Hey everyone,
I'm new here and was hoping for a little info and help!!
Ok, well im looking to buy my first car (i'm 19) and its a 1990 magna tp executive. Its only done 75,000 k's and is only $1,700!! Which i thought was a good deal!!
Anyhow, its getting road worthied tomoz but the guy said something bout the power steering column had a leek??...not sure how much to get replaced etc..
Unfortunately...i know s**t all about cars, lol. I was hoping some people on here could give me some helpful info on the car and if there is anything i should be concerned about?? Any common problems or anything??
The car is in great shape, few little rust spots on the exterior and the interior is very clean, drives well and breaks fantastically!!!
Anyways, any help would be great. Just any helpful hints or things i should know before purchasing the car would be greatly appreciated!!
Thanks guys and girls,
Jess

Carby or EFI?

I own a 1990 TP Magna (Carby) and it goes alright, few little problems here and there. Fuel gauge and temp gauge went (cheap to replace). Suspension is a little eeek. As the cars 15 odd years old it's only expected for a little bit of rust here and there. It'd be good if it was just surface rust though. Check the roof for any leaks. Check suspension, push down on the car (front corners), if it wobbles all over the place it might need a bit of attention.

You said it drove nicely, and all that **** and the price considering kilometers it's done seems like a nice deal.

Hey,
Yeah tis a Carby!
Not sure whether later on when i have the money i should change it to an EFI but meh!

Well considering it's a carby, it won't be that great in terms of fuel consumption. I get around 400ks out of the 62L tank on unleaded petrol. However, I do push my car a little harder than most with a TP Magna, plus the car is a little worn after hitting up high on the KMs. You should get around 480ish I'd say though (wild guess).

TP Exec. It should be an EFI.

With the power steering, unfortunatly, they all leak, and can be expensive to repair.

TP Exec. It should be an EFI.


Why should it be? My TP Exec from 1990 is Carby.

That is odd. Could you check what the compliance plate says, unless you got an ex-fleeter povo pack.

hey welcome to the nut house. well probs the autos can break if there not seviced alot. The seatbelt stalks for the driver and passanger were recalled due to the design not being strong enough and they would simply break.(ask if they have been replaced). If there is any noise from ur cv joints they are alredy gone and need to be replaced, if theres no noise check the rubber boots to make sure there not split or cracked cos if they are they'll leak all the bearing grease out and dry out, then ull hear a noise (bad). also when u start it ull hear a rattle thats normal cos it takes a couple of secs for the oil pressure to get up , which activateds the tentioners for ur timing chain. If the rattle keeps going after 5 secs ull probably need a timing chain kit off ebay($70). umm what else the tappets can be noisy.
Also ive found when u service ur car (which is easy id u have common sense) ull find if u put ANY oil or Fluid back in and it's not the recomended one or is a cheap one ull have probs.Example. lots of time people put not the recomended tranny oil in and find that it wont shif properly or go's into limp mode. so i other words they seen to like the expensive or correct stuff. head gaskets can blow a little.Enjine mounts can be cracked cos of age.But apart from that as long as u treat it good u wont have alot of probs.Many mechanics ive know bag out magnas cos they say there cursed(break alot) but i think that it can happen with any car if its abused. anyway thats my 2 cents hope u get all the info u want, all u have to do is ask.

ps. Good idea is to get a manual off ebay. got mine for 12 bucks + postage

hey guys,
the one im looking at is automatic..
im a bit worried bout fuel consumption at the moment...
Parents want me to look at a daihatsu mira....1L...so it will be slow as!!!...but much better on fuel...
Can ppl please tell me what the fuel consumption is like in their cars so i have a rough idea of what ill be spending a week??
Oh...i was just thinking...about converting it from a carby to EFI...anyone have a rought idea on what it owuld cost to get it done by a mechanic?? and also, is the EFI a lot better on fuel than the carby's are??? Thanks everyone!!
Cheers
Jess

That is odd. Could you check what the compliance plate says, unless you got an ex-fleeter povo pack.
all execs had efi option but carby standard
even astrons boys is carby

Parents want me to look at a daihatsu mira....1L...so it will be slow as!!!...but much better on fuel...

Solid little cars those things, and see'ings a 1st gen will run a mid 19 quarter mile, ide say not too far behind on the performance either.

Look for a 89-93 swift/charade/barina instead. freakish on fuel and not the absolute smallest thing out there like the mira

I have a May 89 TP Exec EFI (one of the first! yay!) and i get 8km per litre. which is approx 496kms off the 62L tank.

