Celica GT-Four ST205
Discussion
205's are fantastic and vastly underated cars.
Rarer and (imo) far better looking than equivelant Subaru or Evo.
Build quality excellent too as before Toyota started cost cutting measures so evident in later cars.
However there are lots of used and abused ones out there so you must find a good one.
People tend to forget these were £30K cars back in 1994 when launched and just because they have dropped in price to a affordable level to buy the general running and maintenance is the main factor to consider.
As they cost way less than a subaru / evo to insure people - mainly young lads who dont do any research - buy one and run it into the ground as they cant afford proper maintenance and sell on at a dirt cheap price once big bills start.
This inturn lowers prices of the good examples and with the current fuel prices the values are lower than ever at moment.
Things to watch out for are usual turbo things - white smoke , smoke from dipstick tube as could be blown turbo seals on former or ringlands on the latter.
The superstrut suspension is expensive to replace but lasts around 80'000 miles before it starts to go wrong.
Gearboxes are strong as are diffs - but rear diff mount can fail (cost around £100 for part itself)
Build quality is suprb as said and only place where rust seems to take hold is on bottom of doors.
Engines if looked after are very strong but if boost has been wound up too much without warm up / warm down then like anything the engine life will decrease.
The 205 was built between 94 & 99 anfd official UK imports stopped in 96.
WRC models were built to allow Toyota to go rallying and these can be identified by :
water spray bar behind bumper , anti lag canister identified by different manifold and heat shield &water injection but none of these items were activated.
WRC cars also had high rise rear spoiler and a bonnet spoiler.
All UK cars also had the bonnet spoiler though wether WRC or not.
94 - 96 cars had 3 spoke alloys , 2 post rear wing and early spec rear lights.
Inside most had airbag and all had climate control air con (drivers only) but UK cars had sunroof , airbag and regular air con.
UK cars had ABS which again was a option on JDM models.
96 - 98 cars had different rear lights , twin airbags , 3 post rear spoiler , side skirts ,chrome celica " sill covers were a option as were ABS and sunroof - cars had a slightly different interior trim
98 - 99 cars had high rise rear wing , projector headlights , silver effect dash trim , red stitch gearknob & steering wheel
Recaro interior was a very rare option as were things like alloy pedals and OZ chrono alloys.
UK cars had 239bhp - jdm 255 on higher octane fuel.
But in reality its same as seen dyno runs on a car using both ECU and same figures were achieved.
Getting 300bhp is fairly easy - decat , free flowing exhaust & ebc should see that figure.
One of best and cheapest mods is fitting a whiteline rear anti roll bar as transforms the handling.
Standard seats are s
te and most people upgrade to recaro's or similar.
Overall great cars but take your time finding a good one as a bad one will empty your wallet and leave you miserable - bit like my wife
HTH john
Rarer and (imo) far better looking than equivelant Subaru or Evo.
Build quality excellent too as before Toyota started cost cutting measures so evident in later cars.
However there are lots of used and abused ones out there so you must find a good one.
People tend to forget these were £30K cars back in 1994 when launched and just because they have dropped in price to a affordable level to buy the general running and maintenance is the main factor to consider.
As they cost way less than a subaru / evo to insure people - mainly young lads who dont do any research - buy one and run it into the ground as they cant afford proper maintenance and sell on at a dirt cheap price once big bills start.
This inturn lowers prices of the good examples and with the current fuel prices the values are lower than ever at moment.
Things to watch out for are usual turbo things - white smoke , smoke from dipstick tube as could be blown turbo seals on former or ringlands on the latter.
The superstrut suspension is expensive to replace but lasts around 80'000 miles before it starts to go wrong.
Gearboxes are strong as are diffs - but rear diff mount can fail (cost around £100 for part itself)
Build quality is suprb as said and only place where rust seems to take hold is on bottom of doors.
Engines if looked after are very strong but if boost has been wound up too much without warm up / warm down then like anything the engine life will decrease.
The 205 was built between 94 & 99 anfd official UK imports stopped in 96.
WRC models were built to allow Toyota to go rallying and these can be identified by :
water spray bar behind bumper , anti lag canister identified by different manifold and heat shield &water injection but none of these items were activated.
WRC cars also had high rise rear spoiler and a bonnet spoiler.
All UK cars also had the bonnet spoiler though wether WRC or not.
94 - 96 cars had 3 spoke alloys , 2 post rear wing and early spec rear lights.
