Celica 4WD Turbo ?!?!?!

[AChan1986]

I still think you should go for it. An All Trac is a huge bragging right. Besides, once you get everything fixed, you'll love it.

[sent4rmabove_23]

1st let me be the 1st one to say that if you have a g/f... and you REALLLY want the 88 Celly, Dump her! Honestly. Those cars need a lot of attention and care yes, they are rare and beautiful just like Supras.. but damn, they give a lot of problems. My b/f has a 89 Supra Turbo which we bought from some Jamaicans there and boy did we get ripped off... we were desperate for the supra we don't have much of those in Miami but we had to do soo much shit to it. Not to mention the mission we went through at the junk yard trying to disassemble the engine to get to the damn camshafts. Literally, if we hadn't fixed the car on our own we'd probably waste millions on it. My point is your car will be your only girl, buy it and you'll see.

[AChan1986]

I'd still go with the car. Since everything on a car can be fixed, it can never break your heart or leave you. I'm talking about mechanical aspects...Getting totalled is a different story.

[TRD-SVT]

Check for broken rear diff mount, it goes pretty often. You'll hear a clunking sound from the rear of the car. It's a $100 part. Also check the struts. If they are bad, it's a major investment or a major DIY project, as they are sealed. Your boost problem sounds like a leak, check all the hoses. I know almost every hose on my 88 had dry-rotted or hardened into useless crap. Make sure the alt is okay, as they tend to get a little overheated in there (thus the cooling duct on them). The turbos tend to crack on the 5-bolt flange CT-26, and even if it's okay, I recommend upgrading to a dual-inlet style, as there are a few more aftermarket parts for that one as well. There are a ton of replacement 3S-GTE and AWD trannies out there if you look for them. I had a great, rust-free car (also rare with no sunroof) but the upkeep is a bitch, and she was finicky as hell. They are pricey to keep in top form.

[LostValley]

I have an 88 All Trac Celica. Total pain to work on but when it is running sweet......WAHOOIE! My suggestion is to go for it. They handle like a wet dream, can be tweaked for amazing power and really don't look like the road demon they are. Enjoy

[allblackalltrac]

Here is my professional opinion. First and for most unless you have DEEP and I mean DEEP pockets an AllTrac(AT) - Europe and Japan GT4, is a very expensive car to own and maintain, even if you are capable of doing the maintence yourself. Insurance is more expensive, requires premium gas, very few mechanics know how to work or are willing to work on these cars. Parts are hard to find, you cant just walk into your local auto store and obtain parts, most are dealer only. Expect many things needing to be replaced or repaired as with any 15 year old car. Did I mention this car is expensive to own? Get yourself a good mechanic not just one who knows how to work on cars but one who knows how to work on these cars and is resourceful enough to obtain the parts for these cars. Owning a AT is more than just for the bragging rights, its a lifestyle, you are going an elite tight knit community of owners an enthusiasts who are trying to preserve these cars. AT are RARE and are getting even more sparce, time and neglect from mother nature and previous owners are quickly killing off these rare breeds. Owning an AT is an investment, restore it dont crush it. If you have no intention of keeping this car for the rest of your life or restoring it to its original condition than I suggest you dont buy it and leave it for someone who has the time, money and patience to do so. You need to take into account everything I and everyone else has just mentioned to you and seriously concider if this is right for you or not. Your not just buying a car, because the fact of the matter is this isnt your typical car, its like adopting a child. I hope I didnt discourage you to much I just want you to understand what you are about to embark on is going to affect not only your life and the life of your family but the lives of everyone and there family's within the AT community. What ever choice you make Im sure it'll be the right one, but its a choice you are going to have to make and yours alone.

[3SGTE@daSpeedof]

if you got the money, grab a gts and just pick up an engine or a front clip swap the engine, and you have a fun car. Make sure you have a good mechanic as everyone else has said if your daily driver, or get to know that alltrac ur thinking about getting, as it will want more attention than any gf.

[Rick89GTS]

I bought my 88 ST165 almost 3 years ago and have never regretted it.
Surf www.alltrac.net for more info and (biased) opinions. Hey, what can I say...we love our AllTracs.

[Edward_H]

I bought my 88 Alltrac about 2years ago. The car looked great had almost no rust on the body etc.. (hell for $900 who wouldnt grab it.) I let her sit for 1/2 a year before getting "Daniel" (aka: AllBlackAllTrac) get her ready for the road. I started off cheep reusing the same engine and jsut chaning timming bet and water pump and the other little things that needed to be done. This was a very bad idea, Im not going to go into details but within two months we ended up swaping for a 2nd Gen 3SGTE (JDM) motor. Now I have driven the car all winter (Dam for winter driving AWD rocks) and i am still driving it right to this day. The things I did since that time was change the coolent and oil (using only the best).. now since the body is in bad shape and the floors need some work also.. the plan right now is to start building up some money, take her off the road this winter and do all the body and other repairs that needs to be done.

all in all its a fun car, give it the care it needs and you will never look back... I would say buy it. if you dont have to money right now to restore it, let it sit untill you can.