Looking to buy a GTS

[North]

Hey all. Been reading the forums for a while now, and finally have the cash to get a Celica. A few questions for everyone here that has already been through finding and buying a Celica.

1. Are there any trouble spots to looks for? (common rust spots, parts that tend to fail early, signs and sounds for a beaten engine, etc)

2. I know that 2003 and after toyota moved to the throttle by wire. I know that this complicates the use of a PowerFC, but how big of a deal is it to install the work around? Is it worth getting a newer Celi and doing the extra work?

3. Does the TRD version's upgraded suspension upgrade make sense for the extra money? I like the body kit on it as well; much more aggressive than stock. Either way, does it make more sense to buy stock for cheaper and mod, or start with a TRD and go from there.

If this helps, the plan is the turbo the car at some point. I went looking for a platform to spend a decent amount of time and money on, and found the celica.

[lamboceliGTS]

1) Common problems include bad synchros. Shift through all the gears and make sure there is no grinding at all.

http://newcelica.org/forums/showthread.php?t=214602

3) I would find what you can for a good price, you can always add on or change down the line.

Just look around and find a good deal.

[North]

Thanks. Time to start the real hunt. :thumbup:

[Freakn Pwned]

if your going turbo i think it is better to get a gt...but im not quite sure of the reason but look into it...btw how much money do you have at hand to buy the car?

[celiengineered]

if your going turbo i think it is better to get a gt...but im not quite sure of the reason but look into it...btw how much money do you have at hand to buy the car?

Buying a gt would only be smarter if you were looking to spend less money. Sure a turbo gt is faster than the stock gts, but the gts head flows much better so if you can afford to turbo the gts then I think it would be worth the extra money. Plus, you can still enjoy lift while you are saving money for the turbo. That's just my .02

[North]

I definitely want the lift the 2ZZ supplies. It is also a much stouter engine. I would like to stay under 10k, which is reasonable I think. Right now I am trying to find a dealership around me so I can test drive a GTS. Get a feel for it, make sure it fits me as a car before I run out and buy one.

[Freakn Pwned]

Buying a gt would only be smarter if you were looking to spend less money. Sure a turbo gt is faster than the stock gts, but the gts head flows much better so if you can afford to turbo the gts then I think it would be worth the extra money. Plus, you can still enjoy lift while you are saving money for the turbo. That's just my .02

I wasn't talking about the quickness of the turbo gt over the gt-s.....i think i've read some where, a few times, that something tends to break in the turbo gts that doesnt break in the gt...Some body help me out here if you know what im talking about...

i could of just thought i read that though so dont quote me or anything

[Max654]

I definitely want the lift the 2ZZ supplies. It is also a much stouter engine. I would like to stay under 10k, which is reasonable I think. Right now I am trying to find a dealership around me so I can test drive a GTS. Get a feel for it, make sure it fits me as a car before I run out and buy one.

Not unreasonable, but then again not exactly easy depending where you live. I searched for a month or so around my state and a few others, and after doing a bit of digging I suddenly found 2 6 speed GT-S's for 9k at a dealership 15 miles from my house. Apparently theyve been sitting there for 3 months, but they were hard to find advertised on the net.

Anways, if you're not planning on getting the manual I wouldn't recommend a GT-S at all. With the four speed auto gearbox that constantly wants to upshift, they are slower than a 5 speed GT model. Only thing you'd be paying for is the badge and the paddle shifters. Oh, and you'd still have to put premium in it. Trust me, don't get it in auto.

And have a mechanic check the lift bolts on whatever one you plan to buy. Its very easy to see if theyre broken, all it requires is taking the valve cover off. A mechanic should be able to do it in 10 minutes. Theres a guide on the repair and maintenence forum. And its a pretty common occurence in the older model 2zz's, which is what you're probably going to be buying with that pricerange. Before I blew my first engine, I had to replace the bolts on it. And after I blew it and had to buy another used engine, I found two 2zz's, both with busted liftbolts. So, the problem isn't exactly rare and can be a bitch to fix if theyre busted and you have little mechanical experience.

Oh, and Toyota fiddled around with the fuel cutoff on the celica's over the years. It started at 8350 for 00-01, then in 02 I believe they brought it down the 7800, then back up again sometime later. Anyways, probably wont be a problem once you get a PFC, but just something to keep in mind. The faster GT-S's are obviously the ones with the higher cutoff.

[North]

The plan was for the 6-speed. I can't stand driving auto.

How did you go about digging for them? I have been using the internet to try and find some, but they go really quickly when they do come up for sale. I have the money now, whereas before I was looking to get a feel for the market; means I can just buy one right away if the opportunity presents itself.

Thanks for the heads up on the lift bolts. I read about that a while back, but had since forgotten. I will have to check that out, I have done a lot of my own repair work over the years, so that sounds like something I could check out myself if I knew what to look for.

[celiengineered]

I wasn't talking about the quickness of the turbo gt over the gt-s.....i think i've read some where, a few times, that something tends to break in the turbo gts that doesnt break in the gt...Some body help me out here if you know what im talking about...

i could of just thought i read that though so dont quote me or anything

Both cars have a strong crank, but the gts has stronger rods. However, the stock compression ration on the gts is higher so at high boost/high heat there can be a lot more detonation than in the gt. That causes the rings to fail. If you stay under ~275hp on the gts you should be fine. Also, I"m pretty sure that it's easier to get more hp on the gts than the gt b/c of head flow.

[Freakn Pwned]

The plan was for the 6-speed. I can't stand driving auto.

How did you go about digging for them? I have been using the internet to try and find some, but they go really quickly when they do come up for sale. I have the money now, whereas before I was looking to get a feel for the market; means I can just buy one right away if the opportunity presents itself.

Thanks for the heads up on the lift bolts. I read about that a while back, but had since forgotten. I will have to check that out, I have done a lot of my own repair work over the years, so that sounds like something I could check out myself if I knew what to look for.

Look on craigslist.org thats where i got mine, autotrader mags/.com, and ofcoarse cars.com....but if there are alot of dealers around you call around those.

Im about to replace my lift bolts cause im not sure if the previous owners did or not..hopefully they did and i just wasted 8 dollars:scared:

[GSBoek]

I wasn't talking about the quickness of the turbo gt over the gt-s.....i think i've read some where, a few times, that something tends to break in the turbo gts that doesnt break in the gt...Some body help me out here if you know what im talking about...

i could of just thought i read that though so dont quote me or anything
More than likely it's the other way around, the 2ZZ is a sturdier motor than the 1ZZ. Have you seen the toothpicks the 1ZZ has for rods? The 2ZZ has far more potential for turbo than the 1ZZ, even if you're not planning on lowering compression (10.0 for the 1ZZ, 11.5 for the 2ZZ).

[North]

So I found on in Queens. Clean, relatively low mileage, fully stock. Picking it up this weekend. :wiggle: Thanks for all the help. I am so excited for this car.

[celiengineered]

Congratulations, so did you go with the MT gts?

[North]

I did go with the stick. Having 6th where I am used to having reverse is going to take some getting used to, but so worth it. I experienced lift for the first time when I test drove it...it really does not disappoint. Pedal to the floor in 2nd...hit 6000 and the tires chirped. It's good. :chuckles:

[Freakn Pwned]

I did go with the stick. Having 6th where I am used to having reverse is going to take some getting used to, but so worth it. I experienced lift for the first time when I test drove it...it really does not disappoint. Pedal to the floor in 2nd...hit 6000 and the tires chirped. It's good. :chuckles:

What years is it? if it earlier than 2003 you might want to change the lift bolts so you dont screw anything up...you might want to change them anyway though...its cheap

[North]

Its a 2001. I plan to change them out, especially due to how easy everyone is saying it is to do. Rather spend the $8 and be safe rather than sorry.

[Max654]

Its a 2001. I plan to change them out, especially due to how easy everyone is saying it is to do. Rather spend the $8 and be safe rather than sorry.

Did you buy it already? The liftbolts can be busted and lift still working with the rod only slightly misaligned. My engine had that, and we still had to take apart half the internals to bang the rod out. Not a fun time and requires a bit of mechanical know how to do it yourself and can be a bit costly if you dont know how. But if the liftbolts arent busted yet, definately get them replaced. Toyota sells the newer ones for like 2 bucks for two of them, and you can figure out how to get the valve cover off easy.

[celiengineered]

I did go with the stick. Having 6th where I am used to having reverse is going to take some getting used to, but so worth it. I experienced lift for the first time when I test drove it...it really does not disappoint. Pedal to the floor in 2nd...hit 6000 and the tires chirped. It's good. :chuckles:

Yeah I still smile every time :gap:

[North]

I am buying it this weekend. The drive back up is going to be wonderful. If they are broken, it will be a good chance to get to know the car and motor, although I really hope they aren't. Not too worried about taking off a valve cover after replacing water pumps and doing brake jobs. Bolts come out, parts come off; reverse and repeat.

[booge71]

I would look into the lift bolt thing for sure...trust me it can be a pain if in fact you have a broken bolt, and I have heard stories of others who have no broken bolt issues, no OCV Valve issues but yet still cannot hit "Lift" so the whole maintenance and reliability of "Lift" can really be a tough sell. JMO

[Max654]

I am buying it this weekend. The drive back up is going to be wonderful. If they are broken, it will be a good chance to get to know the car and motor, although I really hope they aren't. Not too worried about taking off a valve cover after replacing water pumps and doing brake jobs. Bolts come out, parts come off; reverse and repeat.

Yep, its pretty simple if the bolts arent busted. However, if they are, you gotta take off the cams, the chain, and a few other things and you have to awkwardly hammer the rod out of the head just to get a little piece of a broken bolt out. Then you get to hammer it back in and line it up perfectly in the holes again. Its no fun.

But otherwise its a pretty great car. Underappreciated and underestimated on the roadways. Ive wiped many a smile off of tC's, civics and even some rsx-s. No one expects a celica to keep up. Just make sure you dont misshift. Get real used to the cars gearing and what gear you need to be in for lift and what gear you shouldnt be in. 2nd gear has no block, so you can put it in there at 80 thinking youre in 4th, and then you're gonna need a new engine. And its not hard to do with this car's close gears.

[North]

Thanks for that advice. The only problem I have with the shifts is from 5th to 6th. Not used to that gear, so I default back to forth without realizing it. I need to learn the motion for that. I am going to spend a lot of time with the gearbox before I try and do any crazy downshifting...the last thing I need is to ruin something because I was being stupid.

Its parked outside of my house right now. I still cannot believe I own this thing.

[Max654]

Thanks for that advice. The only problem I have with the shifts is from 5th to 6th. Not used to that gear, so I default back to forth without realizing it. I need to learn the motion for that. I am going to spend a lot of time with the gearbox before I try and do any crazy downshifting...the last thing I need is to ruin something because I was being stupid.

Its parked outside of my house right now. I still cannot believe I own this thing.

Congrats man, show us some pics.

And yea, the 5th to 6th is a bit different. Youve got to give it a bit of a push to the right as you pull down. If you just pull straight back from 5th, itll go to 4th.

[North]

Tonight I will have pics. It rained here last night so I couldn't get any.