Looking At A Celica Tomorrow.

[hay]

Looking at a 2000 V Reg TOYOTA Celica 1.8 VVTi tomorrow, with 90,000 on the clock.

It is priced @ £4995...

Anything i should make sure i am aware of about the car....

I am looking at a few more later on aswell... but

...What should i look out for??.. and avoid?... the ones i am looking @ are about 60,000 miles and under 90,000....

Dont really know what to look for, i know about condition of the car, thats obviously, but technicals and mechanicals i have no idea!

and stuff to ask, such as Hpi etc.

[Bos]

The only thing that I am aware of with this model is excessive oil usage on some models, after about 50k. There has been a lot on this forum about that.

I'm sure that there is some one here that that can tell you more, apart from that i think they are pretty good cars.

[hay]

what can be done about the excessive oil usage??

[celica_1987]

hi ive got a black gen 7 with 74k if your interested, 18inch alloys, mint condition , fsh, £5950

[hay]

its £1000 too much for me at the moment mate.

[slikt]

I am also looking to buy a Celica (7th Gen) very soon when I have enough cash. I have an Alfa Romeo 147 at present (ok hope I don't get banned for that haha) Anyway I wanted the Celica for it's looks mainly plus the power but also because its a Toyota too. Now I have one of the most unreliable cars ever and I have spent a lot since I bought it, I'm wondering is there anything with the VVTi Celicas to watch out for? And what is this oil issue about?

Any help much appreciated

[Burning Feet Man]

The engine oil consumption problem is not really a problem, more a characteristic. You absolutely MUST check the oil levels, it takes 5 mins to do (on a warm engine of course) and by high oil engine consumption we're not talking litres per day or anything, just more than your 'average' car. Other problems to look out for are squeaking under the bonnet (often the aux belt, which i had trouble with, cost £10 to fix ) the boot pneumatic stays often fail so the boot wont stay up or will droop under its weight (more often on those with a rear spoiler, not a major issue tbh), wheels, the gen7 wheels are notoriously 'soft' so look at them for any mis-shaping especially on the inside edge. Other than that my Gen 7 has been by FAR the most reliable car i have had, and i have had a few! Buy one, and enjoy it!

[Vince W]

We have a 2004 VVTi 56,500 miles and hasn't used a drop of oil since we bought it back in april this year, do we have one of the good ones then?

[aquazi]

We have a 2004 VVTi 56,500 miles and hasn't used a drop of oil since we bought it back in april this year, do we have one of the good ones then?

The excessive usage only applies to the PRE- facelist 140, (so under 2003 VVTI engines)

Due to the pistons ovalling over time.

However Toyota will replace the block for free if you qualify - not sure what the requirements are thou!

I have also never needed to top up the oil in my facelift in 3 years of ownership!