Tell me about: Celica's

Ive had mine for (i think) 2 and a half years now, though time is currently flying. I dont drive to work so its more of a weekend car which is also why its getting supercharged in a couple of weeks time to ~300bhp. I'll definitely agree that its a lot of looks with no real show, i have the GT version which is the same underneath as the t-sport, once you get used to it all the "lift" isnt all that but it does enough to let you know its there.

Definitely get a facelift model as they sorted out some serious reliability issues such as the oil consumption and i think an engine knocking noise that lead to engine death. I havent regretted my purchase of one and with the money im now spending on it (just for fun) i wont be selling it anytime soon either :)

I'll agree there are technically better cars out there for the same price too, but if you like the looks of the car, go for a test drive and see if you like driving it too. If its a yes to both then, seriously, why not get one :)
 
Not really much use as I think they'll be out of your price range by the sounds of it but I can easily get 360+ out of my tank in my 190/GT that's with the occassionaly cheeky bit of lift fun too.

I think a point worth remembering is that these cars need to be worked hard to have any fun in them so if you want lazy kind of fun it might be better looking at other cars.

@Anim Are you on the CCUK? and is that getting done by Se7en?
 
I just got a 2001 Celica 140 with FSH, 100k miles, Tax and MOT for £1775. Fantastic car, im loving it so far :)

With a £2.8k budget you should be able to get yourself a 2003 facelift model which on the 140 dont suffer from the oil consumption issue. Pre facelift ones dont ALL suffer from the oil issue, mine doesnt for example so if you do end up looking at an 2000-2002 one, just make sure theres no drip marks under the exhaust and that its not producing blue smoke under accelerration.

Other minor niggles to look out for is the rivets that hold the exhaust heatshield are prone to rusting. Its basically a thin metal sheet that sits above the exhaust to absorb the heat, and this can become detached and rest on the exhaust causing an annoying rattle. Its a 2 minute bodge job to fix it although most celica owners seem to just remove it altogether.

Brake discs can rust if left sitting for a few days, but a few hard stops will clean that off, dont let it put you off as far as im aware it affects all of the Gen 7 Celicas.

The alloys on the earlier models are prone to corrosion, just give them a check over for serious bubbling athough its purely a cosmetic issue.

For what its worth i filled my tank the other day (didnt brim it though) and im on track for 380-400 miles. Parts are expensive by the way but so little goes wrong with them that hopefully you shall never need to replace anything major.

Spec wise theres not much to them (especially the early models), basically the fancy add ons you can have are leather, climate control and an electric sunroof. These came as an options pack from Toyota, so you will mostly find most used examples either have everything mentioned above or nothing. The standard 5 spoke 16" alloys (i have them) look ok but they are too small for the car, ideally you want the 17" ones, but thats purely down to preferance.

P.S Easy way to spot a facelift model is the Toyota badge is on the bonnet, with a long vent slot below it, pre facelifts have a thinner taller vent, with the Toyota badge mounted in the middle.

If you do end up with one, enjoy it! Fun little car to drive :) Celica Club Forums are well worth a look, lots of advice and people sell parts there too so its handy if you need a replacement item.
 
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Yeah theres basically 2 ways to drive a 140, keeping it below 4k all the time and trying to save fuel on your daily commute and then the other end of the scale keeping it nearly bouncing off the limiter as you change up through the gears so you dont loose that extra torque by dropping out of the loud range

If you drive it conservatively then yes 400m is probably about what you can get out of a tank, i think based on my last trip i probably get 350m driving normally and you will definately get less if you drive it hard

I get so used to the normal driving that i get bored of the car, then every so often i take it for a proper drive and remember how much i enjoy it. I plan to (eventually) get a 350Z just havent decided what to do with the celica then, sell it for what i can get at the time, keep it for somethin to mess with or even give it to my younger brother if he is in a position to afford to insure/run/maintain it
 
Definitely agree with getting on Celica-Club.co.uk, as people have mentioned your budget will probably get you a tidy 140 or a higher mileage 190, personally I don’t see the big difference between the two models (and I have driven both), from what I read when most people actually dynamo their 190’s they tend to only be around 160-170. If you are getting a prefacelift 140 <2003 (<52 plate) some do have oil issues, although the fault is there on all the cars, not all of them will develop them within the life span of the car.
 
