about anything.

some people have had problems with Auto cars some havnt but that is about the only major problem i think we have seen.

i used to have a VS commodore and am so much happier with the leggy size is perfect and so much nicer to drive

 

[Guest]

Well my mechanic will be doing all the service work, he is a great bloke. One thing that's worrying me is the cost of parts. Having a Holden it's so easy to get parts and they are very inexpensive. I don't earn mega bucks so I'm affraid I might struggle to afford these things with an import.

 

[godzilla]

Well my mechanic will be doing all the service work, he is a great bloke. One thing that's worrying me is the cost of parts. Having a Holden it's so easy to get parts and they are very inexpensive. I don't earn mega bucks so I'm affraid I might struggle to afford these things with an import.

Parts aint that expensive really, you can import most parts cheaper from NZ then what you can get them here for. The main cost people find is labor.

 

[frozen]

labour and shipping

 

[Guest]

Well labour doesn't bother me because like I said before my mechanics are great blokes. How much would it ruffly cost for the average 5000k service ?

 

[Macca]

Why wouldnt you do it your self? Costs nothing then.

 

[big vik VR4]

welcome to the forums shane. over the past 2 days that i've owned my legnum i've gone through over 130 bucks worth of petrol so also think about the running cost's but then again it's a new toy and your gonna use it a fair bit more so that will go down bot not too much i'm suspecting.

also did the legnum's catch your attention coz you got roasted by one??

 

[cyber_scriber]

Well labour doesn't bother me because like I said before my mechanics are great blokes. How much would it ruffly cost for the average 5000k service ?

Shane.

If you mean the usual oil and oil filter service done at 5,000klm, that would be at least $40 for a half decent full synthetic oil and under $10 for a Ryco oil filter (Z142A). Then factor in labour.

In other words, the 5k service is no different to most other cars and requires no Legnum specific oil or oil filter and hence, no huge additional cost.

The bigger service costs revolve around major service items such as replacing the timing belt, getting the transmission out or replacing the rear spark plugs (because the manifold has to come off). Other Legnum specific service costs include servicing the AYC.

Welcome and look forward to seeing you behind the wheel of a Legnum soon!

 

[jet150]

Welcome Shane JSpec or Iron Chef are the way to go, I got mine from JSpec.
Ben was really good to work with and will find exactly what you want.

 

[godzilla]

that would be at least $40 for a half decent full synthetic oil and under

I'll let you buy mine next time at those rates !

 

[Guest]

also did the legnum's catch your attention coz you got roasted by one??

To be honest i have never actually seen a Legnum driving, I have seen a fair few parked around my area and others. To be honest its not really the Power im after. I just like the styling of them.

There is really only 2 reasons im holding back.

1. The cost of parts etc
2. Im an avid holden fan, And i regularly attend commodores cruise etc. Im talking nearly every week or 2. How does the Vr4 community compare ?

 

[frozen]

As for parts - have a look on trademe.co.nz and bidjdm.com as those are both pretty good places to start (work out the japanese translation for legnum or search EC5W in bidjdm)
Generally its not too bad - just like i said, shipping takes time.. its not something you can just get from the wreckers like with holdens.
generally with the forums here and these things being common in NZ, parts arent too hard to get and wont cost an arm and a leg(num)

As for cruises - you'll have to talk to the NSW guys - you'll probably find its alot more to tracks and 1/4 mile test and tunes, maybe wash meets too, but yeah that should all be in the NSW section. Otherwise, just keep going to the commodore cruises - we have a few of the ex-members coming in their new cars too

 

[cyber_scriber]

I'll let you buy mine next time at those rates !

No problems Trevor. Though I suspect that shipping from NSW to Queensland is likely to negate a lot of the savings

It wasn't that long ago that I picked up 5 litres of Castrol Edge Sport fully synthetic engine oil for $34.99. Places like Supercheap Auto and Repco often have 20% off sales and that's when you go and grab what you need.

Shane, in respect of your question regarding what to look for when buying these cars, have a read here:

http://www.ozvr4.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6799

 

[Guest]

I was hoping to get away with fully importing one for around the 10 K mark. I have seen some on J Spec with around 70000 K's for around $8500, So assuming there may be other charges etc. Am i dreaming thinking i can get a decent one for that price ? I would prefer one with lowish K's and as new as i can get. But i dont really want to spend to much as it will be a daily driver and it would only be my 2nd car.

 

[cyber_scriber]

Shane.

With the GFC and the current favourable Australian dollar exchange rate, I don't think you will have much problems getting one in the country for the $10k mark.

Bear in mind that this will be a fairly "standard" Legnum. If you're after all the fruit such as Recaro seats, moon roof, leather interior and the (rarer) manual transmission, you'll need to pay a bit more.