Used 86 PPI Results, need advice
 

Let me preface this by saying that in my region it is really hard to find a toyaburu that is not abused or with sketchy history, the car I currently have eyes on is a 2014 Orange Toyota 86 with 123k miles on it, it is an automatic with service history. It has a custom Carbon Fiber hood, a custom spoiler and a muffler delete. It is the only car I have driven out of 5 that doesn't have any weird noise or transmission jerk.

I had it checked with a mechanic and the report is as follows:

-Valve Cover Gasket LH/RH oil leak, requires engine to be dropped and seals to be changed. ** :eyebulge:

-Engine undertray bend, minor, does not need to be fixed.

-Mismatched tires (3 dunlop, 1 kumho, spare is a dunlop)

-Front Stabilizer Boot damaged

-engine mounts L and R, weak not broken

-shock mounts front L and R

-driver door side minor dent

-4 rims curb rash

-rear brake disc needs polishing

** He says this is the most important part to be fixed and costs about $650 for the parts and labor.

RECOMMENDED BUT NOT NECESSARY:

-Spark Plug

-Spark Plug Seats

-Ignition Coils

-Rear crankshaft oil seal

-Torque Converter oil seal

The rest of the car checked out properly, he said there was no issues with the transmission and the engine seemed strong without any issues, unfortunately I couldn't have a compression test done within the given timeframe. I drove it on the freeway and it was pretty smooth despite not having the OEM Michelin tires and mismatched Dunlop/Kumho tires.

Any thoughts on what to replace as soon as I get the car? Are these stuff that are considered normal wear given the age?

If this is the best you've found, I'd go with a car that is in great shape with a bad transmission- at least the transmission is straight forward to get replaced, this car has been neglected. Don't buy a neglected car.

Avoid that car and look for something else. Less chance of getting a headache from unforseen repairs.

Toyota 86 in the building!

Just curious... how much do they want for it?

I've recently since a classified on the French 86 facebook group advertising an 86 sold out of Dubaï for 16 000€ w/ transportation to France, and possibly import duties. It was a silver car with black wheels. Tried to find it again but couldn't.

I've taken as meaning 86s are cheap in the emirates.

Overall, I agree with the others that this isn't a car one should buy. The mismatched tires + straight pipe are the worst signs for me, as they point towards previous owners that didn't treat the car well. I'm also surprised by the low cost of repairs!

Running into the whole "there are loads of them in the USA" reply trap again.
It could very well be that this is indeed a "good" one when the selection is so limited in Dubai. There are areas of the world where getting one at all is a challenge and waiting for a better deal or best condition may mean not getting one at all.

Now, that said, I personally would avoid this one like the plague. There are just so, so many warning signs. If it is a case of this or nothing maybe but only if the price was low enough to be prepared to fix all the hidden things that can still go wrong. The all four wheels being curb rashed is a big one in my eyes. How hard was it smacked? There are a pile of things that could be invisibly damaged or prematurely worn. Maybe be OK if it was just a case of poor spatial perception and they were gently run across a curb but all four?

I disagree here- I think all of us are in agreement that this is a piss poor example no matter what availability looks like. Should just buy new if this is the state of the used market there!

You could take any 2014 from anywhere in the world and come up with a list like this. Engines seep oil it is normal, now if the oil leaving a puddle on the ground different issue. My biggest question is why you would want to polish the rear brake disks?

Agree I would not buy it but that does not change the fact that with very limited numbers available it may be the best of the best! New is not always an option.

Yikes - that looks like a financial pit and a big dose of remorse/regret waiting to happen.
If you're not in urgent need of a car, I'd wait.
And if you're in urgent need of a car, I'd get something else (e.g. a beater Corolla or Honda Fit or similar) until a better 86 pops up.
This car definitely sounds like it was abused.

Welp, I guess no Toyaburu for me then. The only other options have been:

a 2016 WRB BRZ with 2 owners, 54k miles and with partial service history, HOWEVER, it had an entire engine rebuild at 49k miles because the guy had it serviced at some garage which caused the engine to fail prematurely (knocking) . He did have it completely rebuilt with warranty remaining but I don't think I would trust a car that had the short block, fuel pump, oil pump, etc changed within a short period and after it had those sketchy service garages. I didn't bother test driving this.

a 2016 with 67K miles, no service history for the past 10k miles, the ones before were with the dealer. I took it for a test drive and every gear shift would have this sudden jerk in the car and you would have to let go of the gas for it to slow down and then shift (I was not even flooring it, just under 4K RPM). Based on the place and how the car was being shown to be through a home caretaker, I can safely assume the car was abused and not well taken care of.

both options are about $2K more than the 2014 86, a price I am completely fine with paying but these cars genuinely seem to be in much worse mechanical state than the 86 I saw and inspected. The high mileage is due to intercity travel on the freeway and to quote the owner "I am a female and so I don't push the car like some of these other guys in the 86 community do".

The ones with sketchy transmission and jerks have no service history whatsoever. This has been serviced with the dealer until 2018 and then at a private garage that also has records for the services. But alas, if it is something I should step away from, I shall.

$8K, which is the cheapest I have found for a car that has a service history, single owner and no record of accidents.

The $650 was just for the valve cover seals (including labor).

It wasn't leaking continuously and creating a puddle but there was oil residue in the parts around the seal.
Polish the rear rotors because there was a groove on one of them (probably debris between pad and disc)

Well that's what's going on. It's a bottom-of-the-barrel price, so you might get a bottom-of-the-barrel car ;)

You're not taking much of a risk at this price point. A decent European used 86 with these miles would set you back nearly twice as much.