New To Toyotas - Which Celica 140Bhp Or 190Bhp

[Celi02]

Hi everyone.

im looking into buying a toyota celica very soon. i was very keen on the 190 version, and buying one which was already modified by the previous owner, so i need not spend any extra time or money, as im not capable of carrying out the mods myself, would have to pay extra to fit etc etc (been there done that with my current ZR!) anyway... ive seen one im really keen on - the only thing im not, is that its coming up as the 140 version and not the 190 version on the insurance quotes. ive heard the 140 versions can suffer from oil problems which cause serious engine faults. would you recommend me to stay away from the 140 version? ive just had a really good quote on the car, which is a lot less cheaper than my mg zr 1.4! quite surprising. this is the car:

and heres the ad:

http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/modified-toyota-celica/1016079086#gallery-item-full-8

ive never even driven a toyota celica yet! so im jumping in quite fast, but the insurance quote i got for it is an amazing value, and cheaper than my slightly modified mg zr. does anyone have any tips to look out for when viewing the car? currently awaiting on reply with a viewing date from the owner.

Thanks in advance

[Celi02]

Also been looking at this one

http://www.gumtree.com/p/cars-vans-motorbikes/toyota-celica-2004-vvti-quick-sale/1016955682

[**RAZER**]

Looks like a good buy, but double check it out, if its coming up as 140 then I reckon it will have issues with using oil,

Not that you should have any problems with either 140 or 190, but as long as you know what you are buying.

This looks the safer of the two http://www.gumtree.c...sale/1016955682

This is mine unmodded standart 2003 vvtl-i 190 TSport

Happy Hunting

(ps. get yourself a 190 tsport or gt, and do your own mods to it)

[Celi02]

thanks for your response. ive not had a response from the first seller so ive given up, and the 2nd i did a hpi check on and says it was a cat d in 08 and has had a plate transfer. so maybe i should steer clear. i am thinking of buying one standard now and doing my own mods to it.. but i really want a white one, they wernt made in white were they? i think im gunna struggle to find one i really want.

[**RAZER**]

Yeah, I totally agree, looking at the ad, I am just not sure the info is correct.

Mine was repaired at somepoint too although you need to know what to look for and closely to see it, but it checked out ok and mileage was correct.

I still recommend you get a 190 T Sport with 'lift', so thats a V V T L-i engine type ZZT231

Any 140 pre 2002 will have 'oil burning issues', but think the 190 is ok.

Anything 52 plate onwards would be better.

[**RAZER**]

Dont know what alternative colour you want but saw this on autotrader.

Look for something like this with full service history, leather interior, unmodded with info as per the ad.

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201303265955410/sort/locasc/usedcars/price-to/3000/price-from/1000/model/celica/make/toyota/onesearchad/used/onesearchad/nearlynew/onesearchad/new/page/16/radius/1501/postcode/ph201bw?logcode=p

Or this one with side skitrs

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201305156769289/sort/default/usedcars/colour/yellow/model/celica/make/toyota/onesearchad/used/onesearchad/nearlynew/onesearchad/new/postcode/ph201bw/page/1/radius/1500?logcode=p

Another place to check is www.celica-club.co.uk, as there 'was' a white modded one for sale on there.

I have checked other forums and sales sites but nothing available in white for generation 7's.

Sorry cant be more help, but keep looking and a good one will come along.

[Celi02]

thanks, i must admit, the second yellow one you posted is lovely, but its a grand over my budget :( the first one i was looking at but wasnt keen on the scraped wheels, and the mileage for that price. i think its a bit over priced imo.

i do also like the celicas in yellow. i might have to settle for a nice yellow one, i dont think the generation 7s were made in white, i think they were all probably custom jobs, as ive not had much luck either, only found them two i linked earlier, nothing decent.

[**RAZER**]

Yip will find it hard getting a nice white.

Hehehe I wasnt advising on the yellows, I was meaning look at the content of the ad's.

Full history, checked, mot leather etc etc so you get the most for your money, saves on the mods later.

You may have to travel to get one too, I travelled from Scottish Highlands to Newcastle for mine.

Let us know what you get and dont forget the pics.....

[Celi02]

oh yeah, of course. thank you very much. yeah i will definitely travel for the right car. i just hope a good'un pops up soon! :)

[armoredfist2002]

Gen 7's were made in white, but are Jap imports only.

Only skimmed through so not sure if it was mentioned, but not all 140's suffer with the oil problems, it was usually the 99-02 plate ones that did.

[Celi02]

oh really, so i guess they will be quite rare to source then? so any 140 from 03 onwards should be ok then. i wish a nice white one would pop up somewhere -_-

[armoredfist2002]

It is the later 02 models when facelifted that have the newer revised engine, but if you say 03 onwards then your definatly out of the range of the pre facelift and won't have any chance of getting one with the problems.

But not all developed the oil burning issue. Any engine not looked after can develop this problem, but it happened very easily due to the way the engine was designed.

Just to clarify the pre facelift have a tiny hole about six inches by two inches on the top of the front bumper with the toyota Badge set into it. The facelift model has a longer one inch by 20 inches or bigger across the top of the bumper and the Badge is glued to the bumper itself.

Not much help if someone has changed bumpers but it gives you something to help when looking.

There are loads of cars mixed up between a 140 and 190 in descriptions when you see them for sale due to garages/dealerships not correctly identifying them, and even some insurance companies get them mixed up.

The best and easiest way to tell the difference between a 140 and 190 you need to look under the bonnet. A 140 has a plastic inlet manifold and the 190 has a silver aluminium one. Don't have any pics to show you the differences but if you look you will see them and know what I am talking about.

