6G Celicas Forums

Up for sale is my wife's 1994 Celica GT. This car has a bit of history, so I'll do my very best to describe every upgrade, repair, and modification that's been done since she purchased it. I believe she's owned it since 2005...

When we originally purchased this car, it was in sad cosmetic shape. It had been keyed heavily, in many places down to the metal, and the previous owner had done some minor repair/patching, so as it sat, the car was red and primer gray. The interior was not much better. The only upside was the motor had recently been swapped/rebuilt and had about 30k miles on it (owner's word, not sure exact mileage.) However, the car as a whole needed some serious TLC. Over the next couple of years the following work was done (mostly by me):

Suspension/Brakes: New calipers & rotors, ebay crap coilovers replaced by Eibach Sportline lowering springs (~1 1/2" drop), new rear shocks/struts, upgraded to polyurethane bushings.

Mechanical: new starter, new alternator, new battery, plugs/wires, distro cap/rotor, "new" 5SFE exhust manifold (replaced a poorly made custom "header"), Borla turbo series muffler/chrome tip installed, K&N cone filter installed on ram air intake, valve cover gasket replaced.

The summer of 2007, we finally had the opportunity (and the cash) to get the paint redone. A local, very respected detail shop owner agreed to do all of the prep and paint work personally at his shop...which is not something he does often. Here's a couple before and after pics:

Before:




After:
(the day we picked it up)




The paint is a custom black with mica-flake. It is absolutely stunning in the sun. Since the car was painted in 2007 it has NEVER been taken to a car wash - always washed by hand, was sealed (forgot the actual name) by the shop owner like 6 months after it was painted (to give the paint a chance to cure) to give it better protection, and has been waxed a couple times by hand. Since then, the following work has been done:

-New 17" Liquid Metal 5-spoke chrome wheels
-Brand new (ordered from Toyota parts) front and rear Toyota emblems
-JDM taillights
-Shorty antenna
-Sylvania Silverstar halogen bulbs
-"new" front turn signal lenses
-Sound deadening installed throughout interior and trunk to reduce road noise and rattles.
-"new" sunroof glass and moonroof cover.
-Installed sun visors (none came with the car)
-new windshield (installed less than a year ago)
-Installed rear seats (none came with the car)
-New pre-formed carpet
-Brushed Aluminum-look dash kit installed
-Front 5 1/4" and rear 6x9 stock speakers replaced with Alpine S-types (I think that's the model, purchased about 4 years ago).
-Pioneer deck with front USB input and onboard iPod control installed.
-Brand new, REAL LEATHER, upholstery installed, front and rear. Black leather with hot-pink double stitching. Purchased from Ebay seller "leatherseats". The old seat covers were completely removed, foam was fixed where needed, then leather installed. Comfortable and look awesome!
-matching armrest and shift-boot cover (purchased from vincent_doggy on 6gc)
-Toyota emblem on steering wheel, and unlocked indicator on door locks painted pink to match.



Close-up of paint, showing off that mica flake!










Interior:


Close-up of leather and double-stitching








The car itself has always been driven nicely (my wife is not a racer) and had a lower than average annual mileage - typically about 8k/year. I have changed the oil religiously, and up until recently (due to the crappy economy) I was using full synthetic. Probably the last 9 months or so I've used conventional oil...but again, the car is not driven hard. Overall, runs great, rides smooth, handles well, and gets great fuel economy.

With all that good stuff, there are a few issues that still need to be addressed:

-A previous owner had installed crappy purplish-tint do-it-yourself tinting that has since peeled, bubbled, cracked, etc. I have removed it from the two door glass panes, but haven't yet tackled the rear windows. This is merely a cosmetic issue.
-The drivers side rear fender has a minor scratch from some jack-@$$. Not very noticible except up close. Looks like it was hit slightly just above the wheel well.
-Dome light does not work. Door sensors are fine...but for some reason the dome light receives no power. I've tried to trace down the wires but have been unsuccessful.
-I have the interior hatch cover, but the "hinges" on the interior and the hooks for the hangers are missing (seems to be a common issue).
-Front bumper has your typical road nicks/chips from driving. We have a small can of the leftover matching paint, so these can be touched up easily.

That's all I can think of...hopefully I haven't missed anything. More pictures can be found on my photobucket: 94 Celica

The reason we're selling is we are finding less reason to own 3 cars. We just recently purchased a new vehicle, which is her daily driver, and the Celi isn't getting the attention it used to. We'd love for it to go to someone who will appreciate the work that's been done and will continue to take care of it...which is why I'm starting on 6gc! We're not in a huge hurry to sell, so please don't try to low-ball me. We're asking $8500 (which is about what that body work & paint would cost! Price is set at $7,000 OBO. If you're interested, shoot me a PM. I can take more pictures on request.

