Pros and Cons of buying a toyota celica

lolosaur

Thinking of getting a celica for the next couple of years.

Its a car i have always loved and prices seem to be between 2k and 5k.

Everything seems to be in or around 100,000 mile mark, some a little lower.

They all seem to be standard interior wise, a few variations on engine and bhp depending on model.

Is there anything i need to know in my choice. are they a car worth getting, do they cost a fortune to run?

I've enough of 2005 opal astra. im ready for my mid life crisis car and ive not set the bar very high!

goz83

I just think they are way too common, but I suppose that's a good thing for parts. They are a nice looking car alright. Have you considered:

MR2
MRS
MX5
FTO?

All cars that should catch your eye...the fto being the rarest but also being scarily cheap the last 2 years.

lolosaur

goz83 wrote: »

I just think they are way too common, but I suppose that's a good thing for parts. They are a nice looking car alright. Have you considered:

MR2
MRS
MX5
FTO?

All cars that should catch your eye...the fto being the rarest but also being scarily cheap the last 2 years.

Not that gone on the MR2. didnt like the MR-S by that logic either. currently no fto about that i can see on carzone/autotrader. mAZDA 5 is a bit too feminine in my mind. might be a bit of a **** excuse but the same reason i wouldnt drive a peugeot 206 convertible/megane convertible etc... i like the look of the RX8 and the nissan 350z but both the price and the unreliability of both, particularly the rx8 would put me off. nothing but trouble is all im hearing.

So that narrows it down to a celica or a playmobil red and yellow plastic kiddies toy.

dar83

Pro: Decent looking car and not bad in the fun to drive stakes.

Con: The career as a hairdresser you'd have to endure.

lolosaur

dar83 wrote: »

Pro: Decent looking car and not bad in the fun to drive stakes.

Con: The career as a hairdresser you'd have to endure.

WOULD I DEFINITELY DEFINITELY BE A HAIRDRESSER?

Is that set in stone with the celica? Im crap at cutting nose hair so i dont know if i could handle the whole career.

i thought the celica escaped the remit of the hairdresser.

BMJD

I test drove both the 6th and 7th generation Celicas, (1995 2.0l and 2000 1.8l 140bhp respectively) both were ok but lacking in the power department, the 95 was a bit soft in the handling department as well. I chose a 4th generation Honda Prelude 2.2 vtec over the Celica as it was better in pretty much every way.

goz83

lolosaur wrote: »

currently no fto about that i can see on carzone/autotrader.

Like I said. Rare. There are 9 of them on Done Deal. Manual GPX is my preference. The Celica is just not powerful enough imo

edit: There is no manual GPX for sale right now, but there is a 00 manual GX for sale. I bought and sold this very one only a few months ago and it's a cracking car. Spent lots of time cleaning it up. I can't believe it's for sale now, but the owner wants a Scooby.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/mitsubishi-fto-gx-00/6489931

djimi

Which Celica are you looking at specifically?

dar83

This is the only one for sale that you should get (and be Carlos Sainz instead of a hairdresser :P )

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/totally-original-and-unabused-gt4-celica/6206176

goz83

dar83 wrote: »

This is the only one for sale that you should get (and be Carlos Sainz instead of a hairdresser :P )

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/totally-original-and-unabused-gt4-celica/6206176

I'm guessing it's the newer shape he wants.

dar83

goz83 wrote: »

I'm guessing it's the newer shape he wants.

What he thinks he wants and what he should get are two completely different things. :pac:

cpoh1

One car you are forgetting is a DC5 honda integra. If its cheap fwd performance you are looking for...

Taylor365

What you really want:

190bhp model vvtLi
Sport/premium pack
Auto A/C
6 gears
1-9000 revs

I had a 2002 model of the above spec. Fun to drive if you have enough room to boot it. Does 140mph no problem

Sold her on with 120k miles. Engine is bullet-proof as long as you treat them right and don't be stupid.

