Used Car - Toyota Celica?

[_HighVoltage_]

Hi all. I'm still in a market for a used car and found this 1994 Toyota Celica ST (1.8) on eBay for a decent price - $1500. The bad part is it has 229 000 miles on it. THe vehicle is inspected and running well (according to them) and they are selling it with a 72 Hour/1000 mile warranty.
What do yo all think? Is it a bad idea?

[The_Finn]

i would definitly get it inspected by a 3rd party if you can. It's all well and good to talk about toyota reliability but 200K is a lot of miles.

[Nocturnal]

Id leave it alone.

[NooDle]

229k is too much, even for a Toyota. I am surprised that they would give you a 1000 mile waranty though.

But don't.

[_HighVoltage_]

Thanks guys! I was tempted but not anymore.
I do have another question though - for the Americans here - if I buy a car from a dealership, but it has passed inspection - can I get temporary tags for it and drive it home? The car in question is a Subaru SVX for 2500$. The only reason it can't pass inspection is that the driver's door panel is broken and the button that lowers the window doesn't work.

[Spectre]

229K is too much for a FWD Toyota unless someone's already been through it (CV axles, radiator, water pump, etc., etc).

And generally, yes, the dealership can and should send you home with temp tags until your paperwork gets processed and your plates get sent to you.

[Ilpav]

Yeah, I would avoid it also. Just too much miles.

How many miles does the SVX have? I would get that if I were you because it's a very rare and interesting car.

[jebjeb]

2 years ago I baught a 1996 celica st 1.8LT for $3k
and it only had 75k miles just had new brakes and timing belt done. Now it has 130k miles still runs well with just oil changes(new need aliginment but thats more me then the car)

They are great little cars. Not fast by any means but has a sporty feel when driving on the motor way and 30mpg+

[Posmo]

I love the sound of "1000 mile or 72 hours warranty!" Gives you a lot of confidence

I say stay away, If you want a fwd car that handles decently, buy a civic.

[_HighVoltage_]

Most Civics are riced and they generally cost a lot.
The SVX has 140k miles and the paint is faded red.
I think I'm going to hunt for a better Celica. I've looked at so many models and it seems to be the most sensible and reasonable choice.

[Seasonone]

IMO when you're in the sub 2.5k price range you should just get a Corolla/Civic/Sentra/ect and not worry about "sporty" cars. I just looked at my local craigslist (yeah it doesn't help you) and found 2 Corollas 95/94 with ~120-130k miles. Both cars would be a lot more reliable than the same priced Celica or SVX, and IMO in that price range boring reliability > sporty.

Ebay is an iffy place to buy a car too, personally I would never buy a car that I haven't been able to drive and get inspected myself, unless it was a higher price car that's being sold by by a reliable source (a dealership that I've heard of or can get information about). It's just too easy to say it passed an inspection when it was really just quick run over. The engine may run but that doesn't mean all the shocks aren't blown, has a bad cat, non running electrical fan, and so on. A ghetto dealership will say anything to sell a car. And a 72 hour warranty may sound nice because most cars you get won't have one but still, that's just 3 days. That only saves you from getting a HUGE piece of shit. I've known quite a few cars that have lasted months on rod knock.

Sure you might get lucky and a 200k+ celica will be strong up to 300k, but still unless you have the money to replace the engine it's still too much of a gamble in my eyes. I have seen way too many people spend a lot more than they thought because they wanted a sporty DD.

But if you're stuck on a sporty car what about a 240sx (assuming the drift bandwagon hasn't shot up the prices to sad amounts like they are here) or a Miata?

[_HighVoltage_]

Corolla is out of the question. It's waaaay tooo boooring. I'm actually not that keen on a japanese car, I just liked the idea of a Celica.

Slightly off topic - I just found an ad on autotrader.com in my area about I car I've always been fascinated with. a 1990 Pontiac Grand Prix STE (yep, the Turbo one, made by McLaren, only a 1000 exist) with just 50k miles. The KBB value is 1500$, but I bet the owner is going to start talking about collectors value and stuff....If he agrees on 2500$ I'll take it, and there's no chance of talking me out of it.

