Anees

Thanks everyone @mattsupra - hope you are getting on well. I still prefer the wheels you bought from me for my car, but they just wouldn't clear the break calipers! My mates where saying you told them about something with a V8 you owned?? They want pics if you have any @Fargo - I've been on her for a while mate, lurking between LOC, MKIVSupra and Club Aristo. Rather like yourself I bet I have loads of unused parts for the car too like Tein suspension, EDFC, Braces, Headlights, LED tail lights, Toms rear suspension links etc that are for sale too.

Hi guys, I know I have not had the car that long, but I have been thinking hard about the Aristo and I have come to the conclusion that it is not being used enough for me to justify keeping it. Since I bought the car in February (when the speedo read 69661) to yesterday when then speedo read 70499, I have done only 838 miles!! Decided that I am better selling the car because I know what I am like with mods and I did have plans for big power increases and suspension changes. I think the Aristo is a fantastic car, just not unfortunetly the car for me. Pardon me while I enter sales mode This is from my advert which will be going on ebay and Pistonheads. FOR SALE 1998 Toyota Aristo V300 Vertex Twin Turbo 70, 499 Miles only http://www.ranatech.co.uk/aristo/aristo1.jpg ABOUT THE CAR As many people know, this car uses the world famous 2JZ-GTE engine which is shared with the MKIV Toyota Supra. This car has the comfort and luxury of the Lexus GS range coupled with the power and performance of a MKIV Toyota Supra. It is a true sleeper car! With very light tuning (exhaust, decat, colder spark plugs, FCD and slight boost increase) the car can potentially hit 400bhp+. This sale includes some of the items need to get you on your way This car is ideal as a project car for someone; the engine is as standard and is unmolested; making it the ideal base for something special. DETAILS This car has an extensive specification. A few of the main features are: • Brand New 19”Wheelmania Monaco Alloys. 8.5” Wide Front and 10” Wide Rear Rims. (£875) (Fitted 14/06/08) • Brand New Falken FK-452 Performance tyres (245/40/19 & 285/35/19) (£475) (Done less than 20 miles) • Uprated TRD Big Brake Kit/ Toyota Supra 4-pot brake upgrade (£950!) • 3G/Brembo 20-Groves Brake Discs (done less then 100 miles) • Hawk Brembo Spec Brake Pads (done less then 100 miles) • Goodridge Stainless Steel Brake Hoses • 2JZ-GTE Engine (totally unmolested and standard) = 320bhp. Potential for cheap BIG power. • Tein Front Strut Brace • Cruise Control • Full Black Leather interior • Automatic Gearbox with Triptronic paddle shift • Airbags all round • 10 Speaker JBL/Lexus Premium Sound System (inc Subwoofer) with AM/FM Stereo, Cassette Player, CD Multichanger, CD Player. • Xenon headlights • Touch screen centre control console (with rare English conversion) • Digital TV with Remote Control • UK Sat Nav with Remote Control (very rare!) • Cat 1 Alarm certificate • Dual Climate Control • Blitz Turbo Timer (so turbos are always given time to cool down properly) http://www.ranatech.co.uk/aristo/aristo3.jpg UNIQUE FEATURES Firstly Aristo V300 Vertex Edition cars are extremely rare! However this one is even better than the rest because it includes: • Unmolested standard 2JZ-GTE Engine that runs like a dream. • All owners have been enthusiasts that have looked after the car well. The first owner was the Centre Manager of Lexus Park Lane in London and he brought the car over as a personal import in 2000 according to the paperwork and previous owner. It appeared it was his company car and no money was spared getting the car to UK standards; everything has been done properly with no shortcuts. • Japanese Service History is included (very rare) as well as complete maintenance record of the car from 2000 – 2005 and then extensive receipts from this point onwards. • The Touchscreen Centre Console, which is normally in Japanese has been converted to English. • The Car also has working UK Sat Nav, again this was done at great expense and not a lot of Aristo’s have this • A Freeview Digital TV Receiver with