Drawbacks are:

Lack of rear-view vision
Comes standard with Blow dryer in the glove box. :P

BMJD

I'd have a ITR DC2 over a 190 any day

lolosaur

dar83 wrote: »

What he thinks he wants and what he should get are two completely different things. :pac:

I love the older GT4 model. The rally car version was the boyhood car of my dreams but i was looking at the newer model. what i think i should get is a tvr or a dodge viper but they are out of my price range. my price range is out of my price range haha!

laffindevil

Get a GT4...you won't regret it & plenty of power...Good value too nowadays..:D

And a few decent Gen 7's about that are far from hairdressers cars...:p

Greyfoot

dar83 wrote: »

This is the only one for sale that you should get (and be Carlos Sainz instead of a hairdresser :P )

http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/totally-original-and-unabused-gt4-celica/6206176

I don`t think Carlos ever drove an ST205 :pac:

muckwarrior

lolosaur wrote: »

i like the look of the RX8 and the nissan 350z but both the price and the unreliability of both, particularly the rx8 would put me off. nothing but trouble is all im hearing.

RX8 problems are overstated, but do exist. Only thing I dislike about mine is the fuel consumption.

Have always heard that the 350z is reliable. But with fuel and tax especially, it'll still be a lot more expensive to run than a Celica. Then again it is in a completely different class.

Cleveland Hot Pocket

Why not look at the likes of an FTO or a nissan Z car?

cpoh1

laffindevil wrote: »

Get a GT4...you won't regret it & plenty of power...Good value too nowadays..:D

And a few decent Gen 7's about that are far from hairdressers cars...:p

Along with the Rx8 the GT4 is in a different realm/market altogether if running costs are a factor in your purchase compared to a standard celica. Neither will get close to 20mpg when driven on.

For the running costs of an rx8/GT4 id just buy an E46 M3 and suck it up on tax. Miles more fun and performance.

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

Why not look at the likes of an FTO or a nissan Z car?

Virtually uninsurable and extremely hard to get parts for. Inferior to a DC2 also.

djimi

cpoh1 wrote: »

For the running costs of an rx8/GT4 id just buy an E46 M3 and suck it up on tax. Miles more fun and performance.

I would imagine a good clean M3 would cost quite a bit more to buy than a GT-Four or RX8, no?

Cleveland Hot Pocket

cpoh1 wrote: »

Virtually uninsurable and extremely hard to get parts for. Inferior to a DC2 also.

All cars in this type are difficult to insure
In saying that, I got a quote for an FTO of €180 for the year, classic insurance.

BMJD

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

All cars in this type are difficult to insure
In saying that, I got a quote for an FTO of €180 for the year, classic insurance.

Who was that with, if you don't mind me asking? I was looking into getting an RX7 last year but I couldn't get a classic insurance quote. What year was the car?

cpoh1

djimi wrote: »

I would imagine a good clean M3 would cost quite a bit more to buy than a GT-Four or RX8, no?

A friend picked up a clean 2003 E46 with high miles for a shade over 5k cash private sale before christmas, had the dreaded subframe issue resolved and service history too.

Not sure how cheap Rx8's are these days, 5-7k is surely within spitting distance if you are looking at an rx8 though? GT4's are rare out and only going to climb in value for a clean model but agreed would not cost M3 money unless youre looking at an E36.

My point though is that none of the above are a direct comparison to a gen7 celica and a prospective buyer of a car like this will generally have no interest in them?

Cleveland Hot Pocket

BMJD wrote: »

Who was that with, if you don't mind me asking? I was looking into getting an RX7 last year but I couldn't get a classic insurance quote. What year was the car?

"Clan Insurance" was the insurer but I got the quote through Campions brokers. I have 3 other cars insured with them as classic so maybe this is why they were willing to quote, but any classic (+15 years) so far seems no bother, and usually they are 180-220 per car per year.
The FTO was an early 1990's one, cant remember exactly what year

Taylor365

Isn't classic insurance an 'only weekend' type of policy?

Cleveland Hot Pocket

Taylor365 wrote: »

Isn't classic insurance an 'only weekend' type of policy?

5200 mileage limit.
But I have yet to see how this is enforced, as I am never asked the starting odometer reading
Also, the limit is not mentioned on my certificates

Taylor365

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

5200 mileage limit.
But I have yet to see how this is enforced, as I am never asked the starting odometer reading
Also, the limit is not mentioned on my certificates

:O

Mitsubishi 3000GT here i come!

Tea 1000

lolosaur wrote: »

WOULD I DEFINITELY DEFINITELY BE A HAIRDRESSER?

Is that set in stone with the celica? Im crap at cutting nose hair so i dont know if i could handle the whole career.

i thought the celica escaped the remit of the hairdresser.

