2000 Toyota Crown Athlete – 1JZ-GE VVT-i, RWD, Automatic, 62,680 Miles
How We Prepare Every Vehicle
Every vehicle we sell goes through the same preparation process before it leaves us. Here is what that includes on every car, and what was done specifically on this one.
Standard on every vehicle:
- Engine oil and filter replaced, oil selected for Florida climate
- New coolant
- New brake fluid
- New spark plugs
- New battery
- New tires
- New air filter and cabin filter
- All fluids topped off
- Full interior disassembly detail and ozone treatment
- A/C system checked on dedicated equipment including vacuum test for leaks
- Engine smoke machine test for exhaust and vacuum leaks
- Battery drain test
- OBD scan for fault codes
- Alignment performed
- Wheel torque verified with calibrated torque wrench
- All lights and signals tested
- Driven and verified, all issues addressed before listing
- Stored with full tank to prevent fuel tank corrosion
On this Crown Athlete specifically:
- New ignition coils installed
- New spark plug wires
- New fuel pump installed
- Staggered BBS RG703/RG704 wheels fitted with new tires
The Crown Athlete and the Crown Royal Saloon share the same S170 platform, the same engine options, and the same factory in Japan. Beyond that they diverge. The Royal Saloon is built around the rear passenger. The Athlete is built around the driver. Sport-tuned suspension, Athlete-specific headlights with a sharper profile, a different grille, a distinct instrument cluster, and an interior that skews toward the person holding the wheel. These are not cosmetic differences. They change how the car sits, steers, and feels at speed.
The engine is the 1JZ-GE with VVT-i, Toyota’s variable valve timing system that debuted on the S150 Crown before appearing anywhere else in the lineup. In the JZS171 it produces 197 HP at 6,000 rpm and 185 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm, through a 4-speed automatic and rear-wheel drive. New ignition coils, plug wires, and fuel pump were installed before listing. The ignition system on a 1JZ-GE is straightforward when maintained. We made sure it is.
The color is Atlantis Blue Mica, code 8L4. Toyota used this shade across the Land Cruiser and Lexus LS of this era. On a Crown Athlete it is genuinely uncommon. This generation was sold overwhelmingly in white, silver, and black. Finding one in this color in this condition does not happen on a regular schedule.
The wheels are a staggered BBS set: RG703 front, RG704 rear. BBS RG-series wheels are flow-formed rather than cast, which reduces unsprung weight compared to a conventional alloy. The staggered sizing matches the Athlete’s rear-biased character.
Mileage: 62,680 miles (100,849 km).
Interesting Facts
- The JZS171 was the first Crown generation to offer VVT-i across the entire 1JZ-GE lineup. VVT-i debuted on the previous S150 Crown in 1995, making the Crown the first production Toyota to use the system before it spread to the Supra, Camry, and eventually the entire engine range. The S170 refined the implementation with wider timing advance range and faster response.
- BBS RG-series wheels use a flow-forming manufacturing process where the barrel is stretched under heat and pressure rather than cast in a mold. The result is a wheel that is stronger and lighter than a conventional cast alloy of the same size. The RG703 and RG704 are the front and rear fitments of the staggered set, sized differently to accommodate the wider rear track of sport-spec Japanese sedans.
- The 1JZ-GE block is internally related to the 1JZ-GTE, the turbocharged version used in the Supra, Mark II Tourer V, and Chaser. The bottom end shares design DNA, which is part of why the naturally aspirated GE has a reputation for durability well beyond its rated output.
- The S170 Crown Athlete was produced from 1999 to 2003 and was never exported from Japan. During this period Toyota was also developing the Lexus IS, which shared a similar driver-focused positioning in the brand hierarchy. The Crown Athlete served a different buyer, someone who wanted the Crown nameplate and the established status it carried, but in a form that acknowledged they were the one driving it.
About Us
We’ve been working with Japanese vehicles for over 25 years. Long before opening our location in the United States, our team was importing and servicing these vehicles in Europe when many of them were still new.
Because of that experience, we know these platforms extremely well. Every model has its own weak points, and we inspect and address them before the vehicle is offered for sale.
All vehicles are serviced at our facility in Japan before shipping. Fluids, belts, filters, batteries, and common failure points are inspected and replaced when necessary.
Unlike many dealerships, we actually drive our vehicles. They don’t sit in a parking lot. Our trucks and cars are used regularly so we can verify reliability before they reach their new owner.
When you buy from us, you’re getting a vehicle that is fully prepared and ready to drive from day one.
JP-TRADE is our first location in the United States, supported by a team of more than 40 people across Europe, Japan, Korea, China, and the U.S.
If you made it this far, here is a little bonus for you.
The 1JZ-GE was never supposed to be the interesting one.
When Toyota built the 1JZ engine family, the GTE turbocharged version got all the attention. The Supra, the Mark II Tourer V, the Chaser, the drift community. The GE was the other one. The one that powered taxis and government cars and family sedans. What nobody talked about is that both engines share the same block. Toyota engineered the bottom end to handle the GTE’s boost, then put the same foundation under the GE and asked almost nothing of it. The result is an engine that runs for decades on routine maintenance, never asks for attention, and quietly outlasts almost everything around it. The GTE gets the reputation. The GE gets the mileage.