Inside most had airbag and all had climate control air con (drivers only) but UK cars had sunroof , airbag and regular air con.
UK cars had ABS which again was a option on JDM models.
96 - 98 cars had different rear lights , twin airbags , 3 post rear spoiler , side skirts ,chrome celica " sill covers were a option as were ABS and sunroof - cars had a slightly different interior trim
98 - 99 cars had high rise rear wing , projector headlights , silver effect dash trim , red stitch gearknob & steering wheel
Recaro interior was a very rare option as were things like alloy pedals and OZ chrono alloys.
UK cars had 239bhp - jdm 255 on higher octane fuel.
But in reality its same as seen dyno runs on a car using both ECU and same figures were achieved.
Getting 300bhp is fairly easy - decat , free flowing exhaust & ebc should see that figure.
One of best and cheapest mods is fitting a whiteline rear anti roll bar as transforms the handling.
Standard seats are s
te and most people upgrade to recaro's or similar.Overall great cars but take your time finding a good one as a bad one will empty your wallet and leave you miserable - bit like my wife
HTH john
All 205 bonnets are alloy.
I myself wouldnt pay over the odds for a WRC model when they offer nothing more than the regular 205.
All the mechanical bits that are extra are unactivated and so your paying for pub bragging rights.
The 185 CS/RC/Group A were vastly different to the regular ATA 185 and so deserve to command the premium they fetch over the regular car.
There are some nice ones for ale on here at moment - especially a black P reg car ending in KFC.
Know the car and owner and its been looked after
I myself wouldnt pay over the odds for a WRC model when they offer nothing more than the regular 205.
All the mechanical bits that are extra are unactivated and so your paying for pub bragging rights.
The 185 CS/RC/Group A were vastly different to the regular ATA 185 and so deserve to command the premium they fetch over the regular car.
There are some nice ones for ale on here at moment - especially a black P reg car ending in KFC.
Know the car and owner and its been looked after
Thanks for the excellent replies, JohnnyBoy, very useful indeed.
I've read about the Fig 8 suspension gubbins and I'll be sure to keep an eye out for a car that's had these done. I've seen the car you've linked to whilst searching for nice examples and it does indeed seem like a good one - I'm not a big fan of the front bumper lip however, and prefer the lower rear spoiler of the UK model. I wouldn't let those points put me off if I found the right car, though. Pity that one is so very far away...
I'm going to look at one this afternoon which is reasonably local (30-40 mins away at a dealer) and if I like it enough I think I might make the trip to see a really nice one that I've spotted about 3 hours away.
Cheers for the help, and if anyone else has any opinions etc, then please feel free to chime in
I've read about the Fig 8 suspension gubbins and I'll be sure to keep an eye out for a car that's had these done. I've seen the car you've linked to whilst searching for nice examples and it does indeed seem like a good one - I'm not a big fan of the front bumper lip however, and prefer the lower rear spoiler of the UK model. I wouldn't let those points put me off if I found the right car, though. Pity that one is so very far away...
I'm going to look at one this afternoon which is reasonably local (30-40 mins away at a dealer) and if I like it enough I think I might make the trip to see a really nice one that I've spotted about 3 hours away.
Cheers for the help, and if anyone else has any opinions etc, then please feel free to chime in
The other big job i forgot to mention is the clutch change.
Its a pig of a job unless you know the cars and most owners decide to change cambelt at same time to save £££ down the line.
DO NOT take your car to Toyota for any work - they really are clueless about these cars.
Only have work done by people who know these cars - there are some excellent specialists dotted around the UK.
For me the lip finishes off the front as i think it adss a touch more aggression.
Dont rush into buying - lots out there so choose wisely.
I went for a grey one as find the usual black / whites and silvers boring and red ones do fade
This is mine
And to stop the mrs moaning i bought her one too
Its a pig of a job unless you know the cars and most owners decide to change cambelt at same time to save £££ down the line.
DO NOT take your car to Toyota for any work - they really are clueless about these cars.
Only have work done by people who know these cars - there are some excellent specialists dotted around the UK.
For me the lip finishes off the front as i think it adss a touch more aggression.
Dont rush into buying - lots out there so choose wisely.
I went for a grey one as find the usual black / whites and silvers boring and red ones do fade
This is mine
And to stop the mrs moaning i bought her one too
Ah, I remember your Readers' Rides thread now JB. A car so good you bought two, eh? 
