rentaspace's progression :), How My Celica Came to Be :) Options

[rentaspace]

So gonna start my progression thread, and update it occasionally.
I'll start with how I got my Celica:
So it all started last year in around March, when I got my Red P's and was searching for that first car...
I tested a lancer, a prelude and a Hyundai Coupe... They all had their pluses and minuses, but none felt 'right'...
On the way home from the Prelude, we passed a Ford dealership and sitting in the middle was a little white PreFacelift Celica, as soon as I saw her, I knew she was the one I wanted. When I got home I jumped online and and contacted the dealer; she was an auto (I am not legally allowed to drive manual yet, thanks to my dads non-functioning speedometer).
The next day, my dad drove me and my beautiful girlfriend out to the dealer and we test drove the car. At the end of the test drive the dealer wanted 8k for her. I knew this was steep for it, but she was in almost perfect condition.

The only damage I could pick was a scrape on the passenger side rear wheel fender, a few small dents over her and quite a large dent in the roof (it looked like the previous owner had hit her with his fists)...
With the $8k as a base, we negotiated with the dealer and came out with a total:
- $7700 for the car
- All dents removed from the car
- Brand New 5 treads
- and finally what really made me go for it, A 12 month warranty... on an 18 year old car

Here she was on that exact day, right after out test drive:




A few weeks later, we got a call saying that she was ready for pickup, All the dents had been removed ($1500 worth of dent removal and paint) and she was good to go. A few days later her first photo shoot:



Her Interior and Engine were immaculate for her age:




After a few weeks our small troubles began, she started leaking oil all over the ground... After a call to the dealership, she was booked in for her first warranty inspection... They re-did all engine gaskets and replaced all seals in the engine... When we got her back, she was still leaking... We took her back again and were told that the transmission seals were shot, they were replaced and the engine was flushed out; the leaking stopped... for now...
Over all, the work would of cost ($1800 by the dealer, if not for the warranty).

Ill post the first of many mods in the next few hours or so, Once I get together the photos and know exactly what I want to say

This post has been edited by rentaspace: Oct 21, 2013 - 1:34 AM

[rentaspace]

Final Post for tonight and this will just about rap it up so far:

As Christmas approached, I decided I wanted a better Headeck. The Sanyo I was using was okay, but the AUX jacks had started playing up and that meant that my iPhone could no longer connect to the unit
I searched for a bit and persuaded my father to purchase a Sony Headdeck with bluetooth
It works great and we just jeryy-rigged the connection off of the Sanyo's lol... So when you look behind my Head deck there are 3 seperate head deck connections xD
In NSW, it's illegal for P platers to even have a phone turned on while they are driving, so the bluetooth allows me to listen to my music with the phone hidden either in the glovebox or my pocket It also auto answers any calls so I can then talk to people too It's illegal for me but meh
I also (after the girlfriend forced me) changed the clock, ashtray, cigarette lighter ring and glove-box lights to pink LEDs. So my theme is now Blue and Pink. I don't mind it actually and it's different

I also added an LED (Not pictured) in the storage space under the head deck, but this has since started flickering and flashing and is going to go

We then approached another problem one afternoon when I started the car, she stalled... that's right, my automatic stalled... After popping the hood, the reason for my stall and a few other problems in the past (low idle etc...) became clear; The PCV valve had a massive crack all the way through it and when I touched it, it sheered straight off... We called the dealer and they booked the car in again for repairs, but how were we going to get her there?
My dad and I searched the garage and found some 'quick gasket repair' crap, and used that to at least hold the valve in place... Amazingly she started and ran, so with dad in the chase car, we set off to the dealer... I got there They replaced the PCV valve and the rear boot seal (it has snapped off) and the next day I got her back. It was luck that she decided to die in the driveway, and not on the road and that she managed to drive back to the dealer with gasket crap as the PCV valve LOL... The mechanic gave us the weirdest look when he saw it xD

I also decided that I hated a few more things:
- The amber indicators on the front and side of the car
- The red courtesy lights in the car
- The red third brake light

So after some research I found that Wolfie on 6GC made the clear third brake light, and could get his hands on the clear courtesy lights from the Tundra that fit perfectly. (Toyota Australia fought me saying I was 'making it up' and that they couldn't special order the part for me, complete bs if you ask me). So I got Wolfie to send them to me and they arrived and installed with no problems whatsoever Unfortunately, by the time I found out about Wolfie, I had already purchased some crystal front and side indicators, but this doesn't bother me as I like their style and they match the side markers.
The final fitment of Wolfie's 3rd brake is spot-on, he does a fantastic job and big props to him:


Even up close, his detail is amazing:


As I as installing the light I decided to screw around a bit with a pink LED:

Wish this was actually legal haha

And as I wrap up the progress for now, recently when browsing eBay for 'Celica' I came across a guy in South Australia selling a Front Bar, Rear Bar and Side Skirts for an VS2 Kit. I watched the items for a few days, and saw that no one was going for them, I decided to go for the skirts, as I am not particularly fond of the flares and crap on the VS2 front and rear bars. As fate would have it, the guy accepted my offer of $120, and to ship them from South Australia to New South Wales cost $60. They were primed but not painted, so I contacted my mate who is a painter, and he is getting me some two-pack to match my car in the next few days, and then we are painting them on Thursday and hopefully they will be installed by next weekend if all goes to plan.
My Cat Liked The skirts and claimed them as his own:


We all know where side skirts go, but meh here is a 'before' shot:


And finally we conducted a 'dry run; to make sure they fit properly:


And finally, the warranty is coming to an end soon and we noticed some more oil on the driveway so we decided to get an NRMA report done to pick anything else up and they have found that the Front Engine Mount is completely cracked (resulting in the whole engine tilting when shifting into reverse) and a major oil leak from the front passenger side transmission seal. The car is going in for repairs on Monday 30th.


Near future plans:
- Paint and Install Side Skirts
- Painting my Calipers Blue to match theme
- Installing some Undercar LEDs just because I can
- Installing front Grille Meshing
- Buying and Installing Black 17x7" Rims
- Buying and fitting Lowering springs or Coilovers.
- Buying and installing front and rear splitters.

This post has been edited by rentaspace: Apr 21, 2013 - 5:12 AM