Hey there,
New to the forums.

As im 16, and have been looking for a first cars, i have came across the idea that i would love a celica. Not only do they look nice (90-93 models personally), but i have seen alot of good reviews on this car. Though there doesnt seem to be many celica's on car websites there are a couple of 90 models.

Now my question to you all is:
What is the difference between the three models 90 - 93. And would getting a 90 instead of waiting for a 93 to arise from somewhere be a mistake?....
I know that the shifter is shorter in the 92/93 models but that is about all i could research. I do not know any of the other differences and if they are important or not. I might also add that im not very knowledgable on cars.
If someone could please list a few differences in the models, itd be really helpful

Thanks

Todd

great choice of first car! my first car is a 1992 celica.

im assuming you are talking about the non turbo model? ok as you may have noticed in researching or looking for the gen 5 celica (1990-93) that there is a diff between some of them.
there is a pre face lift and face lift models. the face lift happened October 1991. all it was is a new front grill and bumper that would have two small 'fog' lights, and a black plastic strip around the back of the rear lights (on the hatch model ,ill talk more bout that later). also 15" wheels instead of 14" and different rims. and yeah true about the short shifter, its still very long tho lol.

the face lift model also had 5 more kilowatts. don't ask how or why, i think its a change in exhaust manifold or cat or something other that actual motor performance that raised the power.

there is a hatch and coupe model available, i prefer the look of the hatch but its your choice. the coupe is lighter by about 20 kilo, but u wont notice and performance increase, think of it this way the better aerodynamics of the hatch will cover the difference that that weight just made.

its a good idea to weight for a face lift model as with most face lifts there are changes which increases reliability and with 17 year old cars its best to take what u can.

its a really nice car to have for your first, and if u find one in good nick and you treat it well then u wont have a problem, things to try look for:

new clutch, new motor, service history, and get one with a sunroof!!! also if u can get one which had an engine conversion done to a 3s-ge you will not regret it, the 3s ge is the motor used in the japanese model of the celica, it has 40 more horse power and is still P- plater friendly. i think it might be more reliable to.

umm, yeah if u get one make sure it reads well and has a service history, how much do u have to spend on a car?

if u take care of it and dont thrash the **** out of you should be fine.

here is a good site to look for them on, www.carsales.com.au. and when buying a car always make sure it either has a RWC or get it checked by a mechanic before u buy it.

if u have any more questions just ask and ill try help

Thanks for the help black turkey.

Ive been looking on carsales and carpoint. My budget is small i must admit , at around 4500 if my parents chuck in some. I know its not much, but i did get these two celicas (im sure they arnt that good)

http://www.carpoint.com.au/used-car/TOYOTA....aspx?State=QLD

http://www.carpoint.com.au/used-car/TOYOTA....aspx?State=QLD

I live in queensland , so am limited to qld cars only, which is kind of a let down. I dont know what the price range should be for a decent celica. If you know any celicas around that price mark that i didnt link, thatd be great if you could.

ok they are alright. the first one is a GT4, the turbo model, if u want to go with one of these as your first car i wouldnt recommend it, its a good car and im not sure bout the P plate laws and turbo cars in QLD but its going to be alot of work to keep it on the road, you have to wonder why he is selling it a 4500, and you look at the km and you see why. the gt4's would need lots of attention to keep them goign, much more than the base model.

the second car is a ok choice, keep looking tho, this car has 343000 kms. try and get one around the 200,000 mark. ill have a look for some for you.

just had a quick look. there is not much there for QLD, does it HAVE to be from QLD? its something like 900 bucks to get the car trucked around. it cost me 900 dollars for mine to come to Darwin from sunshine coast... it will just give you much more options.

I have a '91 pre-facelift model. Had I have known more about Celicas when I bought mine, I would have got one with ABS brakes (not that the brakes suck, just that I FEEL I need to drive a LOT more cautiously in the wet). Also it's marginally easier to mod a facelift model - there are companies around that do drop-in camshafts for the facelift '91+. The facelift model also has better-looking badges IMO. The sunroof is a nice touch, though I'd prefer an aftermarket one myself (these are expensive though).

I have the 5sfe powerplant and I'm happy with it. People say it sucks because it's difficult to mod and it makes all of its power between 3000-5500rpm (as opposed to the 3sge that is more powerful and revs higher), but it's a pleasure to drive because it just makes so much torque. Only the turbo model makes more. But if you're into modding, get the 3sge or be prepared to spend a LOT modding the 5sfe.

MAKE SURE you look at the service history. Look to see if it's had the 200kk service done - timing belt, water pump, oil seals. Getting this done yourself will be around ~1K. Don't bother with anything around the 350kk mark unless you're willing to spend money down the track. That said, both the 5sfe and 3sge engines are SOLID (unlike these damn fords and holdens that **** head gaskets and transmissions nearly every opportunity).

Ah , right , thanks for replies guys.

Black turkey, the state issues are only a problem because i want to look at the car and test drive it before i buy it. And going to a different state may be a waste of time if there is something wrong with it or it does not drive well.

yeah thats a good point. do u have any rellies that live in other states? cos u could ask them to test it for you, then get a mechanic to check it, then if all goes well, bring her up

Unfortunately , no. All my family - apart from my uncle who lives in NSW Sydney (no celica's ther anyway), live in Qld. Which kinda sucks , as i would really like one of these nice cars.

you are pretty much stuck then i guess. i dont suggest ebay, not for a car. ummmmmm, honda integra? or just wait for one to come up

Thanks

Integra's seem to be expensive, as i got 1 car in my searh for under 5k. Though i would love to wait for a celia to show up, is ther any other sportyish cars for the same low price as a celica?

not as good as the celica, but try nissan nx, umm, suzuki swift (the older one, they arent that bad, 80km/h in first apparently). ill think of more, u can try a mitsubishi fto but im sure they are around 10 000 and they v6.

good choice if u wait around for the silly car, they really are the best in the league, what other car can u think of that looks and performs as well as these that was made in 1990 and is under 10,000?

If you want a cheap performance orientated car try:

Toyota Corolla GTI
Suzuki Swift GTi
Nissan Pulsar SSS
Nissan NX

These cars are by far more performance orientated then the Celica. Unless you find a Celica SX with a 3S-GE but that would be VERY VERY rare.

You might also consider the Corolla AE86, Nissan Exa or 5th gen Honda Civic.

FTO's are ok (though I personally think they look a bit weird), but guzzle petrol according to my friend. And not that cheap.

i wouldnt have thought a nissan nx would out perform a celica?

Why rare? Most of the ST162s sold in Australia were the SX variant, with the 3SGE. And they're quite common. Finding one in good nick is the real trouble.

SR-20 **MUNCHES** 5S-FE



Yeah I thought thats how people would of read it but the OP was saying a Celica that is the 1990-1993 bracket. The Jap spec ST18X with a 3S-GE now thats where the 'rare' comes into play.

a 90s celica would struggle to give an exa a go let alone a nx

my friends nx gets to 100 about the same time my celica does. plus i dnt like the look of em

Yeah its an acquired taste to like the shape of the NX but as for the chase to 100 clicks I think something is wrong with your mates NX.

I dont know but dont let me turn this into a **** storm.

haha na dont turn this into a storm, easy there tiger hehe. apparently they only get to 100 in an official time of 9.5 and we get it 9.8 in the silly car. so its pretty close.

Haha yeah just add 15 - 20 years of aging and whatnot and then you'll see the 0-100 sprint get done in about 15 -18 seconds.