Toyota Celica - TSport (Latest body shape) any owners?
Discussion
Hi all.
Tax etc runs out on my shed in the next week and thinking of upgrading.
I want a Celica (new body shape) just because I like the look of it and ive heard its reliable and a lot of car for the money
Some stupid questions:
How do you know its a tsport? Assume theres some giveaways (Just in case some nefarious seller advertised a bog standard Celica as a Tsport) whats the difference (power aside)
Ive heard the lifts on these can fail to engage due to something to do with the bolts. HOw do you know if this happens? Does a light come on, or will it be obvious?
Anything else I should look for?
Intend bringign a mate along for the ride, whos a car mechanic so got that side covered.
My budget is 3K and ive seen examples from 1k to 4 and a half k on ebay etc. The 1k one was a non runner, bit suspicous of anything below 2.5k TBH
Love the look of these cars, though I know many dont!!!!
Tax etc runs out on my shed in the next week and thinking of upgrading.
I want a Celica (new body shape) just because I like the look of it and ive heard its reliable and a lot of car for the money
Some stupid questions:
How do you know its a tsport? Assume theres some giveaways (Just in case some nefarious seller advertised a bog standard Celica as a Tsport) whats the difference (power aside)
Ive heard the lifts on these can fail to engage due to something to do with the bolts. HOw do you know if this happens? Does a light come on, or will it be obvious?
Anything else I should look for?
Intend bringign a mate along for the ride, whos a car mechanic so got that side covered.
My budget is 3K and ive seen examples from 1k to 4 and a half k on ebay etc. The 1k one was a non runner, bit suspicous of anything below 2.5k TBH
Love the look of these cars, though I know many dont!!!!
Had one of these, brilliant car. Only criticism was it wasn't the most refined car I've ever had, and on the motorway it revved a bit high which became tiresome.
I had a tsport - in the 2003 onwards this meant leather with 'TS' stitched in them. Other than that, it was a badge on the back and badges in the wheels. I believe lift bolts were less of an issue on the 2003 onwards facelift ones.
Really good cars and not too many persistent faults. Can use a bit of oil if not looked after.
I had a tsport - in the 2003 onwards this meant leather with 'TS' stitched in them. Other than that, it was a badge on the back and badges in the wheels. I believe lift bolts were less of an issue on the 2003 onwards facelift ones.
Really good cars and not too many persistent faults. Can use a bit of oil if not looked after.
For reference I sold a 2006 t-sport with 70k miles for £3350 6months or so ago. It had some cosmetic issues that a few hundred quid would've sorted out but was mechanically perfect. My dad had it from new song got a bargain.
They are good cars, the lift range is a bit silly though as you're doing over 90mph at the top of third so it's not like you get many chances to really wring it's neck.
I'd probably have a civic type R over a celica to be honest. They have a much more accesible lift/vtec range to play with.
They are good cars, the lift range is a bit silly though as you're doing over 90mph at the top of third so it's not like you get many chances to really wring it's neck.
I'd probably have a civic type R over a celica to be honest. They have a much more accesible lift/vtec range to play with.
I've owned mine for just over a year now and so far its been fantastic. It's a lot of car for the money, reliable too.
Here is what I've found with it so far:
Power is good, but a little lacking at the bottom end. You need to work the gears to get the most out of it.
The gearbox ratio's are a little too long as you may have read already, but It's not as bad as people make it out to be. The gearbox is a bit notchy too, but I got used it quickly.
The brakes are spongy, but they work. I've actually got MTEC discs and EBC redstuff pads and it seemed to improve it a bit. A common upgrade is to fit the disc and calipers from a Toyota Avensis(they are bigger at 295mm), as its an almost straight swap and they apparently improve breaking feel and performance a lot, while keeping it kinda close to OEM.
The rear seat headroom is tiny, an adult over about 5' 6' will find there head is touching the roof. Legroom however is decent for a 2+2 sports car. Headroom upfront is fine though.
This car is more practical than you could imagine. I've managed to transport a 2m x 0.6m desk in the back, as well as two mountain bikes. The boot is quite deep and folding the rear seats down make a very usable space. Lugging fishing gear about is easy.
The engine is a lot of fun and really wants to go. The 'Lift' kicks in harder than VTEC on both EP3 and FN2 type R's. Although a Type R will probably edge it in a race. Expect about 30mpg average and 300miles to a tank. The most I've got is 36mpg on a run when I took it to wales.
The seating position is very low and very sports car like. With the addition of very large doors that you can't open very far when parking between cars, it makes getting in and out slightly more challenging/entertaining.
