Another Newbie Question

May 10, 2005

Hi guys, i know you must get this question load sof times and i have tried looking but cant find a similar thread, anyway ive got about £2500 - £3000 to spend on a celica , not sure what i can get for my money so any help would be appreciated.

Also what can i get for my money and which model shall i look out for / stay away from?

Any guides as to what i should look out for as i dont want to buy a rust bucket!

Is the celica expensive to maintain? Insurance? Fuel consumption? Car boot? is it big / small?

heard that its also hard to find someone who knows how to fix em? true or false? part available?

The wife thinks im out looking for a family car so need to know if my 6 month olds car seat will fit in the back / front too? :D

Seen a N Plate for about £2500 which sounds good to me but then again i dont know much about em.

Hopefully one of you nice chaps / chicks will sort me out :thumbsup:

May 10, 2005

For that sort of money you should be able to get a decent Gen6. Two models in that price range would be the 1.8 and the 2.0. The 1.8 is going to be cheaper to insure and run generally but you`ll need to work the engine hard to get decent performance. The 2.0 is a real wolf in sheeps clothing. Again the engine needs to be worked to get the best out of it. But the insurance and running costs will naturally be higher. You`ll be looking for service history and obviously anything that looks ill cared for needs a wide berth. Look for smoking engines and woolly clutches. Although Toyotas have a well deserved reputation for reliability. Generally speaking they`re pretty bomb proof.

Servicing these cars is a doddle. No different to any other car really. Obviously if you can find an independent garage that knows Toyotas then so much the better. Avoid Toyota main agents if possible. £60 per hour labour charges. Parts are on a par with other manufacturers.

Child seats? Being a two door your going to have a bit of a struggle getting your baby in and out but apart from that i don`t see that you`ll have a problem. The Celica really is a 2+2. You wouldn`t want to sit in the back of one for too long. Especially if the front dseat passengers are tall. Should be ok for children though. The boot is a pretty good size for a coupe. Should be able to get a pushchair/pram in ok.

There`s a few bods on here that have got Gen 6`s and they can tell you anything more specific that you need to know. Happy hunting. :thumbsup:

May 11, 2005

You should be able to find a gen 6 (model with 4 round lights - like my car - see avatar) for that money but it may well be an import.

When I was looking I found lots at that price but there were a lot of nasty ones! I paid a bit more to get one in good condition.

I found that the 2litre ones are a bit cheaper to buy as there is more of them and lots of people want the 1.8 as it has good mpg and cheap insurance but still has the sporty looks.

As for child seat - you cannot put one in the front seat because the airbag doesn't have a switch to turn it off. The back seats should be alright but the manual says to only use Toyota car seats because of the shape of the seats (the back two seats are very moulded) It would be a bit of a pain to get the kid in and anbody over 5 foot will touch the roof with their head if they sit in the back with the kid.

Boot space is amazing - there is loads of space for shopping wheelchairs and all sorts!

Difficult choice on whether to go for one - I would recommend one but only if you are not going to have too many journeys with a kid in the back. If it was every day then it would be a right pain in the ****! :thumbsup:

May 11, 2005

Cheers for that, well i have finally decided to purchase a celica over an FTO, but is there a guide or anything to buying an celica? or wat should i look out for?????

You should be able to find a gen 6 (model with 4 round lights - like my car - see avatar) for that money but it may well be an import.
When I was looking I found lots at that price but there were a lot of nasty ones! I paid a bit more to get one in good condition.
I found that the 2litre ones are a bit cheaper to buy as there is more of them and lots of people want the 1.8 as it has good mpg and cheap insurance but still has the sporty looks.
As for child seat - you cannot put one in the front seat because the airbag doesn't have a switch to turn it off. The back seats should be alright but the manual says to only use Toyota car seats because of the shape of the seats (the back two seats are very moulded) It would be a bit of a pain to get the kid in and anbody over 5 foot will touch the roof with their head if they sit in the back with the kid.
Boot space is amazing - there is loads of space for shopping wheelchairs and all sorts!
Difficult choice on whether to go for one - I would recommend one but only if you are not going to have too many journeys with a kid in the back. If it was every day then it would be a right pain in the ****!
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May 12, 2005

No guide really - they are an excellent car and don't have many problems.

The following may be useful:

How to tell an Import

An import will have a square number plate on the back, and may have an extra light for a rear fog. Speedo face maybe in kph

Facelift/Pre-facelift

In 1996 Toyota made a few improvements based on feedback, so it may be worth trying to get a facelift model. The main improvements were:

Sound Proofing:- lots of people complained about the original gen 6 being too noisy

Bonnet Spoiler:- Stops the bonnet flexing at speeds over 100mph

Clear Indicators:- make it look newer

Seperate holes in bumper for fogs

Different rear spoiler:- I think the old one looks nicer - the new one has 3 legs :angry:

If you do get an import then insurance may be slightly higher, you will need to run it on super unleaded or Optimax which will cost a bit more and the resale value will be less.

Obviously look out for damage to body work, also check to see if the boot support struts work as they start to get a bit worn over time (not major), Electrics are generally excellent but just check that all the switches work etc. Check the oil make sure it's not low or really black (or both) - Service History is Excellent and more valuable than mileage. These cars can do loads of miles - mine is on 111,000 at the moment and is still very smooth.

The only thing I wanted different on mine was the sunroof. I got a sunroof with mine and would have preferred not to as it reduces headroom by an inch or so. I have to have the cover open all the time other wise it pees me off rubbing my hair!