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[celimad]

Hi Everybody

I'm not officially a Celica owner just yet, but have slapped down £500 deposit on a 2001 (51) 1.8 vvti 140 in astral black. I'm your more mature car driver as I am 42 years old, but I first fancied a celica back in the mid-80's when an ex-girlfriends sister bought one. Always promised myself that I would get one some day and finally some day has arrived

I've been trawling websites, automart, eBay you name it for the past couple of months and was beginning to lose faith with all the high-milers that were going for thousands. I knew that I wanted one, neigh had to have one but which one... There aren't an awful lot for sale out there either (I mean if you want an astra or a mondeo then there's a positive plethora of them) that were in my price range :ffs:

However, as is the way I finally spotted a little beauty yesterday. Gleaming and shiny in astral black, as soon as I spotted her, from some 20 yards away, I just knew that I had to have her (and the car as well :D ). I vaguely remember the saleman spouting the usual sales talk but somehow his voice was like background noise as my eyes feasted readily on the object of sheer unrivalled beauty before me. A few minutes later (after reading the service history, checking hpi verification and confirming that the mileage was indeed 37k) I was behind the wheel and, cautiously, heading for the road. Test drive only seemed to last a nano-second but what a drive :o . Everything felt so perfect.... The six speed gear box is gonna take a little getting used to and the accelerator pedal was so light I had to be real carefl with my clumsy big-booted right foot (seriously, I could barely feel the pedal so judging how much pressure to apply too a fair bit of concentration as I didn't want to scare the living daylights out of the salesman )

Once I came back to earth with a jolt and there was talk of deals and money (managed to knock £500 off the price) I thought it wise to just have a really good look around. You know, just to be safe. I mean you wouldn't marry a girl without first checking what the mother-in-law looks like now would you? You have to just make sure that your chosen life-partner won't turn into a fire-breathing hattie jacques in 20 years time after all :(

Anyway, I digress. I did notice, erm, shall we say one or two minor imperfections...

All four alloy wheels are bubbling, quite badly which detracts from the visual impact to a certain extent

There are quite a few stone chips on the paintwork, one of which is quite large (about the size of a fifty pence piece)

Upon inspection of the boot, the compartment housing the spare wheel was full of water (well, not exactly full but there was enough to make me feel hesitant for just a moment, fleetingly)

The offside rear has a minor scrape to the paintwork, nothing too severe and not enough to put me off buying this beautiful car but it is noticeable from a couple of feet away

The rear tires were fine but the two at the front looked barely legal to me

Not content with buying this car and eagerly awaiting the day that I pick it up (about a weeks time) I feel compelled to rectify the niggling faults (finances permitting of course) to restore her back to her full, original glory...

The spec is as follows:

2001 (51) Registered October 2001, FSH (RRG Toyota, Rochdale), 37K Miles, one previous owner (passenger seat looks mint so I'm guessing the previous owner was single, or he just forbade his partner from travelling with him - extra weight slows the car down right? Just hope he wasn't a boy racer )

1.8 VVT-i 140bhp with Spoiler, Sunroof and leather seats (I'm guessing that means premium pack??)

Astral Black (presumably non-metallic paint)

Fog lamps front and rear (maybe they all have them, who knows??)

5 Alloy wheels (don't know the size but judging by the pitting on them I would guess they are originals as they really were quite bad)

Some signs of rusting on the outer edges of the disks (perhaps the car has been stood idle for some time)

Small amount of condensation in the near side front headlight assembly.

Probably need two replacement fron tyres

My question is, given the above defects does anybody have:

1. Any suggestions on replacement alloys that will last for a good few years without that horrible bubbling

2. My nearest Toyota dealer is vantage in Preston, Lancashire. Anybody ever used them / can anybody recommend them for servicing / repairs etc. and would they be a good bet for touching up the paint work (there is a one pence sized stone chip on the bonnet which was actually rusty so it really will have to be done before it spreads) or am I better off going to a proper body shop (just worried about exact colour match etc. although as it's black it shouldn't be too difficult hopefully lol)

3. The boot is a bit of a worry. I couldn't see any holes underneath that might suggest perforation and I managed to get the seller to agree to a three week warranty for it so that if I find the problem he'll pay for repairs. It was strange because the carpet wasn't wet, in fact the only wet patch was directly underneath the spare. I just couldn't see a hole anywhere (had the boot open then looked up from underneath the car but no daylight). Any suggestions on this one would be very welcome. In any case, I figured at the time "so, if there's a hole I'll just get it filled, end of problem)

