Faults:

Not much, but I use this as a second car and have not had it very long. As with any car, make sure you look after it (follow service schedule) and only buy a looked after car to begin with or things get expensive.

General Comments:

I love coupes from the 1990's. The Celica is among the best.

No, it's not a GT Four model, but a very basic SR. Nothing fancy, but still looks as good as any Celica, very nice styling. Love the headlights, classic rally look.

The 1.8 provides decent acceleration, but no more than adequate. It does average 34 - 35 mpg, good for its time. Run it on super unleaded - expensive but worth it. Does not like the new weaker "E10" fuel sold recently.

Ride a bit firm, but not uncomfortable at all. Seats are good and dash is laid out well, I love 1990's interiors because they are ergonomically perfect in my opinion, and not overly complex but still modern enough to be in regularly.

A basic Celica is still an appreciating classic despite not being as sought after as a GT Four model. Well worth it if you find a nice one at a nice price as a usable fun second car. But a very rare car nowadays.

Faults:

From factory, clutch adjustment. Engagement / disengagement too near the floor.

82.500 Km. Right rear shock.

110.000 km. Front wipers, noisy.

180.000 km. Rear washer pump.

240.000 km. A/C, compressor stuck (never checked).

315.000 km. Air flow sensor.

9 years. Battery.

470.000 km. Generator.

High oil usage, due to a design fault in the 1ZZ-FE and 1ZZ-FED engines. I never noticed this before the motor was past 250.000 km. Hence it has not been replaced.

General Comments:

The T23 series should meet the envy of anyone who doesn't own one.

Looks: It's a great looking 2+2 Coupé.

Performance: Looking at the numbers, the car may not seem that impressive, and straight line performance is no better than the papers say.

Front seats: Low seating, not too deep sports seats, OK comfort and good support. Lots of legroom, OK headroom.

Rear seats. Low head room. Depending on driver and front seat passenger, the leg room goes from low to very spacious.

Boot: Big, with good access.

Interior: Light to dark gray colours, give a nice light carbine. Very durable. Leather steering wheel, gear knob, handbrake and door handles. 6 speakers.

Driving position: Low, great. All primary controls at the tips of my fingers, nice big, easy to read dials. Minimum required control and failure indicators, no more, no less.

Gearbox: 6 speed manual, once you get that clutch adjusted, it very smooth, very precise. Short shift and close ratio. It's the perfect gear box.

Motor. The 1ZZ-FE/FED motor is a gem. Very smooth power band. You can drive it nice, calm in the low revs 1500 - 2000 rpm. You can drive swiftly 2000 - 4000 RPM. Or you can drive it aggressively, rev it out at 7000 rpm. I have taken this car into the red zone in 5th gear. If the motor hasn't been replaced, you will find high oil usage. Currently I have to put in 1 liter every 3000 km.

Suspension: Firm, but not uncomfortable.

Handling: This is where the car becomes superior. It's very flat during acceleration and braking, and turning into the corners, it stays flat. The steering is very responsive, but yet it's easy to keep in a straight line. And the feedback is very good.

I have been driving, newer, more powerful, nice cars. And when I come back into this old used car, it feels used.

Then I take it through 2 corners, and I'm sold once again.

Noise: Yes, it's noisy. It's a sports car, not a luxury car. If you can't live with the noise, don't buy a sports car.

How does it compare to the T-Sport (T231 - 192 HP) :

The T230 is a smooth, well balanced package.

The T231 is rough, it's the same car, but with a more powerful, higher revving engine. And a lower gear ratio.