Did you recently rush to buy a new vehicle before tariff-related price hikes? A reporter is looking to speak with shoppers who felt pressure to act quickly due to expected cost increases; please reach out to PR@Edmunds.com for more details by 4/24.
2000 Toyota Celica GTS
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
P.S. Did you take the GT-S up to 8200 RPM's? You'll really feel the difference in acceleration between the cars if you do.
don't think even gets you to the cam switchover.
Anybody know for sure? I did hear a different
tone come from the engine at about 4000 that I
couldn't identify. Maybe that was the
"intelligence" figuring out that I had the hammer
down.
The clutch is very light on this vehicle and
engages almost immediately off the floor. That
caught me by surprise, and I actually stalled it
twice during the test drive--but I got used to
it. After I climbed back in my Prizm, the clutch
felt so stiff and awkward that it almost seemed
to have something wrong with it!!
How do you folks feel about waiting for the 2001s
at this point? Maybe Toyota will have some of
the minor kinks ironed out, and add a few more
horsies.....
4000 RPM's is when the engine starts to produce real power, so thats what you probably heard, and it only gets louder from there! Power starts to die down at 5500, then the engine shifts into the 2nd cam at 6000 (only if you floor it). You'll definitely feel it too, as it pushes you back into your seat until the limiter (8200). And the sound of the engine roaring is just incredible!
This is my first stick car, so I don't know how other cars' clutches feel. I would say the whole transmission had an excellent feel, though. I could feel in my foot when the clutch grabbed, and I could find every gear the first time. It only took me 20 min of stalling to learn how to drive (dealer taught me after I bought it), and I drove home (20 mi) without stalling once! It did take me a couple of weeks (and one good traffic jam
I'm still trying to buy my GT-S, I want an red color with all the options + security sys. and side air bags. Now that's where my problem is. It seems that dealer(s) having hard time getting an red color that has both security sys. and side air bags. What I like to hear from is, how many of you think that these two options feature are as important as I felt?
Also, is any GT-S driver have problem with "View" for changing lanes as well as backing up in the parking space? If so, what do you do to "Help" correct this situations?
For changing lanes, backing up, parking, etc: PROPER adjustment of your side mirrors is paramount; most people don't seem to have them adjusted far enough out. If you can see any part of your own car in the mirror, it's not far enough out (for highway driving). If you're parking, just adjust them in a little so you can see directly beside/behind the car.
left right
------------------- -------------------
| | | |
| | | |
|-----------------| |-----------------|
|***/ left lane | |right lane \***|
|**/ | | \**|
|*/ line-> /| |\ <-line \*|
------------------- -------------------
(I hope these pics come out!)
With the mirrors like this, you'll be able to see the car on your side go from the rear view mirror to the side view, looking something like this:
rear view
---------------------------
|\ <- car to your |
|-- rear left |
|O|-----------------------|
|-- / your \ right|
| U/ lane \ lane|
| / \ |
driver's side view ---------------------------
-------------------
| ______ |
| / \ | (As you can see, I have
| ----------| way too much time on my
|-------|O car O|| hands!
|***/ ----------|
|**/ U U|
|*/ left lane /|
-------------------
It virtually eliminates the blind spot. This is why it is called a "side view" mirror: it lets you see what's on the side of your car! You don't need to see what's behind you in these mirrors, that's what the "rear view" mirror is for! Having the mirrors in this position also shortens the amount of time needed to look to your side, just in case you feel it's necessary to turn your head around to check if the lane is clear. You'll already know who's next to you and at your rear bumper.
You should also regularly check to see who's around you. You'll never know when you'll need to dodge something in your lane by moving to another.
1. Could you tell me if this is a decent quote. 2. Any dealers in San Diego?
3. Any suggestions for which alarms to buys, and how to shop for them. There seems to be a lack of info on this site. Thanks.
