PHOTOS
Some of my descriptions below will refer to these photos, so I recommend opening the link to my photo site in a new window and going back and forth from this page. The big photo gallery is here on this site:
http://www.cynikal.net/~mike/celica_photo_shoot/index.html (right click and "Open Link In New Window")
It spans several pages and contains 115 photos and 2 quicktime movie clips (without sound). They are taken with a Nikon CoolPix 775 (2.1 megapixels) at full, fine resolution without flash on the "Auto" preset setting. It is white-balanced to the "Cloudy" preset setting. I used iView MediaPro on my Mac to generate the thumbnails and the smaller, optimized images.
Here is the first page (of 6 page total) of that gallery (may not show up here b/c of bandwidth restrictions and outside site linking rules-- so go directly to the site and they will all show up fine):
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made with iView Media Pro™ | Tuesday, March 30, 2004
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OPTIONS
Most AllTracs sold in the USA came fully loaded with all options. This car has every single option except for the sunroof. Hardtops are a bit more rare, as most people ordered the sunroof, but hardtops are stiffer and lighter (racers would know what I'm talking about). So this is a hardtop with the following options:
- Black (Color Code 202) exterior [shiny]
- Black Leather interior [perforated leather for drive/passenger seats, excellent condition except for driver seat is showing sear on bolsters and has a tear on the seat cushion]
- Power Windows
- Power Locks
- Cruise Control [works well, controls mounted on steering wheel]
- Driver Side Electronic Lumbar and Seat Bolster Cushion Controls
- Fog Lights
- A/C [blows ice cold air!]
- Automatic Climate Control [automatic temperature and fan speed: set desired temperature and that's it]
- ABS (Anti-Lock) Brakes
CONDITION
This car is in excellent condition and everything works. Let me re-emphasize that-- EVERYTHING works: Just to get the point across, here's a short list of things that work on this car (that normally doesn't work too well on used cars or on this generation of celicas-- ask any other seller of an ST165 if these things work and chances are, not all of them will):
- A/C blows ice cold air. Heater is hot as hell. Got me through harsh NY winter. And nowdays it's cooling me off in the summer great.
- Automatic Windows work-- one-touch driver side window works, passenger control works.
- Power side mirrors work -- both L and R
- Power windows work -- both L and R -- and opens/closes completely without issues
- Power door locks work -- from both driver side and passenger side. There's a neat thing where if you have your key in the "ON" position and your car is running, it will not let you lock your doors when your doors are open. It will unlock itself as soon as you hit the lock button-- this prevents you from locking the keys in the ignition. But if you take your keys out and my turbo timer is counting down, you can hit "lock" and lock the doors fine.
- Trunk hatch opens and holds itself up without having to prop it open. Most hatchback trunks on used cars have worn struts and you have to hold it open with a broomstick or something. Well, my hatch opens up just fine and holds up just fine-- both L and R struts are tested to for adequate pressure.
- Cruise Control works. On/Off button is in the center tunnel console, and the controls are on the steering wheel. Holds the speed fine, and disengages when you tap the brakes or push the clutch pedal or press the appropriate button the steering wheel.
- Fog Lights work and will only turn on when you have your main headlights on. i.e. will not turn on when you have your parking lights on. All ST165s do this. Some people have managed to modify it so that it turns on with the parking lights only.
- Automatic Climate Control works -- all fan buttons work, recirculation works, temperature slider works, etc.
- ABS brakes work
- All gauges work -- oil pressure (analog), boost pressure (analog), fuel level (analog), coolant temperature (analog), speedometer (analog), tachometer (analog), mileage counter (analog), and trip odometer (analog). No "Check Engine Light" or any other worrisome lights. All idiot lights turn on when first starting car (self-test), including ABS light-- and then all turn off after self-test is complete.
- Car starts every time without fail, without hesitation, without long cranking periods, without weird noises, etc.
- Cabin dome light works and interior lighting turn on/off with the opening/closing of doors and rear hatch.
- Rear seats fold down and lock in upright position
- Driver seat lumbar support works, as well as the side cushion adjustments
- Both front seats slide back and forth fine, and they have "memory" that remembers the tilt position when you temporily tilt it up to let passengers in/out of the rear seats
- E-Brake works and holds the car on a hill -- and it is properly wired to the HKS Turbo Timer so that the turbo timer will only engage when the hand brake is engaged (and car is in neutral)
- Steering wheel horn button works
- Windshield wipers work in all settings-- both front 2 and the rear hatch wipers. Both have intermittent modes and works properly.
- Rear defroster works
- Light switch and Headlight Motors work -- headlights flip up and down smoothly. All signal lights, brake lights, fog, headlights, etc. work (otherwise you can't pass our strict annual NY State Inspections!)
- All stereo speakers work
- HKS Turbo Timer works perfectly -- all functions work (it's a Type 1 so it has a lot of features besides just being a turbo timer, like RPM monitor, lap time stopwatch, 0-400m time, 2-stage RPM warning, etc.). You can read all about it from the HKS USA official site directly here: http://www.hksusa.com/products/?id=845
There is virtually no rust on this car (1 problem area explained below), the body and chassis is perfectly straight. I don't see a single dent or ding on this car! No water leaks into the interior. Spare tire is original (never used), and jack and tools are in the trunk. Interior carpet is surprisingly (for a car this old) very clean.