(I bet he'll want at least 5000$)

[jebjeb]

If this car is for use in WV which I assume its not since you state you own a polo. But what about an Mitsubishi Eclipse(think its named a Talon in other places) from 95-99. They are sportyish ,tons of them around so parts shouldnt be an issue,plus ive heard they are pretty reliable for its age also. You can pick up a clean one of those for 1-3k around where I live.


But personall as I said above I went with a 96 Celica St and havnt had any second thoughts about it

[emil_t]

3 days warranty or 1000 miles shows little confidence but still, better than none at all. check if the clutch is worn or if get's into gear effortless and of course is the belt squeak primarily when starting the engine shows that the engine wasn't properly maintaind and belts need changeing, that's all i know about second hand buying, good luck though

[jayhawk]

Originally Posted by _HighVoltage_

can I get temporary tags for it and drive it home? The car in question is a Subaru SVX for 2500$. The only reason it can't pass inspection is that the driver's door panel is broken and the button that lowers the window doesn't work.

Stay far FAR away from a Subaru SVX. That, the Mitsubishi 3000GTand Nissan 300ZX's. They may be cheap now, but maintaining them are not. You have to remember that those cars were, in todays dollars, about $30-40,000 new. Can you right now afford to maintain or fix major problems on a $40000 car?

All three will nickel and dime you to death. For giggles one day, i priced out what it would cost to replace all the underhood rubber hoses on a 300ZX turbo, since they rot out from the heat. I stopped when the prices went over $1000.

Let's say someone didn't like you and smashed out all the windows on that SVX. Cough up $5000 for those.

[_HighVoltage_]

Oh jayhawk, why did you burst my dream bubble? Deep inside I was hoping to find a 3000GT/Stealth or 300ZX...
I know you are right though, thanks for the advise.

Originally Posted by jebjeb

But what about an Mitsubishi Eclipse(think its named a Talon in other places) from 95-99. They are sportyish ,tons of them around so parts shouldnt be an issue,plus ive heard they are pretty reliable for its age also. You can pick up a clean one of those for 1-3k around where I live.

Cars in WV are ridiculously expensive and hard to find - for a 95-99 Eclipse I'll have to travel at least a 100 miles to get it and it will cost at least 5000$ in WV.
For an example, the cheapest vehicle I could find in the dealerships around my area was a 98 Ford Escort for 3999$! Are they kidding me?

[tigger]

craigslist.org is your friend! If you've got less than 2.5k I would avoid dealerships and just look to private sellers, and always, always thoroughly inspect the car beforehand. Whether you do it or have a mechanic look at it.

I can tell you about high-mileage Celicas . I've had two 4th gen Celicas with over 250k. An '88 ST that needed (but didn't get) a CV shaft and iirc an alternator too. That car was a regular coffin nail though; I was really impressed with how little went wrong with it. Especially because I drove the hell out of it.

The other Celica is an '86 GTS that is getting hauled off to the junkyard tomorrow. The water pump went out and it seems it's had a small head gasket leak for sometime now (coolant in the oil). It needs new struts all the way around, and (another) CV shaft. Despite how much fun the GTS is to drive (holy shit is it fun to drive), a high mileage one will nickel and dime you to death. The ST shares alot of parts with other Toyotas, but the GTS has a ton of parts that don't even swap from other Celicas. Nearly the whole suspension and drivetrain are individual to the GTS.

However, if you can find a 4-5th gen GTS with a good service record and reasonable mileage, I advise you to go for it. Despite the relatively ... shitty example I owned I've got nothing but praise for those cars. 140hp, 2600lbs (with a full leather, power everything interior), close-ratio 5 speed and ~27mpg. I am going to miss that car.
/rant

[Viper007Bond]

I happen to know of one that just went on the market if you're interested.

[TBoneUs]

I hate you viper you beat me to it.

[Quiky]

Originally Posted by _HighVoltage_

Oh jayhawk, why did you burst my dream bubble? Deep inside I was hoping to find a 3000GT/Stealth or 300ZX...
I know you are right though, thanks for the advise.


Cars in WV are ridiculously expensive and hard to find - for a 95-99 Eclipse I'll have to travel at least a 100 miles to get it and it will cost at least 5000$ in WV.
For an example, the cheapest vehicle I could find in the dealerships around my area was a 98 Ford Escort for 3999$! Are they kidding me?

Why cant you just go to the virginia/dc/lower maryland area? Plenty of vehicles below that price.