Going to look at a Celica tomorrow
Discussion
Going to check out a Celica with/for my brother tomorrow.
If it was up to me it'd be the GT4 but unfortunately my brothers only requirement is that it's red and can house a baby seat in the back.
The car in question is a 2001 Y reg 1.8 VVTi 3dr Coupé 81k
I have limited knowledge about this car so I'm asking you guys for common faults etc that I should be looking for and things I should be asking the owner about.
It's a private sale and listed at £2800.
Thanks for any help on the matter.
If it was up to me it'd be the GT4 but unfortunately my brothers only requirement is that it's red and can house a baby seat in the back.
The car in question is a 2001 Y reg 1.8 VVTi 3dr Coupé 81k
I have limited knowledge about this car so I'm asking you guys for common faults etc that I should be looking for and things I should be asking the owner about.
It's a private sale and listed at £2800.
Thanks for any help on the matter.
Check the service book and any receipts for any evidence that the engine might have been changed.
Some pre-facelift Celica 140s (VVTi, not VVTLi) had an oil consumption issue that was fixed in the post-facelifts, something that needed an entire short block replacement to fix. Toyota extended the warranty on the car (for this particular issue ONLY) to 7 years or 100,000 miles, and would do a free replacement as long as the car had a full Toyota service history. However, this warranty would no longer apply to this car anyway, being 9 years old.
If the engine's been changed, then the problem might be sorted.
If not, then listen carefully to the engine and if there's excessive ticking or anything that sounds "rattly" or clanky, walk away.
You should be able to find a post-facelift Celica for not much more money and that won't have the issue.
Apart from this problem, they're pretty bulletproof. The rear discs are prone to rusting, but there's not much that can be done about that short of replacing the discs, and the standard Toyota alloys are notorious for bubbling and flaking.
The Gen7 Celicas are driven by a timing chain so don't be alarmed if there's no evidence of a timing belt change in the service log.
Some pre-facelift Celica 140s (VVTi, not VVTLi) had an oil consumption issue that was fixed in the post-facelifts, something that needed an entire short block replacement to fix. Toyota extended the warranty on the car (for this particular issue ONLY) to 7 years or 100,000 miles, and would do a free replacement as long as the car had a full Toyota service history. However, this warranty would no longer apply to this car anyway, being 9 years old.
If the engine's been changed, then the problem might be sorted.
If not, then listen carefully to the engine and if there's excessive ticking or anything that sounds "rattly" or clanky, walk away.
You should be able to find a post-facelift Celica for not much more money and that won't have the issue.
Apart from this problem, they're pretty bulletproof. The rear discs are prone to rusting, but there's not much that can be done about that short of replacing the discs, and the standard Toyota alloys are notorious for bubbling and flaking.
The Gen7 Celicas are driven by a timing chain so don't be alarmed if there's no evidence of a timing belt change in the service log.
Edited by gazchap on Monday 21st December 17:29
gazchap said:
You should be able to get a baby seat in the back of a GT-Four, by the way. I've not tried in mine (I don't have any kids!) but if you can get one in the back of a Gen7 you should easily be able to get one in, the seats are largely similar.
he really won't be bothered about a GT-4 unless it has more cup holders or is a shinier red xD I remember him saying actually that he didn't like the look of the older celica's so that's out anyway.We'll see what it's like though and I'll report back on my findings I think he'll decide it's too small for him once he's in it and sees the back seats. =P
VVTi are more robust, it was the VVTLi that had the oval piston rings and lift bolt issues.
My first Celica was a 51 red chili 140 - fabulous little cars and nice to drive - kiddie seats fit in rear (never had one myself) but adults have issues with headroom.
Go to www.celica-club.co.uk as someone has suggested as you will probably need to replace the alloys if they're the standard 16's - prone to bubbling.
My first Celica was a 51 red chili 140 - fabulous little cars and nice to drive - kiddie seats fit in rear (never had one myself) but adults have issues with headroom.
Go to www.celica-club.co.uk as someone has suggested as you will probably need to replace the alloys if they're the standard 16's - prone to bubbling.
bint said:
VVTi are more robust, it was the VVTLi that had the oval piston rings and lift bolt issues.
No, it wasn't. The VVTi (140bhp) engine suffered from the oval piston rings (and excess oil consumption as a result) while the VVTLi (190bhp) did indeed suffer from issues with the lift bolts. There are reports of excess oil consumption on the 190bhp engine, but these are few and far between when compared to the reports for the 140.Both problems were fixed in the facelifted versions of their respective cars.
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