Anyone Else Delighted With Their Car?

[Pantsonfire]

Hello again,

I recently acquired a '99 Celica SR in silver. I wasn't sure what it was going to be like, I knew it wasn't a fast car but I have been very pleasantly surprised.

The gearing seems to be "just right", third gear is fantasic for making progress on the twisty back roads and I have rediscovered the art of overtaking! :D

The handling of the SR is fantastic, it's on a par with my old WRX (I had a 2003 WRX with PPP, front + rear adjustable ARBs, drop links, and anti-lift kit). The car flows so well on twisty roads, it's surprising just how quickly it can be driven. Tight roundabouts are fun again!

I've also been driving the Celica quite a bit, rediscovering the B roads I used to spend a lot of time on in my Impreza. At the end of a drive I get out, thinking... "that was good!" with a smile and a look over the shoulder as I walk away.

What a brilliant car the Celica is!

[Pantsonfire]

Here she is, looking quite standard!

[Jones~32]

Glad your happy with it ;)

Really impressed with my GT4, that feelin as it comes on full boost, awesome :D

I still want to do some work on the suspension though, the stock ride is a bit too soft for my liking

[wakey_punk]

Yes Pantsonfire I'll join the club :) I haven't had mine long but the time i've spent in it i've enjoyed every minute. I'm in love with it infact :P

I just can't understand why it's taken me so long to get one. For years i've allways had cars that have just done the job and got me to where i needed to go. But now I'm getting to where i'm going with a big grin on my face.

That's a nice Stock example you have there mate. she looks sweet!

[kirst_ie]

I wanted one for a couple of months before i had one.

I swopped my old car for my Celi and i was really pleased with her. Mine is that colour silver too.

I really wanted one of hte lilac or mint green ones, but there like rocking horse s%$t to get hold of.

But glad your happy with it, hope if brings you many years of joy

[Pantsonfire]

The Celica was my Dad's car, so I know it's been well looked after, he had it from new.

[irish_kev]

I'm trapped in a sea of 30mph zones....can't find the decent stretch of B road my car truly desires :( and if I do, there's a few slow-@ss punks in front of me.

nice car mate, glad you're enjoying it

[mikeb]

The handling of the SR is fantastic, it's on a par with my old WRX (I had a 2003 WRX with PPP, front + rear adjustable ARBs, drop links, and anti-lift kit). The car flows so well on twisty roads, it's surprising just how quickly it can be driven. Tight roundabouts are fun again!

Welcome. :) I find it very hard to believe that the celica's handling is on par with a 4wd Imprezza though.

[Pantsonfire]

Welcome. :) I find it very hard to believe that the celica's handling is on par with a 4wd Imprezza though.

The impreza has lots of 'grip' as standard, but it was dreadful on tight roundabouts, understeering for Britain even in the dry. It was only after a diesel Mondeo outmaneuvered me on one of these tight roundabouts that the impreza bubble burst and I was left red-faced and fighting with front tyres screeching while the mondeo exited cleanly! :o

When the ARBs etc were fitted, I had the geometry done by a good 4WD alignment garage. They showed me that the impreza had positive camber on one of the front wheels It seems subaru prefer their customers to drive front-first into the hedges - where's the fun in that?! :P

Only after the mods was I happy with the handling.

On the handling front the Celica is excellent as standard. On 16" wheels there is not enough rubber to cause vagueness, but enough to give a comfortable ride over the bumps. I'm always surprised with the amount of grip there is at the front and the resistance to understeer, and the way it responds to steering inputs mid-corner. The amount of body roll in the corners is very low, so I don't see any reason to upgrade the ARBs on this car.

In comparison the the 'turbo and RS6, well, they both have loads of power, which means overtaking is easy (hence why I mentioned rediscovering the 'art' of overtaking when driving the Celica). The handling of the 'turbo is fantastic, but the aerokit means I can't push it as much as I would like to on bumpy back roads. The RS6 is fun in a straight line - but with wooly steering, pushing nearly 2 tonnes of car on a tight corner gives me no pleasure - the tyres have to work a lot and they are quite expensive!

On a long journey I'd stick to the motorways in the RS6, on the same journey I'd wind across the A and B roads in the Celica and arrive with a bigger smile! :D

[mikeb]

Anyone dare to crosspost this to a scooby forum?

[daktari]

Anyone dare to crosspost this to a scooby forum?

I wouldn`t sully my computer by going on a scoob forum in the first place. Unclean, unclean.

[edamduke]

I'd also like to join the appreciation society :D . Bought my GT 2 weeks ago as a well deserved presi to myself for completing 4 years at uni and getting my ideal job. Can't stop smiling when i'm in her (isn't intended to sound rude ) and I love the B roads. I can't believe how well she grips the road and doesn't roll. mind you, almost anything handles better than a micra or sunny. Definitely looking forward to many happy years of motoring with this one. I do need to get some bigger wheels and remove some of that squigy rubber though.

Ben

[MIP]

I'm pretty happy with mine. The high-rev power is still great on the GT, not so great low down. Last big spend was my 17's. Shocks, springs, filter and possibly icon chip as soon as I've got enough, then I'll appreciate it a bit more. I'm sure I'll start saving soon. Next month maybe.

Sat in the hugging sports leather seat, in 2nd gear on the power, with the noise as it hits 4k, is definatly one of the happiest places on Earth for me.

[chris202]

Yeah the celica's ok . Power is a bit lame but handles well , i think i'll up-grade the brakes soon too , not as good as i'd like tbh . I hate the looks that the car gets though , since i got my exhaust people growl at me like i'm fred west or something......I could have cryed yesterday on the dual carriageway when three muppets in a soft-top lexus out-did the celi :(....my old prelude wouldn't have let that happen

[Special Red]

Glad your happy with it ;)

Really impressed with my GT4, that feelin as it comes on full boost, awesome :D

I still want to do some work on the suspension though, the stock ride is a bit too soft for my liking

Do you think you could post without mentioning your GT4! WTF has full boost got to do with a thread about a an SR's handling! Jones this is obviously your first 'fast' car but come on let someone else have the limelight!

[fractured]

Hehe slow or now, I'm extremely happy with my GT..

[DefiantFrog]

I've been kinda taking mine forgranted recently. Just get in and drive, it hasn't been bringing me a great deal of pleasure of late... Until I got a Hire car for work purposes last week. 1.8 Vauxhall Vectra 'Life'.... Life?? What life??? That has to have been the most soul-less car I've ever driven (and I've driven some sheds!) - bland, uninteresting, slow, heavy, needlessly big, and the handling....? Never before did I think I would experience what it would be like to drive on a bouncy castle. Its only saving grace was cruise control, and even thats useless on the M1 South on Sunday evening, London in the day time, and M1 North on Friday evening.

Getting back in to my Celi has been absolutely wonderful, and really makes me appriciate what a car with good handling and a bit of umph feels like. Yeah, I know its not the quickest out there but it works for me...

Long may the Celica's memory live on after this year...

[Dreamblaze]

hehe, i have a 98 SR, in silver too! and looks just as mint as yours :D

great car, great car.

[spotipus]

i love mine to bits :D

i wish ide had it about 10 years ago though

you remember when roads for for driving on

before they became tarmac tax collectors

:ffs: :ffs: £££ kin GATSOS :censor: