Faults:

Nothing has gone wrong a such - but obviously regular services on a turbo car are very important, along with simple wear and tear.

Compared to most high performance cars, the GT4 ST205 is relatively economical, but since it's a Toyota and a fairly rare car - parts can be very expensive. Despite this, various companies now offer genuine parts for this car a lot cheaper than from Toyota themselves.

Don't be fooled by thinking a car with main dealer service history is better than a car that an enthusiast has maintained himself. The majority of main dealers rarely see one of these cars, and to be honest, sometimes look lost when you present problems to them - stick to independent specialists, OR if you have the aptitude - do some work yourself.

85,000 miles - Oil change with Millers Fully Synthetic Ester based oil and genuine filter - has a non-return valve, unlike cheap copies - very important. DIY £55.

92,000 miles - (Passenger side) Fig 8 (camber control arm), lower suspension arm, banana bar (tie rod bar), + collar - these are common and wear out on all GT4s around 60k - I was lucky and they lasted 90k approx - a testament to how my car has been driven over the years. Now don't fall over now - just under £500 inc delivery for those parts - pain of a job without a good 3 leg puller and a press - another DIY job I've done, but then I had the tools. www.tcbparts.co.uk

94,000 miles - 4 new tyres - Falken £400 (215-50-16 VR).

95,000 miles - Oil change etc as above DIY £55, new genuine HT leads, dizzy cap, rotor arm, Iridium spark plugs, and Blitz panel air filter - DIY £200.

100,000 miles - Charge cooler drain and clean out, rear diff oil change with Millers fully synthetic along with the gearbox and transfer box (6 litres at £10 a litre), engine coolant drain and refill with Red Toyota Forlife Premix - around 6 litres + 2.5 litres for the charge cooler £30, and yet another oil & filter change - DIY total £150 approx - a garage will charge more, and use inferior oils and coolant most probably.

101,000 miles - Driver's side fig 8, lower arm, and banana bar plus sundries and delivery - DIY £500.

Well that's up to now (Aug 2007) - I purchased it in Dec 2005.

In 19k I will require a cam belt change and clutch. A garage will charge around £350-£500 for the cam belt, and a clutch is usually a half engine out job, depending on how good the mechanic is - costs for that can vary from £350 to £1000 - the higher being a quote from a garage who simply doesn't want to do it - it's around an 8 hour job - I'll being doing mine myself, so the costs in parts for a reasonable quality clutch, and whilst I'm there a lightened flywheel, will be around £300 without the dreaded labour.

My advice - join the owners sites (www.gt4oc.net & read www.gtfours.co.uk), and steer clear of Toyota dealerships - they haven't a clue and will charge the earth.

General Comments:

Well when compared to an EVO and the dreaded Impreza WRX (common as hell) - the GT4 fares better in the reliability and insurance costs - it's only group 17, which I think is wrong - but I won't complain when paying the insurance. Sky and Elephant do quite good prices, regardless of whether it's an import or UK car.

This car is seriously under rated and often unknown of amongst the likes of owners of Saxos, Clios, Focus's, Golf GTIs etc, and believe me they sit on your ass from time to time, and if you're like me, you just have to warn them off with the heavy right foot - I love it.

If you don't like having a car that everyone else has, and don't mind a good stare from onlookers - this is your car.

So what's the GT4 like to drive? Let's go for an analogy here: you know how it is when you try to punch out a big bloke! You land a sweet left hook and all he does is shake his head and then start to slowly roll up his sleeves to prepare a response. Well, that's what a GT-Four does. Whatever punishment you mete out, it is ready to respond, but that sleeve-rolling ritual is actually just a prelude to a helpful handshake.

If you were on the fence about four-wheel drive before you drove a GT-Four, you'd soon become an instant convert. It sticks to the road with vengeance, and you will bottle out long before the Celica does; in fact, you'd have to be doing something very silly to unstick it.

