98 Celica GT convertible gas mileage

[celicacrazed]

Hi everyone, The posts I've read here have been very helpful so I was wondering if someone here could help me out as well. I just recently bought a '98 Toyota Celica GT convertible in like new condition with just under 80k miles. A couple weeks before I bought it I was still driving my older '94 Celica GT hatchback with well over 200k miles but the timing belt snapped before it should have and wrecked the engine. The '98 Celica has been getting about 15+ less miles to the gallon than my '94 did. My '94 got around 40mpg (not kidding) and the '98 convertible is getting around 22-25mpg if I'm lucky. They both have the same size gas tank and I'm not driving one differently than I did the other. So I'm wondering, could this be explained by the convertible being less aerodynamic with all that drag versus the hatchback? Or could there be some sort of modification that had been done to my old Celica that made it so fuel efficient? The other thing I've noticed about the '98 Celica is that it occasionally wants to "stutter" and the RPM gauge will jump a little. This happened a lot when I was driving home the day I bought it from the dealership (4 hour drive) but it seemed to only be because I had gotten a bad tank of gas. Also, even though it has the same engine as my '94 did, it does feel slightly less powerful and I can't understand why. So it makes me wonder if the gas mileage and less power are related? Or could it just be a weight difference between the convertible and hatchback? Sorry for all the questions. I'm just really stumped on this one and need some advice. Just to give some more info: Timing belt has been replaced fairly recently so I assume spark plugs etc. were done recently as well. I'm not sure about when the fuel filter was replaced last. I do wonder however if because the car was at one point a CA car if the emissions equipment installed would have a negative impact on fuel economy or performance or is that just a myth? Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and I really appreciate the help in advance!

[MR2Jedi]

The aerodynamics do have an effect on mileage, but not that much!
I would do an ignition system tune up-plugs, cap, rotor, and wires. I would also check the timing and go from there.

[celicacrazed]

Originally Posted by MR2Jedi

The aerodynamics do have an effect on mileage, but not that much!
I would do an ignition system tune up-plugs, cap, rotor, and wires. I would also check the timing and go from there.

Hey MR2Jedi. Thanks for your reply. Haha yeah, that's what I was thinking about the aerodynamics too. I figured the convertible would be a little less efficient but certainly not to this extent! I agree with everything you said as well. I figured that should probably be my first stop on this issue, getting those tune up related parts replaced. I'm just kind of surprised because as I found out, the previous owner had quite a bit of money and everything they replaced on this Celica is high end. Maintenance was done even when it didn't need to be. However, I'm figuring that her sitting on the lot (even for the short while that it was) could have fouled some things up, yeah? By the way, I'm a fan of the MR2s as well and you've got yours looking amazing!

[MR2Jedi]

Originally Posted by celicacrazed

Hey MR2Jedi. Thanks for your reply. Haha yeah, that's what I was thinking about the aerodynamics too. I figured the convertible would be a little less efficient but certainly not to this extent! I agree with everything you said as well. I figured that should probably be my first stop on this issue, getting those tune up related parts replaced. I'm just kind of surprised because as I found out, the previous owner had quite a bit of money and everything they replaced on this Celica is high end. Maintenance was done even when it didn't need to be. However, I'm figuring that her sitting on the lot (even for the short while that it was) could have fouled some things up, yeah? By the way, I'm a fan of the MR2s as well and you've got yours looking amazing!

Thanks. It really needs a paint job though.

Until you do a tune up, you don't really know exactly where the engine is at condition wise.
I would also recommend a compression check.That will reveal much about the health of the internals.

[celicacrazed]

Originally Posted by MR2Jedi

Thanks. It really needs a paint job though.

Until you do a tune up, you don't really know exactly where the engine is at condition wise.
I would also recommend a compression check.That will reveal much about the health of the internals.

You're welcome. I still say it looks great. Certainly one of the nicer ones I've seen and there have been a few that caught my eye over the years. It's been awhile back now but I remember driving one and it was a blast. I loved the way it handled on the road.

I definitely agree about not knowing the condition of the engine yet. I feel like I didn't worry about it *as much* when I bought this one because I knew that even with all the horrible work mechanics had done on my old Celica, she still ran like a champ and had well over 200k miles on her. Plus, for a Toyota, she's pretty low mileage. So it's quite a bit of faith I have in those engines. However, you just never know. I will definitely be checking compression, good advice. I'll be crossing my fingers for good results.