1982 Toyota Celica GT from North America - Comments

6th Jan 2005, 13:52

"Awesome Ride with Attitude"

What things have gone wrong with the car?

Bought it with a disintegrated original water pump at 233,000 miles.

Broke an aftermarket radiator at the same time as replacing that.

Changed the thermostat to 160 degree one.

Carburetor is pretty shot - doesn't like to accelerate or start in the mornings.

Temperature gauge inaccurate.

Melted one of the bulb assemblies in the door for the door marking lights.

Liftgate shocks wear quick.

Cruise control never worked.

Power steering leaks out completely overnight.

General comments?

Overall - cannot complain. Bought the car for 400 dollars to use temporarily, and have kept it up as much as possible. My complaint is the price of parts, and going to a dealer for parts is like taking a gun to your head.

Gas mileage is fantastic, but would still expect better out of a 2 bbl 22R. Thankfully, '82 is the last year for carburetion on these.

Extremely comfortable on long trips, although the cruise control never worked for me.

There are far too many vacuum lines running everywhere under the hood.

Still amazes me to see so many original Toyota parts at 237,000 miles. The 22R doesn't use ANY oil, but it compensates for the fact that everything else does leak somewhere.

If Toyota still made the Celicas with the 22R, and werent so ugly, and not to mention are front wheel drive, I'd like to have another. But for now, this car does just fine, though the running costs are gradually rising from all of its leaks and failing parts.


2nd Mar 2005, 19:02

I got the car for free. It was one of the best things I ever received. This car can take an awful beating and still perform excellent every time I drive it. When it is in the 4500 to redline range it performs great. it did 40 mph. in 3rd gear at 3000 rpms, so its pretty fast.


12th Sep 2006, 06:50

I have a '81 hatchback and I love the car. There is only a few left on the road and I trying to keep mine on. The only problem I have with it is the lack of body panels for it now.

If you know where to find panels let me know. my web site is www.geocities.com/bike108

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