I have only has the car for about 2 months so I cannot give an accurate report on this, so far though there have been no problems whatsoever!
The car has only had three owners and full Toyota history, the only thing that has gone wrong with the car in its service life is the exhaust which has been replaced by a full scorpion stainless item...
I have always been a Honda fan, but in the end I was willing to try anything Japanese. I came across this car in a private sale and it sounded like a bargain, full history, three owners, totally standard, and low mileage. I went to look at the car and it was in immaculate condition. I arranged the payments and took delivery of the car within a couple of days.
The car looks gorgeous! Full of curves and sweeping lines with an aggressive front end, I also love those headlights! The one let down was that the car sat far too high which led to the first modification on the list!
Performance wise I was slightly dissapointed, it is quick but nothing like the CRX that I had before. Notable improvements are the midrange torque which the CRX lacked and it does have a higher top speed.
The car handles very well, plenty of grip and has a very nice feel through the steering wheel. This is all helped by the very supportive seats, which brings me to...
The interior. It is very good. There are no squeaks or rattles, all the controls are in the correct place and within easy reach. Build is typical Japanese plastic, but it looks like it will wear quite well and there is an overall high quality feel.
Overall a top quality motor which is equally at home cruising the streets or racing at the lights. I highly recommend this car!
Good review, I am looking at a new car, and, like yourself I am a honda man, and want a Civic or Prelude, but have noticed the Celica GT's, but after you said it doesn't compare to the CRX I'm not so sure, any advice...?!
Hi, this is the writer...
I too looked at the prelude (2.2 VTEC) when looking to replace the CRX. The prelude is faster and handles better than the celica I'm afraid to say, but I am getting on a bit now and I was looking towards practicality (sp?) aswell...
The looks of a car are very important to me and that's one of the main things that put me off the prelude also the Toyota is much better built (feels more solid)...
In the end both are very good sports cars, but for all out performance go for the prelude, if you fancy something a bit more mature, fun, reliable (and nicer looking :-) ) go for the the celica!
If you were to try a Generation 6 celica GT with the 177 3SGE you wouldn't think twice about the 'lude!. Prelude is very nice, but heavy. I went for the GT in the end and got a faster car with the same handling.
Its the 4WS that makes the prelude agile. However if you buy a celica GTR and fit the Gen 3 3sge in it you're laughing!
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