YACT: What do you think of Celicas?

[atom]

I think they're pretty decent cars. Good interior (I'm 6'2" and I can fit in a tiny Celica surprisingly well), great seats, decent pep. I like the dash layout as well. I'd still personally take the RSX over it though.

 

[StageLeft]

All show no go. A girl's sports car, or one for a guy who knows nothing about cars or hopes that those looking at him don't know anything about them

 

[geno]

I think there are better cars out there for the money

 

[Actaeon]

Originally posted by: Skoorb
All show no go. A girl's sports car, or one for a guy who knows nothing about cars or hopes that those looking at him don't know anything about them

Then what other alternative do you suggest?

 

[Actaeon]

Originally posted by: geno
I think there are better cars out there for the money

Please enlighten me

 

[geno]

Originally posted by: Actaeon

Originally posted by: geno
I think there are better cars out there for the money

Please enlighten me

As you mentioned, the RSX is better, you might need to hold out on one for a good price.
if it were my money I'd be looking at:

Subaru WRX
BMW M3 (not as practical, probably older than you want as well)
Honda Prelude SH
Integra GSR
97-98 Nissan 240SX (not fast by any means, but it'd be a car to mod)
Mistu Eclipse GS-T or GSX (Eagle Talon Tsi/Tsi-AWD)
Toyota MR2

The first two are kinda tough to find under/at 12K, the rest will ring in less than that easily
It really depends on how old you're willing to go...

 

[boyRacer]

Originally posted by: NutBucket

Originally posted by: Actaeon

I wouldn't call that a fault with the engine. Obviously cars shouldn't be pushed past redline (though, 8k is probally safe in the car), or even taken to the rev limiter. Fault lies to the enginer who set the rev limiter in the first place.

EDIT: Or fault lies to the dumbass who pushed it to the rev limiter one too many times.

Ionno. I feel perfectly comfortable taking my car to the rev-limter every so often If it couldn't spin that fast safely they should have lowered the rev-limiter

First RSXs supposedly had no rev limiters... ...and Honda wouldn't cover the engines...

 

[Actaeon]

Originally posted by: geno

Originally posted by: Actaeon

Originally posted by: geno
I think there are better cars out there for the money

Please enlighten me

As you mentioned, the RSX is better, you might need to hold out on one for a good price.
if it were my money I'd be looking at:

Subaru WRX
BMW M3 (not as practical, probably older than you want as well)
Honda Prelude SH
Integra GSR
97-98 Nissan 240SX (not fast by any means, but it'd be a car to mod)
Mistu Eclipse GS-T or GSX (Eagle Talon Tsi/Tsi-AWD)

It really depends on how old you're willing to go...

I would perfer something newer than my current car (97), at least 2000.... That eliminates the M3, and the WRX.

The Celica outperforms the Prelude.

Prelude and Eclipses are too heavy anyway. I remember reading the Turboed Eclipses had engine problems as well.

I'll look into a IntegraGSR. Though It'll be hard to find one that isn't riced, at least a 2000, and in my price range.

I wouldn't mind a 97-98 240sx though , but they are too old.

EDIT: Can't find any GSRs for under 12k. I also think the Celica looks better.

I wasn't really considering a Celica until I saw how cheap they were, which suprised me. I always though they were alright performers, but for its price, its a pretty good deal.

 

[djdrastic]

As far as I can remember they didnt have keyless entry as stock , I'm almost sure it was an additional option

 

[Ns1]

Originally posted by: geno

Originally posted by: Actaeon

Originally posted by: geno
I think there are better cars out there for the money

Please enlighten me

As you mentioned, the RSX is better, you might need to hold out on one for a good price.
if it were my money I'd be looking at:

Subaru WRX
BMW M3 (not as practical, probably older than you want as well)
Honda Prelude SH
Integra GSR
97-98 Nissan 240SX (not fast by any means, but it'd be a car to mod)
Mistu Eclipse GS-T or GSX (Eagle Talon Tsi/Tsi-AWD)
Toyota MR2

The first two are kinda tough to find under/at 12K, the rest will ring in less than that easily
It really depends on how old you're willing to go...

