Gen 7 Toyota Celica recommendations please!
Discussion
I'm in the market for a car to replace my Ford Puma as my daily driver, and having enjoyed Japanese reliability in the past, I'm now looking at a last generation Toyota Celica. I've always liked them, but haven't been near one since sitting in one at a motorshow a few years back.
I'm looking for something with a bit of practicality, so can anyone confirm for me whether it would be possible to get a mountain bike in the back (obviously with rear seats folded and front wheel of the bike removed)? Is it possible to get a rear bike carrier for them - used one on my old Corrado and often found it preferable to putting a muddy MTB back in the car... I can't use one at present with the Puma as the top of the hatch is just the top of the glass rear windscreen
Also, I'd be interested to know what the recommended service interval is. I've read of some issues with the early 140bhp models, worrying oil consumption being the main one, but budget willing I'd really like to go for the 190 - love that engine
And before anyone suggests it, I've already owned one of the last DC2s and want to experience something different this time around!
Anything else I should be aware of? Any advice welcome
I'm looking for something with a bit of practicality, so can anyone confirm for me whether it would be possible to get a mountain bike in the back (obviously with rear seats folded and front wheel of the bike removed)? Is it possible to get a rear bike carrier for them - used one on my old Corrado and often found it preferable to putting a muddy MTB back in the car... I can't use one at present with the Puma as the top of the hatch is just the top of the glass rear windscreen
Also, I'd be interested to know what the recommended service interval is. I've read of some issues with the early 140bhp models, worrying oil consumption being the main one, but budget willing I'd really like to go for the 190 - love that engine
And before anyone suggests it, I've already owned one of the last DC2s and want to experience something different this time around!
Anything else I should be aware of? Any advice welcome
I've got a tsport of the last generation of Celicas, tbh i've had a lot more practical looking cars that are worse! apart from the sharp slope to the rear window, the hatch has as much if not more room than most. I've had my mountain bike in the back of there no issues.
Bike rack - on mine the spoiler is in the way - no idea on the non spoiler ones i'm afraid.
If you've had a dC2 then your aware of how the VVTL-I works in driving, this is what you'll get over the 140.
if you can i'd go for a post face-lift car (>sept 02) the 140 prior to that had the risk of wear to the bores causing excessive oil consumption - or potentially dead engine in the long term.
The pre-facelift 190's had an issue with some bolts on the cam, somtimes referred to as lift bolts. These are easily replaced.
I went for the tsport as my two musts were leather and climate - on the 140 this was done by packs - my insurers at the time saw these as modifications and believe it or not for me the insurance was higher on a 'packed' 140 than a tsport 190. I've heard this is common.
The facelift can easily be seen, the pre-facelift ones have a hole under the toyota badge on the nose, the post facelift ones the badge is directly on metal. The plastic in the facelift is also much nicer imo
on the tsport you also get traction control - i dont think this was an option on the other cars.
I've had mine 2 years on tuesday, all my previous cars have lasted 3 to 18 months before i get bored and replace, so it must be doing something right. Servicing is every 12 months or 12k, not that horrendous tbh, oil filter etc, think the major service from mr-t is about £250 the basic was £118. It's a chain cam so no need for timing belt change - apart from that i've had to replace the tyres, brake disks / pads, wiper blades, battery, 1 bulb and thats about it. MPG i've been getting 26 during the cold months and i do 1 mile each way to work and back plus the odd 30 mile trip on family visits, i was getting 37 on motorway trips to london last summer, normally getting 28-30 on my daily drive.
if you are into car audio, the celica is the easiest i've ever worked on. All previous cars have been like wiring thru the letter box! on the celica you remove the gear knob, two screws and you can virtually climb behind the dash!
think thats about it
hth
Bike rack - on mine the spoiler is in the way - no idea on the non spoiler ones i'm afraid.
If you've had a dC2 then your aware of how the VVTL-I works in driving, this is what you'll get over the 140.
if you can i'd go for a post face-lift car (>sept 02) the 140 prior to that had the risk of wear to the bores causing excessive oil consumption - or potentially dead engine in the long term.
The pre-facelift 190's had an issue with some bolts on the cam, somtimes referred to as lift bolts. These are easily replaced.
I went for the tsport as my two musts were leather and climate - on the 140 this was done by packs - my insurers at the time saw these as modifications and believe it or not for me the insurance was higher on a 'packed' 140 than a tsport 190. I've heard this is common.