Viper 300+ HF:
2 Two-button Transmitters ; 3 receiver channels ; Power Door Locks ; Dome light supervision ; Parking light flash ; Code hopping ;
Starter Kill; Active/Passive Activation ;LED ; Parking light flash ; Panic.
my first car was a 90 integra. excellent car. then i bought a 91 eclipse gsx. complete garbage. for 3 months that i had the car, it was in the shop for half of it. mitsubishi reliability is crap, so i vowed not to buy another again. i was searching for used/new cars. vw gti, prelude, integra gsr, etc, until i saw the celica gts. things that caught my eye were the power, price, handling, looks, and gas milage. also the automatic shifter (i live near boston where there's lotsa traffic), 8 speaker stereo etc. seeing how the eclipse had broken down for good (timing belt tensioner broke) and i was renting a car, i needed a car quickly. this is in october of 99, 1 month after the first celicas are shipped. so every dealer is selling over msrp and they're short on supplies. the cars were bought before they were off the truck. so i got a GTS, settling with a red (i wanted silver), paying extra for things i didnt want, SRS, leather, and ABS. i had that car thru winter. within the first 2 months, i noticed faults with the car.. cd player skipping; cruise control lite is on regardless of active or not; releasing the seatbelt damaged the cheap plastic on the door; and the automatic transmission: for one the logic is horrible. it downshifts into 1st if braking and speed drops below 5mph. so in traffic this results in a lot of jerking. at stop you can upshift to 2nd (winter say) but past a certain rpm or speed, it will downshift back to 1st if speed drops. there is no way of keeping it in 2nd as the lowest gear. automatic transmision kills a lot of the power. no torque.. getting this thing from 0-65 (say from a state highway entrance with a stop sign into traffic) was embarresing. it seemed like driving a trailer truck. 4 gears. YUCK! you bring the rpm up to redline, shift.. woosh, it drops down near 4500rpm. no power. in cold weather this seemed A LOT worse. until the tranny came up to temperature, the power seemed to nicely vanish. the car is also very lite, so be extra cautious driving on rain and snow. with the yokohama tires this car loses traction before regular cars in bad weather, so just watch it. from october 99 until july 2k i put 24k miles on this car, so i have a lot of experience with it. the aggrevation i was experiencing with this car was eating at me and finaly i traded it in for a silver 6 speed. i was considering bmw, prelude, gsr, economy class like echo and focus as well, but i liked this car best of all. still paid extra for side air bags and ABS but what the heck.. fantastic car. gear ratios are very close, so it may not be the regular ride people expect without short shifting, 1-3-6. nice thing about the car is that the noise at high rpm is there, but not necessary. there is still plenty of power for a trip to the grocery store. 6 speed is great. it's such that if you redline and shift, you get dropped rite near 6000 rpm with all the HP. woo! you get excellent gas milage if you drive the car in between 2000 - 4000 rpm. so far i have gotten 32.5 and 34.5mpg - mostly city driving, where as on the automatic i never went above 29mpg. the car has decent torque. i find myself driving up hill in 6th at 1500 rpm without the engine being choked, and it still has pick up power. the spoiler blocks rear view somewhat. especialy at nite where the headlites of the car behind are not appearant at a certain distance - this seems to be 2-3 car lengths where people usualy follow.
as far as reliability, i got the extended full coverage warranty, so theres some relief.
handling of this car on dry pavement is nearly scary. it's evenly balanced, so that when the car is sliding in a turn i can control the over/under steer with little throttle. with TRD's suspension kit, this car will be a moving coffin for sure!
yokohama tires wear out quickly though. so if you ride hard, be prepared to pay for 4 tires after 25k miles.
oh and dont forget the car needs premium gas. minimum octane rating is 91.
First a word about the plastic interior...it's not the best type of plastic to use...but it's design is damn good..I fail to notice what the big deal is. Doesn't really matter to me anyways, as I'm getting a dash cover this week...the dust gathering from leaving the windows and moonroof open is driving me nuts...I have to clean at least twice a week or it turns into a dustbowl.
As for you that are damaging your plastic...lemme give you a hint. You just paid 21,000+ for your little Celica...treat it that way. I've seen tons of Celicas since I bought my baby back in May..and I can tell the difference between people who take care of their car...as in washing, waxing, cleaning the interior, etc., and people who don't. I 3 step wax my car once a month, and get a touchless car wash at the end of every week to throw the grime off. I also do my interior every week. The car looks like I drove it off the factory.