remote control is also incorporated and this works well when in a good reception area. http://www.ranatech.co.uk/aristo/aristo11.jpg http://www.ranatech.co.uk/aristo/aristo10.jpg http://www.ranatech.co.uk/aristo/aristo12.jpg http://www.ranatech.co.uk/aristo/aristo13.jpg http://www.ranatech.co.uk/aristo/aristo14.jpg http://www.ranatech.co.uk/aristo/aristo15.jpg MODIFICATIONS The car has had a few expensive modifications done to it while I have owned the car making it much better to drive then a normal Aristo. BRAKING UPGRADE A standard Toyota Aristo V300 Vertex runs around 320bhp, yet from the factory they come with the same brakes as a much less powerful Lexus GS300 which, for a car with this much power are very poor! This car has just had fitted the following brake upgrade: -> UK Spec Toyota Supra 4-pot Front callipers, -> 3G/Brembo 20-Grove Brake Discs, -> Hawk Brembo Brake Pads, -> Goodridge Custom-made Stainless Steel Brake Hoses -> Motul Dot 5.1 Brake Fluid. This totally transforms the braking and inspires much more confidence. The Supra brakes are classed as some of the best standard brakes every fitted to a car! http://www.ranatech.co.uk/aristo/aristo7.jpg BRAND NEW STAGGERED 19” WHEELMANIA MONACO POLISHED ALLOYS AND TYRES The car features 19” Wheelmania Monaco Wheels with a staggered fitment. The car has 8.5” wide rims at the front and 10” rims at the back for extra grip. These wheels were only fitted on the 14th June, since I had waited for them to come in stock and had paid for them before I decided to sell the car, so thought I may as well get them fitted. They come with brand new Falken FK452 Tyres which have a good reputation on the Aristo and Supra forums. Tyres and Alloys have done less than 20 miles so far! http://www.ranatech.co.uk/aristo/aristo4.jpg TOMS REAR CANCELLOR BAR The Aristo is an incredibly well built car but the weakest point on an Aristo is the rear ARS which is liable to break. This has been replaced by a TOMS Aristo ARS bar and brand new Tie Rods from Toyota so the rear end is nice and planted. Makes a massive difference to the car and is one thing to never have to worry about. TEIN STRUT BRACE High Quality Tein Strut Brace helps improve handling and steering response. http://www.ranatech.co.uk/aristo/aristo8.jpg http://www.ranatech.co.uk/aristo/aristo9.jpg INCLUDED EXTRAS: To get you on your way to bigger power gains the price includes (all brand new and unused): • Greddy FCD • Power Enterprise Induction Kit • HKS-Style BOV • Front Decat Pipe (car was running 326bhp when this pipe was connected) OTHER INFO • I purchased the car in Feb as a second car with the intention of having a comfortable cruiser that is also interesting. Unfortunately I have realised that I don’t actually have many places to cruise too! LOL I have done less then 850 miles in the car so it seems a shame to keep it with so little use, hence the sale. • The car was last served at 68K miles • Because the car is pre-2001 you pay the lower rate of road tax too, £185 for a year, rather than the £300 - £400+ some performance and 4X4 drivers have to pay! Which can leave you looking rather smug • Two weeks ago the car had a new battery fitted. • Car has a few stone chips that have been patched in and a few minor scratches around the wing mirrors. Can't see any dents. Remarkable really! • I have found fuel economy to be surprisingly good considering the power of the car. You can get just over 400miles per tank on a run if you drive at normal 65- 70mph motorway speeds. • Since buying the car I have spent almost £3000 on it, meaning the new owner won't have to spend anything on the car for a long while yet! The car includes two keys. Any more questions please PM me, or post on here or you can ring me on: This car has NEVER been raced or driven hard and must have one of the most extensive service histories of any example currently in the UK. PRICE: REDUCED TO £6800 ONO inc All Extras UPDATED: SOME MORE PICS: Watching Channel 5 in the car http://www.ranatech.co.uk/aristo/aristo17.jpg More Interor Pics: http://www.ranatech.co.uk/aristo/aristo18.JPG http://www.ranatech.co.uk/aristo/aristo19.JPG

