New to this and Newb Questions Options

[bradshaw75]

So I'm looking to get into this whole Celica Scene for a commuter vehicle and had a couple of questions.....

First I'm looking to buy a 1994 Toyota Celica St with 215k on the body and about 115k on the motor which I'm told is the 4A-Fe and stock 5 speed Tranny.

Now down to the business of everything Celica related, What kind of gas mileage should I be pulling? Also what would you think is a proper price? The body is in good shape and clear is faded but not too bad. And are there any problem areas I should be made aware of when I go to look at it like popular rust spots or weak parts?

Sorry for all these questions but I've always been a Camaro man and I know little to none about imports and 4 bangers. Thanks for any and all input no matter how small or simple. I need all the help I can get haha

[95CelicaST]

Swiss, the 4A and 7A are nearly identical, and if they used the intake manifold from the 7A you probably couldn't tell a difference. Look up posts by "blakout16" and look at his motor. He did a 4AFTE.

[SwissFerdi]

Swiss, the 4A and 7A are nearly identical, and if they used the intake manifold from the 7A you probably couldn't tell a difference. Look up posts by "blakout16" and look at his motor. He did a 4AFTE.

I know, but why would the 4A-FE manifold not be swapped over as well? I guess maybe he just wanted the bare necessities, just the block and head. I don't know.

[GriffGirl]

Swiss, the 4A and 7A are nearly identical, and if they used the intake manifold from the 7A you probably couldn't tell a difference. Look up posts by "blakout16" and look at his motor. He did a 4AFTE.

I know, but why would the 4A-FE manifold not be swapped over as well? I guess maybe he just wanted the bare necessities, just the block and head. I don't know.

Because if whoever did the swap did so because, say, they threw a rod in the 7A, it'd be a LOT cheaper to get just the block and head than the whole deal. That's what happened with my car before I got it, the prev. owner blew out the clutch and threw a rod through the block (because it's a FASTFAST RACE CAR! lol) and had to have the motor replaced. I spoke with the mechanic who did the work so I could get more history on the FAST FAST RACE CAR! and he told me that ALL he replaced what the motor itself; the tranny, everything else was original.

What's really sad is the kid spent like $1200 on the whole thing. DO YOU KNOW WHAT I COULD'VE DONE WITH $1200!!!! lol

Anyway, back on topic. OP: Since you're coming from the wonderful world of pre-bailout 'murican Vee 8s, I will warn you ahead of time - this car will be slower than ass. I *think* the 4A-FE is even slightly LESS HP than a 7A-FE. Either way you'll be lucky to scrape by at 100HP.

On the UP side, you can reasonably expect to see an average of 30mpg, and a very low maintenance, rock solid engine platform. If the 4AFE is similar to the 7AFE regarding the valve seals, one thing to look for is just a slightly above-average oil consumption. Nothing major though, we're talking maybe add a quart between oil changes, airing on the side of it getting closer to be time to change it anyway.

As for what to pay for the car, I would reasonably expect to pay somewhere in the neighborhood of $2000-$2500. Naturally that's going to vary some according to your location and the physical condition of the car, and the availability of any maintenance records and receipts. I'd especially want to see a receipt for the motor work/swap that was done.