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

[Coomer]

I wouldn't worry about the pedal. Mine is stiffer than my dad's Camry's was.

Putting the shift boot back on is very easy as long as it's not damaged.

I wouldn't worry too much about the lighter...you shouldn't be Smoking in a Celi anyway. But don't hold it in on purpose...it could overheat and catch something on fire...that's probably why you're seeing smoke.

Is the seat warn on the big side bolster on the top-half of the seat? My seat was worn there too...I stitched it back together with a needle and thread and it held fine. I think that area wears most because our seats have fairly good-sized side bolsters, and when you get out your body rubs against it.

New carpet is probably your only option if it's pretty worn. You could patch something in but it wouldn't look factory...though if you patched it and got a new floor mat, then people wouldn't be able to tell if the patch is under the mat.

Our cars use R134a, so recharging the A/C system shouldn't cost much. Maybe $50 or so, assuming there's no problems with the system.

Rust sucks, bigtime. If you don't fix it, it'll just get worse, and fixing it will be expensive.

You'll want to buy a new headlight most likely. I've had to replace both of my low beams because they had tiny holes in them from rocks. You're looking at probably around $75 for a used low beam headlight.

Personally, I'd never spend a lot of money for a car with rust. Have you looked at the frame rails and under the hood and at the brakes and suspension components? If the body has rust, those parts may have rust on them as well. And rust is expensive to fix. In most cases it involves cutting out the existing metal and welding new metal in to do a perfect job at eliminating it. Then you have to get the bodywork done and get the parts repainted as well.

[lagos]

-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)

you can adjust the clutch pedal so that it catches at any height that you want.

[elvasoshexai]

yea, the seat is ripped at that buldge thing on the side. so i'mn guessing it's a normal problem on celicas

as for the lighter.. if you push it in, it just pops back out. so it won't get hot. mayb i should've brought a car charger to test it out. it's just that i'm worried someting might be wrong with the electricals which is why it releases smoke (my camry doesn't ahve smoke even tho i press it in for a few seconds becuase it won't stay in when i try to get it lit)

as for the carpet.. do you think since the interior is kind of worn that the previous owner took bad care of it?

also, not sure how that shift boot would just pop out. but i'm guessing it's no big deal

for the ac, is yours ice cold? the ac in that car isn't too cold. it's cold.. jsut not.. that cold

although i REALLY want a rust free car... not sure if it's even possible to get a car in ontario that's so many years old w/ absolutely no rust. i was hoping to repaint the entire car after i get it... the rust is minor.. which is why i'm not too sure if it would be forming from the inside or not. i don't see any bubbling under the paint tho.

i think the brakes have rust. under the hood/frame seems ok. jsut a bit dirty... as for suspension and stuff, no i can't check that by myself. the reason for going back tomorrow was to bring it to an inspection center to check all those stuff like suspension/engine performance etc.

as for the clutch. lagos, so you think it's nothing to worry about right?

[elvasoshexai]

also one more question, the oem sideskirts, if anyone with a celica with stock sideskirts can check for me, is there is a small gap between the chassis of the car and the actual side skirt? i just wanna know if this is normal

This post has been edited by elvasoshexai: Jul 23, 2005 - 2:48 AM

[CoSo]

No there shouldn't be, also they should came with a plastic/elastic weatherstripping thing that should ensure that the skirt won't leave a gap between the chassis and the skirt.

[presure2]

looks like the previous owner didnt take care of it very well at all...looks like the car was maybe broken into, too.
looks like a minor fender bender on the bumper cover...
whats the under hood look like?
idk what that'd be un usa $$ but from the looks of it, for a 98....id prolly pass.
good luck!

[95gtschick]

Personally!! I wouldn't buy it. It's 3 years newer than my car, yes it is Canadian (more rust) but so is mine.. i bought mine in winnipeg and it had practically no rust, it's just starting to now. There's nothing wrong with the interior, and nothing as cosmetically wrong as that one. So yeah, the previous owner didn't take that great care of it. and if i were you, i'd keep looking ...just my opinion. But yeah, good luck

edit: that's really high km's as well...

This post has been edited by 95gtschick: Jul 23, 2005 - 8:56 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

[Jdog1385]

needs some TLC...thats all toyotas need and they'll do the rest for ya

[Jdog1385]

- 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.

i have that on my car also b/c somebody tried to steal it. to get that fixed you have to change the entire side window...which is obviously very expensive

This post has been edited by Jdog1385: Jul 23, 2005 - 6:28 PM

[elvasoshexai]

wut's tlc?

and hm.. that thing around the window.. it doesn't do anything does it?

[Cutrara]

TLC = Tender Loving Care.

you can adjust the clutch pedal so that it catches at any height that you want.
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How? I'd like to adjust mine.

[elvasoshexai]

cutrara: so does your clutch start to catch at a high point as well?

[Cutrara]

Yeah it does, but I know it's not worn to the point that it needs replaced. I'd just like it to catch further down because its easier on my leg.

[playr158]

if you buy it i got seats for sale in good condition

[Valo666]

2 high man..i picked my 94 gts up with less damage, same seat dmg, and with 124xxxkm on it for $4500, u can find a better one thats prefacelift for wayyyy cheaper. keep lookin man.

[elvasoshexai]

did the one you find for 4500 have any rust on it when you bought it?

[Cutrara]

I got mine for $2300, minimal rust, same seat damage. But I have an ST and I'm located in the US.

[tin_foil]

Yeah, I totally wouldn't go with it. The previous owner obviously didn't take care of the interior, or exterior, which probably means he/she didnt' take care of the engine. Not to mention thats just way too high a price to pay for a celi with that many miles. If I can give my own opinion, I would totally try and buy from a private party if I were you. There's a reason that KBB has a different price for "private party" and "dealer retail" values. Normally its between a $1-2K difference. Dealer rip you off. And I've found that usually you get to deal with nicer people if you buy private...=]