As i understand it at somewhere between 3.8 and 4.5k rpm the cam profile changes giving you the first torque boost. this is the same in both the 140 and 190, however when you reach 6.5k in the 190 it then activates the lift as well and rather than changing gear you can accelerate up to 9.5k rpm.

Below 6.5k they are pretty much the same is what i was told by a dealer, the only other major spec difference is the t-sport models had slightly better stock suspension

And in case the idea comes to mind, i dont believe it is possible to buy a 140 and later drop in a 190 lump. A friend of mine with a mk3 MR2 has a guide on doing this for the MR2 if you get the extra engine mount but i dont think it works the same in the celica chassis :)
 
NathWraith said:
I agree with this. The newer version looks nice and is a very good car but does come across as "all show, no go".

The Sports M imports were rapid though. If you can find a blitz supercharged one then we're talking!

EDIT: LINK :D
Click to expand...

Gotta agree with this :)

One of the most fun cars I've played in. Mines a TRD edition with a greddy supercharger with blitz exhaust, and it can shift. Its a bit on the loud side due to the weight stripping found in the TRD's, but the chargers whine soon takes over the drone

Cant say its the most comfortable ride though, but maybe standard suspension is a little more forgiving on the old speed bumps

TRD.jpg
 
n3vrmind said:
As i understand it at somewhere between 3.8 and 4.5k rpm the cam profile changes giving you the first torque boost. this is the same in both the 140 and 190, however when you reach 6.5k in the 190 it then activates the lift as well and rather than changing gear you can accelerate up to 9.5k rpm.

Below 6.5k they are pretty much the same is what i was told by a dealer, the only other major spec difference is the t-sport models had slightly better stock suspension

And in case the idea comes to mind, i dont believe it is possible to buy a 140 and later drop in a 190 lump. A friend of mine with a mk3 MR2 has a guide on doing this for the MR2 if you get the extra engine mount but i dont think it works the same in the celica chassis :)
Click to expand...


Not quite accurate.

'Lift' activates between 5800/6200 RPM it is a solenoid driven lifting of the cams to a 2nd profile. This then dramatically increases power by ~ 40bhp as you can see on any VVTLI dyno chart.

The 140 engine is prone to huge oil consumption and dieing. This engine ehibits the same problem in the MR2 Gen 3 and the Avensis too...The 190 and 140 engines are a completely different design with the 190 being a Yamaha design/build.

The 140 has more middle ground torque, the 190 has upper go!

Dont buy a 140 then try to add a 190, the amount of work you would have to do doesnt make it worthwhile at all.

http://video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=3094152669132900026#
 
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Funny this,

I had 2 Supra's, cost a fortune to run and bled me dry! But loved every minute of owning one.

So I bought a Focus 1.8 TDCI Sport - And hate it, like yourself.

Now I'm looking at Celica's as an in between as I cant afford to run another Supra now I have to commute to work and used to have a work van.

Haven't test drove one but had a look at a few and I think there very nice :)

Not bad on fuel either only being a 1.8 vvti
 
BenjiSayers said:
Not really much use as I think they'll be out of your price range by the sounds of it but I can easily get 360+ out of my tank in my 190/GT that's with the occassionaly cheeky bit of lift fun too.

I think a point worth remembering is that these cars need to be worked hard to have any fun in them so if you want lazy kind of fun it might be better looking at other cars.

@anim Are you on the CCUK? and is that getting done by Se7en?
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How are you managing 360 miles a tank easily?!? Long journeys and driving like a granny? :D

I average 300, and the best I've done is 330 (with fuel light on but probably around 4L left in there).

Not been on CCUK for a few months now, just no time to invest. :(
 
DB_SamX said:
How are you managing 360 miles a tank easily?!? Long journeys and driving like a granny? :D

I average 300, and the best I've done is 330 (with fuel light on but probably around 4L left in there).

Not been on CCUK for a few months now, just no time to invest. :(
Click to expand...

Ha I work 30 miles from home and most of it is down the A1 so it's all cruising, it's only my final 3rd that are the fun roads but the time I travel it's all rush hour traffic. Weeks like this when it's easter holidays etc it drops quite a bit as I have more road to play with :D

I've touched just under 400 a couple of times but that was with some soul destroying driving, probably could've made over 400 but I don't trust the fuel gauge in these at all. :(

I go through spates of when I use the CCUK as most of it is people asking about GT/TRD spoilers constantly haha.
 
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