[Celi02]

oh yes, thats a good way to identify them from one another. i will look out for this. ideally, i do want the extra kick in at 6 revs just for a bit of fun lol, i am disappointed though at the fact it is only achieveable from high revs and is basically the same power as the 140 when pulling off! im looking for a 190 vvtli engine, need something that will be reliable as it would be a daily. (not that the facelift 140s wouldnt be, but i would probably get it involved in some tracks/show days and would prefer the 190 version for that.)

[**RAZER**]

Yep Colin is correct....if you look at the first autotrader ad i put up, it shows you a vvtli engine and you can see the manifold pipes, another way is check the engine chassis plate and look for ZZT231.

Anothervway is look under the steering wheel to the right on the dashboard, you will see TRC on/off switch, this is your traction control, and as far as I know the 140's dont have this, only the tsport and gt's.

[Celi02]

yeah, i think so too at least that way i will be safe. i have an 04 car at the minute, so i was hoping to find one reasonable that was 04 or onwards if im lucky. do you think 3 grand is a reasonable budget for a 03/04 celica t sport with fsh, mot etc? with miles round about 80k?

[**RAZER**]

3k should be good enough budget i would think, dont worry too much about wheels being kerbed, I repaired mine myself, will send you pic tomorrow when i get it downloaded from phone, and its easy to repair.

[**RAZER**]

'LIFT' kicks in at 6200 revs and put a smile on your face........wooooooohoooooosh....lol

[armoredfist2002]

oh yes, thats a good way to identify them from one another. i will look out for this. ideally, i do want the extra kick in at 6 revs just for a bit of fun lol, i am disappointed though at the fact it is only achieveable from high revs and is basically the same power as the 140 when pulling off! im looking for a 190 vvtli engine, need something that will be reliable as it would be a daily. (not that the facelift 140s wouldnt be, but i would probably get it involved in some tracks/show days and would prefer the 190 version for that.)

A lot of people seem to compare the 190 low down the same as the 140 but they are not, I'm sure the gearboxes have different ratios so the 190 is still a little quicker down low than the 140.

Can't help with the prices, I'm not keeping up with them, and they vary widely anyway.

Most wheels will have kerb marks on them it's hard not to catch them now and again, as long as they are not so badly damaged that the tyres go down. Most change the wheels to aftermarket ones as the standard celica ones seem to be made of cheese and can buckle easy.

'LIFT' kicks in at 6200 revs and put a smile on your face........wooooooohoooooosh....lol

Lift can also be very dangerous, it's too addictive and easy to end up going too fast

[Celi02]

oh yeah i suppose i shouldnt worry about curbed wheels then, i might even change to aftermarket myself after hearing they are made of cheese lol! i will have to be careful with the lift then!

[Celi02]

whats the procedure with fixing the 140 engine oil burning problem does anyone know? is it a costly fix? im struggling to find a nice t sport at the minute, and as mentioned earlier the 140 is more widely available. i ask because i did find this on eBay and enquired to the guy about it but he hasnt done himself any favours by telling me hes only owned it 3 weeks and wants a holiday with the money (sounds dodge to me!) plus its the 2000 140 model, i can only imagine it has the burning problem or maybe something even worse!

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=271202642897&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:GB:1123

again, it is modified. but i am really struggling here with finding even a decent standard model for around £2500-3000. ive checked autotrader, gumtree, eBay and preloved. most are around 2,700 but being completely standard for that price with miles of 100,000, i would probably spend about 1000-2000 modifying it, and with the one i have linked the expensive mods are pretty much done! he told me the engine light is on but reckons it is the air filter causing the light to come on. i dont know if it would be worth fixing for the right price. most people have told me to stay away as it looks like it has probably been ragged. i probably will avoid it, but i have thoughts in the back of my mind telling me what if. lol. thoughts?

[**RAZER**]

I would not touch it if the engine light is on, it could be a mountain of things wrong, but I have the torque app for my phone with an obd2 reader which tells you what the faults are...........understanding them is a different story tho....lol

I searched for 3 months before I got mine, so be patient, the right one will come along.

Dont know what the fix is (if any) for the using oil, but its not a problem if you keep it checked and topped up, which realistically you should do with any car.

Just wish my daughter would learn that one....lol

i see the add says ex celica club show car, which should be ok, but he has only had car 3 weeks.....mmmm????

This is mine with the repaired wheel

[Celi02]

ahh. that app sounds interesting, whats the app called? isit an iPhone app? i know, i have been on and off looking at celicas for about 3-4 months now. yeah being a show club car i would of thought it would have been well looked after, but maybe it hasnt, or its just got to that age and mileage where things are going wrong.. hes stated hes put new tyres and new alloys are on it, and hes spent around 1300 in the last month, but i asked him if he would put a standard air filter in it as thats what his mot guy said it needs (hmm..) he says hes broke. the engine bay looks clean compared to a lot of other ads i have been looking at though. maybe i should bring a mechanic with me to have a look at it before hand lol!

[armoredfist2002]

Sounds a little suspicious to me

check out the link below for cars for sale on celica club (you may need to register to view but it's free to register and view and post in newbies section, need to pay to post in other sections)

There is a problem with the website, but the for sale section was working

http://www.celica-club.co.uk/forum/index.php?/classifieds/

[Celi02]

it does sound suspicious yeah.. think i will just leave it to be honest. after all i want the 190 ideally :P thanks i had a look yesterday but didnt register so maybe thats why i couldnt view all information

[Celi02]

i looked at this

http://www.celica-club.co.uk/forum/index.php?/garage/vehicle/521-toyota-celica-zzt231/

but cant find any contact details :/ am i in the right section lol