Everytime I release the seatbelt, I simply guide it back to the rear of the seat...it's no trouble at all, and after awhile it just becomes your normal routine. I also make sure that my wife or passengers always put their seatbelt into the "specifically made for the seatbelt" slot after they're finished riding in my car.
Okay, okay..nuff about that...
I feel bad about people like the guy with the lemon Celica a couple posts back...
Here's the real deal...every once in awhile there's gonna be a lemon...seems he got one. I don't know how he treated his Celica or whether he was slamming things...slamming the trunk hatch..slamming his doors...driving it like he stole it or what..but some of the things he mentioned are pretty damn excessive?
"First month of ownership
entitled 8 returns to the dealers for minor things
such as hatchback not closing, Door seals falling
off, Wheel wells slipping out of place, Stereo not
working, sunroof not closing, Lately it’s been a
few plastic parts falling off and I can’t figure
out where they are coming from"
Jeezus...I haven't had ANY of these problems..and this is the first time I've heard of ALL of these problems...He definetly got a lemon...or drove it like Chevy Chase in National Lampoons.
I haven't had one single problem with my Celica...I'm always speeding off from stoplights...with everyone else a couple cars behind me..even when only slipping up to 4000rpms on each shift. I can park in areas that the bigger sports cars can't..such as Camaros and F-bodies. I get great gas mileage(when I'm not racing it). The stick shift is superb, close-geared, and that 6th gear saves me tons more gas than the 5 gear Integras and Eclipses. I've gotten a gazillion looks ever since I bought the car...just yesterday..some of the guys working on our apartment complex were quizing me on it's performance specs, looking at the interior..and basically commenting on it's good looks. That was in the morning...I went to see Hollow Man(good flick) and on my way out...I saw three peeps that had just left the same movie stop by my car and check it out...saying "Damn, that car is sweet."
Jeezus....I love my car...and I don't even have any aftermarket parts on it yet...just wait till I get my exhaust, K&N filter, and Supercharger.(if one of the companies don't make one, then I'm just gonna have a guy I know do a custom job, Turbo of course). I've got my springs, just waiting for install on the 14th.
ALL I have to say is that I've had so much fun, ever since I bought my 6-spd GT-S. It's a blast.
toyota dealers seem almost frightened of toyota corp. and toyota corp seems almost anal about customer satisfaction. after buying the car i got calls and a letter from the dealer asking me how satisfied i am and reminding me to be sure to tell toyota corp that they (the dealer) have gotten in touch with me after the purchase.
also.. when i went to get the car there was a paint chip on the plastic thing above the license plate at the rear of the car. i figured they would just replace it. but no.. they had several engineers from toyota come and look at it - they could not believe how such a things could have made it that far to delivery. they replaced the car. the dealer was almost nervous that i'd raise hell to toyota corp. hmm.. if i knew better, i'd probably do to get away with some sort of bonus.
ok, that was my brief.
i really dont think the price of the car matters. it depends how responsible the person is. there are people who pay less and take better care. and if money mattered, maybe $21k is a big deal to you, but to some it's not much (making a general statement, doesnt apply to myself).
anywho, i dont see how you justify paying that much and then spending more on aftermarket parts to try to fit in a different class. i guess where you live doesnt rain or snow, or you have a 2nd car, because lowering a car requires smooth dry pavement or you'll see little ford fiesta's whizzing by you. this comes from experience..
dont get me wrong, i have thought about upgrading the car. i noticed that Blitz has a supercharger in the works; TRD exaust and air filter adds nearly 18HP by itself. then again go to the local movie theater and you got 1000 cars, all junk with phat rims and 4inch tail pipes. it's ridiculous. i dont want to be classified in the same category.
also, i dont know about the reliability of these engines. toyota GTS cars keep breaking in touring races. let alone add a supercharger or turbo. hehe.
still, i'd be eager to know about the progress of your upgrade.
PS> what do you use to clean the leather and dash? ..outside polish as well.
