6G Celicas Forums

Awesome search tool...I ended up getting like 3 hours of sleep before I had to go to work in the morn thanks to it. I'm still having bad luck finding a 97-99 GT manual in decent condition. I've started looking at some nice MR2's and Tuscanis. Pls dont flame.lol

Why does it have to be a '97-99? '96-99 is the same anyhow. '94-95 have the two post spoiler which is what the GT-Four uses.

yep the 94-94 is OBD1 and the best looking spoiler. at least I mean you cant get riser blocks or the TRD one until you get your turbo. and for God's sake don't put a park bench on it
but they don't have the foglights until 1996 me thinks. Also under the hood on the firewall is the Chassis number a real GT will start with ST204, the ST is AT200. that's the sure way to tell
if really is a GT or a conversion.

This post has been edited by VavAlephVav: Aug 28, 2014 - 8:07 PM

oh yeah this is gonna be my DD, later ill get an MR2 for a toy.
depending on how easily you can do the work or have somebody else do you might even be better off taking a cheap one and slapping a cheap 5s in it for now. I bought mine for $2000 and by the time ive rebuilt all the brakes, replaced the Ecu, the motor, struts and tires, over the period of a year I'll barely have $4500 in it.
and it will be a dependable DD for several years.
I just can't justify spending money on the body and paint yet. I still have to park it down by the University for 2 more years and if some kid Bashed my **** after I had it all painted and polished I'd be in a bunch of trouble because of what I'd do to him :S

I never noticed the 96+ has a different spoiler with the 3 posts...Does that mean you would need to replace the whole hatchback door if you were to get a 96+ model for the GT-Four spoiler conversion? I am actually looking at a 95 right now which I may pick up. Still deciding between a few. VavAleph, what does OBD1 mean when you were referencing the 94? Also what is a cheap 5s...lol

But don't worry I am anti-park bench. Thankfully I am finished with University and don't have to deal with douchey kids who think its funny to key cars, inhale dust cleaner, and drive 2mph past the buildings holding down their clutch while tapping the gas pedal. Here's my final few I'm deciding between if anyone has input. I'm pretty sure I'll go with the 95 Black though.

95' Celica GT 5spd - 184k - $3000- Clean report
http://newhaven.craigslist.org/cto/4633678451.html

97' Celica GT 5spd - 192k - $2500- "Total Loss" in report. Car looks mint though
http://newjersey.craigslist.org/cto/4635952219.html

99' Celica GT Conv 5spd - 156k- $2600 - Rear window wont go down, backlite half off, electronic top broken
http://hartford.craigslist.org/cto/4631951721.html

94' Celica GT 5spd - 136k - $700 - "Vehicle Scrapped" in report - Needs windshield, Hood, Airbags- Guy restored everything else it looks like in the pics...although the car is black and the fenders and bumper are silver
http://newjersey.craigslist.org/cto/4646403711.html

You'd have to fill the holes for the 3 post and then drill out holes for the 2 post, better off just replacing the liftback.

OBDI and OBDII are the stages of computer diagnostics, OBDI cars have less emissions equipment and aren't as smart when it comes to self diagnosis. Generally in the states that require emissions testing OBDI is a huge benefit, cars made from 1996+ are OBDII.

If it were me I'd go for the '95 and try to get it for $2,500 or the '94 since it's cheap and you plan on replacing body panels anyhow.

This post has been edited by Box: Sep 2, 2014 - 11:24 PM

...well, you can get lucky with a 5s because there are lots of people who take it out just because they wanna get a 3sgte or something.
I just bought one for 350 but had to pay another couple hundred bucks to ship it, and a little more for clutch kit, timing kit ect. but its got less than 2 years on a new headgasket.
the big issue is the headgasket, like a lot of 90s 4 cylinders they used a crappy gasket from the factory. if you replace it with a multi layered steel, MLS, gasket its good but if its never been replaced it probably needs one.

the 95 looks nice but the only way it gets 40mpg is if it's an ST. I hate people who don't load lots of pics. if you're capable of doing most of the work yourself the 94 could be worth checking out.

This post has been edited by VavAlephVav: Sep 3, 2014 - 12:51 AM

The 94 dude is offering his car for $500 if anyone wants to pick it up. I got some pics of what it looks like now if you're curious.

I'm working on getting a ride out tomorrow to check out the 95. Talked to a mechanic in the area who said he will check it out for like $50 to make sure there's no hidden problems. Is there anything I should ask him to check that may be a problem for a car close to 200k miles?