Hope that helps

Can ppl please tell me what the fuel consumption is like in their cars so i have a rough idea of what ill be spending a week??
Oh...i was just thinking...about converting it from a carby to EFI...anyone have a rought idea on what it owuld cost to get it done by a mechanic?? and also, is the EFI a lot better on fuel than the carby's are??? Thanks everyone!!
Cheers
Jess

12L/100k using the normal unleaded or hard driving with premium
and upto 8L/100k using premium n driving sedatly

thats something like 480km n 500+ respectively
(but then my car is tuned for leaded, which is closer to premium than normal)

Edit: mines an '85 TM leaded carby auto :P

hey guys,
the one im looking at is automatic..
im a bit worried bout fuel consumption at the moment...

Can ppl please tell me what the fuel consumption is like in their cars so i have a rough idea of what ill be spending a week??
Oh...i was just thinking...about converting it from a carby to EFI...anyone have a rought idea on what it owuld cost to get it done by a mechanic?? and also, is the EFI a lot better on fuel than the carby's are??? Thanks everyone!!
Cheers
Jess

Fuel cosumption. 11L/100km City driving 7.8L/100 km highway driving as per the manual
and there is a few ppl who have done this(efi converion) ur tank holds 64Lt of fuel

http://www.users.bigpond.com/cbrownrigg/Upload/Conversion.doc have a look at this.

from the manual it states that there isn't alot of diffrence in fuel consunption between efi and carby but im sure it would make a diffrence

ps. if ur looking for info go to the first generation section and use the serach button can cum in handy check it out. sometimes it saves asking if its alredy been asked :D

also i would stick with the magna its still a little 4cly (runs on a fuel soaked rag)just my opinon but

from the manual it states that there isn't alot of diffrence in fuel consunption between efi and carby but im sure it would make a diffrence


I'm not so sure as if you compare my consumption (8kmpl which is approx 12.5 L p/100km) to Terrorsidic's 12L p/100km. Not a huge difference eh wot?

EDIT: Consumption seems worse in mine... :nuts:

they are a 2.6L 4cylinder remember, and in a fairly heavy car. 12 isn't that bad.

who the hell owned that car? For it to be 15 years old and to have only 75,000 must have been a nana car???? Or a person suffering from agoraphobia for awhile. I own a 91 TP Exec wagon, cept mine is manual and efi, my fuel consumption is good for the size and age of the car. because my weekly k's vary so much its hard to say exactly how far i get on the money i spend, but my tank is never empty! :cool:

who the hell owned that car? For it to be 15 years old and to have only 75,000 must have been a nana car???? Or a person suffering from agoraphobia for awhile. I own a 91 TP Exec wagon, cept mine is manual and efi, my fuel consumption is good for the size and age of the car. because my weekly k's vary so much its hard to say exactly how far i get on the money i spend, but my tank is never empty! :cool:


ive got 98 000 on my 90 tp exec sedan, auto efi

well my car is proudly sporting 286,000 odd k's, rebuilt motor and all problems that occur at those sorts of k's rectified.

Offer him $1400 and see if he jumps. If its in real good nick you shoud get it for $1500 to $1550.
If its just in fair condition $1200 :D

And take someone with you that does know about cars, desire clouds rational thought. :)

also i would stick with the magna its still a little 4cly (runs on a fuel soaked rag)just my opinon but
BUHAHAHAHAHAHAH little!! hahahaha :bowrofl: :bowrofl: :bowrofl:

Yeah i get 11 or 12L/100k in the city on regular unleaded, and around 8 on the highway. Im not a leadfoot, but sometimes you have to give some commodores a run for their money.

Thats a 89 TN Elante EFI Manual.

BUHAHAHAHAHAHAH little!! hahahaha :bowrofl: :bowrofl: :bowrofl:


laugh all u want but i would own a magna over a mira anyday thats why i said that, cos his parents want him to get the mira seeing as its got a 1Lt engine

laugh all u want but i would own a magna over a mira anyday thats why i said that, cos his parents want him to get the mira seeing as its got a 1Lt engine

I've seen a MIRA, but I had to put me glasses on to do it :bowrofl:

Its like a car, only smaller, lots smaller lol lol

laugh all u want but i would own a magna over a mira anyday thats why i said that, cos his parents want him to get the mira seeing as its got a 1Lt engine
yeh but i wouldnt call a magna little nor the motor
both are like 10x the size over a mira :P

yeh but i wouldnt call a magna little nor the motor
both are like 10x the size over a mira :P

Pffft, I've got a go cart thats bigger than a mira lol lol

Seriously, I'd hate to be hit by anything in one of those, dont do it. :)

You guys seriously getting that much out of a tank? I'd be ****ing lucky to get 400. I ain't even kidding.

You guys seriously getting that much out of a tank? I'd be ****ing lucky to get 400. I ain't even kidding.

You probably have a clean fuel filter. Ours all run on the tiny snippets that get through! :D

I get just under 500kms from mine

I'm not so sure as if you compare my consumption (8kmpl which is approx 12.5 L p/100km) to Terrorsidic's 12L p/100km. Not a huge difference eh wot?

