If Toyota would have released the GT-4 in the US.. Options

[Benevolence]

would you have to have this car even if it ran from 15000-25000 for a 94-98 for a US version GT-4

[chucho]

They should release a trueno, levin, or altezza. How bad would that be, but we get stuck w/ underpowered cars. we need the supra back

[Guest_Matthew_*]

i wouldnt want to legalize a gt-4

i would rather get a junk celica...buy and front/rear clip and swap everything from JDM car into USDM car.

less money

i would say like 2 grand or less for the celica

and 4500 for the clips from jarcoinc

thats 6500...lets say another 2000 or so for odds and ends parts and wiring harness job.

so 8500 for something that will cost you 15000-25000

[boosted_K2]

no doubt its ALOT more fun and rewarding to see your work pay off in the end, but the fact is you will never have that car running as it would have from factory, and it will never be as reliable as a factory GT-4. and think of how much you could do to build ontop of a GT-4... 250 HP stock AWD stock...

[97sccelica]

QUOTE (GT2GT4 @ May 12, 2003 - 8:06 PM)

i wouldnt want to legalize a gt-4 i would rather get a junk celica...buy and front/rear clip and swap everything from JDM car into USDM car. less money i would say like 2 grand or less for the celica and 4500 for the clips from jarcoinc thats 6500...lets say another 2000 or so for odds and ends parts and wiring harness job. so 8500 for something that will cost you 15000-25000

what about labor?

i know for a fact that i want to have a turbo awd 6th gen and i know that the conversion is possible but how much will it cost you?

importing a gt4 migtht be cheaper and easier, plus rhd would kick ass

but now saying that i kno that some might think "why not get a supra" well as nice as the car is, i want to be different, i want a smaller car that is unique and not the goal of every rich boy or ricer. plus driving to me is more than the 1/4 mile. i like the twisties.

i think what i should do is to order a front and rear clip and perform a fwd swap, since it will be a lot cheaper than a drive train swap too, and wait a little while to do the rest and in the mean time find a way to get around CA emissions

[Guest_Matthew_*]

i misread the question

i vote price is no obstacle

[Benevolence]

wow a lot of affluent forumers who must really love toyota, I mean theres plenty of alternatives to the gt-4 such as eclipse's (gsx) or if you want something a little more reliable a wrx could go one used in the low 20's, and even now the new evo's which are gonna eventually go down in price which are all comparable to a gt-4. I posted this poll just to see how many people would actually own a gt-4 if toyota decided to release them, because in 93 their last year in the US they didn't sell very many of them, and thats the main reason why toyota has been so hesitant in releasing it again IMO.

[SXR]

I would of bought a GT4 but for 19 yr old the insurance in Australia is around 7000. SXR, SX, ZR (or ST, GT) is only 3000.

Because of that Turbo it was just to expensive for a guy like me to insure. But when I get older I am planning on the GT4 Engine Swap on a cheaper Celica though then I'll have two. One for work and one for racing.

[boosted_K2]

QUOTE (Benevolence @ May 13, 2003 - 4:05 AM)

wow a lot of affluent forumers who must really love toyota, I mean theres plenty of alternatives to the gt-4 such as eclipse's (gsx) or if you want something a little more reliable a wrx could go one used in the low 20's, and even now the new evo's which are gonna eventually go down in price which are all comparable to a gt-4. I posted this poll just to see how many people would actually own a gt-4 if toyota decided to release them, because in 93 their last year in the US they didn't sell very many of them, and thats the main reason why toyota has been so hesitant in releasing it again IMO.

comparable?? an evo VIII would rape a JDM GT-4 in every aspect...

[macavely]

Lets not forget that toyota does make an us Awd car that is getting more and more aftermarket support and they also have a turbo kit out for it. The Matrix it's a fun car to drive and doesn't look that bad IMO. Ture it would be sweet to see the 6gc GT-4 but thats never going to happen car companies doen't look backwards.. If they do come out with a USDM GT-4 it's going to be the 7gc.... but why would they change a car that is selling so good since 2000 The celica has been selling like crazy... I would lover to see the 7th gen or the 8th gen have a FWD version and RWD version both with.. That would be a better for pricing it would keep the price the same as it is now....
But don't get me wrong if I could get a GT-4 I would in a heart beat.

[Cody]

QUOTE (chucho @ May 12, 2003 - 8:03 PM)

we need the supra back

Exactly. Nissan is out there with the 350z, and Mazda is rolling off the RX-8 this summer, and well Honda doesn't count, so I say Toyota needs to get their asses in gear. Mk5 Supra is needed badly.

