Buying A Celica

[ToyCelica190]

Hi Guys,

First post on TOC!

Looking to buy a Celica 190 and saw this one for sale whilst trawling through Autotrader and wondered if you guys thought it was a fair price etc etc?

I was originally looking to buy a Civic Type R but getting swayed towards the Celica now (although wanted a black one really)

Toyota Celica 190

Also, sure it's been mentioned 10000 times before but is there a checklist of typical problems I should look out for and what is the cambelt interval change?

many thanks and hope my questions aren't too repetitive and annoying for the regulars

[sotal]

Looks very nice - maybe a little expensive but you get that with any dealer.

The insurance group is wrong in the ad, it is group 15 for the 190 and group 13 for the 140.

I prefer the celica to the civic, they're both about the same bhp, but the civic is slightly faster 0-60 (about 1/2 a sec) but then the Civic is group 17 insurance and uses a litre of oil every 1000 miles.

Black is nice on the celica but is a bugger to keep clean! it shows all the scratches. Silver or Grey looks good too but are both easier to keep clean.

It's got the leather seats which is good.

Check the alloys for signs of corrosion as they were crap and kept getting changed under warranty.

The Lift Bolts were also a problem so ask if they've been changed - or atleast check that it still has lift. I think boot struts were a problem on the gen 7 so just make sure the boot can hold itself up.

That's about it though

[ToyCelica190]

cheers for that, think the standard alloys are horrible anyway so would get some new ones anyway so not too bothered about the condition.

I'm going to try and get them down closer to £8k, if not then i'll just keep looking.

Will check the boot out when I look at it if it's as nice as it looks.

[Spuffington]

Not sure on the price mate, but they're good cars.

The boot struts shouldn't be so much of a problem on a boot without a spoiler.........the main problem comes on cars with the weight of the spoiler on the back - but check-em anyway.

Cambelt.....the VVTL-i engine has a camchain so therefore don't worry.

Lift bolts - you should check these have been done, but if not, pay £50 for Toyota to change them and job done

Re: the ad..........as far as I know Celica's have never had "lumbar supports" on the seats - TBH it's the only bugbear of mine as I have a bit of a bad back and they're not the most supportive in the lumbar region. But hey ho.

Sotal's right - insurance is grp 15, not too bad considering the ultimate performance of the car.....it's an absolute hoot. I'm paying £690 for my insurance on 54 plate T-Sport, so outside London, depending on age etc. you should get a reasonable quote.

And IMHO - silver/grey looks great!! ;)

[Calisto]

If its an import (and I havent looked to see if it is) then it will have electric lumber support, well mine has anyway.

Hope that helps

[ToyCelica190]

nah it's not an import, probably just getting carried away when they were putting the spec in

i just can't decide if I want a Celica or a Civic, haven't driven the Celica yet though.

[Calisto]

nah it's not an import, probably just getting carried away when they were putting the spec in

i just can't decide if I want a Celica or a Civic, haven't driven the Celica yet though.

Well, I had a Honda Civic 1.5 with VTEC and the power is amazing she really flew.

Now I have a 2 litrel Celica GT-R, and yeah she is fast but does not have the kick back in your seat that you have with the Honda.

Would I go back to the HONDA........

No, the Celica looks what she is.......................... a black fast sexy car.

[chris202]

nah it's not an import, probably just getting carried away when they were putting the spec in

i just can't decide if I want a Celica or a Civic, haven't driven the Celica yet though.

Well, I had a Honda Civic 1.5 with VTEC and the power is amazing she really flew.

Now I have a 2 litrel Celica GT-R, and yeah she is fast but does not have the kick back in your seat that you have with the Honda.

Would I go back to the HONDA........

No, the Celica looks what she is.......................... a black fast sexy car.

realllyyyy..... i had a white 96P prelude before , well a year or two ago now and i must say if i could have it back from the grave i would :!Removed!: the power from the prelude would kill my st202 its night and day difference

The celi looks kinda sexy thou

[Asterix187]

leather seats??

well only the front are leather, the rear seats are a wierd leather look vinyl!

[Spuffington]

Sorry - when I was referring to lumbar support on Celica's I actually meant the Gen 7's............only ones I can comment on really!!!

But in the Civic Type-R vs Celica 190 debate............I think you'll find the 'kick' of the cam lift pretty good fun in the Celica and the suspension that bit easier to live with. When I testdrove the Civic it struck me as a stunning drivers car and one that you could have an enormous amount of fun in, but would become a little wearing after a while or on a long journey. The Celica suspension is taught enough for fun on the back lanes, but supple enough for long distances not to wear you down.