1992 Toyota Celica GT Convertible 2.2 four cylinders

Summary:

Fun car for anyone who cannot afford a Porsche and do not need a Porsche

Faults:

Stalled in the traffic lights a few times, I was told that was caused by dirty fuel injectors (12 yrs old car). I added one bottle of STP Fuel Injector Cleaner ($3.50) to a full tank gas and fixed the problem.

Surfaced front breaks' disc due to the vibration in the high speed break. $60.

Need a new convertible top for the cosmetic reason more than function.

General Comments:

A fun and practical car. Good looking, which was a very fresh design in 1990. Nothing better than the convertible in the summer. Fast and stable. Good traction on wet surface. Strong break. Front seats are comfortable, real seats is tight, but you got 4 seats. The trunk is good size consider it is a small car and convertible. it is a good car on daily winter driving too, although the rear visibility is not as good as non-convertible model since the plastic rear window could not provide a clear rear view as the glass one. No window defrost.

It is cheap to own. Great Toyota reliability means low maintenance cost and celica is not a expensive car to fix even in the dealer. Good gas mileage and use regular gasoline. Although the high performance tires are expensive, but it is worth every penny.

Good body paints. Consider it is a 12 yrs old car and in Northern USA, the body still in a good shape. The car still has the original muffler.

Good suspension. Celica GT has a tight and supportive suspension. It gives you a good road feeling on high speed.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 7th April, 2003

1992 Toyota Celica GT 2.2

Summary:

A very dependable and rather sporty car

Faults:

I purchased a 1992 Celica GT in 2001 and have put 40000 miles on it since. Its ran great for me since I have owned it. Whether on interstate or back country roads it handle and runs fantastic and has never caused my any problems. The only things I have had to do is ragular maintanence to the vehicle. Before I owned the Celica I drove a 1991 Dodge Daytona. You boys talk about a quick car, this old thing had a 3.0 v6 and would run with the best of them. Even though it was heavy, the 3.0 would pull it around quite well.

The engine did start to burn a little oil, but it still runs pretty good, though my brother has been a bit rough on it.

General Comments:

I have a few questions for the boys with early 90's celica like mine. First off, is it really useless to add any sort of lower cost mods to up the power and capable speed? What mods are worth adding on? I really haven't done much to the car besides a few small cosmetic extras. I put 15 inch chrome rims (wanted to stick w/stock so I wouldn't lose any horsepower, tinted windows, and put a kicking stereo in it. Looks are not everything to me though. I want a car that will run descently quick. My first car was a 1966 Ford Thunderbird with a 390 V8. It was a beast and had all sorts of power. I still own the Thunderbird, its going in the shop sometime this winter for a total body restoration, although not much is needed. It only has 52000 miles on it and 3 rust bubbles on the rear quarter panels. I just want to ask for peoples suggestions on hyping up the celica? Also I'd like suggestions on beefing up the 390 V8. You can send your emails to Gallaher06@aol.com. Thanks a lot for your comments. I hope to get some good ideas.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 14th November, 2002

8th Apr 2003, 19:30

There are a few easy, somewhat low cost mods you can do to the car, especially one such as the Celica. For instance, an AEM Cold Air Intake will add from 9-15hp to your car, and AEM sells them for 250 dollars, and they are not difficult to install. You can get cheaper CAIs as well, but AEM tends to have the best quality and best hp improvement.

Another simple mod is adding a new exhaust system, either just the muffler and tail pipe (s), or the whole system. This can run from 100-3000 dollars depending on the system, and can up your hp by about the same amount as the CAI, and it gives you better gas mileage. Beyond this, some mods are computer chips and flywheels, though they tend to get a bit more expensive. Check out NOPI's site (I'm not sure of the URL), they have tons of great upgrades and awesome prices. Hit me up at zeropunkblader@aol.com if you have other questions.

22nd May 2007, 16:59

The revision two 3SGE (which is what you should have) is restricted on its intake. The exhaust is fine for up to 200 bhp. The real let down is the management, it's a good system, but changing to a stand-alone programmable ECU would work wonders for future work.

With ITBs, cams, light porting (very light) and bigger inlet valves you can program in a good 200 if its all setup well. Any more than this is too much money.

Import an ST185 or ST205 if you can, all the celica goodness with a turbocharger and full time 4WD.

:)