Toyota JZ (1JZ / 2JZ)

Toyota's straight-six — 1JZ at 2.5 litres and 2JZ at 3.0 — in the A80 Supra, the Soarer and SC, the GS and the IS 300. The engine with the largest reputation of anything in this catalogue, and most of what is said about it describes one specific member.

GE and GTE are not the same engine and the difference is the whole point. The 2JZ-GTE is the twin-turbocharged version: different pistons, different head, an oil cooler, and the cast-iron closed-deck block that is the actual reason the family tolerates power. The 2JZ-GE is naturally aspirated, and it is the one in almost every Lexus that carries a JZ. Anything read about "the 2JZ taking a thousand horsepower" is about the GTE, and applying it to a GE is how people end up with a broken engine and a large bill.

The fault most owners actually meet is the VVT-i gear. On the later variable-timing engines the intake cam gear rattles for a second or two on a cold start as its internal springs wear. It is loud, it sounds expensive, and it is the gear rather than the chain or the bearings — the noise disappears as oil pressure fills the unit.

Beyond it: the crankshaft position sensor fails intermittently with heat and produces a stall that leaves no trace, the rear main and oil pump seals weep at high mileage, and it is belt-driven, so the belt interval is a date rather than a suggestion.