Help a noob who is considering a GTS

[sidious141]

Ive been considering a celica for a while now and was pointed out to this site. Im a noob to this site but not cars, Ive got a 240 I swaped an sr into myself and Ive done a handfull of things to other cars. My dad has had a few toyotas over the years and Ive been impressed by their quality and how long they have lasted compared to everything else. Im really wanting a GTS but when I got on here to try to find out what problems they may have from their owners Ive found more then I expected such as the lift bolt problem, gear grinding, burning oil with not many miles...etc. What I am wanting from those who read this and own GTSs are if they are as problem filled as they seem to be or if I shouldent buy into what I read as much. Also any input on their daily drivabily, how satisfied you are with them, or just any other helpful input would be nice. I understand this may have been gone over before so take it easy on a noob and link up anything you may think is helpful. Thanks in advance.

[importfreak8]

before buying a gts, look into it very carefully. ask the dealer for all maintence records and such. the lift bolt problem isnt a big issue anymore. all you have to do is change out your old bolts to 2gen bolts. test drive the car and take note of how it shifts. also floor it and make sure lift works. dont try to land lift 1-2 shifting when test driving, just make sure lift kicks in. most dealers dont mind if you go all out when driving the car, just dont abuse the privelage(sp). welcome to the site, the celica is a very awesome car to have if you want to try something different than a honda or mitsu. goodluck on your choice. freak OUT

[sidious141]

Yeah, I really would rather not have to deal with the lift bolt problem but I read how they just need extracted out if they are broken. Not really a porblem, they will be changed out the same week I buy the car. When I do find one Im thinking about commiting to Ill do a compression test on it and talk to the previous owner if possible, Ive bought used cars before but specific info like not trying to land lift from 1st to 2nd is exactly what Im looking for. Thanks a lot man

[Tuppuguy]

I would have not recommended the car but it seems like your mechanically inclined so i guess its ok. The car could be great or your worst nightmare. Since i had my car which is like alittle over a year i had to take it to toyota 3 times. First time was due to a 2nd gear synco problem, the 2nd time was due to a frayed shifter cable, and the 3rd time was a 3rd gear synco problem they refuse to fix. You many not have as much aftermarket support as you may want, but its a great daily driver car.

[sidious141]

Im not worried about aftermarket support, I just want a reliable DD. Are you the first owner of the car? If not was the person who had it before you perhaps rough on the tranny? Did they give you a reason they went bad? thanks

[importfreak8]

im the 2nd owner of my current gts. the reason why stated above to get all the records you can is because the previous owner didnt take care of the car at all. then egnie was sludge badly and the tranny is seriosly screwed. i try to give this advice to all the celica n00bs because it can happen to you. i only drove my car about 3 days before the cel came on about the oil issue and i thought that an engine flush would solve it. nope, it was very bad and i might need a new engine and tranny.

[sidious141]

I agree with the fact that you should get all info possible before you buy it, but when asking these questions IM trying to figure out if the trannies are designed poorly or if this individual car was treated like dog ****. My main concerns are if these problems I have read about are common to all GTSs or the problems I read about are caused by the owners. I really would rather have a celica then an Integra which Ill probly end up choosing if I conclude that GTSs dont hold up the Toyota reputation.

[blinding-gts]

I've had my 02 Celica GTS for almost 3 years now and no problems so far. I drive the car pretty hard (that includes landing lift from first to second) and she takes it just fine. Regular tune ups,oil change,etc seems to keep things running well. My friend who works for Toyota as a mechanic has told me there are a lot of problems with the tranny with the syncros but I have yet to experience this and hopefully never will. The only thing I hate about it is the rev limit on it but that'll be fixed with the PFC once I turbo it. Personally, I'd recommend it, just bare in mind there were some TSB for the earlier Celicas' when they first came out if you're getting a used one. I believe it only affected a certain few (bolt issue) which could be identified via the VIN on the car. Someone correct me if I am wrong on this.

[sidious141]

Thats cool, Im really anal about how often I change oil and regular things to keep it in good shape. Im really easy on everything on a daily basis,Im just concerned about the things I listed above being a problem with it once I have alot of miles on it. I dont want to get this into an Integra vs. Celica contest but the design Integra I would get would get have been out for six years longer and have been proven to have a reliable engine/tranny. Id like to start looking for a celica after winter and want to make shure I can expect the same quality early on.

[marc]

There's not really many issues with the GT-S - its a pretty reliable car.

If you have an SR swapped 240 I can't imagine what you'd want with a GT-S though - if you like the car's looks you might as well save a ton of money and get a GT, cuz an SR swapped 240 will outhandle and outaccelerate a GT-S no problem.

[2way]

There's not really many issues with the GT-S - its a pretty reliable car.Agreed, so far... other than lift bolts.

Also, the oil burning/loss/blowby seems more of a GT problem, than a GT-S problem.

[cesar418]

what's th prloblems wit the lift bolts? how do you know if they broken or not???

[dmaxd03]

they get worn and/or break leaving chuncks of metal in your valve train. Open up the valve cover and pull them out is the only sure way to check. If they arent broken its plenty easy just to put in new ones. If they are broken, i hpe your warrentee is still good. I had to get a new head when i found my intake bolt was broken.

As to the gt-s and reliability it is pretty good. The only weak spot other than the lift bolts (which s nothing as long as you change them every 15 or 20k, takes me about an hour including beer breaks) is the synchros whcih every toyota i have had has the same issue. They just tend to wear on the faster side.
I got my gt-s as a reliable dd when my mk3 supra just wasnt practical anymore and it has been great. My only regret is that it isnt rwd. If the mr-s wasnt so small i would get one and 2zz it.

[sidious141]

Thanks guys. The 240 kicks some ass but its got its issues I dont have time to fool with right now and I just want something new I wont have to deal with for a few years untill I get out of college. I do love how they look, GTSs come with good looking rims that are a decent size, good brakes, strong enough engine for daily driving, gets good fuel economy, I could go on about why I believe a GTS is perfect for a new DD for a while.