Faults:

The rear hatchback rattled constantly.

The paint was very susceptible to scratches, the brushes at the car wash scoured my paint.

The under engine shields would lose their screws and hang down.

The automatic transmission would shift down at the slightest incline and stay out of overdrive until the road was level again.

The engine used a quart of oil every 600 miles. I took it in once I discovered the problem and Toyota service gave me the worst run around and even stated "I" was draining out the oil in order to get a new engine. They finally did an oil consumption test and confirmed my story... and supposedly rebuilt the engine. When I got it back, it didn't run or sound differently (I would expect a rebuilt engine to sound tight and maybe be a bit weaker) than it did when I took it in. It also still used oil at the same rate. I thought they rolled over on the new engine too quickly, does Toyota have a new service tactic where they give you a rental car for a month and park your car, wait for the extended warranty to run out and repeat as needed?

General Comments:

Oil problems aside, the Celica was fun to drive and handled like a race car. The bucket seats were supportive and held me in the corners.

I'm just happy I got out of it. Toyota quality and service are over hyped and a big ripoff.

Faults:

Check engine light being on:

When I bought my 2000 Celica GT about 4 months ago, the check engine light was on. Through some research, we figured out that the mass air flow sensor tends to get dirty. Nothing else was wrong with the car. It even had an Injen cold-air intake.

All we had to do as clean the tube, and the light has not come on since.

I've read a lot of other things about this and realized how much money people have wasted for something that takes a couple minutes to open up and clean.

Faults:

Nothing Yet. The Car runs great.

General Comments:

The Celica engine will surprise you after 6000 rpms. I do race and I won a lot of the times when it was stock. I added some after market parts and that it shocked me how much can be done with the engine. The suspension is great; you can take corners like nothing. It has a large trunk space with a sporty interior. Stock speakers have nice bass.

Faults:

Alternator failed at around 90k.

O2 Sensor failed at 115k.

MAF (Mass Air flow) sensor wreaked havoc on my performance, one can of $2.50 non residue brake cleaner fixxed, poor fuel economy, horrible hesitation, difficulty starting! For those that are having hesitation issues, especially when cold do this first before spending $$$ at the dealer! Clean the MAF!

General Comments:

For me this has been about the most perfect commuter car I could have hoped for. 180hp, 30mpg, great handling for a FWD vehicle, 6spd short shift transmission, extremely good reliability, decent cargo room for a sporty two door, excelent peddle placement for toe-heel performance driving, great braking, very good factory stereo, good driving position, great front visibility, it has really been a great car, with very little to worry about. The way the engine is designed you can drive it below 6000 rpm everywhere, and have a fairly quiet economy car that gets about 33mpg city for me, or you can open it up, take it past 6k rpm and it jumps up to the 2nd cam lobe and screams like a formula 1 race car and still gets a reliable 30mpg! The one issue that I thought was major, turned out to be a dirty Mass aiflow sensor, I cleaned it my self with non residue brake cleaner and all of my performance and hesitation issues disappeared, I just couldn't believe it! The one negative I have is the interior is quite loud during high way cruising. Oh and the back seats are definitely more cosmetic than functional for adults. I just got the car in for its first official service out side of oil changes and tire rotations. At 120,000 miles having never been truly serviced before the Toyota dealership found nothing wrong, no CV joint failing, leacking oil gaskets, no leaking hose, I kept asking them over and over again, did you check the CV boot, did you check the rear engine seal, did you make sure there are now bad hoses, I couldn't believe it especially considering I drive this car fairly hard!