The facelift can easily be seen, the pre-facelift ones have a hole under the toyota badge on the nose, the post facelift ones the badge is directly on metal. The plastic in the facelift is also much nicer imo
on the tsport you also get traction control - i dont think this was an option on the other cars.
I've had mine 2 years on tuesday, all my previous cars have lasted 3 to 18 months before i get bored and replace, so it must be doing something right. Servicing is every 12 months or 12k, not that horrendous tbh, oil filter etc, think the major service from mr-t is about £250 the basic was £118. It's a chain cam so no need for timing belt change - apart from that i've had to replace the tyres, brake disks / pads, wiper blades, battery, 1 bulb and thats about it. MPG i've been getting 26 during the cold months and i do 1 mile each way to work and back plus the odd 30 mile trip on family visits, i was getting 37 on motorway trips to london last summer, normally getting 28-30 on my daily drive.
if you are into car audio, the celica is the easiest i've ever worked on. All previous cars have been like wiring thru the letter box! on the celica you remove the gear knob, two screws and you can virtually climb behind the dash!
think thats about it
hth
Edited by chr15b on Sunday 25th January 21:36
Edited by chr15b on Sunday 25th January 21:43
Thanks, useful information 
Glad to hear I should be able to get my bike in there - always thought the Gen7 looked quite small, but if I can manage it in my Puma then I guess it must be doable. Always used to amaze people just how big the boot in the Integra was!
I'm well aware of the characteristics of the 190 engine as I've got one in my other car
Just have a horrible feeling that if I went for the 140 then I'd always wish I'd held out and got a 190! Is the cam change point still 6200rpm in the Celica?
Sadly I don't think I'll be able to stretch to a facelift car, so will need to take my chances with an earlier one...
Glad to hear I should be able to get my bike in there - always thought the Gen7 looked quite small, but if I can manage it in my Puma then I guess it must be doable. Always used to amaze people just how big the boot in the Integra was!
I'm well aware of the characteristics of the 190 engine as I've got one in my other car
Just have a horrible feeling that if I went for the 140 then I'd always wish I'd held out and got a 190! Is the cam change point still 6200rpm in the Celica?Sadly I don't think I'll be able to stretch to a facelift car, so will need to take my chances with an earlier one...
I've had a Celica 190 for about six months now - must be good considering the length of time I normally keep my cars for! I'm selling it soon however, keep an eye on the classifieds.
There isn't much to say beyond what the previous poster said, but this is what I'd normally say to people buying:
Oil burning problems only occur on the pre-facelift 140 engines - they get oval pistons. Toyota were doing goodwill repairs if you had FSH but I'm not sure if they still do.
The 190 engine is the one you want though for it's top end. Look out to make sure the lift bolts have been changed on the engine, as these can snap. This doesn't damage the engine but will prevent it going into 'lift'. Dead cheap to change. The newer version of these lift bolts has a different shape to prevent the wear that happened to the old ones.
Cam change point is at 6200rpm.
Gearboxes are the 'weak' point of the car - not weak as in unreliable but they don't really feel nice. The change isn't slick really, but apparently this can be improved by using different gearbox oil. The change is OK in my car - weirdly it seems to have good and bad days, but this is my biggest disappointment with the car, especially when you have to change gear so often!
Car is very practical, with the rear seats folded down the load area is huge. You'll easily get a bike in there. Dead easy to park as well, as they have surprisingly good visibility. Just don't confuse the reversing beep for parking sensors!
One common problem - don't leave any coins in the central cupholders - this is where the alarm sensor lives and it will set the alarm off. I couldn't work it out until I read about virtually every other Celica owner on the net having the same problems.
Alloys are prone to warping and corroding unfortunately. They must be made of very soft metal!
Apart from that, I don't think there is much else to go wrong. Service intervals are every 12k miles. Check out http://www.celica-club.co.uk
MPG is exactly the same as previously stated - I've had it as low as 23-ish when I did a trackday, and as high as 37/38 on the motorway. Most of the time I get around 30/31.
Only the T-Sport has traction control. My car doesn't have it but I don't think it is really necessary on these cars - there isn't much low end torque to get the wheels spinning!
Tyres - I've got Eagle F1's on mine, and while I don't have anything to compare them to they seem to grip well in most weather conditions.
I think they drive brilliantly - the ride isn't too harsh, you get feedback through the steering, and the whole car seems to 'breathe' with the road, not bounce along like so many 'sporty' cars.
Recommended.
There isn't much to say beyond what the previous poster said, but this is what I'd normally say to people buying:
Oil burning problems only occur on the pre-facelift 140 engines - they get oval pistons. Toyota were doing goodwill repairs if you had FSH but I'm not sure if they still do.
