Seeing how cheap they're these days, both 4th and 5th gen - you get a lot of a car for the money. 5th gen are more squarish inside and you get way more room/headroom especially for the rear passengers.
Aim for a S Pack (Spec B for NZ new ones). Jap spec sheets are all over the place - leather is rare, so are sunroofs. Cruise/steering wheel controls, comfort access, Mcintosh sounds ok but unless it is a nz new one everything will be in japanese. NZ navigation is outdated and useless.
NZ new Spec B have majority of that ticked off but lack alloy control arms and folding mirrors. Also 2.5 vs 2.0.
I had 2.5GT, central Auckland + motorway would consume around 12-13l per 100km, round about the same or even slightly better than the 3.0 I had prior to that.
S Package is what used to be called SpecB i.e bodykit, Bilstein, blacked out headlights.
In actual fact, NZ new 5th gen were still marketed and registered as Spec B. Much better specs than an average JDM S Pack with full leather, McIntosh with steering controls, cruise control, sunroof, comfort access etc. BUT no alloy control arms or electric folding mirrors.
They appear to be the same ones as I had on mine (Crystal Eye), probably come from the same factory. Build quality is very decent and certainly look different.
How heave are they? Get the seller to package them up and book a courier to collect through TradeMe. I just shipped a set of stock 18s for slightly over $70 (split into two consignments).
From what I've seen 9.5 for a prefacelift 3.0 is not a bargain at all.
You're also looking at 5AT vs. CVT.
If you're mostly doing inner city/heavy traffic commute then 3.0 will certainly suck more, open road they're all good. Definitely better for towing purposes. I'd certainly aim for a facelift 2006+ 3.0 rather than a prefacelift.
5th gen have about the same boot but definitely more head and leg room for the rear passengers if matters for you.
There's fark all clearance where stock one goes, as it's flat and wide. It does pretty good job too and as soon as you get rid of it you'd run into all sorts of noise related issues.
I had an AdrenalinR resonator/mid muffler installed and even though mine was only very moderately lowered I'd still scrape the thing every now and then...
If the vehicle in question is the one I think of (resides or used to in Kingsland) then sorry but it sound horrendous. In my humble opinion of course. Can only imagine what it sounds like from the inside.
Very likely it is a transmission related issue.
Do not remember what I had flashing when I farked up mine by trying to reset the TCU with that freeware (ECU flash or whatever it's called) . Ended up going to a dealer and having the TCU reflashed and relearnt. You need a workshop with a decent scanner.
Front
Straight bolt-on, any version
Rear
Calipers ver 7-10
"Dog bone" adapters
DBA rotors/thickened pads/drum inserts
I have a set of calipers that needs a Respray, all yours for seven fiddy.
Cusco are good, so are Beatrush or any other rigid braces really.
Sorry on my phone and don't have the part numbers handy but should be easily googlable. There should be a pdf Cusco catalogue available online.