The GT4 has more than ample thrust once you get past the throttles initial softness, but that brief lag becomes a distant memory as the power kicks in. All that available traction gets it off the line very smartly indeed. The GT4 has a brilliant throttle-tuneable cornering ability, as the 50-50 torque split lets the rear wheels drift wide when provoked, feeding power up front if the rears begin to misbehave - squirting out of corners is second nature.

The GT4 stands out as the truly invigorating buy in Toyotas performance car line-up. Without the brashness of it's big brother, the Supra, or the toy-town indulgence of an MR2, the GT4 is a truly focused sports car with a real rally winning pedigree. It is also a proper grand tourer that will eat up the miles, and like all Toyota's, will be utterly reliable if looked after properly.

As for the comfort side of things - just like Jeremy Clarkson said back in 1994 when he compared the GT4 to the Escort Cosworth - if you're under 6ft - buy the GT4 - however if you're over 6ft, and even better if your name is Kev - buy the Cosworth :-)

Faults:

I have had to replace usual service items, these included:

New brake pads and disks all round.

Cam-belt at 120k service.

Clutch (which I believe was the original, after 130k miles!)

Apart from these, nothing has actually gone wrong with the car in the current two and a half years of ownership, which is impressive given the mileage.

General Comments:

For me, this car has been a perfect all-rounder. It is great as a commuter vehicle, comfortable, quiet and easy to drive, in town and on the motorway, returning fairly good fuel economy. It seats four adults (possibly with slightly dubious comfort levels in the back) and can even fit my bike in the back with the seats folded. At the other end of the scale, it is great as a drivers car, with brisk performance once the revs increase, and well balanced responsive handling. It has provided great entertainment at track days, and is equally fun on a twisty B-road.

From the outside, the Celica looks great in my opinion! Mine is a facelift model (look for the redesigned front bumper with clear indicators) and has been enhanced with 17” alloy wheels and Japanese late spec (JDM) rear lights and clear side repeaters, which give the car a slightly more modern look (no orangey bits!) It has also been mildly modified with a HKS induction kit (sounds good, though I'm not convinced it aids performance) and a GT4 rear strut brace (sits neatly in the boot and really stiffens the chassis in the corners).

Inside, the slightly bucketed seats are comfortable, with the driver’s side height adjustable. You sit in the typical low 'coupe' position, with the well laid out controls wrapping around the driver. Among the toys are: Electric windows, electric heated mirrors, twin airbags, electric sunroof, optional CD (mine has), optional air-con (mine doesn't – well worth looking for on a black car with all black interior, mine gets more than a bit warm in the summer!) All of these still work perfectly.

The boot is a fair size (for a coupe), although the spare wheel protrudes as a lump in the floor, and the high lip & general shape can be awkward for loading.

At low revs, the 2-litre 16V engine is quiet and refined, although not very torquey or powerful. Accelerating hard from low revs, the pick-up improves as the revs increase. Just before the peak torque point, at 5500rpm, a cleverly designed induction system allows more airflow into the engine, producing a more urgent engine note (especially through an aftermarket induction kit), and increasing the power, to a peak of 170bhp before hitting the limiter.

The gearshift is positive and lovely to use, even after 130k miles, although in cold weather, it does occasionally 'crunch' on the first couple of shifts into 3rd (worn synchro I suspect). The gearbox does sound slightly raspy on the over-run, especially in the lower gears, although this has been improved by changing the gearbox oil. The clutch pedal was heavy before I had the clutch replaced, although I think this was due to the clutch fluid, which was replaced at the same time.)

The wide spaced gear ratios can be a bit of a pain on very twisty roads, where you get a bit stuck for choice of 2nd and 3rd at times. This coupled with the slightly slack turn in makes the Celica more suited to more open tarmac with faster corners, where the car rides each bend perfectly & the long gears make best use of the engine (100mph will show on the dial before needing to select 4th)

OK, so the Celica isn't the very best performing front wheel drive coupe, and neither is it the most comfortable, practical, economical car out there, but it gives a near perfect blend of comfort and performance, like a GT badged car should. Look for a well serviced example, don't be too afraid of high mileage, and you won't be disappointed.