1999 Toyota Altezza RS200Z from Australia and New Zealand - Comments

Factory wheel camber needs adjusting (wheel alingment) in order to reduce excessive tyre wear.

The VVT-i from Toyota gives you the needed boost at high end, much like a VTEC Honda. Quick and luxurious, great 4 door car with space and style.

Just bought an Altezza last week. A 2000, 6 speed manual with beams engine. Very impressed with the whole package of the car, handling and brakes keep up with what the engine is capable of. Was wondering if any after market turbo or supercharger kits are available for this vehicle in NZ.

Bought an Altezza last year (1G-FE auto) @ 57,000 km. A year later, @ 78,000 km, front lower ball joints have excessive play and need to be replaced. I'm still happy with the car.

2001 Altezza AS200i,(same as Lexus 200) bought it new in Japan, owned it 7 yrs and it has performed faultlessly without costing me a single cent beyond normal servicing. Splendid car, beautifully built, handles very well. This was Toyota/Lexus response to the 3-series BMW, and it is entirely a superior car.

We too had the ball joint problem, it's common on Altezza's apparently, but inexpensive to put right. We are not happy with the tiptronic transmission however. Frankly, it's a real dog that blunts the engines considerable performance. The transmission dithers around hunting for gears most of the time and causes delays in power delivery almost like turbo lag. Get a manual one, the autos are all show and no go.

I've had my RS200 for 7years and have had to do no unexpected maintenance. I do the oil changes myself.

Stylish, quick and great handling, a superb touring car.

There is a club for them which is an excellent source of information at altezzaclub.org.nz.

My 1999 Altezza RS200 went for a warranty yesterday, and only failed on the lower ball joints.

I bought one.. spent some bucks though! But it was really worth it.

Mine on the other hand is a bit different to that of the ordinary Altezza. It came modded n/a... reason for the extra pennies. Fitted with an after market suspension, a competition LSD, light weight wheels and a few tasteful mods in the bay.

The head was ported and toda cams were introduced, K&N filter, jasma extractors into a free flow exhaust, bucket seat to hold better than stock seats, but I sat in the stock ones before and I must say not bad at all.

The engine was controlled by a power fc commander, and that really changed this somewhat potential car into a recognizable sport vehicle.

The front offers an opportunity for personal customization. Mine's sported a TRD bumper; real aggressive looking and a carbon fibre bonnet with vents... beast.

OK fellas, not bragging or anything, just saying that with the right mods this car becomes the best of both worlds i.e sport performance and luxurious look. Now I ain't hating on other brands, but there are not many competitors around the same price range that can say that... and trust me, so far I've handled an Evo 6, 7, WRX premier with SR turbo, and a dc 5 Type R, and personally I think I looked better doing it. So stock Terza Hmmm... your choice, fairly modded tezza Hmmm... right choice.