wrx/m3 definately not in his price range

prelude is better than the gsr stock, however if you really want to go fast (aka dump alot of money into it) the gsr has more potential
97-98 240's are cool, but impossible to find in 5spd, older 240's are bandwagon cars (yes that's all you "i'm gonna get a 240 + sr20 fanboys that never do it, except gregshin(sp?))
eclipses are fast but HAHAHA crappy ass build quality inside and out
mr2 turbos' are quick, but horrible interior, and i hate the exterior. mr2 spyders are a freaking JOKE

re: celica's, new gts' are slower than older ones because they changed the revlimit. seats are REALLY nice, shifter is a little meh, has potential however, but i hate the exterior (although that really is up to you to decide).

and the prelude feels soooooo much better than a celica

and if you're really into autocrossing, the car doesn't matter nearly as much as driver skill.

 

[geno]

Well it seems like you've already got your mind made up, why not just get the Celica?

 

[djdrastic]

So lets get the opposition out
They are I presume


Hyundai Tiburon
Nissan 240SX
Nissan Sentra
Acura Integra
Acura RSX
Ford Focus
Subaru WRX
BMW 3 Series 320i etc
Mitsubishi Eclipse
MR2

I might have missed a contender somewhere


Ps , will you have enough money to be able to insure the car ? Just askin , sometimes people tend to be suckered into a car , but then the insurance for their age group makes it nearly impossible to afford it.

 

[NutBucket]

Originally posted by: NeuroSynapsis

wrx/m3 definately not in his price range

prelude is better than the gsr stock, however if you really want to go fast (aka dump alot of money into it) the gsr has more potential
97-98 240's are cool, but impossible to find in 5spd, older 240's are bandwagon cars (yes that's all you "i'm gonna get a 240 + sr20 fanboys that never do it, except gregshin(sp?))

and the prelude feels soooooo much better than a celica

and if you're really into autocrossing, the car doesn't matter nearly as much as driver skill.

What's worse then a SR20 fanboy is me who had an engine sitting for 6 months before I put it in

Anyhow, definitely a Prelude will be a much nicer car. The handling is simply amazing

 

[Actaeon]

Originally posted by: geno
Well it seems like you've already got your mind made up, why not just get the Celica?

I wasn't even considering a Celica until I found out how cheap they were. I'm just looking for opinions on the car, and I didn't realize how great of a deal it was. 12k for a fairly new car is a pretty good deal.

Sure there are many other faster cars. But for autocrossing and daily driving I think this car is a good combination of both.

For its price its kinda hard to beat.

I was just looking for opinions. I've been looking up cars for at least 2-3 months to see what fits me best. I wanted something small, light, with a bit of power. Of course, an S2000 would fit it perfectly, but its a bit too expensive.

I was looking for suggestions, and hoping to find a better car.

My requirements are well backed though, I need a pretty recent car to get a decent loan. Newer cars also have less miles and require less maintence, and the $12k price is already pushing me pretty hard. I can't find a newer car that performs better than a Celica for the price. If I can find one, I'll be even happier .

Your suggestions were really good, I was considering a Prelude, a 240sx, and a GSR earlier (I also made threads on them). But none seem to be new enough within my price range (except the Prelude), but the Prelude is abit too heavy for my tastes.

I hate to say I am knocking everyones opinions on the car, espically when I'm the one asking for the advice and opinions. I just havn't found a reason to dismiss the Celica as a potential future car. Apparently the revlimiter was dropped in the newer ones, and I don't know if the shifting will be a problem. But other than that, everyone had just said "its a chick car". Considering I'm driving a chick car at the moment, I'm alright with it .

 

[djdrastic]

Well Enjoy your future purchase Actaeon !

 

[Actaeon]

Originally posted by: djdrastic
Well Enjoy your future purchase Actaeon !

Haha, like I said earlier, I'll probally change my mind , and theres a good chance I won't even get this any time soon, insurance is going to kill me. I can afford car payments, but insurance is really what gets to me.

This is all stuff I Keep in my mind for general reference when looking for another car. Just building up a big pile of information so I can make a very educated purchase.

