Help me decide..

[jingai]

hallo,

i'm seriously considering purchasing a celica, but can't decide whether i really want to go with the GT or GTS. basically, after a couple accidents, i don't care to speed much over the limit anymore, but i'm still very interested in good 0-limit times. i do like to feel the torque..

also, i need an automatic for various reasons, so my question is.. is the considerable amount of extra cash for the GTS really worth it in the automatic and for my wants/needs? will i really notice that much of a difference?

this will be the third mid-priced car i've gotten in the last four years. the prior two cars just left me wanting more.. especially the last one, a vw jetta vr6, seeing as i blew nearly $30k on that thing. just don't want to repeat the same mistake :)

tia

[chameleon]

jingai, I'm not sure if a Celica is right for you. One thing that the Celica really lacks is low end torque, no matter what model you get.

If you are deciding between an auto GT and an auto GTS, I would say get the auto GTS. The reason I like the GTS auto is because it has the sport shift mode, which gives you full controle over the shifts via a set of buttons on the steering wheel. The GT auto is not available with this feature.

But just so you know, due to the lack of low end torque, the GTS auto is actually slower than a GT manual. I've never seen any times posted for a GT auto(obvously because the GT auto owners who bought that model are not concerned with performance) but I am sure that it's 1/4 times would be extremely slow.

I think that you should look elsewhere for a car. The GTS 6-speed is capable of giving a lot of other sporty cars a run for their money and the GT manual 5 speed seems to have a lot of potential, but the auto versions of the car should be avoided if you are interested in performance...

[jingai]

Thanks for the response. Unfortunately, I need an automatic due to my disability. Because I can't drive a manual though, I'm not really looking to compare manual versus automatic to make my decision. If I did, I'd just give up the hunt and buy a scooter or something :)

I test drove the GT already, and while it didn't impress me tremendously, it gave me what I would expect out of a car for its price. With its weight in its favor, it's probably even slightly quicker than my Jetta VR6 was. The Jetta was a 6 cylinder 154 hp engine, but the car weighed nearly 3500 lbs.

My question is really if the price difference between GT A/T and GTS A/T is as big as its price difference. I have not test driven the GTS yet because they've only gotten M/T on the lot for quite some time now.

Thanks again.

[HilfigerCelica]

I have an auto GTS and I'm quite satisfied with it. The sportshift feature really livens the car when you feel like going fast plus you can switch over to the auto mode when you're tired of playing with the gears. You mentioned that you wanted some low end torque, if this is the case then no Celica will fit your needs. If you want low end torque, a Solara or Accord Coupe might be a better car for you. Now if your daily commuter consist of going to work, home, and getting some grocery this this car is perfect for you. Everyone talks about the lack of low end torque on Celica's all day, but when you get behind the seat of a Celica going to get some Burger King, you won't even care. This is a really fun to drive car. I love the way it looks and the way it sits low to the ground. Anyways go test drive it and tell us what you think.

[chameleon]

If you are going for performance and must have an auto, maybe you should look into getting a CVT auto. CVT automatic transmitions are actually faster than their manual counterparts. I think that they are used in several german cars. Look into VW and audi's line up to see what they have to offer.

[jingai]

Nah, VW/Audi has Tiptronic. My Jetta was a half a year from when they started making the Tiptronics, but I'd wager it's roughly the same as the deal Toyota has in the GTS Auto.

I'll look at other German manufacturers though since you've got me curious now.

At this point I think I'm pretty set on the GTS, since after crunching the numbers for both cars with the options I want, the GTS is only $2400 more than the GT. I can spend that much more for even just a little power gain :)

[HilfigerCelica]

So how much are they selling the auto GTS to you for? I paid $22,500 for mine without tax.