6G Celicas Forums

Ninja warrior - Michael Dudikoff

(man that guy sucked back in the eighties)

I´m currently 31 y.o. but I remember being 29 so vividly...

Anyway, happy b-day Tufy, and I wish you many more Evo kills in the years to come.

Currently I´m driving A Toyota Yaris 1,3VVTi (soooo much fun to drive, really), a Peugeot 205 GTi 1,9 (my GF´s car...so I don´t drive it very often, but since I have some "stock" in it it´s as good as mine ), and my own pride and joy...1994. Celica ST.

My next car, however, will be a Lexus IS300 (in about a year or so).

You come to Zagreb and bring the beers and I´ll Xerox some Chilton´s knowledge base for you...

This is what´s in the library;
http://www.delmarlearning.com/browse_produ...&cat2ID=CHM

Finally someone else from HR...ah...not feeling alone at all now...

PM me for any more info that you may have!

REALLY?!?
That´s horrible man! I really feel sorry!



Anyway, BOT, mine was black, so it stayed black after painting. My other options were to go Silver or White...but I gave them colors up and took a "Midnight Black Pearl", and with my 18" Passions I couldn´t have gone wrong.
If it was red...hunh...idunno.

My opinion is very similar to the one said by GriffGirl in her first reply...
To me the 7th gen looks quite cool, but only after you change some parts of the suspension which will lower it down a bit, and those tiny wheels (what are those...14" or something ), but seing the 6th gen and 7th gen one beside the other on autostrada in Italy this summer (yes...PECM it was), the 7th gen looks like some poor Hyundaish half baked product...

The 6th gen however (and I´m not saying that in favour of just the GT4 but the ST, and GT also) looks like a proper sportscar...wide, round and very sleek...and not just compared to the 7th gen, but also Honda Prelude, Hyundai Coupe (Tiburon in the USofA), Eclipse and others...
There is another thing in my mind about the two...the 6th gen is an OLD car, and STILL looks far more attractive completely stock, than most of the cars made today, while 7th gen looks probably pretty cool today, but how will it compare when the examples on the road surpass some 10 years of age...I think not very good.

So, needless to say that mixing these two cannot be cool...ever!
IMHO of course...

AFAIK the only car that looks even remotely cool with front end taken from the next model in the evolution would be the 200 SX...and that´s it.

Yeah! Handbrake dancing simply rules!

One day (winter) last year I drove my girlfriend home, and it was snowing heavily...so by the time I got to her house and kissed godnight (needless to say it took a while), the snow was about 2 inches high on the roads everywhere...
Went to a bus depot near by, which has a pretty large parking (covered in snow, and literally untouched at the time) and started dancing around (with "The Blue Danube" waltz going on in the CD player).

Magnificent stuff!
Really!



But it couldn´t be done with summer time tires...too slippery and totally out of control.

I have an extra set of 15" steel wheels wheels with 195/60/15 winter tires also...and they find their way to the sar as soon as the termometer hits 7 degrees Celsius for the first time, since my performance tires aren´t any good below that temperature.

GOOD ONE! RESPECT!

DAMN!
How gay was that?!?

Idunno...my favourite would still have to be the first one...with the dogs!
When you calculate in equation the fact that I own a Samoyed (which is kinda almost like a Husky dog), you get the picture...

You´re not the only one, my friend...

Couldn´t agree with you more! Really!

But that´s kinda dodging the line of fire on the expense of the enthusiasts that in the 70´s and 80´s brought fame to Toyota outside the boundaries o Japan.
IMHO Toyota OWES a debt of gratitude to that kind of people, but instead, they just decided to cut them loose...and since I consider myself as one of those people, naturally, it bothers me!

That´s all!

I´d definately always go with only one classic; John Carpenter´s The Thing.

Scary, gross, and atmospherical as hell!

I love that movie!

As far as I´m concerned, all those luxury coupé cars are a bunch of bullsXXt! Heavy, loaded with all sorts of things that make you wonder who is actually driving who, and pushed in our minds as a status symbols!