This post has been edited by MrCodyFantastic: May 13, 2003 - 2:19 PM

[boosted_K2]

ok just to clear some things up:

A) the 7th gen really didnt go over that well, toyota is actually going to go back and completely redesign the 8th gen. the 7th gen was a design that was thought up within the US, the 8th will be designed elsewhere. And the 2004 model year will more than likely be the last year for the 7th, so in that sense, the 7th wont have a "GT4" and i can just about guarantee the 8th wont either.

B) we do need the supra back, but trust, i dont think its going to go over wel, every design that has been rendered has been WAY over the top space age style.
(pics pulled from bluebats posts on Celica.net) (the more i look at the top one the more i begin to like it)



C) honda very much counts, they are rolling their "redesigned" NSX, which in reality has "redesigned" very little but subtle improvements have been made. and the S2000 has been a great 2 seater and has done very well for itself in its class. i agree with mac that the matrix is a pretty cool car. but it seems to me the aftermarket has viewed the ZZ series engines as a mistake. fastest 7th gen ive seen had a 3sgte swapped in it. the way i see it toyota has lost its hope in the sports car/ super car segment. theyve waited too to release any thing in it and by the time they do A) everyone that may have bought the supra will already have a 350Z, STI, Lancer EVO, or RX-8. just my $0.02 on that subject.

[macavely]

QUOTE (K2_Celica @ May 13, 2003 - 2:06 PM)

ok just to clear some things up: A) the 7th gen really didnt go over that well, toyota is actually going to go back and completely redesign the 8th gen. the 7th gen was a design that was thought up within the US, the 8th will be designed elsewhere. And the 2004 model year will more than likely be the last year for the 7th, so in that sense, the 7th wont have a "GT4" and i can just about guarantee the 8th wont either. B) we do need the supra back, but trust, i dont think its going to go over wel, every design that has been rendered has been WAY over the top space age style. (pics pulled from bluebats posts on Celica.net) (the more i look at the top one the more i begin to like it) C) honda very much counts, they are rolling their "redesigned" NSX, which in reality has "redesigned" very little but subtle improvements have been made. and the S2000 has been a great 2 seater and has done very well for itself in its class. i agree with mac that the matrix is a pretty cool car. but it seems to me the aftermarket has viewed the ZZ series engines as a mistake. fastest 7th gen ive seen had a 3sgte swapped in it. the way i see it toyota has lost its hope in the sports car/ super car segment. theyve waited too to release any thing in it and by the time they do A) everyone that may have bought the supra will already have a 350Z, STI, Lancer EVO, or RX-8. just my $0.02 on that subject.

K2 you are right about Honda does count I think most people first think Civic or Accord when you say Honda. I and no fan of either of those cars, but you can't sleep on any of the other Honda cars RSX anyone not to mention the other ones....

As for the Super a every much loved and missed sports car.. it flat out the best IMO....Toyota needs to get off their asses and bring it back and not as the 3000GT but as the Supra....I well be finishing shcool soon and making a hell of a lot more money....So geting one of the 35 thousand dollor cars isn't going to be a big problem for me....and if toyota doesn't bring the Supra back in the next 2 years M A C is getting a RX-8 or EVO VIII

I hope Toyota cames out with a look like the top on I think it's really hot.

Now back to the GT-4

I think the only why Toyota would bring a GT-4 over here would be under the Lexus name plate.

[97sccelica]

QUOTE (Benevolence @ May 13, 2003 - 2:05 AM)

wow a lot of affluent forumers who must really love toyota, I mean theres plenty of alternatives to the gt-4 such as eclipse's (gsx) or if you want something a little more reliable a wrx could go one used in the low 20's, and even now the new evo's which are gonna eventually go down in price which are all comparable to a gt-4. I posted this poll just to see how many people would actually own a gt-4 if toyota decided to release them, because in 93 their last year in the US they didn't sell very many of them, and thats the main reason why toyota has been so hesitant in releasing it again IMO.

yeah but the gsx has a lot of problems and few are taken care of. plus it is a mitsubishi and they are complicated cars when compaired to toyota

and as for the evo8 and wrx/sti, who wants a 4 door car?(no offense to those who do)

besides, the wrx has its share of problems, namely weak rods from what i have read and the evo8 has the same powerplant as the gsx but in a heavier 4door frame with more hp and the same reliability of the gsx, unless the engine was really improved.

i have heard from a lot of palces that the mk5 supra will be coming out in 2005, the name is still up in the air, hopefully it will be supra and not 5000gt.

and, the 8th gen celica is gonna be a redesign? YES! hopefully it wont be so, ricey from the factory and not have a honda style low torque high hp engine.

the nsx imo sucks. it is WAY OVERPRICED. the 350z(also g35 and skyline r35) is nice and so is the rx8. toyota does have to get to work on a super car.