Thanks!

Cory

This post has been edited by Cory: Aug 9, 2010 - 1:28 PM

Bump. Nobody even interested?

Bump for a flawless car truly. The paint and interior are immaculate, but 8500 is alot for our 6th gens. Maybe if you lower it a bit you'd getmore bites. But your car truly is beautiful. Paint, and interior.

very very nice car. great job on the restoration! GL

Thanks for the compliments. We have put a lot of work, time, and money into it. Let me know if you're interested, make an offer, and we'll see what happens...

This post has been edited by Cory: Aug 2, 2010 - 2:01 AM

Bump for a sunny Monday in Western Washington!

Wednesday is bump day.

Tell you what, make an offer..if all I'm going to get is "your price is too high" then why don't you guys let me know what you think it's worth?

The car looks great but as others have said the price is above market for a private seller.

First, you don't know if the engine was rebuilt or swapped and I'm guessing you have no paperwork on it either.
This will probably turn some people away reguardless of price.

The pink accents, though minor, may turn some guys away.

Tire size and how much tread is left is can impact price a bit and most buyers would want to know.


To get it sold in any reasonable time I would list it for $7,000 but accept $6,500 if offered.

If you are not in a hurry to sell and can fix up some of the small stuff on your list and you get the car state inspected before sale (I believe most state inspections are good for 90 days) that should alleviate some peoples concern over the condition of the engine and I would think you could stand firm at $7,500. Even if the state inspection runs out before you complete the sale a buyer should feel confident that they aren't buying somone else's problem.

this is truely a nice car. engine bay may turn some people away because it doesn't match the body's color. i definitely wouldn't mind the pink stitches, it looks hot! if you kept all of your reciepts for proof, you might be able to get 6k to 6.5k. someone WILL offer you a good price. with all the extra parts, it's well worth the price.

Thanks guys for your honest feedback. It is very much appreciated. Guess that's how it goes, it's always hard to part with something for a lot less than you put into it...but I guess that's the life of car customizing, huh?

Regarding the motor itself, when we bought the car 5 years ago, the previous owner had rebuilt and installed it and it had around 30k on it. He didn't have papers on it, however. So, with the mileage we've put on it, the motor has ~70k. I've done the minor repairs/tune-ups as listed prior. We've had no major problems with the motor.

As far as the springs, brakes, tires, bushings, and rear struts, they all have been replaced in the last 4-5 years, so they have about 45k on them.

I took some up-close of the tires for tread/size. Tread is still somewhere between 1/8" - 1/4" - still a lot of life left. Sorry for the semi-bad quality pics. Taken with my blackberry...in the rain.





Agree on the pink accents - definitely leaning more toward female drivers (it IS my wife's car). They are tasteful though, and not overly flashy. (I don't feel immasculated driving it by myself. )

All that being said...how's $7k sound?

This post has been edited by Cory: Aug 7, 2010 - 3:07 PM

I actually dig the pink accents there pretty nice lol. But 7K sounds very reasonable for your car. GLWS.

Thanks man. The paint job alone is worth about that (that's not some crappy paint, high quality stuff!). Hoping it'll go to a loving home. :-D

Edits done on original post. $7k OBO.

Monday bump!

Bump for thursday. Come on, no interest at all? What's the deal?

Love the car man but hate to say it... our cars don't really hold value like that.

Well, I'm open to offers. Throw some numbers out there. I won't bite, I promise.

well i'm not involved just my 2cents. but GL w/Sale. BUMP BUMP for ya

I have to say I think the price is still too high. Some people may have said $7k is a good price but they didn't offer to pay it did they? I've looked around a lot at 6th gens, me and my fiance have four of them and for a while we were trying to replace one of them. Realistically, the car looks great and everything but it is still a 16yr old vehicle with 16yr old problems. It seems yours has a few minor issues but even in flawless condition the car itself is only worth maybe $3-4k. You may be able to get closer to $5k if you find the right kid who doesn't know much. I don't want you put you down or anything, I'm just trying to be honest. If the car is worth $8.5 to you, you're probably better off keeping it, especially since you've put so much into it in the last few years.

This post has been edited by hurley97: Aug 16, 2010 - 5:25 PM

^^ what she said.

you never really get back what you put into a car..... moreso with our celicas-- lets face it, they were never the most popular thing.

there are quite a few 3sgte swapped celicas for sale right now for less than your asking price.... just saying.