Help Me Choose A Celica!

August 22, 2014

Hi, everyone! Glad to be here!

I'm in the market for a Celica and I was hoping I could get some advice on what to get. I'm primarily looking at the 00-01 and 03 manual GTS'.

I didn't find anything on AutoTrader or Cars.com but there are a few on Craigslist. I'm in the Seattle, WA area:

1. Black 2000 230k $3700
2. Black 2003 117k $8300
3. Black 2000 168K $3995
4. Silver 2000 165k $5000
5. White 2000 108k $8900
6. Black 2001 219k $4500

The first two are close, but the rest are about a 3-4 hour drive away from where I'm at. I could probably expand my options a bit if I settled for an 02, 04, or a GT. Then again I don't mind driving that far for this kind of investment. I like #1 and #2. Does #1 have too many miles and is #2 a reasonable price?

August 22, 2014

All those asking prices are incredibly high, compared to the U.K.

You can pick up a 2003 (face lift) T Sport with under 100k for around 2000GBP this side of the pond.

The cheapest gas here though, is 1.25GBP per litre.

August 22, 2014

Hi..welcome.

Difficult to say on prices as the US used car market is no doubt different from the one here in the UK...but your prices seem high.

Service history is key..particularly the oil/filter changes.. keep a VERY close eye on oil levels and check them regularly. (certainly every week).

Your No 2 example looks really nice....and obviously loved.....but at $8300 that's around £5000 UK Sterling..much higher than we would pay here..I guess the guy is trying to recoup the some of the money he's spent on it.

I'm sure there is a good choice out there so I doubt you would need to "risk" a Celica with 230k miles on it...even though it's probably fine..they are very good. long lasting engines IF they are looked after.

Good luck with your search.

Neil

August 23, 2014

Yeah, I'm hesitant to go for the 230k miles one. I'm not in any hurry so I'm just going to bide my time and see what pops up I think.

There's actually someone in my area who is also a Celica enthusiast and knows the first two cars on that list. He said that the first one was well taken care of despite the high miles, and he would recommend it. The second one was driven hard despite the lower miles and he would stay away from it.

The prices do seem high. Though it seems, like you said, higher priced ones have aftermarket changes made and the sellers are trying to get some of their money back. For example #5 has a Kaminari Body Kit, alloy wheel, and some other interior changes. There's no mention of other aftermarket changes like exhaust but for a car that looks like that it wouldn't surprising. So that would be added value, however I often read that buying a car stock and then putting the aftermarket stuff in yourself is wiser than buying a car with aftermarket stuff already put in.

Some other questions I had for you guys were regarding just how annoying the rev limiter in the 02 is and if it's huge hassle to change it to be like the 00-01 and 03.

Also how much of a delay is there is on the drive by wire in the 03?

I would have more options if I included the 02 and/or GT in my search, however I'm hesitant to do so.