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?
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.
There was a design issue on the first 1.8 VVT-I engines, which causes the oil problem. The engine "pumps" the oil out. My dealer fixed this issue for free on my 2000 celica in 2007, after 70,000 Km's (about 43,750 miles).
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