Toyota Celica's e.g. 1994 - Any Views

Seanie M

I am thinking of getting a Toyota Celica. Its been the car I wanted since before I started driving! Now, I can afford one & the insurance to go with it. The one I have my eye on is a 1994 2ltr coupé.

Has anyone here driven one, now or before, who can offer me any advice if going to look at one? A mate told me to have a mechanic come with me when looking at it. He had a Celica, and said sometimes a knocking noise can come from the gearbox, but otherwise was a very reliable car.

I am also a DJ, and he says there is plenty of room to fit the gear, as I currently drive a Xsara coupé, and it has loads of room.

Also, the car I have my eye on has quite a low mileage for the kind of car it is - is there a way if finding out if this is the genuine mileage or not?


Thoughts, now or previous owners??


Seanie.

2142

I have a 96 1.8ST Celica. I bought it about 4 years ago and it has never given me a days trouble. It has loads of space, enough speed and acceleration for anything that you want to do on Irish roads and I would definately recommend one

Seanie M

Nice one...


thanks 2142. You have a 1.8? All the ones I saw for sale were 2000cc! Its more the look of the car than the power offered. I have always liked Celica's of the 90's. My Xsara 1.4 actually has plenty of power for that kind of engine, so I think the 2ltr (or even 1.8ltr) is plenty.

Also, the insurance is very affordable. As a comparison:

Citroen Xsara Coupé, 1360cc, 1999, Value of €8,000 - I pay €780 FC

Toyota Celica, 2000cc, 1994, Value of €7,000 - I'm quoted €1,600 FC.

I am 26, living in Offaly/Westmeath, 4 years NCB + full license.

So, thats why I am looking into finally getting a CElica!


Seanie.

Kersh

I had one, drove it into the ground, and it still kept going, til I traded it in. They are nearly bulletproof. Nice cars they are too. Just watch for the usual things,- accidents, pulling to the side, clocking, noisy engine, whining gearbox.
Clocking is difficult to spot. People say its clocked if the numbers dont line up, but i worked in car hire for years, and its not strictly true.
See that the cambelt has been changed.
Get a GT4

Tommy Vercetti

I took a test drive in a 94 Celica back in August, overall I would rate it as average. The boot is very large for a coupe, but the opening could be awkward for loading heavy gear into because the opening is rather high up. The interior is quite cramped, especially in the front, although you'll fit a couple of people in the back, unlike most other coupes in this class! The engine is ok, could do with some more power but probably has enough for most people. Handling wise, I was disappointed, it felt very...ordinary...not at all sporty enough for me anyway. But then you have to balance that with the reliability, it's not going to ever let you down if it has been reasonably well looked after, and it should easily go beyond 100 or 150,000 miles. Tax is about €500 per year iirc, and you can expect 30-35 mpg depending on your driving style. There wasn't much competition in the small coupe class in the early 90's so there's not a lot of other cars to check out as well; the Honda Prelude and Integra would be the obvious rivals, or a BMW 3 series coupe.

JB123

Dude get an ITR it will leave celica 4 dead.

Seanie M

JB123 wrote:

Dude get an ITR it will leave celica 4 dead.

Sorry, but what ITR??!!

unkel

Honda Integra type R

heggie

i have an integra, not a type r tho lol, but its real nippy and a nice drive (only bad thing is its a noisy car on the inside), i like those older celicas a lot.

Kersh

Get a prelude 2.2 vtec. Absolute animals. Really fast. Consider getting one.

pedro ferio-vti

Solid car, they don't have any particular known fault just make sure you check for all the usual things, NCT mileage, service history, how it drives etc.

They are a fairly heavy car for what they are, only real piece of advice i'd give you is make sure you don't get stung with the 3S-FE engine. Its an SOHC engine 120ish hp engine often used in carinas and the likes and wouldn't pull you out of bed! Make sure you get the 3S-GE engine which has about 170hp, nice revvy and torquey engine.

