93 toyota celica

[sixxdeuce]

What do you guys think about 90-93 toyota celicas? My girlfriend is looking to buy a car and I cant convince her to get an s13, she loves my s14 but cant afford one. She likes the 5th gen celicas and they are in her price range, i think toyota makes some pretty good cars. The gt's and gts's make about 130hp and 140tq from a 2.2, unfortunalty we will probably never be able to find one of the turbo all whell drive ones but i think a gt will be fine for her, shes not going to race or anything, it looks like its between that or a newer 200sx se or ser, although those will probably be more expensive. Just wanted to get some opinions on the celica as far as quality and reliability, i know it will never handle like a 240 and fwd sucks but its not for me. Thanks. Also if anyone knows the difference between the gts and and gt from this era?

[stretch240sx]

id say work her till she wants a 240.

but if she doesnt want one clica is a total girls car from my POV and think it would work for her if she dont want to race or anything....

hoep that helped.

[b240]

Celicas are reliable cars. I would prob sport one if i didnt have my 240.

[12second240]

I personally like the way those cars look, but the next generation celicas (ones with round headlights) are alot nicer, but still a 90 - 93 celica would be a decent overall car, i dont know about maintenance costs though

[specialkonrd]

celica parts are hard to find at junkyards and very expensive...

[Lsnaple]

some of the old celicas were rwd. i dont remember what years, but some were. my friend as the latest gen. he has a bodykit, system, slammed, wheels, exhaust, cai, euros, and a brand new engine.its slow as $hit but he claims 180 hp! its not even the highest model. did i mention he has a brand new engine because he didnt install a air bypass valve on his cai? drove it right over a nice big puddle...

[Onizuka]

1985-86 corolla (AE86).........:boink :yummy

[JESTER]

It is a Yota so it is good in my book. But I own a Toyota and they are expensive to find parts for. But the up side, is you dont have to go looking for parts very often.

[skydragoness]

5th gen Celica: 89-93I LOVE that body style, the 4th gen preceeding it was nice too, but only the All-Trac(awd, turbo) models

They're very reliable, just watch out for regular gremlins that a car that old would have, old Toyota's like to burn/leak oil too, so have it checked out by someone if you don't know.

i recommend the GTS trimline, firmer suspension, and more hp--140 or 135hp i believe, and also carries more options, like powerseats, abs, etc etc. They handle well for fwd's and unlike a 240, would be better in the snow as well. I still don't know why you can't convince her to get an S13, they're not as expensive you know. ... try harder!

[lucas_420]

celica parts are hard to find at junkyards and very expensive...

Have to agree on that one.. The celica is a great car, the 3SFE (ST-GT), 3SGE (ST-GT) & 3SGTE (GTS=Turbo) engines are all legends, but god forbid if something breaks. My first car was an '88 GT with an auto (it was THE gutless wonder) and whenever something went wrong it was never under $100 to fix it. The button for the AC went out on a trip to Reno and I had to get the entire dash unit from Toyota @ $500. I sold it before I had to replace the starter/flywheel which was going to be $1000+ And I try to do my own work when I can!

I got the car for $4000 (80k miles on it) put another 2g's into reparing it and sold it for $3500, 3 years later...

Another thing. I was looking at a 92 celica before buying my s13 and they are GUTLESS! I ran that thing to redline shifting and it still couldn't impress me (1-2 up a hill and it couldn't even chirp the tires). Celicas are great at cornering (esp. with some wider rims) but keep it on flat ground 'cause it can't climb a hill.

Celica's are NOT bad cars, just know what you are getting into. I had fun with my '88. Just shop, shop, shop when buying the car. My Celica was bought w/o doing my homework and it was a problem. The Mustang convrt I got after that was fun, but I bought it because it was a V8 ragtop and I had to replace the transmission once, rebuild the replacement once and replace the top 2 times. It took me 5 months of looking around (including before I was serious) to find my 240 but I have never been this pleased with a car.

Sorry for the long post, I'll get off my soapbox.(((RWD celicas through 1985)))

[sixxdeuce]

Yeah, I know I need to keep working on her to get an s13 but it might be a good thing for one of us to have a fwd to take to the snow and all. It looks like the gts coupe would be the one to get because according to the specs it weighs 200lbs less than the hatchback, but im sure that weight does not matter to her, only what looks better. Anyway its good to hear that they are reliable cars and its cool that they handle well too, I didnt expect that they would. I will definatly have the car checked out throughly if she finds one she likes. What model was the 92 you were talking about? It was probably an st, they only have a 1.6L 102hp/103tq but the gt has 130hp/140tq and the gts has a little more i believe, the gt should be a little less than the power of a sohc 240, Im just glad that she doesnt want a damn eclipse. Thanks for all the replies

[lucas_420]

The '92 was a base model ST with 114k on it. Not suprising...Plus if you get a GTS you could always try to get her to upgrade the turbo. That always pisses'em off

[wingzero]

My brother's girlfriend's got a 95 celica, drove it like twice, it was a surprisingly decent ride, I wouldn't mind one if I was planning to keep it stock. I absolutely hate the new ones though, I guess the GTS is kind of all right, but still there are way to many riced out new celicas. I never saw altezzas for the older models, ya know?

[Antyoo]

celicas are great cars, i have a 1997(the one with round lights)

only thing is in stock form they could use more power and rwd would be better (but that is why i am gettin my uncles 240)

but the alltrac is the best(btw, you will never find one) 200hp and awd with a big aftermarket

as for parts, you can still get them at auto stores but you wont find many celicas in a junk yard

[lucas_420]

screw it, get a 4AG Corolla GTS and show her how to drift.:ylsuper

jk

[Megaseth]

hmmm, a GTS corolla, is that one turbo'd too? the GTS celicas we're turbo'd, the All-Trac models were. Also called the GT-4 the 6th Gen, the round head lights, GT-4 is one clean looking car. J's garage has one for like $7900. but you'd have to get it imported and approved to be street legal.

[Antyoo]

the gts celicas were not turboed, only the alltrac was turboed

[Megaseth]

oops, i meant to say weren't turbo'd. i knew the GT-S model was just a trim package, and that the All-Trac celicas were the only turbo models.

[SupraMKIII]

A stock celica gt4 will kill 240s and a slightly modded one will kill Sr20det s13s, I know, my bro beat this 240sx with an sr20det and a straight 3 inch exhaust, in his 92 gt4...the guy spent 3000 for the swap plus the 600 for the full exhaust, and lost to my bro who only spent like 650 in mods.

[Bubba1]

hey sixxdeuce. Celicas/Corrolla are fine, reliable,well-made cars. It sounds like this supposed to be your girlfriends daily transportation, not your project car. I have a feeling your girfriend would much prefer a car that won't strand her somewhere and starts every time, rather than whether it's two ticks quicker to 0-60 or has a turbo charger. If this is a long term relationship, you may think about steering her toward something other than a sporty coupe, because you already have one in your 240sx. How about a 4-door sedan, like an Altima, so you can haul more than just the two of you? Food for thought.

[lucas_420]

the gts celicas were not turboed, only the alltrac was turboed

Is that true for the 86-89 years? I was under the impression that if cars from those years were defined as GTS's then they were ALL-TRACs... I know we are talking about the next generations in this thread, but what I know is based off the previous ones.

If I'm wrong then please set me straight

[sixxdeuce]

Bubba1, You are correct, it will be her daily transportation and the 0-60 times dont matter, she just wants something reliable with adequate passing power, decent hadleing and sporty looks on a limited budget. I can see what you are saying about the four door and all but I dont think we need to make that step yet, not going to have the need for car seats or anything for 10 years or so (hopefully) as we are still in college.

[Megaseth]

the 86-89 GT-S was a trim package for the Celica. ST, GT and GT-S. the 90-95 i believe GT-S celicas werent turbo'd, only the All-Trac AWD version. this is the one with the 3s-gte engine. we never got the 6th gen, the 4 head lights one, GT-4. this was based off the rally car in the GT-4 class. the newest models arent turbo'd either here, but there is a TRD super version or something like that in Japan that is pretty cool.

[Bubba1]

That's cool. I actually was thinking if you two wanted to bring another adult couple with you, the 4 of you wouldn't fit comfortably in a 240 or a Celica. Actually, when my sister was in college, I had convinced her to buy herself a used 5 speed 2 door Corolla. It was a great reliable little car. She had it for many years and loved it. Looking for used cars is fun. Enjoy the hunt and good luck.