It's quite noisy on the motorway above 70-80mph, but tolerable. It's more suited to B roads.
Reliability has been good so far (touch wood), although I've had a few little problems. So far I've had a seized caliper pin and engine light for the secondary air injection emissions system that occasionally pops up (But isn't anything to worry about). There used to be a rattle from the heat shield which came from a loose bushing thing that wore out. I used some heat proof rubber bands to damper it and it's fixed it. I also replaced the boot lift struts with aftermarket ones from the Celica Club UK forum for £40 a set, and they are very strong. Toyota wanted £200+ for the struts.
Working on the car is a little fiddly, but doable. The engine bay is pretty tight, which makes changing headlight bulbs a little fiddly if you don't know what you are doing.
Oil changes are easy, the sump and filter is in really accessible place right under the engine and was far easier to do than my friends FN2 type R (we did the both at the same time).
I get a lot of compliments about it from people that think it's far more expensive than it is. They are always surprised when I tell them I payed £2500 for it.
Overall a good reliable fun car. It falls down when it comes to comfort and passenger transporting, but it works if you need it to,
Here is what I've found with it so far:
Power is good, but a little lacking at the bottom end. You need to work the gears to get the most out of it.
The gearbox ratio's are a little too long as you may have read already, but It's not as bad as people make it out to be. The gearbox is a bit notchy too, but I got used it quickly.
The brakes are spongy, but they work. I've actually got MTEC discs and EBC redstuff pads and it seemed to improve it a bit. A common upgrade is to fit the disc and calipers from a Toyota Avensis(they are bigger at 295mm), as its an almost straight swap and they apparently improve breaking feel and performance a lot, while keeping it kinda close to OEM.
The rear seat headroom is tiny, an adult over about 5' 6' will find there head is touching the roof. Legroom however is decent for a 2+2 sports car. Headroom upfront is fine though.
This car is more practical than you could imagine. I've managed to transport a 2m x 0.6m desk in the back, as well as two mountain bikes. The boot is quite deep and folding the rear seats down make a very usable space. Lugging fishing gear about is easy.
The engine is a lot of fun and really wants to go. The 'Lift' kicks in harder than VTEC on both EP3 and FN2 type R's. Although a Type R will probably edge it in a race. Expect about 30mpg average and 300miles to a tank. The most I've got is 36mpg on a run when I took it to wales.
The seating position is very low and very sports car like. With the addition of very large doors that you can't open very far when parking between cars, it makes getting in and out slightly more challenging/entertaining.
It's quite noisy on the motorway above 70-80mph, but tolerable. It's more suited to B roads.
Reliability has been good so far (touch wood), although I've had a few little problems. So far I've had a seized caliper pin and engine light for the secondary air injection emissions system that occasionally pops up (But isn't anything to worry about). There used to be a rattle from the heat shield which came from a loose bushing thing that wore out. I used some heat proof rubber bands to damper it and it's fixed it. I also replaced the boot lift struts with aftermarket ones from the Celica Club UK forum for £40 a set, and they are very strong. Toyota wanted £200+ for the struts.
Working on the car is a little fiddly, but doable. The engine bay is pretty tight, which makes changing headlight bulbs a little fiddly if you don't know what you are doing.
Oil changes are easy, the sump and filter is in really accessible place right under the engine and was far easier to do than my friends FN2 type R (we did the both at the same time).
I get a lot of compliments about it from people that think it's far more expensive than it is. They are always surprised when I tell them I payed £2500 for it.
Overall a good reliable fun car. It falls down when it comes to comfort and passenger transporting, but it works if you need it to,
Just whatever you do, please don't put some stupid loud ass exhaust on it! Idiot hat wearing neighbour (literally never seen him without a hat) has one, took a lovely looking car, added said 'jap' exhaust which now wakes us up at 5am! Has removed the lovely looking standard wheels and 'blings' it with cheap alloys, then has a 'homemade' wrap on the bonnet and has a fake TRD ironing board on it. It looked so good when his dad bought it for him as standard, such a waste.
Excellent cars, I've posted often about how much I enjoyed owning mine. At the price they are now, they're an unbeatable bargain in my opinion.
I have seen a couple of obviously not Tsports advertised as such, not sure whether this is a deliberate con or just ignorance on the part of the owner/dealer. Visually, a Tsport will have upgraded alloys, rear wing spoiler, climate control A/C and two-tone grey leather seats. You might consider also not just a Tsport but the simple 190 which is effectively the same but without the wing, wheels, leather, A/C although again many have had these added as options. I'm not sure if the 190 was available originally; mine was a '99 car as I recall, a 190 with a lux pack that included leather and climate control and upgraded alloys so to all intents and purposes it was a Tsport, but wasn't - if you see what I mean.
