Toyota Celcia Convertible

Toyota Celcia Convertible

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Discussion

MILF

Original Poster:

1,209 posts

246 months

Friday 17th June 2005
quotequote all
Hello there.

Am thinking of getting rid of the Alfa (yes they are that unreliable) & have been drawn towards a Celica Cabriolet, it being a 1995 M plate with 103K.

Allthough Im not unduly concerned about the mileage, after undertaking a bit of research it looks like this will probably be an Import, as I understand that this variant of the Celica was not an official UK car until 1997 (?).

Whilst not averse to buying such a car, is there anything I need to specifically look out for,such as the electrics/body panels/E C U etc. Am obviously concerned that if something goes wrong with the cars electric roof, that I may have difficulties getting a part for it if the electrics arent compatible with a UK car. In addition, presume Imports are usually a bit more to Insure ?

Alternatively would you recommend getting a genuine UK car instead for a bit more money ?

Any assistance would be very much appreciated, as am getting sick of having to get the train to work !

MILF

Original Poster:

1,209 posts

246 months

Friday 17th June 2005
quotequote all
Suppose I should really learn to spell Celica as well............

tuttle

3,427 posts

238 months

Friday 17th June 2005
quotequote all
Don't think I've ever seen a celica convertible,interesting.
Digressing a bit.Q for PH celica fiends.The ST205 engine,how strong is it?
There have been some quite hi milers(150+) coming thru auction recently-& they're going for peanuts (£1-1.2k).Worth a shout? As a keeper,not to sell on.

Fidgits

17,202 posts

230 months

Friday 17th June 2005
quotequote all
One of my friends had a gen 5 convertible.

I was under the impression they were all JDM imports, and none were sold through official UK channels (stands by to be corrected).

As far as what to look for, well, the insurance does tend to be higher on imports, but if i'm right above, then it shouldnt matter.

The key points to be aware of, (if its an import) is, it had an official conversion to MPH, and has the SVA documents - and if the mileometer has been converted over - a certificate what the final Km mileage was.

MILF

Original Poster:

1,209 posts

246 months

Friday 17th June 2005
quotequote all
The plot thickens....

Have just contacted the Trader who is selling the Celica & he assures me that it is definately a UK car & NOT a Jap import. This despite the fact that it is a 95 M plate (admittedly with 100,000 miles) & he only wants £3500 for it !

Since I usually work on the premise that if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is, I am ofcourse suspicous. Am going to check the car out tomorrow, look at V5, any service history (Trader advises has FSH) & if neccesary underake a search with HPI.

Would be obliged if anyone could possibly shed some light on any weaknesses in the Celica Convertible (if any) & if there are any particular areas I need to look at, ie the electrics in the roof mechanism.

Once again, many thanks for your assistance.

tuttle

3,427 posts

238 months

Friday 17th June 2005
quotequote all
£3.5k,sounds fair for the miles/age.Except for top flight cars,the JDM market is pretty depressed at the mo.

>> Edited by tuttle on Friday 17th June 17:42

ninjadave

2,101 posts

257 months

Friday 17th June 2005
quotequote all
The HPI checks I've done in the past with AA have shown when a car was imported, so that may tell you for sure.

3.5k sounds good for the car. They look very nice with the roof down and they are rare as rocking horse poo.

Good luck!

Mr E

21,631 posts

260 months

Saturday 18th June 2005
quotequote all
The 6th gen convertable is a rare beast indeed, mainly due to the price new.....

Not much goes wrong, have a look at www.celica-club.co.uk - we have a couple of 'vert owners who can probably assist.


tuttle said:
Don't think I've ever seen a celica convertible,interesting.
Digressing a bit.Q for PH celica fiends.The ST205 engine,how strong is it?
There have been some quite hi milers(150+) coming thru auction recently-& they're going for peanuts (£1-1.2k).Worth a shout? As a keeper,not to sell on.


That *is* cheap.

Generally pretty reliable to be honest, but expensive to look after. 100K miles is not unusual and they seen to keep running.

www.gt4oc.com for more.

MILF

Original Poster:

1,209 posts

246 months

Thursday 23rd June 2005
quotequote all
Cheers everyone for that.

Sadly on day was supposed to look at the car, rang the dealer to confirm car still for sale............& it had gone.

Bugger. Seen a few others now (as do like the look of the cabriolets) & there nearer £5000. Looks like much tightening of belts will now ensue.

The DJ 27

2,666 posts

254 months

Friday 24th June 2005
quotequote all
Mr E said:
The 6th gen convertable is a rare beast indeed, mainly due to the price new.....


Weren't they something ridiculous like £37K brand new?

Mr E

21,631 posts

260 months

Friday 24th June 2005
quotequote all
The DJ 27 said:

Mr E said:
The 6th gen convertable is a rare beast indeed, mainly due to the price new.....



Weren't they something ridiculous like £37K brand new?


Not quite. 27-30K new. Which was Porsche 924/944 money. The GT-Four was 33K new.

Still shockingly expensive.

The ST202 (6th generation) was officially sold here.
The St182 (5th generation) were JDM imports, as a previous poster has pointed out.