Ah it does except on boards, where most on here love the Octavia cause of the massive boot. The Celica isn't a hairdressers car, but the styling is a bit too deliberate for some on here, who like the accidental shít that escaped from a bad sketch to production somehow.

BMJD wrote: »

I test drove both the 6th and 7th generation Celicas, (1995 2.0l and 2000 1.8l 140bhp respectively) both were ok but lacking in the power department, the 95 was a bit soft in the handling department as well. I chose a 4th generation Honda Prelude 2.2 vtec over the Celica as it was better in pretty much every way.

Nope, the Prelude isn't better in every way, although it is a great car. The Celica gen 7 is a better handling car. With the 190 engine it would be the better car. The 140 is a bit under powered alright.

BMJD wrote: »

I'd have a ITR DC2 over a 190 any day

So would I, except there currently isn't one on sale that I'd buy. For me it must be a UK spec, and it must be in excellent condition with full history, and preferably red. Any clean one won't be bought for less than 5k. I wouldn't bother with the muck around the place for 2 and 3k.

lolosaur

Tea 1000 wrote: »

Ah it does except on boards, where most on here love the Octavia cause of the massive boot. The Celica isn't a hairdressers car, but the styling is a bit too deliberate for some on here, who like the accidental shít that escaped from a bad sketch to production somehow.

Nope, the Prelude isn't better in every way, although it is a great car. The Celica gen 7 is a better handling car. With the 190 engine it would be the better car. The 140 is a bit under powered alright.

So would I, except there currently isn't one on sale that I'd buy. For me it must be a UK spec, and it must be in excellent condition with full history, and preferably red. Any clean one won't be bought for less than 5k. I wouldn't bother with the muck around the place for 2 and 3k.

Thanks for the post and to the person who suggested website in private message also. good advice.

djimi

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

"Clan Insurance" was the insurer but I got the quote through Campions brokers. I have 3 other cars insured with them as classic so maybe this is why they were willing to quote, but any classic (+15 years) so far seems no bother, and usually they are 180-220 per car per year.
The FTO was an early 1990's one, cant remember exactly what year

15 year old cars are now seen as classics? :eek: Why the hell am I paying €600 for my 99 Integra?

Cleveland Hot Pocket

djimi wrote: »

15 year old cars are now seen as classics? :eek: Why the hell am I paying €600 for my 99 Integra?

My carina is insured as a classic
Tis a 95, I'm also thinking about putting the e36 onto a classic policy as it will cost me over a grand come renewal as a daily.

lolosaur

so i can get a 00 celica and have it as a classic car for peanuts once its over 15 years old?

EDIT: NExt year i meant.

Cleveland Hot Pocket

lolosaur wrote: »

so i can get a 00 celica and have it as a classic car for peanuts once its over 15 years old?

I don't know for definite, mind, just sharing my experience.
Campions insure all my classics, for between 180 to approx 280 per annum. Even my 1998 pickup.

Taylor365

And how does classic car tax work?

I presume they will laugh at my 3000GT?

djimi

Tea 1000 wrote: »

So would I, except there currently isn't one on sale that I'd buy. For me it must be a UK spec, and it must be in excellent condition with full history, and preferably red. Any clean one won't be bought for less than 5k. I wouldn't bother with the muck around the place for 2 and 3k.

Why a UK spec DC2, just out of interest?

Cleveland Hot Pocket

Taylor365 wrote: »

And how does classic car tax work?

I presume they will laugh at my 3000GT?

Tax is 30years onwards from date of registration, so 1984 is the current cutoff.

Chris_Heilong

The classic policey only works if you have another car as your daily.

Pros to Celica; Good MPG, looks nice enough, can carry 4 people, decent enough boot.

Cons; some burn oil, under powered, FWD and you will be labeled as a hairdresser by your mates.

Tea 1000

djimi wrote: »

Why a UK spec DC2, just out of interest?

Main reasons would be I prefer the looks, the history is more easily tracable (many JDM ones arrive with a lot fewer miles than when they left Japan!), and many seem to be a bit cleaner, and there are bigger brakes on the UK ones!

em31

I have a 2002 140bhp Celica that I bought in England, I have it 9 years now, and not a bother on it! She was lying up for about a year, had to get a new radiator as it was rotten, but that was my fault due to not storing her properly.

But driving grand now, I love her and I plan to keep her forever, sure she will be a classic in 18 years!