ok guys (and gals), here's the story. So I got a 200k miles old mk3. The car is for my gf's daily driver (she wanted it). AS I drove it, the car runs great. Unfortunately, I dont know much about mk3s, and not too savvy about mechanical either. Although I know what's what and where to get parts~ I had barely done the works on my own cars myself bc I have no space. So here are my concerns;
1. How much longer can I realistically expect this 7mge too last?
2. Planning to change/flush all fluids, timing belt, and shock replacement. Is there anything else I should be worried about?
3. Latches/locking/opening mechanism for hatch door stuck/broke. Any suggestion what to do will be deeply appreciated!!! Thinking of a way to mickey mouse the wire or something.
4. Tranny is auto. Is there any typical problems I should be concerned about?
5. Thinking of swapping Auto -to - Manual in the future. How much do you guys think this should cost (labor + parts).
6. Whenever the 7mge blows, will swap for 7mgte. But this is a different subject altogether...

Allright, I myself drive a celica, so this is a whole different world to me. So any suggestions or comments are welcome. Thanks!!!

How long it will last all depends on the situation, how the engine was treated it's whole life and how/when all maintenance was done. As an example mine lasted well over 200K miles before I swapped it out, it was still running perfectly when I removed it, regular maintenance and all Toyota replacement parts. More than a few owners have hit 250K+ with the 7MGE, but more realistically your 7M is probably around the end of it's life. Now is the time she needs to figure out what engine she wants to swap before you spend more money on this one, either drop in another GE or do the GTE swap, or something entirely different like a 1JZ.

Don't rig anything up in the car, fix it right the first time and never worry about it for another 15+ years. I can't tell you what's broken with the cable release but you should be able to tell if it's the handle, the cable, or the latch mechanism. Just remove the screws and pop off the center trim plastic in the back of the hatch, that will narrow it down. The car is at an age where certain parts become basic maintenance to replace, like levers and seals. A quick and easy solution is to find another MKIII in a junk yard or online places like ebay and supraforums and get the parts needed.

A manual swap won't cost much for a W58 non turbo transmission, but the turbo R154 will cost more. You could spend $150-400 depending where you get your parts. Labor of coarse is extra, if you pay a shop to do this work it will cost a small fortune.

i agree with him. Its all about the previous owner. try n replace with toyota parts as much as possible. Figure they hav lasted 200K no problems and that is worth the money. Keep an eye on the headgasket and timing belt and it should last forever. U can also use used parts. 7mge used parts will b very cheap bc most folks r playin n turboland.

OK guys, thanks for the head up. I got timing belt, V belts, distributor, brake pads to change for now. The latches broke. Cable intact, locking mechanism for the hatch is shot. What's the early/late symptoms for headgasket leak? oil pressure? overheat? smoke?
We are targeting to hit 250k with as cheap but careful maintenance as possible, or at least for a year, til I get another daily driver. Needed to save $$$ b/c we decided that the car will go full project in a year or two. She'll get a 7mgte/manual tran. I got someone I can trust to do the swaps. And a shop to shave it down and rollcage the car for decent price. I'm designing custom c/f widebody for the car since Ive never seen one w/.
Its just the little things that dont work thats bugging me endlessly. shit. And I didnt bargain for the price. I thought 1300 is decent. But I just saw one in craiglist w/ a better condition ( I think) for 1000.
But all in all, I've been driving up and down the freeway just fine. Car is heavy like lead. I dont feel like a cheetah. I feel like Im riding a 1930's racecar. Heave and run like hell. fun.

dammit. Hood shock is shot as well. HAHAHHA! my shoulder is dead now.