I've had a look at the 535d and to be honest it is way to big for me! I thought the Aristo was big but the 535d is even longer and wider. The best car for me would be a 335d but that is way out of my price range at the moment, so I am going to stick with what I have (which I can't complain about! )

Yep, BMWLand has bee mentoned, but my personal favourite for BMW modding is Evotechnik. forum.evotechnik.net

Interesting....... Can you do more mods to make the car quicker or would 350bhp is about the safe limit? On my 330D I have uprated airfilter, catback exhaust, Allard intercooler and a few other bits and it has been rock solid since day one. It would be interesting to see how far the 535d could go? When I got the 330D remapped, the place I went to said that the engine could easily produce more power still well inside tolerences but the gearbox and drivetrain wouldn't handle it!

I know what you mean! I really love my 330D but today I filled up and it was 130.9p/litre!!!! /vbb/images/smilies/bbcode_angry.gif The fuel economy is superb however and on a run I can get 50mpg+ and around 33 - 35mpg around town with a bit of motorway. With the cost of diesel at the moment that fuel economy advantage might not last. Thanks My mate that drove the 535D that had the do with the RS4 also had the same DMS remap. I feel gutted that I never got to drive the thing! He still can not stop raving about it, says it is hands down quicker then any other car has has driven (mostly evos, scoobies and skylines). The thing that would put me off the 535D is the lack of a manual option, but I would have to drive it really to see what I think. Even in the Aristo I am not a fan of the autobox so I wouldn't want two auto cars. The thing I love about modern performance diesels is that its like having your cake and eating it. How do you find the car round the corners? Does it feel nose heavy?

Hi guys, I drive a tweaked e46 BMW 330D was my daily car as well as the mk2 Aristo I have. The car is around 300bhp with just over 400ft/lb torque and it has been 100% reliable so far. I have been looking at the BMW 335d, but I don't like the shape of the new 3 series and the coupe which is very nice is just too expensive. So I have been thinking about the 535D which has the same Twin Turbo engine as the 335d but because its been out a few years longer then the 335d is alot cheaper to buy. The 535d remapped would be around 340bhp with 520++ft/lb torque! I know a BPU Aristo would be around the 400bhp mark (not sure on torque) I was thinking that if a BMW 535D performed as well or better then a BPU Aristo or Supra then it doesn't make sense to keep both! Has anyone done any comparisons between a Supra and BPU performance wise? I know they are completely different cars and I am not sure about the interior in the BMW 5 series nor am I sure that I actually like the look of it but the performance would win me over. A friend of mine drove one a few months back and raved as his "blew the doors off a Audi RS4" which I find doubtful but you never know! Thanks, Anees

Wheel Mania Monaco 8.5" Front, 10" Rear http://www.wheelmania.co.uk/images/mania_racing_page.jpg

If Oldham is not too far for you, you could try my mates place Auto-Serve. I have used them many times for bits and peices and the paintwork is very good and well priced. http://www.auto-serve.co.uk Auto-Serve, Unit 1, Belgrave Mill, Honeywell Lane. Oldham. OL8 2JP 0161 678 2065

I could maybe paint the spacers black with some hammerite first then? LOL

If you don't mind me asking, what problems did you have?

The ones with the hubcentric rings are the ones I went for. They arrived today actually and look superb. These same spacers are fitted to the Newera drift demo cars and according to an internet search virtually all of the Team Falken Drift team use Project Kics spacers and/or lugnuts. Regarding the handling issues; it is possible to get the cars geometry setup to compensate for this to a large extent if the car has adjustable camber. Fromt my research it does seem that alot of the horror stories to do with spacers seem to be because of the use of cheap/poor quality items.

Apparenty Project Kics spacers are supposed to be the best! Just make sure you get the hubcentric ring to go with them. http://www.neweraparts.com/Default.aspx?tabid=54&txtSearch=spacers&CategoryID=1&List=0&Level=1&ProductID=83 I have ordered 15mm spacers for my car. Also look at this: http://www.mkivsupra.net/vbb/showthread.php?t=142680&highlight=kics

Wish I could advise!! BUT......... OH MY GOD!!! :O This is like something from a Movie! Good luck getting it resolved.

My DAD goes nowhere near either my BMW or my Aristo!! He just knows to not even ask now........ he has probably the worst history with cars in our family ever.

If they fit like in the picture then hopefully I can get away with fitting them . If its tight I might be able to grind a few mm from the surface of the caliper because the spoke design to me does look helpful to a BBK kit. The set that I have picked at actually has a et42 at the rears, which I even better - means the rears should tuck in nicely I will post back the results (hopefully they are positive) Anees

Managed to pick up a bargain on ebay (well hopefully if they fit!) so I have bought them anyway. I might have to mess with the caliper slightly, but fingers crossed they fit - the car above is running some after market bbk kit too.