Well, I've just been to look at a GT-Four and while it was a bit tired and tatty and a little on the expensive side for what it was, I actually really liked it overall - nice to drive, handled tidily, reasonably quick, etc.
I assume you're on GT4OC? If so, do you mind if I email you about something?
Cheers.
Well, I've just been to look at a GT-Four and while it was a bit tired and tatty and a little on the expensive side for what it was, I actually really liked it overall - nice to drive, handled tidily, reasonably quick, etc.
I assume you're on GT4OC? If so, do you mind if I email you about something?
Cheers.
No mate not on the OC - used to be but too many people on staff think they have god like status and can treat people like dirt.
Im on www.gt4dc.net
Its a totally free forum and the knowledge base is 2nd to none - not the banter of the OC but none of the dick staff either.
Also on www.celica-club.co.uk
User name is johnyboy on both - id not recommend the OC for another reason and that is you cant send PM's unless your a fully paid member and thats a bit ste if you want to enquire about cars for sale and they want £20 off ya.
Im on www.gt4dc.net
Its a totally free forum and the knowledge base is 2nd to none - not the banter of the OC but none of the dick staff either.
Also on www.celica-club.co.uk
User name is johnyboy on both - id not recommend the OC for another reason and that is you cant send PM's unless your a fully paid member and thats a bit s
te if you want to enquire about cars for sale and they want £20 off ya.Where abouts in UK are ya?
There is another stunning black one on the OC thats located in Ipswich ( no longer a member but i look at sales threads ) its a UK car and really looks the part and been well lokked after.
Here is his ad :
Due to lack of space having 3 cars now I must sadly sell my beloved UK ST205.
It's a 1996 N Reg UK Black ST205 with only 67500 miles registered 14/03/1996 with 11 Months MOT & Tax.
It has the usual spec which I'm sure most of you know along with full black leather interior, electric sunroof, factory sideskirts, headlight wash system & a 6CD changer. It has 2 keys with standard factory cat 1 alarm & immobilser with 3 fobs.
Everything electrical on the car works perfectly as it should even down to the electric aerial that goes up & down & even the headlight washers.
This car is not an import & I know it's history from day one! It was originally a demonstrator for Maltel Toyota Hertford & when it was 3 months old it was purchased by the previous owner through his company. In 1999 he then transferred ownership from his company into his own name & kept the car until 2010 when I purchased it from him. He was an older chap around 65-70 years old who was retiring & had a newly disabled wife so the car was no longer suitable for them as she was now in a wheelchair. He was very sad to see it go but had no choice.
The car has full service history with nearly 20 stamps in the service book most of which were by Toyota main dealers & flew through the last MOT with no advisories whatsoever. It has also only ever been run on Super Unleaded fuel mainly V-Power.
The car was completely standard in every way when I purchased it but I got the modifying bug in the last couple of years & I have spent thousands of pounds on tasteful mods & maintaining the car & will list what has been done below...
RECENT MAINTENANCE :
Oil & Filter change at 65744 miles using Fuchs Titan Race Pro S 10W-50 Fully Synthetic High Performance Engine Oil with a Genuine Toyota Oil Filter.
New Fuel Filter fitted at 62956 miles.
New Brake Pads Front & Rear at 62956 miles.
Brake Fluid changed at 62956 miles.
Cambelt changed at 59554 miles.
Spark Plugs changed at 59554 miles.
Battery replaced 1 year 3 months ago.
Coolant change at 54574 miles.
Clutch fluid change at 54574 miles.
New Superstrut Fig-8 suspension link's, Superstut Lower Arms & Superstrut Banana Arms with new crush tubes both sides replaced at 66412 miles. (Ouch! Expensive)
4 Wheel allignment at 64150 miles.
I have receipts for all of the above as well as masses of invoices & bills for previous work over the years.
