Faults:

Great car, no major problems. Have been driving this car since 01/91 and now have 208,000 miles on it.

This car has great take off, its fast and the engine is quiet.

Oil leaks.

Power steering fluid leaks.

Air conditioner does not works.

Replaced starter and alternator once, both with more than 100,000 miles on car.

Wheel bearings had to be replace at about 180,000 miles.

Had a hole in the floor on the driver's side.

Front seat arm rest and cup-holder are broke.

The trunk hinge had to be replaced twice and is broke now.

General Comments:

This car is amazing. It was my first car, and I love it. It runs great and if anyone is looking for a great vehicle this would definitely be it. My parents had a Corolla and a Mustang, but they cannot be compared to this wonderful car!

Faults:

In July 03 I bought this car from a Chevy used car lot for $2100. The white car had been hit on the passenger side, both at the quarter panel & lower front fender. I could tell from the repair job & respray (nothing outrageous - just typical "whip it through" work).

Here's what I've done to it since:

July 03 - Had Treadquarters 4 wheel align it, installed re-manufactured left/right half-shafts; $326.

July 03 - Purchased (optional) new wheels & tires; $500.

July 03 - I replaced distributor cap & rotor, spark plugs, power steering & alternator belts, radiator flush; $50.

August 03 - Replaced leaking high pressure power steering hose; $37.

September 03 - Replaced rear brake shoes; $9.

October 03 - Rebuilt my distributor with $10 worth of seals & bearing to cure oil leak.

September 04 - Replaced worn alternator; $168.

October 04 - Replaced original front brake pads; $13.

December 04 - Replaced front seal beams with Sylvania Performance; $27.

October 05 - Replaced timing belt (preventative maintenance) with NAPA (Gates) belt. 110k. Also replaced leaking (for a while) front cam seal; $36.

January 06 - Replaced upper & lower radiator hoses (preventative); $23.

April 06 - Replaced worn out (leaking) 117k OEM radiator with new, aftermarket (made in China) aluminum one; $261.

General Comments:

Still on the original water pump, clutch, struts, and convertible top.

27-30 mpg city. 31-39 mpg highway.

Passenger side re-manufactured half-shaft starting to leak grease at inner C/V. I'll milk it as long as possible, & replace it myself with another re-manufactured half-shaft for $55-80. Driver's side half-shaft still going strong. Just passed inspection.

Faults:

Power steering system was leaking when I first purchased the vehicle.

Clutch had to be replaced right away.

A couple minor oil leaks were also fixed after buying the car. Even with these repairs the cost of purchasing was under Blue Book pricing.

Engine developed misfires in 2 cylinders because of worn valve cover gasket and tube seals. Also replaced spark plug wires because they had been damaged by the valve leaking. Total cost under $200.

General Comments:

Being an older car, I feel it's been very reliable. With the exception of the clutch and power steering leak, none of the above problems actually needed to be fixed to keep the car in working order. It drove perfectly reliably with the engine misfires, just notably down on power.

I really love the styling of the '91 model, there are no Toyota logos, and the rear lights are one solid piece instead of separated like newer Celicas. To me, it looks far more aggressive than models even 2 years newer when parked next to each other.

With the engine in fully working order, it accelerates very nicely above 3000 rpm, and sounds fantastic with stock exhaust.

The handling is very good as well, even though I'd prefer less body roll. There is no under-steer what-so-ever unless you're trying to accelerate while cornering. In fact, if you're going fast enough the car will over-steer.

I replaced the stock rims with 17" ones, fitted with Yokohama Avid H4s tires, and that change added a LOT of grip and improved the handling.