im considering purchasing my first celica, i love mustangs, and i love celicas..which one to choose? Options

[Badkarma]

hi, my names Erich, im 17 and i cant choose between buying a 6 G celica or a mustang..either '89-'93 GT or '99-'04 GT. im kinda stuck..ive always wanted a mustang..but the celicas are really appealing to me now. i would want either of the cars to go fast..but i would want to work on it my own..and build it to be fast..which models should i be looking at?.i have roughly for a spending limit. i want a maual tranny too. i'll take ANY suggestions!..thanks.

[Badkarma]

thanks for all the advice..i deffinitely thought that the celicas would match up witht eh mustangs ya know with all the tuner options out there..but..you guys have the experience..and i think im gonna go witht he celica with gas prices and what not..plus..i currently drive a 1994 geo metro 5 speed..it is extremely slow..i beat my friends '94 prizm tho..and he has 400$ under the hood..lol..im gonna need a reliable car too going to college soon..ill try to go for the celica....but what should i look for with a price limit..i want to work on this..to TRY to make it quick..which models.. and whats the deal with the GT-4 i hear? its illegal in the US? and why? im also considering a neon? accord?

[sinner96ST]

thanks for all the advice..i deffinitely thought that the celicas would match up witht eh mustangs ya know with all the tuner options out there..but..you guys have the experience..and i think im gonna go witht he celica with gas prices and what not..plus..i currently drive a 1994 geo metro 5 speed..it is extremely slow..i beat my friends '94 prizm tho..and he has 400$ under the hood..lol..im gonna need a reliable car too going to college soon..ill try to go for the celica....but what should i look for with a price limit..i want to work on this..to TRY to make it quick..which models.. and whats the deal with the GT-4 i hear? its illegal in the US? and why? im also considering a neon? accord?

GT-4's are illegal in the states, yes. Although, you can buy parts straight from Toyota to make it look like one, no problem.

Price varies from state to state, I couldn't give you an estimate, but here in IL I wouldn't pay anything over $8,000 for a 6th gen, unless it was a late model GT with fairly low mileage. If you want to try to make the car faster, don't buy an ST. The ST has the same engine your friend's Prizm has in it, and is generally a slouch unless you slap a turbo on it. The GT has a better engine & a few other options, the same engine is also found in earlier model MR-2's and Camrys, so there are tons of parts for it.

As far as the Neon or the Accord are concerned, we're biased here, we like Toyota. I wouldn't recommend a Neon for reliability, the Accord would also be a good choice, but ultimately, I think what the 6th gen GT has to offer is a better deal.