RECENT MODIFICATIONS & BANK BALANCE REDUCERS! (Mostly from Fensport apart from a few exceptions) :
New Rota Grid 18'' Grey Alloy Wheels & 4 new tyres with McGard Locking wheel nuts (£850)
New Stainless Steel Door Sill Covers (£100)
New Blitz SUS induction kit (£225)
New Tein S-Tech Lowered Springs (£175)
New KYB uprated Shock absorbers all round (£435)
New Mongoose Stainless Steel Cat-back 2.5 inch Exhaust system (£470)
New Late spec facelift Rear Lights, clear front indicators & side repeaters (£250)
New Superstrut Fig-8 suspension links (£130)
New Anti Roll bar links all round (£50)
New Superflex Poly-bushes all round (£100)
New TRD uprated suspension top mounts (£250)
Tinted Windows - dark back screen, lighter rear quarter lights & even lighter fronts (£150)
New H&R 25mm rear bolt-on wheel spacers & 5mm front shims (£125)
Blitz Super Access ECU (£450)
New Superstrut Banana Arms & crush tubes both sides (£250)
New Superstrut Lower Arms both sides (£350)
Rare triple speaker door cards (£100)
These are the main mods & expenses but there are also loads of less expensive minor mods like TRD Stainless Oil filler cap, TRD centre caps & valve caps, Brighter Headlight bulbs, LED number plate bulbs, manual boost controller, carbon vinyl wrapped interior trims, polished radiator bracket covers, polished fuse box covers etc & maybe a few other bits I may have forgotten.
I also have kept most of the original parts off the car which will go with it like the interior trims, original air box, original ecu, original lights etc.
I fell in love with this car & it is my pride & joy that's why I have spent all this money on it & will not let it go for any silly offers as I know it's rare to find such a genuine UK car with all the above history & work done. The engine & turbo pull like a train & there is never even a hint of any smoke out the back I think it had a very easy life with the elderly previous owner. The engine sounds sweet with not a hint of any tapping sounds & doesn't use any oil. The gearbox feels like new no notchy changes or anything like that. There are also no oil leaks whatsover my driveway is very clean!
If I don't get what I want for it I will just keep it as I have spent a lot more on it than the asking price.
My private registration number is currently on the car but will put on retention when a sale is agreed so will not go with the car. It will go back onto it's original N reg plate.
Any questions please ask as i've probably forgotten some stuff.
I can upload some pics of it too and pass on his mobile number if required
There is another stunning black one on the OC thats located in Ipswich ( no longer a member but i look at sales threads ) its a UK car and really looks the part and been well lokked after.
Here is his ad :
Due to lack of space having 3 cars now I must sadly sell my beloved UK ST205.
It's a 1996 N Reg UK Black ST205 with only 67500 miles registered 14/03/1996 with 11 Months MOT & Tax.
It has the usual spec which I'm sure most of you know along with full black leather interior, electric sunroof, factory sideskirts, headlight wash system & a 6CD changer. It has 2 keys with standard factory cat 1 alarm & immobilser with 3 fobs.
Everything electrical on the car works perfectly as it should even down to the electric aerial that goes up & down & even the headlight washers.
This car is not an import & I know it's history from day one! It was originally a demonstrator for Maltel Toyota Hertford & when it was 3 months old it was purchased by the previous owner through his company. In 1999 he then transferred ownership from his company into his own name & kept the car until 2010 when I purchased it from him. He was an older chap around 65-70 years old who was retiring & had a newly disabled wife so the car was no longer suitable for them as she was now in a wheelchair. He was very sad to see it go but had no choice.
The car has full service history with nearly 20 stamps in the service book most of which were by Toyota main dealers & flew through the last MOT with no advisories whatsoever. It has also only ever been run on Super Unleaded fuel mainly V-Power.
The car was completely standard in every way when I purchased it but I got the modifying bug in the last couple of years & I have spent thousands of pounds on tasteful mods & maintaining the car & will list what has been done below...
RECENT MAINTENANCE :
Oil & Filter change at 65744 miles using Fuchs Titan Race Pro S 10W-50 Fully Synthetic High Performance Engine Oil with a Genuine Toyota Oil Filter.
New Fuel Filter fitted at 62956 miles.
New Brake Pads Front & Rear at 62956 miles.
Brake Fluid changed at 62956 miles.
Cambelt changed at 59554 miles.
Spark Plugs changed at 59554 miles.
Battery replaced 1 year 3 months ago.
Coolant change at 54574 miles.
Clutch fluid change at 54574 miles.
New Superstrut Fig-8 suspension link's, Superstut Lower Arms & Superstrut Banana Arms with new crush tubes both sides replaced at 66412 miles. (Ouch! Expensive)
4 Wheel allignment at 64150 miles.
I have receipts for all of the above as well as masses of invoices & bills for previous work over the years.