I always hated that approach simply because it´s pretty easy to make a whole bunch of quick cash (it all depends on your abillity to commit fraud of some kind, and how low your morale values can be)...so, the outcome is simple; around 70% of those "grand tourer-high performance-massage parlor" cars are (statistically) driven by criminals these days.
Other 30% of the owners appear simply to have some sort of lack of imagination and knowledge/interest in cars.
I mean, all of the time these last few years, magazine articles and commercials have been cramping down my throat the facts of safety features and euro Ncap tests and all sorts of stuff regarding the safety subject. Why? Simply because a car became a necessity, and as such, more and more dumb*sses who look at a car only as a vehicle that goes from point A to point B, simply sit behind the wheel without any interest in caring for their cars and other drivers around them. That´s the main reason accidents happen!

Personally, people that I hang out (Celica lovers or other) NEVER park their cars where they might be scratched (so, tight spots, middle of the road, kurbs, and some other places dumb*sses park on) are not used by them. Also, obeying traffic signs regarding the right of passage, traffic lights, and all other who can twist the course of one´s life in a flash are regarded as a MUST, because they have limited budgets, and unlimited love for their cars, and they don´t want anything to happen to them.
Regular aXXholes don´t look at things that way and/or don´t care much about such things, and naturally...sXXt happens!
There are some shiny examples of normal driving among the normal folks, but they seem to be getting fewer day by day...unfortunately.
IMHO, of course.

Unfortunately, the japanese car manufacturers (especially Toyota) have also begun to orient themselves to the type of cars us enthusiasts either hate, or actually don´t care about at all...and that sucks!

I mean really, where would Toyota´s heritage be if there weren´t people like us, who better themselves along with the cars we drive?
Would Celica or MR2, Supra, Levin/Trueno really be as popular as they are (or were at least) today?
I really don´t think so!

I know that making money basically means absolutely indulging the "many", but to forget the "few" who tuned, raced, styled and promoted Celicas, Supras, MR 2s and all other "purpose built" cars for all these years is simply something that should brand the company forever.

That´s what I think anyway...

Unfortunately...

I´m kinda guessing that there will be a lot of people who´s thoughts are (or will be) similar...

My next car is already decided to be a Lexus IS 300...it´s close to the Toyota Badge, isn´t it?

Been searching for some stuff regarding the Toyota´s premium and sports production cars, so I bumped into this article...which is (IMHO) about 120% true (unfortunately), so I wanted to share it with you all...

Anyway, I don´t know who the author is, but max respect for the article!

So here it goes...

1985. Toyota could not do anything wrong. In the important U.S. market the product line was solid. Product for product, Toyota models bested offerings from other car manufacturers. Car of the Year Awards all over the place. The Corolla GTS, MR2, Celica GTS, and Supra- the Toyota enthusiasts were well served. Toyota USA President, Mr. Togo, set personal goals for the U.S. company, and he achieved them all- Motorsports, Manufacturing, Exporting, Mini-Trucks, even Aviation !

On a visit to Japan, we learned about Toyota Global Ten: Toyota’s corporate goal for 10% of the world automotive market. In Japan, Toyota owned the industry. Aggressive expansion in Europe had begun and Toyota was on a fast learning curve. The Corolla was the best selling car in the world. The Camry was being Americanized. And the enthusiasts had their choice

By 1990, a new decade, Toyota was still on top, with a brand new division Lexus.. Toyota products were world-class products. Toyota sporty cars had the best engines in their class. Industry insiders and Trade magazines who predicted that Honda will surpass Toyota were proved wrong- if you added the Toyota truck and van sales. Honda was on track to capture the entry-level market. (Even Acura had an entry-level model, a Twin Cam.) Toyota had all it’s bases covered: Luxury, Sporty, Van, and Trucks.

Toyota , however, started to loose a generation of die-hards interested in performance cars and interesting entry-level cars. Cars that performed the best in their class. Cars with state-of-the art engines. Cars you are proud to drive. Cars you can have fun with. And can ultimately afford.


