Faults:

Complete fuel system replacement.

Replaced alternator.

Replaced battery.

Short in left brake light.

Unknown electrical problem that caused the engine to die after long periods of constant speed (50mph+)

Replaced clutch slave cylinder.

Replaced water pump.

Replaced radiator.

Piston knocking very badly at 3000+ rpm.

General Comments:

All things considered, this has really been a great car.

It will still do 0-60 in 12 seconds which is good for a car with only 96 HP.

It is also good on fuel, still getting 20mpg city/ 26 hwy. A good tune-up will help get these numbers back up to around 23/28.

It was parked for seven years which is very bad for any car. This was the cause of most of the problems listed above.

The only common problems I know of with these cars are the alternator, the water pump, and the radiator. Other than those few things, it is a very reliable vehicle.

I would recommend this as a first time car for a new driver, or as a daily driver for those looking for a fun, yet affordable vehicle.

Faults:

First thing that went wrong with it was it got an oil leak from the valve cover. (Still did not fix no big deal) This happened the same day I bought the car.

When I bought the car it had a little bit of rust on the back quarter panels, but now it is more like what quarter panels.

Electrical devices started having all kinda weird problems. Clocks would stop working. Radio would only play once and a while. The lights started not to work either. Like 2 weeks later the problem seemed to fix itself.

General Comments:

I just started driving not to long ago, but so far this car seems to really have a lot of power. Ain't sure exactly how fast it is, but I think it could go to at least what the speedometer says (130Mph) I am not sure though I've never had it out of 4 gear.

The car seems to be pretty comfortable. Seats are look to be for racing though. If your in the back seat all I wish you luck on getting out. In the front though you got lots of foot room and all seats fold down so you could sleep with your feet in the trunk and your head in the front seat. (never tried it)

The car is great on gas. fill the tank about once every 2 weeks. The battery on the other hand gets charged every month (car stereo)

All and all the car is sweet for only the $500 I paid for it.

Faults:

Flywheel

Brake bads

Thermostat

Timing Belt

Drive Belt

Power Steering Hose

CV. Boot.

Total repairs - 1600 dollars. Recommends Ring & Valve replacement for an additional 1300.

My mechanic tells me that cars of this series (1986-1989) and the corollas of the same year series have a flywheel design flaw that causes it to eventually grind itself down to pieces.

General Comments:

I don't think this car was well taken care of. When I bought it, I was told that the owner had died. I believe he was very sick for a while, and his car had basically just "sat there", probably.

The seats are comfortable.

The car handles adequately.

Acceleration is passable. Mashing the throttle kills the gas mileage.

Being that this is my first car, I kind of fell in love with it, but never had the trouble-free maintenance time to make me feel like it's actually a good car. If you find an inexpensive Celica ST from this vintage, just make sure it's been well taken care of. I cannot urge you enough to have a trusted mechanic check it out FIRST.

There are few cars from the late 80s that look as good as this. Really. At least you won't be traveling in a boxy, ugly thing.

Cruises really well.