Thinking Of Buying A Celica T Sport

[Barakka]

I am consdering buying a 53 plate Celica VVTLi T-Sport...

What do I need to look out for ? any known issues to watch for ?

I'm not familiar with Toyota cars at all, does this engine have a CamBelt ? should have been changed ? Is service history key ?

Go on convince me I should become a Celica owner :)

[Scarlett Arrow]

Simply taking a test drive should convince you within a few minutes, these Cars are simply brilliant. The TS with its two tone Leather has the nicest interior of all the Gen 7's IMO.

Being a 53 plate it should be a face lift model with the stronger Lift Bolts which were one of the few weak points on the pre face lift. There are three things to look out for when buying, corrosion on the alloys, and the INSIDE faces of the Brake Discs. Standard Toyota Discs are made of cheese and don't inspire confidence when needed but upgrades such as EBC, Black Diamond or Red Dot are relatively inexpensive. Finally, make sure there are two Remote Keys, buying a spare from Toyota is silly money. No Cam Belt worries as all Gen 7's have a Chain and FSH is important for resale value.

Good luck with your search, I would expect a 53 Reg. to be worth around £7K for an average example, rising to £8.5K for a low mileage minter.

[Barakka]

Being a 53 plate it should be a face lift model with the stronger Lift Bolts which were one of the few weak points on the pre face lift. There are three things to look out for when buying, corrosion on the Alloys, and the INSIDE faces of the Brake Discs. Standard Toyota Discs are made of cheese and don't inspire confidence when needed but upgrades such as EBC, Black Diamond or Red Dot are relatively inexpensive. Finally, make sure there are two Remote Keys, buying a spare from Toyota is silly money. No Cam Belt worries as all Gen 7's have a Chain and FSH is important for resale value.

Is there any physical way to tell if it's a facelift model - what was it they changed in the facelift other that the lift bolts ?

and what's the best way to check for the corrosion on the discs - would you be able to see it with the wheels on full lock ?

Thanks for the reply, good to know what to look out for when viewing the car :)

[GazChap]

Is there any physical way to tell if it's a facelift model

The Toyota Badge on the front of the bonnet is in an air intake on the pre-facelift models, and after the facelift the front air intake changes appearance.

Pre-facelift:

Post-facelift: