My 14 yr old Integra has less rattle than the Celica.

[Dealer Xing]

My Celica had sunroof rattle (came back after dealer fixed it 1 yr ago, 2nd gear shifter rattle(no fix), loud belt squeak(dealer refused to fix), and rear quarter panel squeak, hatchback structs squeak, plus idle vibration problem. I sold this POS and got a 1988 Integra as a temporary car(paid $450). My 14 yr old Integra has no rattle whatsoever, WTF is wrong with Phucking Toyota??? The Celica's build quality is absolutely crap, not to mention the thin paint, weak bumpers and body panels, ticking engine since day 1, smelly A/C, slow heat, weak A/C, skipping stereo, the passenger seat won't retract properly and stay in the seat track, crappy leather seats, dirty sunroof cover, rusting brake rotors, scratchy interior, rough idle.............etc..........

Phuck you Toyota, give me my money and my loss back. Phuck you too Toyota Financing, who ripped me off by inserting numbers and made me sign (mysterious $1300 more than agreed price).

Phucked Dupt Toyota Motor Company will never have me as a customer again.

[Zorn]

Interesting. Glad I don't have half the issues that you had.

Would this be considered trolling?

[Revlimiter01]

Damn man that sucks, although I know where you are coming from. My mom's 87 volvo has less squeaks then my 2001 Celica. Although I never expect a fabulous A/C system when buying a car with a four cylinder engine. Even though the celica seems to be one of the worst, IMHO.

[oldster]

Sorry to hear you had all the problems with your car. The minor problems I have had have been taken care of to my satisfaction by my dealer. Please explain how Toyota Finance "made" you sign for extra dollars above the agreed price. Anyway good luck with your Integra and thanks for the constructive input.:)

[Trial00GTS]

I haven't had non of your probs, besides Toyota ******* me with the finance. i had belt tensioner squeaking but that's because of my CAI, and i was lucky that my dealer coverd it in my warrenty

[Dealer Xing]

When I took my 1988 Integra Interior apart, all the padding were thick and soft. The Trunk cover is ten times denser than the one in the Celica thus less noise(it even has a rubber seal when hatch is closed), the sunroof has no rattle, the idling is smooth and no shaking, the heat comes on instantly, the bumpers on the Teg are almost indestrutible, you will have a hard time scratching up the interior plastic on the Teg, plus no squeak, none from engine, none from interior. The only problem with the 88 Teg is rust, which is common for old cars.

Celica is not only the crappy Toyota product nowadays, all Japanese cars have only "cost-cutting" in their mind. Give the Hyundai a look sometimes, you'll see they pay more attention on the interior material quality, give their cars foldable mirrors(even an Avalon don't have that), better paint job, etc.........

[Dealer Xing]

Toyota salesman agreed with me on $22,500 for the GTS, while they prepared the paperwork for finance, they handed me one with $23,800 without me noticing. I signed it and after I paid the car off and get the paper back, I saw it. Then you can guess what the dealership told me when I brought this up with them after 1 1/2 yr.

[oldster]

Never accept a verbal agreement, read before you sign. And you didn't notice for over a year? Anything else?:yawning

[gts_male]

I agree.... my car has alot of rattles also. The paint on the hood of my car is really getting messed up also, im very dissapointed with some things about the car but I still like it. Oh...the dealer did the same thing to me...the bastards.

[oldster]

I don't understand how something like that gets tacked on. Guess I come from the old and stupid school. Any prices I get are out the door, if the paperwork says anything different then the deal is off. If you see anything on the paperwork you don't understand then ask for an explaination, this is assuming of course that you have read it.

[Zorn]

Hello, and welcome to buying a new car.

My car was 22.5k...funny I paid more on the document also???

Please, for your own sake...be careful when you buy a house also. There are plenty of "hidden" fees that they seem to put on the paper and "make" you sign it. j/k
:D

actualy i agree.. the build quality on the Celica is far from good.. they were on such a quest to make this super lightweight car, they made it cheap..

[Blue Lucifer]

Yeah I have to agree with some of the body paneling ratteling. Unfortunately toyota in order to make a light body weight had to get rid of all the padding and other weight adding insulation to make the celica fast and light. Too bad ina way, because it makes me feel that I am driving something fragile. Though I have to say the engine hasn't squeeked on me when I've abused it soo much. Also the handeling on the celica is a million times better than my old 97 teg. So in this case, you win some you lose some. But interestingly, my old teg also squeeked more than the celica. It would make this annoying smushing sound whenever I accelerated hard or even braked a bit. Ahh well...

[J3adSeed]

Originally posted by Dealer Xing
Give the Hyundai a look sometimes, you'll see they pay more attention on the interior material quality, give their cars foldable mirrors(even an Avalon don't have that), better paint job, etc.........

are you talking about like a 2002 or something? or that a joke... the 2001 tiburon had the ****iest, CHEAPEST, UGLIEST interior i have ever seen in any car in my life. it was awful. definately cheap. and the celica has folding mirrors soo...

don't get me wrong, i agree with you about rattles although i've had no other problems.

they just shoulda used some thicker materials and put in a 2.0 200hp engine in the first place.. that woulda made up for a better quality car and the same power..

[oldster]

Did any of you bother to look and drive the car before you bought it? Certainly many of the issues brought up would be apparent to the most casual observer, they were to me. I liked it then and still do. Would I prefer an interior that doesn't scratch and a quieter ride, yep, but that's not what I bought. We can say that Toyota shoulda, coulda and woulda all night long but the fact remains they didn't and we bought it. A little late to start whining now. IMHO

PS - Larry, none of your suggestions would have changed the major experiences you have had with your car.

well i still love the Celica.. its a great car, but there are some things that I think should have been changed from the factory.. I think the car was built cheaply.. but its not the end of the world..

[oldster]

Originally posted by larryd
well i still love the Celica.. its a great car, but there are some things that I think should have been changed from the factory.. I think the car was built cheaply.. but its not the end of the world..

Maybe 2003. :)

[yakkosmurf]

I have noticed that the two GTS's I've driven had a lot more rattles and such than my Type R. The GTS does have less road noise though and a softer ride though. Maybe in 2003, they will fix a few of the minor problems like that. We can only hope.

[Jake_VVTL-i]

Originally posted by NIGHT135
I haven't had non of your probs, besides Toyota ******* me with the finance. i had belt tensioner squeaking but that's because of my CAI, and i was lucky that my dealer coverd it in my warrenty

how does CAI cause your belt tensioner to squeak? :confused:

[celica gte racing]

hmm wierd... i only had 1 rattle, asked the dealer to fix it, never had a rattle again...

[Blue Batmobile]

Lighter weight, lower price=cheaper materials, you gotta save $ somewhere and Toyota chose to use cheaper materials to keep both weight and price down. If you want less squeek, rattle and better buid materials, you should have bought a Lexus. I've learned to live with little rattles and squeeks I hear occasionally. I still think I got a good deal on a car I paid 16,000.00 for;).

Bat.

[Keyshawn]

I hear a few rattles, but I don't mind. No big deal to me.

[CelicaNamja79]

yeah i must agree.. celica is bulit cheap.. interior is cheap plastic which is easily phuckable.. seats arent all dat great... tho mah car doesnt rattle too much... i've had so many phuckin problems wit this car.. okiee.. first my alignment, gear synchro, tranny swap, serpentine belt loose, and finally strut/bear mount swap.... god dang................. a brand new car wit moe problems than my old a$$ 1992 Acura Legend... and to tell u da truth ... acura had better interior and plus..... i juss like da look of celica that is alll.... and please use better paint... wat is wit this thin ass coats.... i did not pay no $20K for this kinda quality... like wat dealer xing said.... PHUCK YOU TOYOTA, PHUCK YOU TMC.. i will never buy another toyota again... I am gettin meeh a Type R.....

[oldster]

Originally posted by CelicaNamja79
yeah i must agree.. celica is bulit cheap.. interior is cheap plastic which is easily phuckable.. seats arent all dat great... tho mah car doesnt rattle too much... i've had so many phuckin problems wit this car.. okiee.. first my alignment, gear synchro, tranny swap, serpentine belt loose, and finally strut/bear mount swap.... god dang................. a brand new car wit moe problems than my old a$$ 1992 Acura Legend... and to tell u da truth ... acura had better interior and plus..... i juss like da look of celica that is alll.... and please use better paint... wat is wit this thin ass coats.... i did not pay no $20K for this kinda quality... like wat dealer xing said.... PHUCK YOU TOYOTA, PHUCK YOU TMC.. i will never buy another toyota again... I am gettin meeh a Type R.....

Good luck with your new Type R, the rest of your message was difficult for me to understand.:rolleyes:

[Dealer Xing]

Thank you Celica Namja, I'm not the only one bitching, I paid $23800 for this POS.

Besides performance and looks, nothing is good about this car. The old skool Toyotas were much better than the ones nowadays.

[yakkosmurf]

Originally posted by CelicaNamja79
yeah i must agree.. celica is bulit cheap.. interior is cheap plastic which is easily phuckable.. seats arent all dat great... tho mah car doesnt rattle too much... i've had so many phuckin problems wit this car.. okiee.. first my alignment, gear synchro, tranny swap, serpentine belt loose, and finally strut/bear mount swap.... god dang................. a brand new car wit moe problems than my old a$$ 1992 Acura Legend... and to tell u da truth ... acura had better interior and plus..... i juss like da look of celica that is alll.... and please use better paint... wat is wit this thin ass coats.... i did not pay no $20K for this kinda quality... like wat dealer xing said.... PHUCK YOU TOYOTA, PHUCK YOU TMC.. i will never buy another toyota again... I am gettin meeh a Type R.....
I've seen more understandable statements typed by the intoxicated.

[oldster]

Noone is going to disagree that the interior materials and paint could not have been better. Let's take a look at it being a POS from a pulled from the butt statistical viewpoint. We have approx. 6K members on the board, of those perhaps 2K actually own Celicas (conservative). Of that number there have been maybe 200 documented cases of blown motors or transmissions. Let us also assume that everyone of those was a direct result of poor manufacuting on Toyotas part (very doubtful judging by the race stories). So how many Celicas have been sold to date, 100-150K? Being conservative we'll use the 100k number. Now lets take the 200 and multiply that by 10 for 2000 to account for the ones we don't know about. That gives us a defect quotient of 2% which I would think is reasonable for a performance sport compact in the demographic market it has targeted.

As stated above, all of these numbers are pulled directlly from the butt. I would not be suprised if the actual quality index is not considerably better than my rectal musings. A reasonable argument could be made that many of the defects were not due to manufacturing issues but owner/driver abuse or error. I know, I know, it is marketed as a performance car and should take the punishment. Having raced for many years I can state with a fair amount of authority that even the best race bred parts will not stand up to constant abuse or stupidity.

After all of that I still would like to see improvements made in the car but overall am very satisfied for my dollar/performance investment. Sorry some of you are not.

As for the pricing or deal you got on the car, that is on your head and can't be blamed on anyone else, you signed it. Learn from your experience and quit trying to blame the other guy.

[WillyK]

Well before I bought my car I had already known about all the little problems it had thanks to the people here. I still bought it anyway because I like the car. Interior rattles don't bother me at all. Don't get me wrong, the car rattles like a bag of marbles but I just deal. Cheap paint...well I can just get it repainted to a color I like more anyways. Cheap interior, doesn't bother me that much, I wish it could be nicer but what can ya do? The ticking engine thing, don't they all do that? Mine does, my friends SI does. I thought it was just a thing with high compression engines. Point being I still bought the car because I liked it and I'm not gonna sit here and whine about all the little problems. Only thing that aggravates me is syncros :mad:

i just learned a lesson with the Celica..never buy a car the first year it comes out.. too many inherit flaws with you being the test dummy..

[oldster]

Originally posted by larryd
i just learned a lesson with the Celica..never buy a car the first year it comes out.. too many inherit flaws with you being the test dummy..

That's very true however many of your later problems were not inherent but self inflicted. :)

[Bling]

They tried to change the numbers on my financing too, but I noticed it before I signed and made them change it.

[girlRacerTRD]

my car doesnt have any problems.... the only major problem is that theres 5 different shades of black on my car.. but thats the previous owner's fault...

[Dealer Xing]

The 6th generation Celica was a total opposite of the 7th gen. It was well built, had a plush and luxurious interior; but not much performance with a high price.

[dankjeweler]

i agree with Bling dont people read what you put your name on before you sign it.

[ArchangelX]

I love my car...

It's got practically nill problems other than the ones I cause myself...besides the belt tensioner..and I have a hard time believing that it wouldn't have happened sooner or later with the way I race it.

My seats are in perfect condition..my interior hasn't got a scratch on it...

I'm very careful with it..and I like baby it...I wash it regularly..wax it...leather protect the seats...and constantly armor all it.

I love it..still do...it still gets me going...lol.

I'm sorry you've all had these problems....really I am.

Tough luck, I suppose....

I'm just happy I don't have any of those.

[Omni]

yea really, im tired of all your whining dealer xing. get a life, no one cares about the complaining that you do so much here. ever since you've sold your car you've been trying to fit in that you got rid of it in every possible post that you can. you are not doing anyone a service here. why dont you go post these somewhere else, like perhaps on a board about your new pos that will be in a few years. A car is a car, it never increases in value and it only gets worse over time, some may go about it different ways (interior loosening up or engine falling apart). There are plenty of other cars that are far worse than the celica that are close in price. look at the dodge neon, sure its improved in quality but it still is no where near great and its price for the r/t or acr is right up with the GT.

Originally posted by oldster


That's very true however many of your later problems were not inherent but self inflicted. :)

yes Dad, I know :)

[oldster]

Originally posted by larryd


yes Dad, I know :)

Sooorrrry, no more preaching (maybe). :)

its ok..i need structure in my life sometimes..

[marcus_GTS]

Ok, guys, I just need to say something. The little stuff you're all complaining about is nothing, in the greater scheme of things. Next time you're wondering why manufacturers don't bring their coolest cars to North America, remember this thread. The perception amongst carmakers is that we like our cars soft, plushy, quiet and heavy. Fuel mileage and handling be damned, as long as its got a bigger motor to compensate. Threads like this one just back that up. If you want comfort, get a Buick. I, for one, am glad that Toyota deemed us worthy of a car as raw as the Celica, and that they saved money where they could to keep the price down. Keep in mind that Toyota doesn't sell nearly as many Celicas as Camrys or Corollas, so the economies of scale don't work. The only way they can make money on these cars is by either selling them for a very high price, or by cutting costs. If they cut costs, it can either be in minor stuff like sunroof covers and sound insulation, or in more substantial stuff like engine, brakes and suspension bits. In the case of the Celica, it looks like Toyota said "Hmm, we can reduce cost AND WEIGHT at the same time! This is a no-brainer!" and the result is sitting in most of our driveways.

So, my message to anyone reading this message who's associated with Toyota is this: Great job!

[FriedRice]

okay the 6th gen bombed :) toyota decided that the formula didnt work, so they did a 180. as far as im concerned, im satisfied, but would be even more so if they just went, say, a 150. Build quality is still a forte of toyota, and minor creaks and stuff happen in many cars, not just the celica. I've had many of your problems, but they only happen in really cold weather for some reason (live in california, it should be okay) i would rather have a faster, zippy car, than a luxurious car with a slushy suspension. i would have gotten a camry if i wanted that. celica's fun, and if u get a system and turn it up high enough, u wont hear the annoying lil chirps, squeeks and rattles. it's the price u pay for fun, i guess :D

im not knocking the car but it coulda been better.. i just think they should have worried a little less about weight.. going more for around 2800 instead of 2500 and using some better materials to build the car, then putting in a 2.0l 200hp engine instead of the 1.8 180.. woulda made sense to me..

[atehrani]

Originally posted by larryd
im not knocking the car but it coulda been better.. i just think they should have worried a little less about weight.. going more for around 2800 instead of 2500 and using some better materials to build the car, then putting in a 2.0l 200hp engine instead of the 1.8 180.. woulda made sense to me..

Then what about a 3200 lb car with 400 hp? Face it, the heavier the car the worse it will perform, even if you narrow the gap with more horsepower. I lighter car will stop faster, handle better and accelerate faster. You can't defy the laws of physics.

Take a Lotus for example, they don't have crazy HP numbers. But they do have crazy weight numbers (1700 lbs).

I applaud Toyota's ability to make a light car and have low road noise. I don't hear much squeaking, besides you should be doing one of two things:

1. Bumping some tunes
2. Be in lift

If you can still hear squeaks while doing those, you've got some sensitive ears!

actually you are incorrect.. take an LS1 for example.. I dont know exact #s but most people would be amazed to learn that a 98+ F-Body will outhandle the Celica as it can hold more lateral Gs than the Celica.. amazing for a 3000+ lb car huh.. it also will out accelerate from 0-60 and outrun top speed wise 160+mph.. Im not telling evryone to go out and buy an F-body..im just saying weight isnt everything.. I love the Celica becuz its a nimble little car, but sometimes its too little, as in weight.. :)

[daSchtick]

Originally posted by larryd
im not knocking the car but it coulda been better.. i just think they should have worried a little less about weight.. going more for around 2800 instead of 2500 and using some better materials to build the car, then putting in a 2.0l 200hp engine instead of the 1.8 180.. woulda made sense to me..

Sounds like you wanted an RSX? :)

[daSchtick]

DealerXing,

I've really had no major problems with my car. As far as mis-shifting and easily scratched interior plastics are concerned, I considered myself warned by reading this site prior to purchasing the car 15 months ago, and I am more more careful because of it.

As far as A/C and heat go, I think that both work well. I think the A/C works better than my previous car, and as far as heat goes, the engine does take longer to reach full operating temperature than any other vehicle I've owned, but once there, the heat is great also. Also, as far as paint problems, I agree that the paint is thinner than my wife's '92 Legend, but that was a $40,000 car in 1992 - it better have good paint! I have only 2 small stone chips on the lower air dam, but no other marks at all. I have no complaints.

The only real problem that I can actually say that I have is an occassional belt tensioner squeak at start up during cool/damp weather. The problem goes away after 5 seconds at idle. I will get this fixed before the warranty expires, but it is so minor in the grand scheme of things.

The car has been everything I had expected, and I am completely satisfied. This is my first Toyota, and I would consider another model by them in the future.

-Nick

[WillyK]

If you think the Celica rattles bad, try riding in an SI. That thing sounds like it's going to fall apart it rattles so bad.

[ringthree]

Dealer Xing,

Your threads like this are just plain annoying. Every car has it's problems, but whatever that doesnt seem to be the point here.

The problem is that you choose your dealer poorly. I have had squeeks and rattles, the dirty sunroof cover. BUT I choose a better dealer. One that fixes all the problems I have had and didnt try to rip me off.

Whos the real fool? The fool or the fool who follows them?

Stop blaming Toyota and start blaming yourself.

[Keyshawn]

ringthree,
As usual, we agree. If Dealer Xing hates Celicas and Toyota so much, what is his purpose in continuing to post here. To get everyone else to hate their Celicas? Silly if you ask me. Oh, well. I'll just skip all his threads from now on. Waste of time.

[HilfigerCelica]

For those people who wanted a car that has a smooth ride and quiet interior, get a Camry. The Celica was never intended to be a luxury car. The Celica was made to be a liveable car w/ raw performance.

no one said luxury.. they just said not cheap.. the interior is cheap and it makes alot of noises.. lots of sports cars done make noises..

[Dealer Xing]

Once again, I don't hate the Celica and its community. I bought the Celica based on its past racing history and past reliability record. Unfortunately, despite a more than adequate everyday performance, the Celica does badly in racing (both in Japan and in SCCA speedvision events), and many things have fallen apart during my and many other people's short ownership experience. As larry saidl, being light weight is no excuse for using parts that easily fall apart. I wouldn't have complained if the car was sold for less than 20,000 USD.

[CelicaNamja79]

okay....

yakko, and oldster... basically, i was bitchhin about the quality of my car. sorry if you did not understand and comprehended my message.. The car is built poor. I've had so much problems ever since i purchased it. I gotta new tranny, new shocks/struts and many more. It seems like I've been to a dealer at least 8 times due to problems over last 7 months. I only have 14K miles on it. Larry, I bought this in second year production and still has problems.... Like what Dealer Xing said, I would not be all mad if I only paid as much as a civic... hell with it, 2001 civic is much better in quality shiet..... RSX is built well better than a GT-S.... but oh well what can I say......i already bought the car and stuck wit a payment... Phuck meeh

[yakkosmurf]

Understood. From a build quality perspective, I would have to agree with you that the RSX has a slight edge over the Celica. It definitely looks and feels that way. It's not a huge difference though. It sounds like you just got a troublesome car. That happens with any car. Sorry to hear of your frustration. I would probably have picked a Civic Si over a Celica GT, but that's just me. I can't believe I just said that.

[acilecdps6]

I don't have the squeeks and rattles I read so much about here. Perhaps because I live in the Tampa bay area (where it's warm), or because I haven't taken anything apart - car is as stock as the day I bought it. If I hit a large bump at speed the hatch cover will bounce with a thud and if the sunroof (moonroof) cover is not all the way shut or open it will make noise. Yes the car is noisy inside - I recognized that on the test drive, but hey, that's the price to pay for low weight. You should hear what a stripped down (sound deading material) firebird sounds like inside.

Remember more sound deading and heavier components = more weight, Yes an F Body is heavier and faster, but they do not get the same fuel economy, tires are larger and very expensive and talk about a cheap interior!

Yeah the plastic on the celica dashboad is cheap ( I read somewhere it was made from recycled material), but it is basically ONE PIECE - so (IMO) it looks much better than other cars that have seams and gaps. I also like the light color of it - less reflection in the windshield.

But then again, I'm an old timer who used to drive GTO's with open headers, no sound insulation and sqeaks, rattles, shakes and whatnot, but they were fast as lightning. The Celica is quite luxurious next to the old goats. It's all in the priorities and I think Toyota came very, very close to the mark.

[daSchtick]

Originally posted by acilecdps6
...or because I haven't taken anything apart - car is as stock as the day I bought it

Mine is about the same, and I must say that I have no real squeaks either. I think that a lot of the interior squeaking has to do with the disassembly of panels to install stereos, run wires, or other items. Once you take these panels apart, they usually don't fit quite like new ever again.

-Nick