More than likely though, nothing will come from this, and I'll get over this phase soon enough.

 

[Crappopotamus]

dont really like how it looks. and the engine is a torqueless wonder. :|

 

[CTrain]

Man, I hate people who chime in with their opinions and have no clue of what they're alking about.
The CELICA topic have been brought up several times and I see the same "too slow, girly car, no tourque, RSX is better, etc....."

Read what the guy wants in a car and if you disagree, tell the guy what is better.
Hes looking for a daily car, thats also decent for autocross,2000 or newer and less than $12K......
To me, hes looking for a newer car thats good on gas, relatively fast, and its should be around $12K.

First I like the RSX too but good luck finding any of them for under $15K unless its a savage title.
A car that comes to mind is the Civic Si 99-00.
The only fault with it is that its not as fast and doesn't handle as well but has better gas milage.

I had the same frame of mind when I searched for my car too.
Wanted a car for around $12K, good on gas milage and relatively fast.
I tried to find a GSR for the longest time until I stumble upon a Civic SI...and yes I bought one.

It was only after I bought the car that I found out how cheap the Celica was.
I never took interest in that car cause I didn't like the way it looked but with a body kit, its a great looking car.
If I had to do it over, I would be looking for a Celica too. I found plenty of time with ~40kmiles for $12K.

My first choice would be the RSX but lets face it, its so damm expensive and its a theft magnet.
Hard to find a car that has good gas milage, as quick, handles well in the same price range.

 

[nan0bug]

The only good Celicas are 1st Gen (70-77) and 3rd Gen (82-85). 3rd Gens with the 22RE engine are best. RWD, excellent handling, plenty of potential for upgrades and the interior is really nice for being early 80s.

4th Gen is when they switched to FWD pansy-mobiles.

I've driven a lot of different cars, and few were as fun to drive as my 3rd Gen (1983 GT Liftback model). If I could find one in good condition today, I would sell my car in a second to get it.

Get a 3rd gen Celica or an MK2 CelicaSupra, and spend the money you save on upgrades. Trust me, you wont be disappointed.

 

[Jumpem]

I haven't liked them since 85.

 

[boyRacer]

Its a nice car... i think the TRD kit looks nice... even if a bit boyracer-ish...

Anyway... i dont think you'll get it. You'll move on to something else. So no worries.

 

[OS]

Originally posted by: NutBucket

They had the rev-limiter set too high and they gernaded. The fix was lowering the rev-limiter in later cars. Good engines eh?

bastage. The celicas blew up engines usually cause ths shifter spacing was too close and people kept misshifting.

there is some truth though that the 2zz celica motor is not as durable as most toyota engines. They do have strange problems broken lift bolts (bolt that turns on lift gets snapped, not an engine destroying problem). At anyrate, apparently the engine is good enough for lotus to use in their elise.

And yes, the current celicas are kind of an underrated car. The GTS actually hangs with the infamous integra type R for handling and power. Published magazine times for the GTS kind of suck because it's a tricky car to drive because of the really peaky engine. The engine responds pretty well to bolt ons.

I actually wanted a celica for my last car, but new they were too damn expensive and I ended up getting an accord instead.

 

[OS]

also, i hope you are not even considering the auto GTS. Those things are as slow as rolling turds. They lose 2+ seconds in 0-60 and 1/4 mile.

 

[Actaeon]

Originally posted by: bR


Anyway... i dont think you'll get it. You'll move on to something else. So no worries.

You're right. I know I'll get over it, just curious to what other people think about the car, and if theres any reason I should or shouldn't get it. When I do get another car though, I'll put this on the list to consider .

Its not a bad car, I like the looks of the 2000-2002, the GT-S is a decent performer, and its within my price range.

 

[boyRacer]

Yeah its not a bad car at all... peaky engines arent usually liked in here thats why since most people would much prefer the surge of torque during corner exit. I think motors like those are a lot of fun on a circuit since you're going to be pretty busy shifting... ...im a fan of high revving engines... ... but the car will be redesigned and i never did like it if i just bought a car and a new model just came out right after. But thats just me.