1994 Toyota Celica ST 1.8L from North America

Summary:

A car that you would have to shovel dirt into the engine to stop it

Faults:

Drivers side seat has wear on it on the side closest to the drivers side door.

Rear struts have needed to be replaced but can still run fine on the bad ones.

Doors squeak when you open them (nothing a little lithium grease can't fix)

Trunk latch is broken.

Cigarette lighter blows the radio fuse every time you plug it back in.

General Comments:

This car has been absolutely awesome for me.

I drive the car about 50 miles on the highway a day and I average 28 MPG.

The interior is a little comfy, but it gets very hot inside it when you leave it out in the sun.

It's a four seater, but only 2 people should ride in it as the back seats are small and can only about an 8 year old or smaller.

The engine is the most reliable. It is not expected as a fast import, but it certainly gets the job done with commuting, and its not bare.

It has great air conditiong/heat, p/w, power locks.

My Celica doesn't have cruise control so it's a little tough driving without the cruise control.

The handling is phenominal. I haven't had a crash yet with the car and I am 18 (it was only sideswiped, not bad for bad drivers surrounding you.)

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th April, 2008

1994 Toyota Celica Cabriolet 2.0 petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Good looking car, looks aren't everything though!

Faults:

Persistent roof leak around rear window.

Rear suspension bushes worn, replaced.

Front drive-shaft failure, replaced.

Severe vibration after many hours on the road when driving back from Spain, (unsolved). Drove slowly for remainder of journey and never experienced it again!

General Comments:

Bought as import from JDM. Well equipped and attractive 4 seat sports convertible.

Comfortable seating and nice ride. Good road-holding. Performance OK, but not that quick and needed reving to get it going, not very torquey.

Bought as a second car mainly for summer use. Other car V6 Laguna.

Given that we did not use it that much the repairs required were a bit disappointing. Left me questioning Toyota's build quality reputation.

Personally I consider my Laguna was a better built and superior car.

Sold them both now and bought a new Megane CC 2.0T. Much better!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 24th October, 2007

2nd Jul 2015, 07:14

It was an import, so it probably had been clocked.

Slow with no torque compared to a V6; of course it won't have as much torque, as V engines always have tons of torque.

"Rear suspension bushes worn, replaced." Don't ever buy a Ford, as they need bushes like a service item to be done yearly.

The Laguna a better car: take a look at the Laguna 2001 page on this site...

Laguna Initiale Sports Tourer 3.0 V6 - An embarrassment.

Laguna Sport Tourer Dynamique 3.0 V6 - Low cost before good quality. etc etc

Lots and lots of unhappy owners. You must have been lucky with your Laguna, unlike most other owners.

1994 Toyota Celica GT4 WRC 2.0 turbo petrol from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Buy one, be different

Faults:

The radiator core has fractured, and so has the plastic tank along the very top of the radiator; not all bad though as I have sourced another one (brand new) for £110.

If you read up about these Celicas, you will probably find another review which asks that you keep an eye on the radiator; I think it's because these engines generally run very hot compared to other models. The guy I took it to for a new radiator was not surprised either, and said he'd seen several of the GT4 WRC radiators go like mine with a hairline crack.

Apart from that (which seems to be common amongst these models), nothing else to report, but hey I've only had it just over a week LOL.

General Comments:

Car is seriously quick (faster than my friend's Subaru).

The interior is much larger than you would imagine.

It does drink petrol, but with that performance what do you expect??? If you drive normally, it's actually quite nice to you.

It really turns heads; everybody stares because it's a bit different (only 2500 WRC models made; only few 100 in the UK!)

Has an almost go-kart feel; VERY responsive and changes direction like it's on rails. Be careful in the wet!

Typical Toyota reliability, no knocks or taps...

On youtube there is a comparison between the GT4 and the Ford Escort Cosworth; watch it then decide if you want one ;-p

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 30th July, 2007

3rd Dec 2008, 02:18

I have owned 3 GT4s, my present one being the ST205 1996 - one of the last made - a small amount of mods having been done mainly exhaust and engine breathing. No over-boost, etc.

Although it has done 150,000 miles and I use it every week and average around 500 miles, it runs extremely well, turns in 28mpg with motorway/country roads use. Quite often I give it a burst when I have a clear road, and run it up to 140mph plus, which it reaches very quickly and easily.

The engine does not overheat ever, the temperature gauge, rarely over normal. This I have found with all my GT4s. If my engine overheated I would suspect an engine problem or some cowboy playing with engine settings.

I do keep it regularly serviced and maintained and I believe this is the secret.

I have not come across many cars on the road that can keep up with it, and before I hear from the boy racers, I have been driving for a very long time and used to test cars for a motoring magazine.

My only criticism is the interior finish and a previous owners liking for suspension that acts like you are sitting on a go-cart.

But for a car that was made nearly thirteen years ago, it holds its own on the road, handles well and is not expensive to run.

In reply to 3rd Dec 2008, 02:18

28th Jan 2023, 15:57

I'd say it still holds up well even today in 2023.