Toyota Celica VVTi - Opinions

[The_Burg]

On my Friday perusal of Autotrader cheapies i notice these are available cheaply now.
Mate had one new many years back and always seemed a decent drive.
I'm thinking of taking a look at a 140hp one.

Any bad points to look for? Are they a decent buy?
Looking at £2.5k for an 02 90k mile one.

[skyline501]

Try Googling 'Celica VVTI oil consumption' first.

[freakynessless]

For £2.5K my money would be on a generation 6 GT4

[dibblecorse]

Great car, ran one for over 50,000 miles, used no oil between services, had no issues in 4 years of ownership, was nible enough of B roads, lacked some punch but if you need that the 190bhp one its not a lot more money, lovely interior, I'd recommend one.

in fact weekend before last I looked at one as a possible runabout again .....

[Miocene]

skyline501 said:

Try Googling 'Celica VVTI oil consumption' first.

Only occurs on some of the older models, problem was fixed.

[shibby!]

I have a 2000 model, had this bad boy for 5 years now. (wifes commuter car)

Its not got 140k, and still runs well.

Yes it uses a little oil, but its not a huge amount. maybe about a quarter every 2 months or something like that.


Its getting to the point now however that brakes etc need doing. But in all the time we have had it. Its never broken down, never failed to start, passed every MOT first time. I just keep it serviced.

Think its an ace car and cant go wrong.


I think its good on the corners, the straight line speed isnt great from the 140bhp... but then it does only have 140bhp, its reasonable though.

[Godzuki]

Underrated cars in my opinion. Always in the shadow of the Integra, they actually handle quite well. I've only driven the 190 version, but it was brisk enough, and the turn in was certainly sharp enough for more hooning roads.

[Bill Carr]

I had one - check my profile for comments/running costs etc. I think they're ok but no better than that. The handling is good and the steering exceptionally sharp, but the 140 bhp only just feels like enough.

What I found particularly grating was the gearbox just wasn't good enough for an engine that thrives on revs and needs to be kept in the power band. The gear change on my example was quite baulky, overly sprung and just not nice to use. Also I found I could never get properly comfortable in the driver's seat, and the relatively poor economy was not offset by sufficiently adequate performance.

But they're solid enough, nice places to be and the boot is usefully sized. You can do a lot worse for your money.

[powwerr]

My sister runs one. a 55 plate i think. Its a 190.

Nice cars, dash is a bit plasticky but it is Jap. I dont think im a fan of the engine however it does need to be thrashed to go anywhere. saying that, a 8500 redline is nice. sounds good.

Her running costs are pretty non existant, but she does drive like a girl.

[Garett]

I test drove one a few months ago and was extremely underwhelmed. The engine was the biggest let down, it felt weak and powerless. The handling seemed ok but nothing special, but the interior was quite nice. They are good looking cars but for me it was style over substance.

[Riknos]

freakynessless said:

For £2.5K my money would be on a generation 6 GT4

I wouldn't want to touch an ST205 GT4 at £2.5k... They're not exactly cheap cars to run!

[LuS1fer]

The wheels always look too small. Oddly, I was looking at some on Auto Trader this morning as I've had a Carina in the past which was dull but very reliable. The Celica looks good even now - it's just those wheels.

[jackthelad1984]

nice looking cars but the older ones are a better drive, the older 3sge engines were much better than the vvti models

[TaRD]

Love mine, they're quite sprightly but not very quick in a straight line. Good round corners. Some pre face lift models (small hole with the toyota badge in on front bumper) had oil issues. Should be in the service log if it got sorted. Mine's a pre face lift and doesn't drink a drop.

Join celica-club.co.uk for much more info.

[Welshbeef]

Isnt the 190bhp engine nothing nothing nothing then everything last few revs

[pimpchez]

Op save yourself some money and just buy a corolla t-sport like i did when i was in your position

Welshbeef said:

Isnt the 190bhp engine nothing nothing nothing then everything last few revs

not quite ,under 6200rpm you have 140bhp ,isnt that enough for daily driving ?
after that it dumps in 50bhp ,the bonnet lifts and the engine does scream all the way to 8200rpm
its alot kinda to your drivers license then a turbo car of the same power ,due to the fact you really have to plan were your gonna floor the thing

[RobCrezz]

pimpchez said:

its alot kinda to your drivers license then a turbo car of the same power ,due to the fact you really have to plan were your gonna floor the thing

What?

[The_Burg]

Had a look at the local one, tax ran out in October, disks and calipers severely rusted, looked a bit of dog.
walked away.

[Jw Vw]

RobCrezz said:

pimpchez said:

its alot kinda to your drivers license then a turbo car of the same power ,due to the fact you really have to plan were your gonna floor the thing

What?

That's what I thought

[Drive Blind]

I've never driven one but the general opinion seems to be that the poorly chosen gearbox ratios are the major downfall of the car.