P

MickFarr

JB123 wrote:

Dude get an ITR it will leave celica 4 dead.

A Celica GT4 is quicker than a Integra Type R and a Celica GT is quicker than a Integra dude!!

Both my last 2 cars have been Celica's GTs and have to say I have never had any problems with either of them. Great car to drive, my friend sold his Integra after driving my Celica. Go for it, you wont regret it !

Here's a nice body kit to get.

MickFarr

Forgot to post this link for you

http://www.toyotacelicaonline.com/index.htm

All the info you need there and lots of nice pics.

pedro ferio-vti

Agree with you on the GT4 but I don't know if the GT is quicker than the Integra but it depends on which integra you're comparing to.

JB123

HeHe a GTfour would kill a type R.Normal 2 liter or 1.8 celica will not stay with an R and p.s an R would have a good go at a GT four on a dry track.

Tommy Vercetti

JB123 wrote:

HeHe a GTfour would kill a type R.Normal 2 liter or 1.8 celica will not stay with an R and p.s an R would have a good go at a GT four on a dry track.

GT4 would probably win, but it would be very close, however an ITR is a much much better car to drive than the GT4, and overall running costs would be way lower.

impr0v

There's a lot to be said for getting the car you wanted for years though.

JB123

If u need to get it out of your system go for it u wont go far wrong with a toyota just try to get one in good shape most have been trashed by now.

Blitzkrieger

Kersh wrote:

Get a GT4

Aye - most of the standard Celica's have a SOHC engine. Make sure you're getting one of the better ones. A GT4 isn't that expensive to buy (considering) but insurance and running costs are high.

JB123 wrote:

HeHe a GTfour would kill a type R.

Yes, it would.

JB123 wrote:

an R would have a good go at a GT four on a dry track.

No, it wouldn't

Tommy Vercetti wrote:

it would be very close.

No, it wouldn't

Tommy Vercetti wrote:

however an ITR is a much much better car to drive than the GT4, and overall running costs would be way lower.

I doubt it. I've driven a type R and my '96 ST205 is way better. I don't know about the older GT4s but the newest is a fantastic car to drive. Running costs on a type R probably would be a lot lower - don't ask what I'm paying for tyres next week.

MickFarr

Totally agree with you Blitzkrieger,

Seanie M

impr0v wrote:

There's a lot to be said for getting the car you wanted for years though.

And now I can afford one!!


Wow! Thanks for the input lads, much appreciated.

The few that I have spotted are 2000cc's, but know nothing about the engine types. I have only been looking on auto websites and places like buy and sell.

So, I'm only wetting my appetite at the moment, but its a very do-able scenario!


Seanie.

Atomic Pineapple

lucky you, I'm 21 male, full license, driving a 03 Focus 1.4, have been looking at a celica or integra for ages would love to get one or the other unfortunatly the only obstacle is the damn insurance, gonna be a bit of a bitch if i have to wait till i'm 26 to get one

Seanie M

Well, by the time you are 26, you can afford a '99 Celica, which is really what I want! But, I have to budget. And to try and buy a '99 Celica now is sacraficing the deposit for a house!



I just can't win!

Seanie.

v10

Seanie M wrote:

The few that I have spotted are 2000cc's, but know nothing about the engine types. I have only been looking on auto websites and places like buy and sell.
Seanie.

I had a 95 Celica for 3 years and sold it in May last year .. dunno why .. I loved it.

Only problem was, when I was buying I didn't know any better and ended up with a 2 Litre Single Cam engine rather than a twin cam. Make sure you get the twin cam version (2 litre GT) .. and don't buy Jap import. Mine was and it did create some hassles.

Anyway went out in September this year and bought myself a Celica again. This time a Celica 190 (rare here). Only 1.8 but 190 bhp .. Love it and won't be changing again for a while.

Type R are fast but look a bit dated now in my opinion.