First car..., does this sound good? Options

[spetsacdc]

I am buying my first car, and I am thinking about a celica.

The one for sale is a 1995 ST Liftback.

5 speed
145K miles (approx.)
a/c
power locks/windows
cruise control
tilt steering
cd player(new)
moon roof
spoiler

Replaced the clutch last year and have all mechanical records

It is in good shape with the exception of a scrape on the front passenger side fender (about 8" long?)

Kelly Blue Book private seller value is $3175


I am concerned about the milage. What problems could I run into at 145k?

I have read these are pretty reliable cars, but can someone comfirm that?

Also, I might find that it is fun to modify the car alittle as a hobby.
Is it worth it to add stuff onto a car with these high miles? I would not want to give it new stuff (paint job, bodykit) if it was about to die. It seems alittle crazy to be modifiying a car that is only $3000, what do the modifications do to the value of the car?

Also, I read that an engine you can swap for this car is the 4a-gze. Is this very hard to do, and if this enigne dies soon b/c of the high miles, how much does the engine swap cost?

Sorry I have alot of questions.

Thank you for your time.

[lagos]

ask when the timing belt was last changed.

[spetsacdc]

Ok I will, how long do they last on these cars? I know on the 3000gt you need a new one every 60k.

[lagos]

its about the same for every car ...60k

[spetsacdc]

Ok thanks.

[mark_426]

They're very reliable stock..

When you start modifying them, your cost/value won't go up much, and they generally aren't as reliable..

I doubt the engine will crap out on you anytime soon. It does depend a lot on the previous owners - if they changed oil every 10 or 20k miles, never changed timing belt, revved it high, etc, it won't be as good as a car someone cared about. You could probably find one with lower miles, but it will cost a little more.

Where are you from?

The swaps, depend on your mechanical/electrical abilities, time, resources, and so forth. There is a ton of information on this site about them, just use the search function, and check the stickies in the Engine section.

[spetsacdc]

I am in East Tennesse. There aren't many around here though.

[bloodrain]

i'd probably look for one with less milage, even tho our cars can handle alot of miles, lower is better, i waited and got mine with 48k miles.

[spetsacdc]

Cool, if you don't mind, how much did you pay for it? I only have about 4500-5000.

Thanks

[Digndoug]

i have a 94 st with all those tht had 127k i got 2 years ago for 4k. also the clutch was just replaced with the timing.

Ask about the clutch and timming. I now have 147k and it runs great burns a bit of oil, but nothing to bad.

Id offer the guy $2500 and see what he says

[mark_426]

Replaced the clutch last year and have all mechanical records

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[spetsacdc]

I think I might be able to get it for a little less than 2500$, but I don't know if I to.

Its either that, or wait and try to get a low milage one thats like a 94-95 so it would be about $4-5K. There are not many around, so I am leaning towards the high mileage one.

When a car burns oil, what can be done to fix that? Also, if the engine died completely, that would be an excuse for a 4a-gze swap although I have no clue how to do it.

[dustin15brown]

I say go for it.... the miles shouldn't matter... they run forever

[saleeka]

when a car burns oil at that milage, you either A.) live with it and add a quart every now and then, or B.) fix it with new valve seals/ headgasket, and spend anywhere from 1-2 G on a repair that wont increase the car's value whatsoever....

[cyb593]

hey you have to remember you are talking a toyota if taken care of correctly u should easily get around 200,000+ miles out of the engine and transmission if taken care of like it should be.