4. Recommended best tyres to replace the two at the front (and a rough idea of prices, fitted and balanced)

It's great to see a site like this crammed with enthusiasts I was really pleased when I spotted it on google. As I mentioned earlier, I have wanted to own a Celica since way back in my early twenties but cash / insurance premiums / marriage / kids / divorce has always meant that it was just a dream, something to hope for but in all likelihood probably not going to materialise. On hearing that Toyota are discontinuing the Celica range from this year (Nooooooooooooooooooo :censor: ) I thought "well, it's now or never and as the '99 on is now never going to be superceded by a new shape it should hold onto it's value reasonably well" (might even become collectable some day heh heh).

Ah well, I will hope that some of you will be able to give me some good advice regarding the above. As soon as I get my hands on the car I'll try and take some decent piccies to post on here.

Cheers

John

[martin_longbow]

Hi glad your finally getting a car that you really want. They are just great to drive. Puts a smile on my face driving my Gen 6

[discodave]

Welcome to TOC and the celica family.

Well water in the boot could be as follows

1) The gasket around the one of the rear lights is missing.

2) Water is getting in through a hole that locates the spolier, if fitted

3) The rubber gromet between the bumper and the boot is missing (the gromet that the fog light wire feed through)

The celica alloys have alway corrided and if repaired will do so again within a year.

Celica paint work is extremly poor and chips very easy.

Best tyres are Toyo T1s or T1r and are about £80ish a corner

Please do check the inner edge of your disc as I have just replaced mine which were 3 years old and the inner disc was non existent.

You should also check that the tail gate struct are ok, when starting from cold the Aux belt does not squeek or rattle

A few people on the celica club use a guy called shutty who gives us a discount and does a very good job, he's also up your way.

If you need anymore info get yourself over to www.celica-club.co.uk

[DefiantFrog]

Blimy, thats one hell of a first post! Welcome to the club! Black G7 140... GOOD choice! :D

Right then....

The 16" wheels are rubbish. Don't bother with a refurb or replacement set of 16s, splash out a bit, and get a new set of alloys (after market wheel and tyre package from somewhere, sorts out the front tyre prob as well!), it'll save you hundreds in refurb bills in the long run.

Tyres - Eagle F1's seem to be highly rated on here. As do Toyo Proxes T1-S's (discontinued, but still available from some places) / T1-R's (uprated version of T1-S). I'm on Toyo's, and the grip is phenominal!

The paint needs a little looking after, it does seem to chip very easily. I'd go to a proper paint / body shop, that way Toyota won't be able to add an additional 10% on to the final fee just for taking it down to the same place for them to do the work. Call up your local dealer, be cheeky and ask them which body shop they use...

Not sure about watery boots. As mentioned, might be some knackered grommets. You might also want to check boot seals (get someone to run a hosepipe on the rear window while your inside looking for leaks). And check to see how much water comes out when you use the rear washer when you set it going. Something there might be leaking.

Think thats about it for now! Again, welcome, and I hope you enjoy the stay! Any probs, don't be afraid to ask... And most importantly, I hope you enjoy the car! Oh, and remember to fill it with Optimax if / when ever you can - its worth it... ;)

[Spuffington]

Think the other guys have summed it up really. Only thing I can really add is that if you're worried about the rubber on the fronts - check that it's above the legal minimum - if it's not, tell them to replace them as it's against the Sale of Goods Act for them to supply something which is not safe or "fit for purpose".

But glad you've finally got the car you've been dreaming of. I've hankered after the Gen7 Celica ever since it came out, after five years of waiting I managed to get my TS............I guess i've been lucky, but have fun with yours and hopefully it'll have been worth the wait!!

And welcome to TOC

[cfc1]

1st of oll welcome to TOC.

I know how wxited you must be feeling, i was in the same situation around 7 months ago, albeit i was after a Roadster. Ever since i was in my early teens (maybe younger, i'm 37 now and i've lost count of the years) i have always liked, and wanted to own an MR2, but like you, money, insurance, then of course marraige and kids meant it was a no go... but i promised myself that one day i would be the proud owner of a spanking new Mr2.

The next thing i hear is that they were being discontinued .. so, it was now or never for me too. 7 months (or there abouts) i have had just of 3000 miles of the happiest motoring i could wish for and i don't regret a single moment. I wish you all the luck with your car, and many miles of driving with that HUGE grin on your face :D.