Watch out for 140bhp cars being sold as 190s. You'd not know the difference unless on a test drive you have the opportunity to put your foot down properly. Someone will come along in due course to tell you the engine codes of the 140 and 190 engines. There is a vague risk of old 190s eating oil copiously and the valve lift not working properly but I'd suspect those that suffer have either been binned or repaired by now. Check it over, obviously. Edited here to add, on re-reading I noticed you mentioned the bolt lift problem, so far as I know the only way to know if the problem exists is to drive the car - you should feel a slight change in the power as it revs, not so much as a Honda Vtec but similar.
There's a pretty good Celica forum out there too - lots of advice and buying guides. I'd go so far as to say that if you get one with a proper service history, at the price you won't get a better car.
I have seen a couple of obviously not Tsports advertised as such, not sure whether this is a deliberate con or just ignorance on the part of the owner/dealer. Visually, a Tsport will have upgraded alloys, rear wing spoiler, climate control A/C and two-tone grey leather seats. You might consider also not just a Tsport but the simple 190 which is effectively the same but without the wing, wheels, leather, A/C although again many have had these added as options. I'm not sure if the 190 was available originally; mine was a '99 car as I recall, a 190 with a lux pack that included leather and climate control and upgraded alloys so to all intents and purposes it was a Tsport, but wasn't - if you see what I mean.
Watch out for 140bhp cars being sold as 190s. You'd not know the difference unless on a test drive you have the opportunity to put your foot down properly. Someone will come along in due course to tell you the engine codes of the 140 and 190 engines. There is a vague risk of old 190s eating oil copiously and the valve lift not working properly but I'd suspect those that suffer have either been binned or repaired by now. Check it over, obviously. Edited here to add, on re-reading I noticed you mentioned the bolt lift problem, so far as I know the only way to know if the problem exists is to drive the car - you should feel a slight change in the power as it revs, not so much as a Honda Vtec but similar.
There's a pretty good Celica forum out there too - lots of advice and buying guides. I'd go so far as to say that if you get one with a proper service history, at the price you won't get a better car.
Edited by forzaminardi on Monday 24th November 06:59
forzaminardi said:
Watch out for 140bhp cars being sold as 190s. You'd not know the difference unless on a test drive you have the opportunity to put your foot down properly. Someone will come along in due course to tell you the engine codes of the 140 and 190 engines.
1ZZ for the 140 and 2ZZ for the 190. Says VVTLI under the bonnet of a 190 as opposed to VVTI, and a higher red line on the dash!Edited by danp on Monday 24th November 07:10
I had the corolla and paid 2450 @76k in 2010.
I kept it for around 35k miles and in that time it killed one coilpack and a set of spark plugs.
The lamda kept ccoming on referencing a cat fault for the last few k of ownership.
Really reliable engine , get an induction kit and expect a avg of 27mpg regardless of how you drive it. I did see 24mpg on the motorway at lane 3 pace though .
I kept it for around 35k miles and in that time it killed one coilpack and a set of spark plugs.
The lamda kept ccoming on referencing a cat fault for the last few k of ownership.
Really reliable engine , get an induction kit and expect a avg of 27mpg regardless of how you drive it. I did see 24mpg on the motorway at lane 3 pace though .
danp said:
1ZZ for the 140 and 2ZZ for the 190. Says VVTLI under the bonnet of a 190 as opposed to VVTI, and a higher red line on the dash!
^This, your looking for 'VVTLi' on the engine cover rather than 'VVTi'. The former denotes the 2ZZ engine, and having owned both variants, you really want the 190- 140 is gutless and early ones have a borky engine. Note sure if every 2ZZ engined car is a T-Sport?Edited by danp on Monday 24th November 07:10
My second Gen7 Celica was a Jap import, an 'SS-II Superstrut' which had some fancy suspension. Mine came with model-specific Tein coilovers, and was the best FWD car Ive owned.
The factory kit on mine was called 'Mechanical Sports' apparently, look very much like the UK 'GT' model.
Not much to add to what's been said already really. 2ZZ model was totally reliable, surprisingly practical, great feet-forward driving position. Needs its neck wrung for proper fun, kept my friends DC2 Integra honest which surprised us both (good quality intake and exhaust the only performance bits I was aware of). Cruised OK in 6th- don't remember it being particularly tiresome on motorway.
Great value for the price now, £3K will buy a cracker. Lift bolts not a massive job IIRC, Celica-Club is a great OC, have a look.
Mine:
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