Looking to buy 5th/6th gen Celica...

[dontsurf]

Hi there,

First post. Sorry it's a brain-picking one, but it's the only Toyota discussion I can engage in at the moment. Previous cars have been Subarus and Nissans.

I have my eye on a few Celicas...

The first is a 1991 GT-R with 132,000km on the clock ( http://www.autobase.co.nz/cars-for-s...ck/1417170.htm ).

The second is a 1996 with 182,000km that looks like it at least has a big bore and 17" mags ( http://www.autobase.co.nz/cars-for-s...pe/1420733.htm ) with a 12 month warranty, but I'd rather shy away from anything that might have been modded under the hood by someone else.

And the third is a 1994 with 182,000km ( http://www.autobase.co.nz/cars-for-s...ck/1399088.htm ) that unfortunately doesn't have any pictures up there. There's also some others up there with 200,000km+ on the clock for around the same prices.

Bad point is that none of these are in the region I live in, so I can't see them, but I can get a really detailed inspection done, and one of them comes with a warranty.

The other bad point is that although I'm 5'10" and so don't have a worry about fitting in any cars, my partner is 5'1". I just had to sell my Legacy because even with the seat all the way forward she had trouble reaching the pedals, so she couldn't drive it. Even worse, she's just learning to drive, so getting something nice to drive is important.

Given that everything else would be reasonably okay - checks and warranties and the rest, I just have three questions I hope someone can answer:

- Will my partner be able to fit comfortably behind the wheel of a 5th or 6th gen Celica?
- Are the slightly higher models okay? I don't mind 200k+ as long as it's been looked after, and I'll be buying from a dealer, but with Scoobies and Nissans it's been wiser to stay away from anything grinding toward 200k+. I heard it's different with a well maintained Toyota. Any truth? Two of the other examples look very reasonable.
- Is it true they're sweet as for long distance driving? We plan to get some of that in on some epic NZ roads.

Cheers guys. I think I have my heart set on a Celica, so any help would be greatly appreciated.

[zythr]

Hi:

To try to answer your questions


1-Your partner should fit, though if it is equipped with a Driver Side Air Bag it is recommended that the driver be back as far as possible to still comfortably be able to reach the pedals and steering

2-How it was maintained and driven (highway compared to city) is more important than mileage.
In general Celicas have very few issues. (like many Toyotas)

3-They should be good for long distance as long as it is two people and you pack light


Good luck.

[dontsurf]

Hey there,

Thanks for the reply. I think I've found a 6th gen in red @218k that looks pretty tidy... some of the others I've seen look a bit dog eared inside, rip on the driver's seat in the same place on more than one, ripped carpet. Engines are fairly cheap, I've found, so it's the body I really care about.

I said about the boot space, and she just said we can fold the seats down. I think she's more keen than I am, tbh.

What's the timing belt like to replace on these?

['88 All-Trac]

I'm going to guess 3SGE since you aren't looking at USDM Celis. Timing belt isn't bad if they're standard engines- no idea if you find a VVT-i equipped 6th gen, but I don't know when those happened.

The 6g has an absolutely massive trunk if it's a coupe... Again, can't say about the 5g.

[dontsurf]

Yeah, these are all Jap imports, and the 6th gen are all coupes, but unfortunately I can't tell just from the chassis and engine numbers if they're the SS-I (3SFE) or the SS-II or SS-III (3SGE). Is there anywhere engine numbers can translate into engine types, or chassis numbers into frame types?

The 91 GT-R AWS 5th gen is the 3SGE on the ST183 chassis. I'm seriously leaning toward that one - it's the cheapest, it's got a dealer warranty, it's got the lowest mileage, it's got a certified odometer and hasn't sat for any length of time, and in my opinion it looks the best. Probably needs tidying up inside. Steering wheel looks a bit grody. I also read that it handles better than the 6th gen. Don't know how true that is, though.

[RobMilkshakes]

Originally Posted by zythr

Hi:

To try to answer your questions


1-Your partner should fit, though if it is equipped with a Driver Side Air Bag it is recommended that the driver be back as far as possible to still comfortably be able to reach the pedals and steering

2-How it was maintained and driven (highway compared to city) is more important than mileage.
In general Celicas have very few issues. (like many Toyotas)

3-They should be good for long distance as long as it is two people and you pack light


Good luck.

+1 to this

I have had a girl who was 5'2"ish behind the wheel of my 5th gen, and she had no problems, I have yet to see my girlfriend behind the wheel (4'11"), but I dont see any reason why she couldn't drive it either. I am 6' and with the seat almost all the way back, my legs are a little cramped.



As for handling differences, I believe the opposite may be true, as the 6th gen is a little lighter IIRC but the difference is rather small.

[youngfarang]

I think it would help to go for a drive together with the owner (you sit shotgun), just to get an idea of how he/she drove the car. Also, appearance can tell you some things about how the car was taken care of. Some people will keep the interior immaculate, but leave the exterior alone...

Toyota's are great and plentiful. Find the right one before purchasing

[dontsurf]

Originally Posted by RobMilkshakes

+1 to this

I have had a girl who was 5'2"ish behind the wheel of my 5th gen, and she had no problems, I have yet to see my girlfriend behind the wheel (4'11"), but I dont see any reason why she couldn't drive it either. I am 6' and with the seat almost all the way back, my legs are a little cramped.



As for handling differences, I believe the opposite may be true, as the 6th gen is a little lighter IIRC but the difference is rather small.

Ah, that's good to know, especially for the 5th gen. Haven't seen one in the flesh for a good few years, so I think my sense of size is a bit distorted - like, they're low and long, but they're not THAT low and long.

Originally Posted by youngfarang

I think it would help to go for a drive together with the owner (you sit shotgun), just to get an idea of how he/she drove the car. Also, appearance can tell you some things about how the car was taken care of. Some people will keep the interior immaculate, but leave the exterior alone...

Toyota's are great and plentiful. Find the right one before purchasing

Unfortunately, I'll be buying from a dealer, so that's not really an option. I'll just have to go on condition and the boy racer factor of them. Many different views of many different cars privately have put me off - people expect too much for their vehicles, and there's usually something wrong with it that's prompted the sale. Especially here, you end up entirely at the mercy of the idiotic and greedy sellers out to screw you more than a dealer would ever risk his reputation for, and moronic buyers who throw in stupid offers without having have the car inspected. Just called a guy about a rare as manual Impreza that was listed yesterday to find that someone's made an offer without having seen the car.

Call me fussy, but things like a busted main rear seal and a car that's 15k past its timing belt replacement with worn steering bushes and a leaking rack (to name but a few problems inspections have raised) isn't exactly what I want to spend $5k on. It's just not worth it. I'll stick with the assurances of a dealer and spend that bit extra.

[dontsurf]

Thanks for all your help, guys! Just to let you know that I bought a 91 Celica for a knock-down price this morning. Had to buy it from waaaaay down in the South Island, but it's all good.

132,000km certified on the clock, 3SGE engine, Japanese GT-R spec. Completely factory standard throughout, right down to the factory alloys. I'll post some pics when it gets here.