New member from NZ signing in

[bikingmike]

Kia Ora from New Zealand, peeps

Having been a .Jap car driver for many years (Currently have a P11 Primera M6 wagon with the sports suspension, which replaced a '96 Stagea - basically a R33 Skyline with a wagon body) I needed a 2nd car because

A) daughter is learning to drive
B) I was sick of getting soaked riding the scooter into work in the winter

On an online auction after trawling though countless Corollas and spam cans that all needed rust work done on them (I was on a budget!) I found a 1989 360GLT for $900NZD with 295000km on the clock.

It's old, needs some work, but it really is a blast to drive - I'd forgotten how much fun RWD can be!

The front shocks are naffed so it wallows a bit, and I'm getting some vibration when it revs above about 4000RPM. It needs a jolly good tune up, as I'm only getting about 23MPG.

So, I''m sure I'll be pestering peeps with questions in the future... I'll upload some pics of "The Volvonator" when I get some done

Cheers from Aotearoa

Mike A

[whiskeyonesix]

G'day!

Another MkIII owner down-under!

Glad you like the car Mike, any questions just ask away and I'm sure someone for more knowledgeable than me will be along to answer them

Tom.

p.s. I like those Stageas'. I'm not sure if they were released here - must be a grey import or something.... There's one I see on the way to work in the morning. I imagine they must be absolutely mental to drive

[trabitom99]

Welcome to the forum, Mike!

After 295,000 kms the shocks and springs are bound to be knackered, replacing those will do wonders for the car's handling. If money's an issue, start at the back and save the front for later Other than that, the engine is pretty much bomb-proof, it should last for 400,000kms at the very least, as long as the cambelt is changed every 80,000kms or so.

The dreaded rot is the 300's worst enemy, try and get rid of it the moment it rears it's ugly head. I didn't, and am now paying the price for my neglect

Enjoy your car, and we're all looking forward to your pics!

Tom

[volvosneverdie]

Welcome in dude.

Pics up, sounds interesting.

Add new shocks for better ride, but the cars are always a bit "wallowy".
Its a trait.

[bikingmike]

G'day!

Another MkIII owner down-under!

Glad you like the car Mike, any questions just ask away and I'm sure someone for more knowledgeable than me will be along to answer them

Tom.

p.s. I like those Stageas'. I'm not sure if they were released here - must be a grey import or something.... There's one I see on the way to work in the morning. I imagine they must be absolutely mental to drive

G'day Tom

The Stagea was (IMHO) a bit overrated - mine was a non-turbo with the 2.5L RB25 engine it felt quite underpowered - it felt like you had to work at keeping it going all the time - and it had just had over a grand spent on getting it tuned. I imagine the turbo would be an entirely different kettle of fish. The car weighs in at around 1500kg which gave it a power/weight ratio similar to the Primera, but the performance was decidedly down. Other than that, they are a real nice car, and full of interesting features. The turbos are a bit of a 'sleeper'.

Cheers from Aotearoa

Mike

[SteveP]

The turbo imports are pretty reasonably priced on the second hand market here... and they're big enough to be what looks like a bloody big usable boot! Problem is afaik they're all auto?? That's how it seems anyway!