Toyota Celica

[The_Paladin]

time for me to stop lending a car and start buying one

i've thought about my needs/wants in a car and in light of the recent fuel costs i'm going for something small, 4cyc. i hate bubble style cars (121's, Echo's etc) i want something small with a longer front and rear. i'd like something 2 door as well because i like the feel of driving one and i wont be driving anyone else around but myself. cost is a pretty big factor and i want something that holds value pretty well (all things considering) auto too as i will be in traffic jams etc and i only have an auto licence atm.

i was originally thinking a honda prelude (late 80's-early 90's) but hondas go bang after 220,00km and are really expensive for parts/fixing. great car when working though. i'm now thinking a mk5 toyota celica (90-93) being pretty much a 2 door camary must make getting parts easy (same engines as the apollo as well?) and there would be a wide range of people to service them.

has anyone here had experience owning a toyota celica of that age? how was it? any advice when looking for one? any suggetions for a similar car?

[7shades]

having driven/owned every model toyota known to mankind, I can tell you this much: it will not break down, ever. Nor will it be a rewarding or exciting driving experience, ever. As you said, they're a rebodied camry, and the camry was never designed to be a sportscar... and the celica was marketed primarily at female drivers who wanted a nice reliable car with a slightly sporty image. (hairdressers)

I bought one of these a few years ago (wrc edition) off an old lady... sold it to a young girl with big sunglasses and purple bits in her hair...

Get an mr2...

[GTS25-t]

After just selling a 3sfe (2L economy engine) powered 1991 Celica, i can tell you it will never break down and be amazing on gas, but make sure its not a 4ws equipped model as that crapped out on mine. Also after just getting back from a month in Oz with my gf i noticed that all of that model Celica are badged SX? Im guessing they are 5sfe (2.2L economy engine) powered.

They may not be the most amazing driving experiance, but they are still fun.

[PAV34]

Before i got my line i had a 93 celica sx, it was a manual series 2 (sunroof, fog lights are main additions)

anyway, i never had a problem with the car. i bought it in 2003 for 11grand with 160,000 on the clock and it went well for a 4cl. the SX is FWD 2.2 and i would recommend it highly.

has a relaible engine with a good gearbox (auto and manual) Being a toyota, parts are easy to come by.

the turning circle is crap though.

you could prob pick up an auto for 7 or 8 in decent condition.

Edited April 23, 2006 by PAV34