Make my '95 look "newer?", '98+ and GT4 stylings on my '95 ST? Options

[supaneko]

Amazingly enough, I saw another Celica in a parking lot last night. I took a look at it and it obviously was newer than mine. My stylings and year factoids are likely a little weaker compared to some of you pro's out there. SOOO... I was looking for some assistance on what I can do to "upgrade" the appearance of my '95 ST.

I love the look of the GT4 and am a little bit of a fan at how the newer 6gen Celicas look. Now, what differences are there between say a '95 and a '99? It looks like the sideskirts are bit stylish with their bends and "stripes" and what not. Can these be applied to a '95? Are there any other noticeable changes in the '99 when compared to a '95?

This leads me to my next wonder, and it may be a bit broad, but I figure I'd shoot for it anyway: what upgrades have been made on the '94 and '95 to make it look more modern and just more "cool?" I've seen the GT4 hood, which is great but is it really worth the $2000+ for just the front end? What "reasonable" bodykits/ground effects kits look great with these cars (you know, ones that allow the Celica to still look like a Celica but at the same time helps to make it a 'car of your own')?

Ground effects? Body kits? Hoods? Lighting? ...Other? ....Pictures?

[BloodyStupidDave...]

Okay, I'm going to answer your question in a couple of different ways.

Firstly, the things that are actually different between 94-96 and 96-99 cars - off the top of my head and in no particular order:

* Seat fabric patterns changed frequently over the years. Some patterns look more dated than others. See below for more comments on seat fabric.
* Glass tint is a different color - blue on 94-96 and green on 96-99
* 2-post spoiler replaced with 3-post spoiler
* Different engines, 4-wheel ABS
* 96-99 got a facelifted front bumper including different fog lights
* Some countries got a hood spoiler

Now, as far as getting your car to look more modern:
* Get sports suspension (lowered)
* JDM headlights. The low beams have projectors, the high beams have clear glass. They are expensive, however.
* Consider fitting a tailgate spoiler if you don't already have one. Most people thing the 2-post looks better but the 3-post is thought to perform better
* Fit side skirts if you don't already have them
* If you have a red, cinebar or black car, consider getting hold of a set of the red and black fabric seats. They were limited edition in some countries and an option for certain coloured cars in other countries.
* Consider getting leather seat fabric made
* Consider swapping your front bumper for a facelift bumper and fog lights
* GT4 hood and front bumper is also an option for a sportier look