Last fall I made a life decision. I decided that instead of going away to school right away I would take a year off and buy myself a car. What kind of car? My friend (nicknamed speedy) had told me a year before that he wanted to buy a Celica I looked it up and was blown away. So began my love affair with Toyota’s Celica.

In July 2000 my Dad and I bought one for $5700 with 218,000 km (about 110 miles) on it. It was a 1990 white GTS fully loaded. Celica was my first car, and it was 5 speed, if you can believe it I didn’t stall the first time I drove it. The transmission was smooth, clutch was responsive, shifter in hand I glided through the gears, my 2.2 litre engine roaring through its power band I got on the highway. I accelerated to 100km (60 miles) in about 8 seconds, not the fastest car ever but peppy with 218000 km! The loaded GTS responded my every need, from the inflatable lumber support on the small of my back, to the factory 10 speaker CD sound system pounding all around me, the air blasted in through the power windows and moonroof. I was in love for the rest of the summer.

Winter fell and my car was out of its ideal situation. The hugely fat 225 tires floated in the snow as a result I spun out one time racing a Neon and ended ploughing through a snow bank but the car was undamaged. Otherwise for winter driving the engine heat up very quickly and heater kept me very warm.

As far as the interior it looks like a 1995 at least. It’s beautiful. I wouldn’t change one thing about it. The factory GTS seats were amazingly comfortable. Dash was better then anything I have ever seen from 1990, Mercedes included. The green gauges blazed at night and in the day were easy to read, conveying endless information in a quick glance. I can’t say enough about the interior.

From the outside there is absolutely no contest as fast as I’m concerned. In 1990 the Celica was actually criticized for looking too curvy, breaking away from the standard small box format common at the time.

Performance wise, the car is peppy, I will say that, but it’s not FAST. I got pumped by a lot of sports cars. It’s a 2.2 so gas is good, but the weight of all those luxury features slows the car down a lot. I can beat old civics, but the V-tecs are more of a challenge. Lets just say I beat all automatics.

Reliability wise this car was the ultimate. Its 11 years old, I drove it for a year with high mileage and I the only repair I did was brakes on it. Engine a bit of blew oil in the morning but ran great, transmission was perfect I can’t say enough.

To end my story, the feel of my sports car wet my appetite for a bit more power. I sold my Celica thinking a was buying a 93 Prelude, but a talk with my parents reminded me that I was going to school the next year and that I needed to save my money. After two weeks of searching for a different car in the same price range, I drove Turbo Talons, (Eclipse in the US), a Jeep, (cool but rough!) a 5.0 mustang (expensive insurance) and finally a 1988 Mercedes 190E, (300000km! 170000 miles approx.) and even a 1992 Civic. There was no contest. I bought another Celica, black GTS this time.


Amount Paid (US$): 4000
Condition: Used
Model Year: 1990
Model and Options: GTS loaded, power everything 5 spd