RECENT MODIFICATIONS & BANK BALANCE REDUCERS! (Mostly from Fensport apart from a few exceptions) :
New Rota Grid 18'' Grey Alloy Wheels & 4 new tyres with McGard Locking wheel nuts (£850)
New Stainless Steel Door Sill Covers (£100)
New Blitz SUS induction kit (£225)
New Tein S-Tech Lowered Springs (£175)
New KYB uprated Shock absorbers all round (£435)
New Mongoose Stainless Steel Cat-back 2.5 inch Exhaust system (£470)
New Late spec facelift Rear Lights, clear front indicators & side repeaters (£250)
New Superstrut Fig-8 suspension links (£130)
New Anti Roll bar links all round (£50)
New Superflex Poly-bushes all round (£100)
New TRD uprated suspension top mounts (£250)
Tinted Windows - dark back screen, lighter rear quarter lights & even lighter fronts (£150)
New H&R 25mm rear bolt-on wheel spacers & 5mm front shims (£125)
Blitz Super Access ECU (£450)
New Superstrut Banana Arms & crush tubes both sides (£250)
New Superstrut Lower Arms both sides (£350)
Rare triple speaker door cards (£100)
These are the main mods & expenses but there are also loads of less expensive minor mods like TRD Stainless Oil filler cap, TRD centre caps & valve caps, Brighter Headlight bulbs, LED number plate bulbs, manual boost controller, carbon vinyl wrapped interior trims, polished radiator bracket covers, polished fuse box covers etc & maybe a few other bits I may have forgotten.
I also have kept most of the original parts off the car which will go with it like the interior trims, original air box, original ecu, original lights etc.
I fell in love with this car & it is my pride & joy that's why I have spent all this money on it & will not let it go for any silly offers as I know it's rare to find such a genuine UK car with all the above history & work done. The engine & turbo pull like a train & there is never even a hint of any smoke out the back I think it had a very easy life with the elderly previous owner. The engine sounds sweet with not a hint of any tapping sounds & doesn't use any oil. The gearbox feels like new no notchy changes or anything like that. There are also no oil leaks whatsover my driveway is very clean!
If I don't get what I want for it I will just keep it as I have spent a lot more on it than the asking price.
My private registration number is currently on the car but will put on retention when a sale is agreed so will not go with the car. It will go back onto it's original N reg plate.
Any questions please ask as i've probably forgotten some stuff.
I can upload some pics of it too and pass on his mobile number if required
That's the car I was going to email you about! I was going to email you about it because it's not advertised anywhere but owners' clubs at the moment and I wanted to keep it a bit hush-hush 
It's exactly what I'm looking for in an ST205 and is the car I was talking about earlier when I referred to "making a trip down south" subject to me liking the car I viewed today (which I did)...
I'm going to ring the chap in Ipswich later and hopefully go and pick it up at the weekend.
Thanks for the links to the other sites too, I'll have a look at them this evening.
It's exactly what I'm looking for in an ST205 and is the car I was talking about earlier when I referred to "making a trip down south" subject to me liking the car I viewed today (which I did)... I'm going to ring the chap in Ipswich later and hopefully go and pick it up at the weekend.
Thanks for the links to the other sites too, I'll have a look at them this evening.
Looks a cracker that one does, although the radiator is definitely browned so I'd imagine you should budget a little bit for replacing that in the near future.
Great cars, had mine for nearly three and a half years now and that's saying something, I normally get bored and shove a car off after 6 months, if that.
Plenty of power, excellent build quality, comfortable ride, these days they're pretty much rarer than hen's teeth, and they look much sportier than the other rally reps you see on the road.
Don't think I'll ever sell mine! Just had it resprayed and stickered up, and booked in next month for a full interior retrim
Great cars, had mine for nearly three and a half years now and that's saying something, I normally get bored and shove a car off after 6 months, if that.
Plenty of power, excellent build quality, comfortable ride, these days they're pretty much rarer than hen's teeth, and they look much sportier than the other rally reps you see on the road.
Don't think I'll ever sell mine! Just had it resprayed and stickered up, and booked in next month for a full interior retrim
Thanks for that Gaz, I'm a bit like that in that I never really keep cars more than a year - maybe the Celica might stick around a bit longer...
I've just been having another look on ebay, I've missed this one somehow; I checked last night and didn't see it. Anyway, seems like quite a nice one:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290695415510?_trksid=p51...
I've also got a set of grey Recaro Speeds that would go well in there
I've just been having another look on ebay, I've missed this one somehow; I checked last night and didn't see it. Anyway, seems like quite a nice one:
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/290695415510?_trksid=p51...
I've also got a set of grey Recaro Speeds that would go well in there
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