7th Jan 2006, 14:23
"If you restored an 'E' type Jaguar or a classic American car, you would always lose out financially."
Yeah, I'm sure the guys selling their '71 Hemi 'Cudas for over $100,000 are really taking a big financial loss...
23rd Mar 2007, 17:06
I own a very rare, low mileage 1983 Crown (UK) after many years seeking a good one. There are not many good ones left. With air con front and rear and a fridge, they were years ahead of their time, and despite some of the reviews, when compared to a Granada 2.8i they are very quick off the mark - 120mph, 0-60 in 9ish seconds. Not bad even by today's standards...
The ride is a very 'american' and you don't throw them round corners, but hey, if you want a sports car, you don't buy a Crown do you?
A nice, extremely comfortable, well equipped tourer that is a bit different - that's the Crown...
11th Sep 2007, 10:31
In Japan, Toyota Crown are mainly used as company cars, by government agencies, as well as taxi; which possibly explain the soft suspension setup. It will be equivalent to Peugeot 605, Opel Senator in Europe or Holden Statements in Australia.
I was surprised how many MS112 and MS102 are on the road when I moved to Melbourne 3 years ago; these cars really last a long time. But the Aussie told me it costed considerable more than the bigger Holden when they were new.
Just for curiosity, when I went back to Japan last year, I managed to find a decommissioned-ex-company 2.8 MS112 for a spin. It was not too bad, a lot of roll of course, but it is more refined than my own 1990 Saab 900 hatch. To the extend that it makes the Saab feel like the final draft of a pre-production model - still have imperfections to be ironed out.
Also Toyota Celsior is Lexus LS400/430. This is because Toyota did not use the Lexus brand in domestic market until last year.
6th Nov 2007, 21:48
Hi I'm restoring an 1982 super saloon. I have fixed the air con and the horn. Now I am getting started on the rusty chassis, holes on car, wheel arches then have it resprayed. If you own one email me at keichu@btinternet.com for help or advice.
7th Jan 2006, 04:10
My brother has been restoring a 1971 Toyota Crown station wagon for 10 years now. The car was born as an ambulance dedicated to serve in the Navy. We nicknamed it "The Whale" because of its size and shape.
I got the chance to drive it once, very heavy steering, 3 speed manual transmission. My brother does not want to drive it since it is quite thirsty and troublesome to manuever.
So...he will give the car to me, I will start driving and taking care of it next month.
The car is very rare, I do not know how many of this Crown station wagon are still alive. More info next month.