Also, are the blinkers for the 96 the same as the 95? I may stop by a guy parting out his 96, but when I was looking for the clear blinkers on ebay along with the side markers. I know the truck tacoma or tundra, I forget which has the same ones, but I saw something where it only works for the 96+ celica models. Any ideas on where a 95 can get clear blinkers and side markers?

The big thing on these cars is synchronizer grinding when downshifting into third and sometimes second. The rest are the usual things with a twenty year old car.

The front turn signals are different between the years. With the Tacoma/Tundra they're talking about the clear lenses for the door lights.

Thanks. So I will ask the mechanic to check that out. Along with the tranny, axles, and should i ask about the head gasket?

For the clear turn signals on the 95, this is all I could find. I didn't know there was a diff b/w the 95 and newer models for turn signals. Let me know if you know of any places I can find them. Along with the side markers. I did see the forum post on this, but seems the ones he found aren't around still.

Also I'm seeing a lot of facelift/prefacelift references, but don't fully understand what the difference is or how it will affect the GT-Four bumper conversion. If there is a thread explaining this, feel free to link it.

Not sure if this is related, but I do notice some of the GT-Four bumpers are flat, while others are rounded. I will look for pics, but I think the actual GT-Four bumper is round, while maybe the trd one or kit is flat? Can anyone clarify the difference if they know what I'm referring to. TY much

This post has been edited by Selly_Kuhman: Sep 3, 2014 - 7:28 PM

The front bumper cover is styled differently, along with the rear spoiler. With doing the GT-Four conversion the front bumper cover is changed anyway.

Why are they different? I eventually want to convert the 95' to the round type. Is that possible? Please say yes...

Flat Examples








Round Examples







This post has been edited by Selly_Kuhman: Sep 3, 2014 - 8:04 PM

What do you mean by flat vs round? All those bumpers look the same to me... Either way the gt 4 bumper cover swap is possible. You either need to modify your crash bar or the gt4 crash bar to fit, or you can get frame rail adapters.

This post has been edited by 1994Celica: Sep 3, 2014 - 8:20 PM

The GT4 bumper stayed the same from 94-99. Never got a facelift. The only thing different in those pictures is the angle/perspective.

Thanks for the clarification. I been looking at so many pics I'm now seeing things. Anyways I got the 95' black GT...I was psyched... Had the mechanic check it out in the same town I got it in. He said there's some rust on the bottom and I just needed to change the rotors and the pads, which is one of the few things I can do on my own. So I got the car for 800 less than asking price, 2200 in total. I had an odd feeling after I saw he was talking to the repair shops owner saying how he just did construction on his friends basement.

I had it checked out today at my local mechanic and he said the car's a "flood car" and there's bad rust all over. He said the car was even floating at one point most likely. My stomach dropped when I heard that. He said things are rusted together so bad I wouldn't even be able to change the brakes myself since he's going to need to torch the calipers and other parts just to take them off. He said just by looking at it I'm going to need new break lines, calipers, rotors, pads, and he found a oil leak coming from the timing belt seal. He's in the process of finding out how much more I will need and the cost.

So there goes my extra $$ I had that I was going to put into the conversion most likely. Is this even savable/worth attempting the conversion on eventually? Or am I just getting the parts needed for the car to prolong its death?

This post has been edited by Selly_Kuhman: Sep 6, 2014 - 1:20 PM

If it's a flood car talk to the seller about it, try and be polite about it. If they refuse to take it back tell them you'll be writing your Attorney General, and do such. There are laws protecting you from being sold a deathtrap, even from private sellers.

Talked to the seller, he said it's fine, just drive it and he spent the money and wont take it back. BS. Talked to the mechanic, without even checking the engine yet it's going to be over 2000 for parts and labor. Awesome... This is why I wish I knew more about cars and repairs. Anyone have a good site where I can start learning basics? Tired of overpaying for things I'm sure costs 1/4th of the cost, and just having to take mechanics' "word" for it.

This post has been edited by Selly_Kuhman: Sep 6, 2014 - 4:49 PM

Yeah. This site is where u learn. Search and read. How do they know it was flooded. They just assumed?

You are in jersey where harsch winters take a toll in 20 year car. Flooding means water in the cockpit. Which means mold in seats and carpet. Can you check? Otherwise is winter rust. As a general rule i try not to buy a north car unless i see undercarriage.



Post pics of the rust. Post pics of the under strut area. Thats a common area that rusts. Sorry this happens. Male the best of it. Clean it. Sell it. And maybe take a loss....

Write your Attorney General and get a letter from your mechanic.

My grandfather bought a truck that ended up with a cut frame that wasn't disclosed, wrote the Attorney General and they're making the seller cover the repairs.

Finally got "Rusty" back. Looked great on the outside and inside, but the bottom was a whole other story. My new 95 GT...yay...