[Mage]

Hell yes. What else would you buy w/ $25k... a wrx? bleh. LanEvo and STI are both $30k or more... a 3rd gen 3sgte GT4 with $5-10k invested would smoke 'em both easily, I would think.

[Milds3vn]

QUOTE (Mage @ May 13, 2003 - 8:11 PM)

Hell yes. What else would you buy w/ $25k... a wrx? bleh. LanEvo and STI are both $30k or more... a 3rd gen 3sgte GT4 with $5-10k invested would smoke 'em both easily, I would think.

Yea I agree, I think the true key to the car is the engines potential. Look at the 3sgte in that Top Secret Supra with over 700+hp. Thats on the extreme side but I think it says something...And if you spend some money and get top notch coil overs,sway bars,strut bars, brakes and wheels it should grip with the best of them. prob take $10,000 if you do the labor and spend wisely.

[Cody]

QUOTE (97sccelica @ May 13, 2003 - 1:46 PM)

[QUOTE=Benevolence,May 13, 2003 - 2:05 AM]i have heard from a lot of palces that the mk5 supra will be coming out in 2005, the name is still up in the air, hopefully it will be supra and not 5000gt.

Supra or 5000gt, if it looks like the car in the top picture, it's bought...well, if it's under 35k. They need to do something about those headlights though.

[coustoe]

sighs, this is the big question, wether to spend the 5k + on engine and suspension improvements for your celica or to get a new higher performance car.

I figure total 5k for the engine and 2k for brakes and suspension so total 7k and most people spent what 6k to 9k buying their cars.

Total cost + improvements:

Celica (car itself) - 7k
3sgte swap - 5k
350hp+ engine upgrades -2k
Suspension+brakes+wheels- 3k
Paint+bodykit - 3k
interior+stereo - 2k
-------------------------------------------
Total - 22k


Feel free to modify this list if something doesnt look right or add specific price details to each group, but Id say you basically be spending bout $22,000 youll get a 350+ hp, performance suspension, braking wheels, custom exterior, custom interior, awesome stereo system and a car that will look like nothing on the road. I dont know is this worth it? You can get a lot of good cars for 22k, that have similiar peformance. and Really if you think about it, if you get a car financed at near or equal to 0% these days. Price wise the amount you spend each month on your car could be less then you spend right now.

Its a difficult choice, I cant really decide. Maybe someone can shed some light on this.

[coustoe]

Car comparision

Celica upgraded Dream car - 2700lbs - 350+hp - $22k
Lancer Evo 8 - 3300lbs - 271hp - $29k
Impreza WRX - 31000lbs - 227hp -$27k
TT Supra - 3500lbs - 320hp - $26k
350z - 3200lbs - 287hp - $30k


okay make your judements

[coustoe]

when you consider after all the upgrades you might be spend $15k on performance upgrades on your US domestic model celica. consider shipping a JDM to US.

I will repeat that when you ship a JDM celica to the US if you dont want to end up spending $20k, you must work with custom agents at the NHTSA to make sure the Celica is undriveable; ei remove a part from the engine so it wont start and ship it seperatly. You will label the vehicle as spare parts to be use in a 3sgte swap and awd conversion.

Once you get the car in the US and past customs you cannot drive the car legally, it is up to you to figure out how to fool your dmv and get the car registered. Options are lift a vin number from salavaged title celica, or get two set of license plates one for your us celica and one for your jdm celica, if you get pulled over just say you did the jdm conversion.

Cost:

1996 GT4 celica - $6000-$7000
Shipping - $1000 - $2000
Engine upgrades to 350hp+ - $2000
Custom paint - $2000
Body kit - $1000
Custom interior - $1000
Stereo - $1000
suspension+brakes+wheels - N/A
---------------------------------------------
Total - $15000



JDM shipped Dream Car + awd- $15000
USDM Dream Car - $22000
USDM Dream Car + awd - $28000