98 Celica GT-S (Pics Added), opinion? Options

[elvasoshexai]

Pic of celica:


ok.. i went to look @ a 98 celica gt-s today... found the following things, most are cosmetic problems:

-the gas pedal is stiff (not sure if this is normal for celicas... noticed the same thing when i drove a 91 celica, and since i am used to driving a camry)

-the clutch catches at a really high point.. i haven't driven too many manual cars so i need the experience of other celica drivers.. but with no gas and from a complete stop, i have to lift my foot pretty far up to get it to start moving.. is this a sign of wearing clutch or is it just that celicas catch at a higher point? (friend tells me minis also catch at a higher point.. but is300s catch at a really low point)

-shift boot has come off (i assume you just needa push it back in?)
pic of shift boot (i turned it a bit so it was more noticeable)


-the lighter, when you push it in, doesn't stay in. and if you hold it for say, 30seconds and pull it out, smoke comes out of it... not sure why that happens.. never seen smoke come out of my camry lighter

-oem cd player missing a few buttons (no big deal)


- the driver's seat has a rip on the side closest to the door. is this normal? as when i looked @ another 94 celica, it had a rip in the exact same spot. possibly the material? seems cheaper compared to camry


- the carpet AND the mat have a hole in it. it's not really a hole that goes all the way through. just that on both the carpet and mat you can see past the 'carpety material' and see the plastic under it. it's located where you're left foot heel would be for the clutch.
carpet:


- on the driver side door, the clothy material has come off and you can see the yellow stuff behind it. maybe it's because of the cheaper cloth material (compared to camry) is it just a matter of pushing it back under the plastics? (i notice the 94 doesn't have the cloths on the side and instead is plastic)


- the a/c doesn't blow that cold. although i'm not too sure how cold it's supposed to blow. so not too sure if this is normal that it's not too cold or if it will soon need a recharge.

- on the outside, on one part, the black plasticy piece surrounding a window has been ripped... not sure how that happens or if that affects anything @ all.


- there are a few spots with dot sized rust, these areas include: edge of driver door, on the inside of gas tank door, close to front edge of hood, near the edge of a headlight, and a few other spots.
som examples of rust: (on top of headlight)


-on the front wiper arm i noticed rust on both wipers where the arm meets the blade. i noticed both the 98 and 94 had this. so not sure if it's normal for this to happen

- one headlight lense was cracked, repaired with some type of clear tape. also, one foglight lense is chipped. i guess not too big a deal
headlight:


- antenna doesn't come down

-it SEEMS like behind the front bumper (where the bumper meets the rest of car) there is a crack.. i'm not too sure what it is actually.
not too sure if you can tell if that is a crack or not, i just noticed that was apart from the bumper)


-noticed 2 small dings, one on each side.

-the car SEEMS to drive ok...

do you think i'm just being picky and all these things i found are not really problems and normal for a 98 car?.

the hole in the carpet/mat i'm not sure what to make out of it... can u patch up carpets?

how about the rust? i REALLY don't want a car with rust.. but it's hard to prevent in a place like ontario

the car has 214k kms (about 133k miles)

dealer asking $8995CDN. i think i might be able to lower a bit.

do you think it's a good car to get? i'm really on the edge either to get this car or not.

i really hope you guys can give some opinions as i'm going back to the dealer tomorrow

***i took some pics with my camera phone that i'll load later tonight so you can see more clearly what i mean about each thing..

This post has been edited by elvasoshexai: Jul 23, 2005 - 2:36 AM

[elvasoshexai]

pressure2: using the current exchange rate on xe.com (1 CAD = 0.820244 USD), it is 7378.09USD

the engine bay isn't horrible. it's a bit dirty. but not as bad as my current car. didn't notice anything that resembled a wreck (kinda know what to look for since my own car has had some bad body work after a crash which is noticeable when you look under the hood)

the car has been in a parking lot accident which was fixed, and i would assume isn't a big problem?

what makes you think it has been broken into?

coso: i'm not sure if there was weatherstripping between the skirt and the chassis. all i kno is that between the skirt and chassis i can see a gap, not sure if that gap is filled weatherstripping or not

95gtschick: when did you buy ur car? i am assuming the wear is due to the high kms (since the more you drive the more wear right?)

also, you said that your car PRACTICALLY had no rust when you bought it.. does that mean it had a bit?


also, i went back this morning to get back my deposit back.. i gave him an offer of 7000CDN. he said too low. but i didn't really pursue it/wanna waste more time talkin about the price if i wasn't gonna get it, so i just left it at that... for now. (i could always just phone back later)

he also said most of those problems i mentioned, they will for sure fix, if possible, when i buy it (like some of those cosmetic problems, as well as any electrical/mechanical problems that pop up if i go to get it inspected).

my friend who came with me said the ac inside the celica was about as cold as his '93 corolla, which was always that cold since they bought it brand new and he has never needed to recharge it. just that it wasn't as cold as his '05 mazda3 or my '01 sienna, which is why i asked.

most of the parts with rust are replaceable (hood/front bumper/gas tank door)

i'll continue looking @ other cars but i won't completely walk away from it just yet

This post has been edited by elvasoshexai: Jul 23, 2005 - 1:42 PM