Just picked up an 02 Celica GT

[toniocity]

... and I couldn't be more excited! The car had quite a bit of mileage on it (80k+ to be more precise :( ), but I'm still very happy to pick it up anyhow. I didn't want to pick up the extended warranty from my dealer because of how high dealers hike up rates for it, so I wanted to know if anyone had any suggestions as to where to actually pick up a good ext. warranty.

I also wanted to know if I should be overly concerned about the engine revving at and around 3k RPM in fifth gear on the (SoCal) freeways. I figured the nature of higher mileage cars would be to do so, on top of it being a used car off a lot is probably what's causing it to rev that high, but I wanted to get some input on it.

All in all, I'm excited to be a part of these forums and would like some tips for a new, used 02 Celica GT owner.

Cheers.

[akley88]

congrats on the buy. as for the rpm thing how fast r u going when its at 3k.
my dealers warranty was included with the car and didnt change the price because they dont sell cars with mechanical issues.

[toniocity]

I'd say between 60 and 70 it hovers around or a little below 3k

[akley88]

thats pretty much normal for these cars. as far as i know

[dirtking]

Welcome. DO NOT WORRY about 3K RPM with these motors it's common highway RPM's. These motors are made to rev and rev they do,, and do it well. 80K miles,, hell she's still a baby LOL Here is a GOSPEL rule when it comes to used cars: It really all depends on how well the car was taken care of. The first thing I would monitor very closely for the first few months is your oil level. Engine wise with the GT 1ZZ 140HP motor (GTS comes with a 2ZZ 180HP motor) there really only seems to be one (fairly rare in my opinion) issue which is oil consumption. But from what I have seen and read is it seems to be more related to the earlier 1ZZ engines (I think early 2000 motors?). My 2000 GT 1ZZ motor (@ 117K miles) burns NOTHING at all (thankfully) and runs fantastic! Even tho on avg I don't beat on it, I rev the piss out of it (pretty much short bursts) at least every other day and in my opinion that is what it was built for. I take care of her though very well (often inspecting for leaks, changing fluids, just basic maint really). Other issues with these cars seems to be transmissions, thankfully again not mine. I read about warn syncros and gear bearings so I changed the transmission fluid shortly after I got it (it's easy to do,, get back to me if you want feedback on doing so). All in all: I really love this car. It's fun to drive all the time so when once I used to dread having to drive one of the kids somewhere I now have no problem cuz I know I'll have some fun driving her. Oh and one more minor thing,, in my opinion the back seat was specifically designed for midgets only but then again all sports cars are the same there. If the car's in good shape you should really like it.

Mook

[toniocity]

Oh good to know :) I suppose my next question then would be what sort of modifications could I do to the car that would be worth putting on a high-mileage car? As much as I'd like to believe I'll be able to keep this car for a very long time, 80k+ miles is just about approaching the end of its hey-days, no?

[dirtking]

Originally Posted by toniocity

Oh good to know :) I suppose my next question then would be what sort of modifications could I do to the car that would be worth putting on a high-mileage car? As much as I'd like to believe I'll be able to keep this car for a very long time, 80k+ miles is just about approaching the end of its hey-days, no?

One again it all depends on how well it was maintained. Were you able to obtain any maint records? Anyway 80K miles is by no means at the end of it's "hey-days" at all. Like I said I have 117K on mine, compression is still great & she really runs super @ an avg of 29 miles per gallon (Conbo highway & rural). Reliability is a big plus with these cars too. Have fun. Keep a close eye on oil level until you get a feel of it's personality.

[RWCustoms]

Congrats! I've had my 02 gt for 4 months now at 70k miles and i enjoy it very much. No oil problems either

[akley88]

i have 132k on mine and i beat the crap out of mine. i have exhaust intake and some other mods. but my car is taken care of otherwise and i have all of the service records. so u can put a lot of miles on them and not have to worry.

[toniocity]

I'm loving the warm welcome so far! Thanks fellas!

At any rate, I just contacted my dealer and he said he doesn't have all the maint. records, but he's got the safety check they do to all their cars on the lot and will provide me with it tonight. Would you guys say a basic intake/exhaust upgrade be a good place to start? If so, what should I be looking into?

[akley88]

thats always a good place to start. i went on youtube to get a some idea of how certain exhausts sounded. i got my intake off of eba for 20 bucks.

[subspec]

Well do you eventualy want to turbo or just do a full na setup. If your going for turbo I would just do a cat back till you do the turbo. Otherwise your just going to be throwing away x ammount of dollars for a header. Toyota motors are usualy bullet proof but as said it all depends on how well you take care of it. I had 201k on my motor before I decided to do my build. And she was still running strong. And I beat the shit out of my motor. Lol

[cbcelica]

yeah, 80k for a toyota is nothing! its just barely broken in! but yes look at the used car inspection the dealer did. see if they replaced anything or did any service prior to putting it on the lot. Everytime i buy a new car, i do EVERY SINGLE SERVICE ITEM i can think of. all the fluids, plugs, tires?, brakes, pcv, filters, etc. that way i KNOW everything is up to date. and you can start off fresh with your own maintanence records..... MY .02
and welcome to the forum....

[toniocity]

(looks like I DEFINITELY found myself a new home! Certainly didn't expect any substantial input for at least another day! You guys are awesome!!!)

At any rate, I just picked up the dealer's 83 point inspection and it looks as though everything on the car is in good working condition. The only thing they replaced was the oil, which was done in early February at 84k miles. cb, I like your plan in doing every service item to start anew with my maint. records. I'll probably get in touch with my mechanic and get that going on.

I actually do plan on setting up for a turbo sometime in the future. Not anytime soon, of course, but definitely planning for it. Thanks for the input, sub! How much should I expect to spend on a catback?

[akley88]

depends on what brand you go with. you might even be able to get a custome one made by a local exhaust shop for less then some brand name exhaust

[sic]

that's what i'm doing, i found a great shop nearby and it should be less than 300 for my exhaust to get done.

[akley88]

i paid that for my exhaust and its brand name. mervine's the exhaust shop near me could have done it for less probably and it would have been just as good

[scud55]

i have 147k miles on mine but it runs like its got 45k just depends on how u maintain the car as for the revs its normal 3k-3500 rpm is 60-80 mph.

[sic]

Originally Posted by akley88

i paid that for my exhaust and its brand name. mervine's the exhaust shop near me could have done it for less probably and it would have been just as good

went over to get a few details on my exhaust... 200-220 for cat back with magnaflow parts, custom pipes being bent, parts and installation for that price, can't really argue too much. plus they come with a top end reputation around my area. to top it off, it's literally right across the street from my job lol.

[akley88]

cant complain about that u getting it done before the meet