Thank you
After the test drive the manager told me they're clearing the 2000 cars, making room for the 2001. They're having a special sale on Celicas right now, only $500 above invoice on GT-S. I think they're pretty good. The only catch is I have to make my decision fast.
They have about 8 GT-S left and none of them have excatly what I want. I want 16" alloy wheels, moonroof, rear spoiler, ABS, leather, VIP secreity system, and floor mats. I don't really care which color. The VIP secreity system is the hardest to get. There was only one car on lot that had it, but it didn't have leather.
Well, I guess I'll have to look else where. I'll visit the other 2 dealerships around here soon. Hope you guys enjoy your Celicas!!
Alex
auto? manual? cold/warm engine?
i'm sure you know that the real power comes after 6000 rpm; it also gozzles gas. if you look at the stock power curve (http://www.rodmillenstore.com/celica/dyno.jpg), you got something near 100HP to the wheels. with two people inside the car.. well, dont expect a marvel. the car's designed so that for normal usage, say 2000-4000 rpm, you get an average car with great gas milage (34 city/hwy combined). if you push it more, you get the extra 60+ horsepower. neat! i'd expect the overall gas milage to drop to somewhere in high 20s. i havent pushed my car on a constant basis yet. that's for manual. when i had the automatic, conservative mode got me 29mpg. pushing the car dropped it to 26mpg. again, thats city/hwy combined.
with manual (same with auto in m-mode) you really dont have to floor it. with the gas pedal a little over half way down, i got a 0-60 of 8.8sec (using gtech pro). number mite be a little off due to uneven ground. say 9 sec. i did let the rpm go until near redline. thats plenty, no?
2) Went through carpoint.com and autobytel.com today to get quotes.
3) From carsdirect.com, with options I want (leather, rims, spoiler, VIP, etc.) got quote of $24,058.
4) Can I get a lower price? (Seattle area)
5) What price was your GTS?
6) Thanks in advance.
Don't get the automatic, you'd would get better performance from the 4 cylinder Solara with automatic.
Good Luck
I just test drove celica GTS and I love it. The dealer even tried to convince me to buy it today, but I guess it's best to come back here and see what the best deal should be.
The car is loaded. (6 speed transmission) The dealer want to sell it to me for the invoice price,~$23000. Is it good enough? He even will get a car in silver from other dealer for me.
It seems too easy. That's why I need an opinion from you guys. I am appreciated any response.
Also, is it possible to pay only 2-3% over invoice when 2001 GTS arrives?
Thanks again.
As far as invoice prices, don't believe what the dealer tells or shows you. My GTS (auto) claimed an invoice of $23,489. I looked up the info on several web sites and come up nearly $2K less.
know which car is more powerful? i know the
prelude base has 200hp 5speed while gts is like i
believe 180 6speed.... so number wise i guess
it makes more sense that prelude is more powerful
but prelude weighs 2954 pounds (from edmunds)and
gts weighs 2500 pounds (from edmunds)...
so is the prelude still faster with the extra
weight or the gts with the lighter weight? factoring in hp of course?
So CARSDIRECT.com is a bunch of BS? Damn, I didn't know GTSs could go for so low. Is invoice realistic?
Get an auto when you get that SUV. Buy a manual for the high-revving sports coupe.
Enjoy, man.
* the supply of celicas is dwindling
*they don't build them with ABS
*you can't change the options, this is the way we get them from japan
What is the point of having options if you can't change them? Any advice on what I should do. GTS is very slick but it is getting a bit on the expensive side for me. May as well just go and buy a GTI.
I currently have a 1998 Mitsu Mirage DE Coupe, and well it has been nothing but hell, we are in the process of having it filed as a lemon so I get my money back from it from Mitsubishi. Once I get the money back, I want to get a Celica GT-S. Ever since the new 2000 GT-S came out, I have been wanting one, and now it seems like I'll have a chance. I am very scared that I'll have the same situation as my mirage with the next car I buy. So I am writing to ask if anyone with their 2000 GT-S could write how they feel about it, pros/cons as far as reliability goes for those who have owned theirs for a while now. Anyways, I hope to purchase mine in the next month or so. The dealer is getting tired of seeing me and wants me to hurry and buy the damn thing already hehe. Another thing, I am a little heavy when it comes to the pedal (hehe), anyone know if cops tend to nab celicas more so than other cars of it's class because of the look/rep. Thanks!!!