1995. Toyota remained on top of the Import market, with the Camry, SUV, and truck sales. In five years, Lexus became an award-laden and established Luxury brand. Even mighty Mercedes, the historic and iconoclastic purveyor of benchmark automobiles was forced to reposition and reinvent their stars. To achieve yearly Sales Records and Profits, Toyota concentrated on improving the Camry and trucks, gaining on new markets and keeping millions of loyal customers.

Toyota Motorsports in the U.S. had won numerous Championships, making Toyota enthusiasts real proud. Even Toyota USA , caught in the excitement continued buying out TRD Japan’s interests in TRD USA- the better to serve the U.S, market. The Supra and MR2 Turbo gained cult-like status, making Toyota enthusiasts even prouder. You almost did not miss the disappearance of the real GTS Corolla and Celica models.

A Japan visit was dismal. Japan was in Recession. At that time, Nissan and Mazda were at the brink of collapse, which would have caused Japanese and World recession. The Japanese Trade ministry “advised” Toyota about market expansion. This resulted in Toyota trying to maximize profit on model lines and unit sales, not market share. There was less emphasis on entry-level, low margin vehicles.

As Lexus continued making history in the Luxury field, Honda had entrenched and owned the entry-level and aftermarket. Even the U.S. Honda Twin Cam engines were better than U.S. Toyota’s! Toysport had to import the real Toyota Twin Cams from Japan (just like in the 80”s) to keep parity in the streets. U.S. magazine surveys showed the different Toyota car models became also-rans in their test / review categories.

Toyota Corporate in Japan and the U.S. realized the situation and the Genesis Group was formed. Record sales and profits in Toyota, overshadowed the gradual disappearance of interesting Toyota niche models.

In 2000, the new millennium, Toyota’s product line-up has lost favor with the performance enthusiast core. The Turbo and GTS models were gone. Toyota SUV’s RAV4, Highlander, 4Runner, Sequoia, and Land Cruiser represented Toyota’s commitment to the emerging market. The entry-level products were dismal and demanding attention. It would take a major impetus from Toyota to recapture the Sporty and entry-level market.


2005. The Celica and MRS /MR2 bow out. The Supra moved on 5 years ago with the Levin and Trueno. The AllTrac and GT4 Celica disappeared 6 years ago. Even in Japan, there are no more sporty Toyotas. All followed the Toyota 2000GT- gone to Toyota’s great museum in the sky, a couple left parked in our garage. Cherished orphaned nameplates now. Abandoned, decommissioned, discontinued, and seemingly given an unappreciated exit.

The 4AGE and 3SGE had been retired. The 3SGTE is hiding in some non-sporting Toyota. The 2JZGTE is soon to follow all the other great legendary Toyota Twin Cams of the performance variety: 3M, 9R, 2TG, 3TGTE, 18RG, and 7MGTE. This has got to be the lowest point in Toyota product and engine line-up for the Toyota enthusiast. The 2ZZGE is hiding under some hoods.

And you, we, all of us supposed Toyota enthusiasts and racers are to blame. The Toyota performance cars did not sell in the #s Toyota needed. Simply put, Toyota does not need our business or opinion. So do not bother calling Toyota and registering your grief or indignation, there were not enough of us to support and buy the performance products.

Toyota Marketing trounced Toyota Engineering and Product Planning. They will show you charts, projections, studies, trends, and 1000’s of reasons to shut you up. Do not despair there are still some enthusiasts in Product Planning, but It is a pure money issue. We could only wish that Toyota Marketing appreciated the legacy of the sporty Toyotas as much as the now disenfranchised Toyota enthusiasts still do.

The Toyota future looks pure Prius, SUV, and Scion. Hopefully you are brushed up with RC car technology, have 7 friends to drive around, and not adverse to flash marketing and fashion fads. Or inane limited editions or numbered series. Decals, emblems, and paint jobs do not make a car special- performance engines do. If you look hard enough, 2ZZGE engines still lurk under some hoods in generic sedan bodies. A candle in the darkness in the middle of a storm.

Eventually Toyota will be # 1 in the world. The Camry Hybrid and Lexus line will continue to high profile as the quintessential Toyota products. Toyota trucks will rule Texas. Toyota will continue posting yearly RECORD SALES. Toyota tried to emulate Chrysler and became even better than it. Toyota’s Global 10 became Global 15- the corporate goal to capture the market share percentage. Not the Toyota we loved.