Hi guys, I have a 1998 -2005 Aristo, where I am planning to uprate the front calipers to the Supra UK ones. I have the standard 17" wheels anyway, which I know won't fit with the calipers so I need new wheels. I spotted these on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/19-ALLOY-WHEELS-TOYOTA-SUPRA-ARISTA-PERFORMANCE-TYRE_W0QQitemZ350031225968QQihZ022QQcategoryZ28648QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem Similar alloys that I have found fitted to the car are: The alloys look to be replicas of the Axis Milano wheels that some members have. The wheels specs are: 8.5 X 19" 5X114 ET35 FRONTS 9.5 X 19 5X114 ET35 REARS Does anyone know if the fronts should fit over the UK spec calipers? They are not on the list of known wheels that will fit, but on the American ClubLexus forum a few people have them with what looks like various aftermarket brakes.

lol

I know its a totally different car but I have a full set of these on my BMW 330D Sport. They were recommended to me by other BMW forum members and they have been really great. They look expensive and very fancy. Braking is much better then stock, but from high speeds 70 - 80 mph they are quite noisy but apparently that is because of the air getting trapped in the dimples/holes. I use them with EBC Red Stuff Pads which were recommended (yes I know EBC are not that well regarded on here, but they are good on the BMW once warmed up ). I would recommend them considering the price

Hi mate, The trouble I had was that: 1) My No Claims (6 NCD) were used on my main car (BMW 330D ) 2) I am 25 3) My Postcode was crap - a few companies wouldn't even quote because of the post code. Yet we have not had a car stolen in our steet since.......er........er....actually NEVER since 1992 when we moved in. But it is shared by the council estate which is a mile down the road which I think was the problem. 4) I did have 1 years NCD I could use, but couldn't use my 6Yrs NCD obvioulsy. Rang what felt like every flippin insurance broker in the UK (found a list on the internet), those Call connections people, A-Plan, Adrian Flux, Sky, Keith Micheal etc basically you name it I tried it. They all talked about mirroring my no claims on my main car to this one but none of them managed to do it. Amazingly Swinton Insurance (who I would never have thought of ) gave me a quote of £1165 (5000 mile restriction) which was substantially better then the £2600 to £4650 range of quotes I had had before! They have a Performance car section which seems really good and were very helpful - I was just expecting to be told NO. I still had trouble because the underwriter (Marker Study?) wanted to know the power of the car..... He went on the internet and found Yoshi's website (http://www.lexusvertex.com) and said the car has 450bhp and I couldn't get insured!! I had a serious of email conversations with them and I told them it was "offically 280bhp" which it is. The underwriter came back and said their new info said it was a 423bhp import based on the UK GS430 which the same power so again withdrawal of the insurance offer. I explained that the UK GS430 actually has 279bhp not 423bhp! FINALLY thanks to the internet and the LOC forum I found the orginal JDM brochure for the car back when it was made and that stated 280PS (the rest was in Japanese ) which the Underwriter couldn't argue with since it was direct from Toyota! Oh yes....... the saga didn't end their, they also wanted me to prove 2 years of driving high performance cars! My BMW counted as a year and my old insurance companies were supposed to fax them confirmation that I have driven another 200+bhp car. Thing is that low down my BMW (which is an absolute torque monster) does feel quicker so that makes me laugh all this hassle over a 10 year old car. I also had to have a Cat 1 alarm, which this car does...... When the policy documents came through however - all they asked for was my proof of no claims (1 year) and thats all! I was expecting to have to send them Thatcham certificates for the alarm and letters from old insurance companies to confirm I had high performance cars in the past........... send the proof back 3 weeks ago and everything seems fine...... got my certificate through. Phew.......it was a hassle - but hope it shows how much I wanted the car (and it was a bargain too ) The worrying thing is that I can quite easily spend what I paid for the car in mods - car may have been cheap but the mods are not Anees

Thanks for the welcome guys......sorry the pics are not up to much, but not really a lot to see to be honest - just standard looking car............. FOR NOW

Hi guys, Just popped in to say hello to everyone! I have recently bought a Mk2 Aristo V300 TT from a forum member on Lexus Owners Club (after spending 4 days on the phone to insurance companies trying to get a decent quote!). The pics I have are not great, but its just a standard looking car....for now I have been on Lexus Owners Club since 2004 so you might recognise the username. The Aristo is a hell of alot of car for the money. I have a few pics from last week - sorry its dark! That speedo is in miles! 180 mph Tuning the TV in, but I couldn't pick up a channel ; it did start working in Oldham however Remote for Sat Nav and TV Sat Nav Turbo Timer Bright Factory Xenons! The spare key is the same as the one I used to have on my fippin' Starlet! Its not quite the car I want it to be at the moment - its too quiet and refined that you don't get the feeling of just how quick the car is and the handling, braking all need improving. The limits really are only constrained by how much I am willing to spend (which is worrying! lol) Currently on the look out for UK spec Calipers Look forward to being on here! Anees