As for the wheel problem.. mine too are bubbling allready, but i will hopefully get mine replaced under warranty, get yourself a nice set of Jap Style aftermarket 17" rims (Gunmetal Grey with a Chrome lip looks nice on Black cars ) and a set of Toyo T1-r tyres.

[celimad]

Thanks for the great advice and the very warm welcome guys. Loved the suggestion to ring the local Toyota garage and ask them which body shop they use. I'll deffo give that a go, it will be worth it just to see if they are accomodating enough to actually tell me lol. I guess if they won't tell me it's a sure sign that they put profits ahead of customer service.

[Special Red]

Hello and welcome! Dont use optimax as the gains are not noticable, draining bank balance is very noticable!maybe once a month if that!

[celimad]

Hello and welcome! Dont use optimax as the gains are not noticable, draining bank balance is very noticable!maybe once a month if that!

My local garage charges arount 88.9p per litre for unleaded. I have heard that optimax makes for a better fule/air mixture and has detergents to clean the engine. Does anybody know roughly the price differential between optimax and unleaded per litre and also does optimax yield more mpg? Can you tell the difference when running off optimax or as special red points out, is it a rather expensive option and maybe once per month as a treat for the engine is the best advice?

[Special Red]

Certain engines run better on it or are designed specifically for it, but In my case and yours I would not say the £1.02 a litre price is justified. I do the occasional tank just so it gets a treat every now and again, but generally I would say there are NO noticable gains performance wise and so its a personal choice(and in some ways a financial one to a certain extent) as to which you use. Its obviously better for the engine but normal unleaded is'nt exactly bad for it either. Regular engine flushes etc would be a cheaper option and also help prolong the life.

Nice choice of car by the way.

People will give very different responces but its up to you really, but thats whats good about this site sometimes people look at things from a point of view you were not considering.

[celimad]

A few people on the celica club use a guy called shutty who gives us a discount and does a very good job, he's also up your way.

If you need anymore info get yourself over to www.celica-club.co.uk

Cheers Dave, out of interest do you have any contact info for Shutty / does he have a website and do you know which town he is located in? Cheers

[discodave]

He's in Huddersfield, but people drive from all over the uk.

Details of service costs etc http://www.celica-club.info/forum/viewtopi...?t=4273&start=0

You must be a member of the club to get discounts, I think he also deal with TOC too. As I have seen him around

[Spuffington]

It only works out about £5 more expensive a tank for Optimax, if you work on the basis of 10p a litre more.

Given it's so subjective and not wanting to get into the Optimax debate again......best that you try it out for yourself and see what you think. For everyone who doesn't rate it, there are loads of people who will not run on anything else.

[Special Red]

I have three cars so basically it would cost me an extra £100 a month! But if I had one car to fill I still probably not use it. Spuf - Do you get more MPG?????

[Spuffington]

MPG is not noticeably better, but neither is it worse. The bigget thing is that the driveability of the car is vastly improved. The throttle response is much better and the car is far smoother throughout the rev-range, particularly in lift.

See my comments in the T-Sport forum - I don't think this is necessarily an octane issue, in my experience the reason Optimax (to me, anyway) is better, must be the additives more than the octane rating itself.

It is all down to personal preference though and I can understand the issue when you have three cars to run.

[Special Red]

Like most things money permitting I will do whats best but mortgage and Mrs and cars and social life etc all cost money so have to prioritise!!!

[daktari]

Like most things money permitting I will do whats best but mortgage and Mrs and cars and social life etc all cost money so have to prioritise!!!

Pah!! Thats easy. Cars, Social life, Mortgage, Mrs. :D .....

Guess who`s divorced.

[Special Red]

Like most things money permitting I will do whats best but mortgage and Mrs and cars and social life etc all cost money so have to prioritise!!!

Pah!! Thats easy. Cars, Social life, Mortgage, Mrs. :D .....

Guess who`s divorced.

[Spuffington]

Got to agree.............I was supposed to be getting married this Friday, if it hadn't been for me buying my Celica 14months ago and financing it by raiding the wedding fund!!!

Mind you - only managed to delay it six months!

[Special Red]

My Mrs would chop it off if I ever raided the wedding fund!!! (not that Im planning on getting married until Im at least 30ish)

[adamgt]

Your post was too long for me to read but welcome :D