IanF

There is a model report available for cars from 2001 onwards. There was a report for earlier cars fitted with the later ECU, but this has now been withdrawn. But if you want a 2001 or younger car, and use a reputable importer, there should be no problem. Mr Morse has just imported an MR2 - I know he has good things to say about the guy he used.

Yeah - it was OK, but looked it's age - nothing specifically wrong, but slightly tatty and worn. The problem the wife has with importing is having to pay up front for a car before it's registered. Bringing one in from Ireland wouldn't change this. If I can find an importer who will do the job with just a deposit, and the rest payable only after registration, I may win her round.... Ian

Do some homework on the logistics of pulling something like this off.... It might be best chance... infact it might be the best option overall by the looks of things! Not sure about this. The car will still need an ESVA, and VOSA need to see the original jap de-reg documents. Plus the cars are inherently more expensive in Ireland, so this could be an expensive route to go down. Sorry dear...

Genius! :D :D Better spec than the UK version, higher performance, and good value for money. The only downside is that she will need to be run on more expensive fuel (probably sake instead of Bacardi Breezer)

That's what I like - no fence sitting here! It's looking like I've either got to wait for as long as it takes until one comes up (and even then I'm in competition with Oli!), or get another imported to order. Trouble is, the wife is theatening divorce if I go down the import route again. The question is, is it worth it? Loose a wife, but gain an Altezza.....hmmm

Is the Altezza so much better than the IS200? I'm getting frustrated without a car - and there are plenty of very nice IS200 Sport about for reasonable money. Would I be cheating myself if I sacrificed 50bhp to get a car now? Ian

This is mine: 250L sal****er tropical Ian PS Oh for goodness sake, why can't I say salt water

I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that post-facelift IS200s (2001 onwards) cars have ISOFIX kiddy seat mountings, and a switchable front airbag. Is the same true for post 2001 Altezzas? Ian

There are a couple on ebay at the moment Ian

That's an excelent point - Ireland is packed with Altezza (well maybe not, but there seem to be more than here), and there isn't a systematic problem over there. Maybe it would be fair to say that the engine doesn't run at it's best with 95, but the ECU can retard ignition enough to prevent damage.

Can the ECU compensate enough for the lower RON - or will an import run on 95 fuel have problems with pinking? I know some high performance jap-mobiles should only ever be run on super (Evos and Skylines), but not sure about the Tezza Ian

I've also received his spam mail. I'd rather eat my own excrement.

Apart from being a bit older than ideal, this looks pretty good: Ebay Link Does anybody know this car, or seen it out and about. It's probably a 4 hour drive down to have a look, so don't want to make the trip if the cars a dog. Ian

Importing from Ireland is the same as importing from Japan as far as the UK authorities are concerned - it's not a route I want to go down at the moment. Ian

Still looking...... There's 5 on ebay now, and 9 on Autotrader - but all auto and/or old. One of the autos on ebay is another Qualitat. They're like buses!

Do a search on ASP / Altezzasportsandprestige Then avoid him like the plague

Hang on, just spotted a problem - if the lid is up, but the reverse is off, the cicuit is also triggered as there is now one input to the XOR gate. Back to the drawing board.... Version 3:

One improvement - the reset signal needs inverting:

I've got a new project on the go keep me busy over the next few weeks. I've got an OEM sat nav housing, with an aftermarket monitor fitted for a sat nav system. This system has the facility to fit a reversing camera, and will automatically switch the display to show the camera when reverse in selected. However, if the screen is down when reverse is selected, nothing happens. What I'd like is for the screen to pop up when reverse is selected, show the camera, and then drop down again when the car is taken out of reverse. Obviously, if the screen is already up, I don't want anything to happen except the usual source switching. I've come up with the following circuit design - does my logic look right, or is there a better way of doing this? I want the circuit to trigger if the screen is down (I have a micro switch fitted which gives +12v if the screen is up, 0v if it is down), but to do nothing if it is up. I will tap into the wires coming from the open/close button, so the it mimics a short press of the button when reverse is selected, and another when it is taken out of reverse. If the logic looks good, I'll go ahead and make this, and then post up full details of the circuit. Cheers Ian

Where is the most productive place to look for a new RS200? Where have other members tracked down their cars? Where should I be looking? Ian

Yup - I've waited 18 months so far - another few weeks won't kill me :D

Does that mean there will be problems fitting it to jap spec bumpers? Or is it only a problem going the other way (jap spec stuff on US bigger bumpers?).

Yeah - saw that. If it was in the UK I'd be very tempted, but I want to keep things easy for myself now - so it's strictly already UK registered only!

Theres a black one just appeared on the Autoraider, but it's a bit old and an auto. I'm getting quite specific in what I want now - a black manual car from 2001 onwards (post facelift)

Don't suppose you know of any more pictures? Is it a US make or JDM? - I've never heard of L-Sportline before. I don't suppose I can really justify 700 notes when the TTE is still very good, and a third of the price.