How Long Will OEM Parts be Available...??? Options

[FrankB2]

Hmmmm..... I'm loving the '97 GT convertible we bought, but there are some concerns. The windows work fine now, but I've read on this site that the quarter windows are a parts nightmare. The dealers with online catalogs don't have the convertible's window motors listed, and it would seem the company that did the conversion is gone. I'd ratherr not pay $500-$1000 to get a window moving. There are some other normal wear parts that would be nice to have from Toyota, so how has everyone made out with their needs? I'm debating whether or not I should sell the car while it's still in good condition, or hope for the best and keep it for a few years (w/o shelling out a fortune). We've put around 700 miles on the car in the last 3 weeks, most of it with the top down.

I looked through craigslist in Philadelphia, searching for 6g Celica Gt's. THEY ARE A RARE FIND! I was lucky to find a few, and those were in searches that extended beyond Philly. Even ebay only has one or two from each year in the mid to later 90's. Was the Celica GT produced in smaller numbers, or are they in junkyards?

P.S. The car came with the plastic convertible cover (looks very nice installed). I didn't think much of it until I saw they're $600 from Toyota (online)! :eek:

This post has been edited by FrankB2: Nov 5, 2012 - 9:37 PM

[xrav22]

Hmmmm..... I'm loving the '97 GT convertible we bought, but there are some concerns. The windows work fine now, but I've read on this site that the quarter windows are a parts nightmare. The dealers with online catalogs don't have the convertible's window motors listed, and it would seem the company that did the conversion is gone. I'd ratherr not pay $500-$1000 to get a window moving. There are some other normal wear parts that would be nice to have from Toyota, so how has everyone made out with their needs? I'm debating whether or not I should sell the car while it's still in good condition, or hope for the best and keep it for a few years (w/o shelling out a fortune). We've put around 700 miles on the car in the last 3 weeks, most of it with the top down.

I looked through craigslist in Philadelphia, searching for 6g Celica Gt's. THEY ARE A RARE FIND! I was lucky to find a few, and those were in searches that extended beyond Philly. Even ebay only has one or two from each year in the mid to later 90's. Was the Celica GT produced in smaller numbers, or are they in junkyards?

P.S. The car came with the plastic convertible cover (looks very nice installed). I didn't think much of it until I saw they're $600 from Toyota (online)! :eek:

When you put the top up just take the rear windows down a bit.
Here is a place with a good number of convertivle parts also

http://www.villagetoyotaparts.com/showAsse...trimLevel=13980

[FrankB2]

When you put the top up just take the rear windows down a bit.
Here is a place with a good number of convertivle parts also

http://www.villagetoyotaparts.com/showAsse...trimLevel=13980

That's what we've been doing for the most part, figuring that 1/10th of the way down will give us 10X more window life. I actually forgot to lower the windows a bit a couple of weeks ago, and the top puts a lot of pressure on them(!).

Thanks for that link. At least it shows that the motor assembly is available. I told my wife that this might be a little like sailing: the cost of a sailboat can be fairly inexpensive, but keeping up can hurt every now and then. We got a fairly new looking convertible for $4,000 with a warranty (and I will have a Toyota mechanic examine the car carefully before that warranty is up ), so spending a little here and there won't be a big deal. The Pioneer AVH2400BT was just installed, and works great! It has a DVD slot, but I had Star Trek playing off a microSD drive. COOL!!!!! The best part is that unit's bluetooth features. Light years ahead of my single DIN JVC unit that I thought was excellent. When my wife sees it, I'm guessing her Jeep's U-Connect stereo is going bye-bye....