_______________________________
Http://www.Falcon-Graphics.com
_______________________________
The GT-S 6-speed isn't hard to drive. First off, it has a hydraulic clutch, so it's smoother and much lighter than the ones in other cars. Second, the shifter feels very precise and tight. You know exactly when you're in gear, and there is no excess movement. The throws are very short, and the gates are close, making shifting almost effortless.
Learning stick on this car is very easy because of these qualities. In fact, this is my first stick car, and I love it to death. It only took me 20 min to learn how to drive (dealer taught me) enough so I could take my car home from the dealership. I even didn't stall once on the way home (20 mi.)! You'll be so thankful you got stick once you learn the speed limit of each gear and how to double clutch (not necessary, but helpful). You shift when you want, not when the transmission gets around to it.
As for driving in traffic, I don't mind it at all. Hell, I just go out and drive my car for fun, even through rush hour traffic sometimes! The transmission is pretty much effortless, and actually fun (for, me at least)
---------------ONE WORD OF CAUTION----------------
Just make sure you learn how to shift, the location of each gear, and the speed limit of each gear, before you start driving aggressively! There have been a few drivers who have misshifted due to the close gating of the transmission. In most other cars, this would be no problem, but the gear ratios are very close in this car (to keep RPM's above 6000 on every shift). They usually go from 5th to 2nd when they wanted 4th. This causes the engine to rev extremely high, damaging the engine. Toyota has responded to this by placing stiffer shifter springs in cars made after 1/00. I have never misshifted or come close to it, most likely because of the springs, and my patience in learning stick. Please, just make sure you're well acquainted with the transmission before you start racing!
Okay, that was more than one word, but it needed to be said.
Here's the good news: you CAN order them from Japan with the options you want! I was going to do this, instead of buying one off the lot with stuff I didn't need. But I was too impatient (4 month wait at the time!), so I bought a fully loaded Spectra Blue Mica 6-speed GT-S!
I don't know if you can get ABS on the GT, though, because it has disc/drum brakes, while the GT-S has disc/disc. You just have to find a dealer who is willing to work with you. I went through four before I found one who actually admitted you can order them!
If worst comes to worst, you can order a stripped down GT-S for near the price of a fully loaded GT. It comes standard with power everything and the premium stereo (powerful for a stock system). Oh yeah, and it comes with a 180hp VVTL-i engine. Can you say FAST?! You can save up the extra money while waiting for the car to be delivered!
P.S. If you test drive a GT and a GTI, you'll know which one you want!
As for speeding, I run around everywhere at full throttle and haven't been caught yet!
In my Celica, I usually drive as much as 30 mph over the limit when there's no traffic, and haven't gotten pulled over yet (crosses fingers and everything else!). I guess you just have to know where cops hide, and be on the lookout for them.
This page might help: http://www.speedtrap.com/
Actually, I was close to being pulled over today. I shot off an on-ramp and gunned it all the way to 80, tearing around all the cars in the right two lanes. Then I looked in my rear view and saw a cop about 20 car lengths behind! No way he could have missed me cutting over three lanes and flying past traffic, so I immediately slowed down and joined traffic in the middle lane. Then I pulled off onto a side road and took a detour to avoid him completely. My insurance is high enough ($2800 yr.)!
Thanks.
Since I don't know how to drive a manual, drive in a lot of traffic and am not buying the car for the purpose of racing, I'm leaning toward the automatic right now. I wouldn't mind losing a fraction of a second from 0-60 to save the headaches I've heard that driving a manual in traffic can bring.
Does anyone who owns a GTS automatic have anything positive to say about the acceleration? How well does the sportshift work? Is it really as sluggish off the line as everyone is saying? What kinds of 0-60 times have you gotten?
Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.
Your local dealer is full of it and is too damn lazy to check around. I suggest talking to a different dealer.
It certainly turns heads.