The 190 engine is the one you want though for it's top end. Look out to make sure the lift bolts have been changed on the engine, as these can snap. This doesn't damage the engine but will prevent it going into 'lift'. Dead cheap to change. The newer version of these lift bolts has a different shape to prevent the wear that happened to the old ones.
Cam change point is at 6200rpm.
Gearboxes are the 'weak' point of the car - not weak as in unreliable but they don't really feel nice. The change isn't slick really, but apparently this can be improved by using different gearbox oil. The change is OK in my car - weirdly it seems to have good and bad days, but this is my biggest disappointment with the car, especially when you have to change gear so often!
Car is very practical, with the rear seats folded down the load area is huge. You'll easily get a bike in there. Dead easy to park as well, as they have surprisingly good visibility. Just don't confuse the reversing beep for parking sensors!
One common problem - don't leave any coins in the central cupholders - this is where the alarm sensor lives and it will set the alarm off. I couldn't work it out until I read about virtually every other Celica owner on the net having the same problems.
Alloys are prone to warping and corroding unfortunately. They must be made of very soft metal!
Apart from that, I don't think there is much else to go wrong. Service intervals are every 12k miles. Check out http://www.celica-club.co.uk
MPG is exactly the same as previously stated - I've had it as low as 23-ish when I did a trackday, and as high as 37/38 on the motorway. Most of the time I get around 30/31.
Only the T-Sport has traction control. My car doesn't have it but I don't think it is really necessary on these cars - there isn't much low end torque to get the wheels spinning!
Tyres - I've got Eagle F1's on mine, and while I don't have anything to compare them to they seem to grip well in most weather conditions.
I think they drive brilliantly - the ride isn't too harsh, you get feedback through the steering, and the whole car seems to 'breathe' with the road, not bounce along like so many 'sporty' cars.
Recommended.
Edited by ad551 on Monday 26th January 10:43
Can't add anything really to whats been said above, great reviews.
Their a superb car, definately go for the 190, they cost the same now anyway.
Interior size - with the seats down its HUGE, seriously, i use mine like a van and have fit in so much stuff you'd laugh if i showed a pic.
There are roof racks i've seen, so might be an option if you don't want to stick the bike in the car.
I LOVE mine, have had it 5 years so far and have no desire to sell it yet.
Their a superb car, definately go for the 190, they cost the same now anyway.
Interior size - with the seats down its HUGE, seriously, i use mine like a van and have fit in so much stuff you'd laugh if i showed a pic.
There are roof racks i've seen, so might be an option if you don't want to stick the bike in the car.
I LOVE mine, have had it 5 years so far and have no desire to sell it yet.
Thanks for those posts, all very helpful. Always good to hear such positive reviews
The MPG figures sound perfectly respectable, not sure how much I'd use the second cam for normal road driving, but it's always a nice thing to have, especially for overtaking! Traction control, or the lack of wouldn't bother me, I've never been too impressed with any system I've tried before - I'll stick with my right foot I've seen a number of adverts where the wheels look a bit tatty, but I guess a refurb shouldn't be too pricey. As for the boot size, I guess it must be deceptive as from the outside it certainly doesn't look a big car.
I think I'm pretty much sold on the car, it does sound exactly what I'm looking for, and is the sort of car I could see myself owning for a few years at least. Now all I need to do is see if I can find a nice 190 within my budget, off to scour the PH adverts again
The MPG figures sound perfectly respectable, not sure how much I'd use the second cam for normal road driving, but it's always a nice thing to have, especially for overtaking! Traction control, or the lack of wouldn't bother me, I've never been too impressed with any system I've tried before - I'll stick with my right foot
I've seen a number of adverts where the wheels look a bit tatty, but I guess a refurb shouldn't be too pricey. As for the boot size, I guess it must be deceptive as from the outside it certainly doesn't look a big car.I think I'm pretty much sold on the car, it does sound exactly what I'm looking for, and is the sort of car I could see myself owning for a few years at least. Now all I need to do is see if I can find a nice 190 within my budget, off to scour the PH adverts again
ad551 said:
Only the T-Sport has traction control. My car doesn't have it but I don't think it is really necessary on these cars - there isn't much low end torque to get the wheels spinning!
i've had the tc light come on on mine when i hit 'lift' in 2nd once on a damp road - thats 60 ish mph Edited by ad551 on Monday 26th January 10:43
but i agree, on the whole it's not needed as the car doesnt really try to catch you out like some of the e46 bmw's i've had.
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