Toyota will continue racing IRL, NASCAR, and F1. Maybe even dominate, as it has done before to promote the then current Twin Cams. The better to impress people who never experienced the joy of a TE27 with a 2TG, RA20 with an 18RG, AE86 with a 4AGE, ST205 and SW20 with a 3SGTE, JZA80 with the 2JZGTE. But who is the target market for all this motor sport greatness? Win on Sunday, mass transit on Monday? At least the Toyota Factory teams have fun. Paid for by the boring cars.

For Toyota enthusiasts, life is not fair. Probably, we did not make enough money to afford the …… And market dominance screws up corporate values. Money talks and enthusiasts walk. Toyota has showed their real spirit, cannot call it soul: it has become an unexciting but efficient automobile manufacturer, dependably boring, hugely profitable. Performance glorified in marketing, not under the hood. In the current season of factory 500HP luxury cars and SUVs, the high revving multi-valved supercharged turbocharged Toyota Twin Cam engines did not matter. The Nameplates that made Toyota famous and legendary (and the envy of other manufacturers) in the different international / local racing circuits and in the import show / street scene have run out of Toyota Corporate supporters.

Even TRD in Japan and the U.S., with all their good intentions will be hard pressed to change the new Toyota image, so do not blame them too- their jobs maybe next.

1985 to 2005. Twenty years of radical change in Toyota. For the Toyota enthusiasts, twenty years from the top to the buttom. The cars we love have become clichés. The Supras, Celicas, MR2s, Levins and Truenos ….. will all become “old School”. A tunnel with no light at the end…..

2025. Who knows? Or do we even care?

OK...since I am the first one to view this thread AFTER the meet this weekend, let me be the first to say THANK YOU to organizers (especially Wolf...you really did your best, and IT SHOWS), and all the people who didn´t mind doing some big mileages to participate!
Everything was warm from the first moments on the parking lot in Parma; the weather, the people, the atmosphere...I´m absolutely amazed!

Thanks to all that participated, and hope to see you all next year!
Also, my girlfriends joins in thoughts with me!

I will be uploading some pictures soon (as soon as I remember to do it )


@Vsideboy; thanks yet again for helping me light my way across Italy and Slovenia! Those cops never stood a chance of stopping me!
And as far as the bulb is concerned, it goes to a frame on my desk @work as soon as I replace those headlights of mine with JDM projectors!


@Recycle; thanks for getting us lost at least once! The next round of Pepsi is on me!
Some liscense plates (along with many coins) are coming soon to a city near you!

I´m definately drooling now...

A friend of mine had it for about a year and a half...and the car´s CV was as follows;

In a first month he had to change the ABS sensor.
Then his regular maintenance included the timing belt change...which took about a week, and cost was waaaaay too much to pay for any car!

Then about six months later, the clutch broke, and since the transmission fluids were not exactly a primary concern with the previous owner, needless to say that the whole transmission broke!

...so from then on, the car waited for a new one for about three months!

When it was repaired, a few months there was peace and harmony...till the rear diff broke!

So, they patched it somehow, and my friend parked it in a garage and advertised it for a few months, untill he finally sold it!

I´ve heard that the car exchanged quite a few hands since then!

And as for my friend, he bought a 300 ZX Twin Turbo, and never had one single problem since he bought it...

Anyway, after driving it on the track, I gave up on the idea of being a fan of the 3000...to me it seemed kinda non responsive, and much more bling than bang, so I gave up wanting to have one for myself!
Oh yeah, I almost forgot...my ST oversteers more than the 3000, which really is kinda bad!

I kinda like to play around with things (no, didn´t mean anything of sexual nature )...
My car´s liscense plate is a product of that, and obviously, so is my nickname, where IG are my initials.
Also, the nickname itself represent my favourite building type, which is the Eskimo igloo, and kinda reminds of winter (which is the time of the year that I was born)!

Dumbass, am I not?

@Jen;

x2