EDIT: Consumption seems worse in mine... :nuts:

yeah "lucky" for me my car is leaded, no cat, and pre tuned for premium unleaded, so i can get 8L/100 easy that way, but its not like i can always afford to fill a tank with the good stuff.

my fuel guage doesnt work that well but id normally use about 50L per 420-450km's, with mix of highway/city driving. and i do sometimes give it a little punch to see how its running.

how big is the tank anyway ?

mines manual, with the engine almost brand new.

oh and its tuned to 5 deg btdc and runs on regular unleaded.

Talking about the Mira...

My gf's mum used to drive a Mira to work, she ran off the road and hit a tree at... around 70. It F**ked her up pretty bad, she got to ride in a chopper from shepparton to melbourne, she fractured one of vertabrae (sp?) she broke ALL her ribs down one side and finally she slipped down out of the seat and slammed her knee into the clutch and got herself a big cut on her knee (which got infected).

Gf and i saw her when she got to melb, was unconscious all sorts of colours and her face was about twice the size, but at least she was alive.

She had the car because it had a small engine (cheap to run) and compared to the other cars she had access to it was the newest (also her hubby says "you dont need a big car").

Nah dont get a Mira.

true, the good thing about the first gens is they are resonably tough if you get an accident and i believe they were designed with crumple zones etc and good shock absorbing bumper compared to a lot of the cars of the era. still best thing to do is not crash!

all execs had efi option but carby standard
even astrons boys is carby
No, all Execs had EFI, auto and power steering as standard in TP, hence there being no EFI auto option on the GLX.
The EFI was a delete option, although judging by the number here, it seems an amazing amount of people took it.

No, all Execs had EFI, auto and power steering as standard in TP, hence there being no EFI auto option on the GLX.
The EFI was a delete option, although judging by the number here, it seems an amazing amount of people took it.
no i have the factory tp broucher sitting right next to me, carby standard, efi op ask astron boy hes got a carby tp want to me scan the broucher?
it also says u CAN get auto on the glx and efi...

Only model i know that was EFI only was the elantes, well they are the "sporty" ones

im pretty certain at least the majority of TP magna's are EFI

http://www.redbookasiapacific.com/au/vehicle/vehicles.php?make=MITS&family=PSMAGNA&year=19900
Only the Elante and SE model were fuel-injected in standard form. Fuel-injection was optional on the executive model.

Sounds like a pretty good deal. However, a 2nd gen Magna (TR model) can be found for the same price (with higher kms obviously). But a 2nd gen Magna with higher kms is a better overall car than a 1st gen with lower kms, and the low kms may be questionable (especially considering the rust).

Heck you can get 3rd gen Magnas now for cheap. There's one here for $3,800, albeit with high kms. http://www.carsales.com.au/pls/carsales/!cs_content.private_vehicle?vehicle_id=2722287&current_rec=43&used_rec=122&total_rec=155&sort_type=2&total_rec=155&sort_type=2&price_min=2500&price_max=7500&make_id=3&model_id=57&search_distance=25. I'd rather pay an extra $2,000 and get a 3rd gen Magna than a 1st gen Magna.

Kms are indeed important, but in my opinion, kms are a good indication of a car's quality in the first 10 years of its life. After that, the condition of a car normally depends on how it's maintained and serviced. A car with 250,000kms which has been serviced regularly and maintained properly, will drive better than a car with 100,000 which doesn't get serviced, oil replaced regularly et.

no i have the factory tp broucher sitting right next to me, carby standard, efi op ask astron boy hes got a carby tp want to me scan the broucher?
it also says u CAN get auto on the glx and efi...

On the TP only SE and up (which includes Elante) came standard with EFI.

hmm intresting, yeah if i knew how much money id end up spending on this car id have been considering getting a cheap 3rd gen TJ with high k's. better in every aspect except maybe the turning circle ! :bowrofl:

i really do like "Evi" and shes been in the family for about 10-12 years now and i didnt want her to go to the wreckers while she still looked so good.

On the TP only SE and up (which includes Elante) came standard with EFI.
yeh i was just talkin about the exec tho

also everyone has forgot the elite all tp elites had efi standard too

Hi cuh8n, You said the fuel gauge was cheap to replace, I need a new one How much did you pay and is it easy to rempve the old one ?.
Carby or EFI?

I own a 1990 TP Magna (Carby) and it goes alright, few little problems here and there. Fuel gauge and temp gauge went (cheap to replace). Suspension is a little eeek. As the cars 15 odd years old it's only expected for a little bit of rust here and there. It'd be good if it was just surface rust though. Check the roof for any leaks. Check suspension, push down on the car (front corners), if it wobbles all over the place it might need a bit of attention.

You said it drove nicely, and all that **** and the price considering kilometers it's done seems like a nice deal.