The title is clean and it has not been in any accidents (as far as I know from looking at the car and from the CarFax reports). I owned this car for under 6 months and put about 1500 miles on it (mostly long distance trips to the ski slopes). The previous owner owned it for about a year. And he bought it from the original owner (yep, owned since 1988 and driven by this older lady whose name you can see on the original car purchase receipt and servie records). So that would make me the 3rd owner. I will post a copy of the CarFax that I received via email before I bought the car, so that you can look at it-- but realize that it's not the most up-to-date (doesn't have my information on it, for example). I recommend getting a CarFax for the latest information.
Car brakes perfectly, ABS kicks in like it's supposed to when it's supposed to. Car accelerates smoothly and the turbo kicks in nicely at around 3000rpm and pulls strongly. The gears do not grind or pop out and shifts smoothly. (The two quicktime movies on my photos site try to show this. In the first one, I'm just cruising at 20-30mph. In the second one, I am accerating from a stop and going up to 55mph in 4th gear, going through each of the gears sequentially. I tried to keep all gauges in sight) All electronics work: no electronic gremlins (those are the worst!). Battery still has lots of life left -- car starts up every time. (The car sat for over 1 month and when I came back from vacation, it started up fine.) Tires are all-season performance tires (Dunlop SP Sport A2) in stock size, and have lots of tread still left in them.
Let me just add a little request to please be realistic in your expectations. This car is over 15 years old and it has been driven daily by the original owner. Don't expect it to look like a 2004 model car off the showroom floor, or else you will be disappointed. That being said, I think the interior dashboard is the cleanest and newest I've seen on any car over 10 years old. The other parts of the car look to be the right age or newer for the age of the car. The engine bay has really been kept clean, and it shows.
AFTERMARKET MODIFICATIONS
The car is near-stock, so it is ready for a full restoration (if that's your plan) or modifications (if that's your plan). The following is a list of aftermarket (did not originally come with the car from Toyota) parts that are installed on the car presently. Some of them have links to the official website of the manufacturer for more information. I have indicated actual price paid for items as well:
BODY/EXTERIOR
- Euro Flexible Antenna
- H4 Headlight Conversion: Diamond Cut Housing with Sugo H4 Bulbs
ENGINE/DRIVETRAIN
- HKS Type 1 Turbo Timer (Stealth mounted in center dash console (behind flip door, so it's totally hidden from view for security reasons and for the "sleeper" look)) ($140 + $15 harness)
- Rear Differential Cushion - Cleaned/Filled with Polyurethane (80 Shore A)
BRAKES/SUSPENSION
- KYB GR-2 Performance Shocks (Front)
INTERIOR/SAFETY
- TWM Performance Short Shifter Kit ($170)
- Momo Anatomic Wood Shift Knob ($40 used)
- Kenwood CD Player
Now, since some aftermarket parts are linked to personal taste, I can, at buyer's request, remove some of the items and reinstall the stock ones back in to return the car to totally stock condition. This applies only to: The shifter and shift knob (I have original shift lever and leather shift knob (a bit worn)), the HKS Turbo Timer & wiring harness (removal only, no stock equivalent), the Kenwood CD Player (I don't have the stock stereo, so you will have to put in your own aftermarket head unit), and the H4 Headlights (I have Sylvania Halogens Sealed Beams that I can put in if you want). The stock power antenna motor was worn/broken, so I removed the entire assembly and replaced it with the Euro Flexible Antenna (radio reception works just fine). I can include the stock assembly with the car in case you want to repair it.
TO DO LIST / MINOR ISSUES
I am an honest person and so here are all the minor little things that I know are wrong with the car or needs attention (that I planned to do but didn't get to do yet-- so it's also my "to do" list that I'm passing on to you). It is minor, but I owe it to you to describe them since most of you will not be able to see the car in person. I've talked about everything that is good about the car (which is virtually everything), but I won't be truthful if I left out the 1% of the car that is not as good of a shape as 99% of the rest of the car. So here goes:
- INTERIOR
- Driver Seat Leather Cushion has a tear. See the photos. Biggest one is located in area right between driver's thighs when you sit. Smaller one is on right side. Not sure if this can be repaired, but you're probably better off doing a full re-upholstering if you want to fully restore the car. Otherwise, it's fine for everyday driving which is why I haven't done anything with it, and hasn't gotten any worse (I'm as small Asian guy and I'm not that heavy... :) )
- Driver Seat Side Bolsters leather is worn.
- Steering Wheel leather is worn, mostly on the top part (the photo will show the worse part of it, which is the top portion). You can go aftermarket (since original wheel doesn't have airbag) but you'll have to relocate/rewire the cruise control buttons. Not sure if Toyota carries brand new steering wheels for this car (for people who are thinkinga bout full restoration)
- There is what appears to be a heat/burn mark on the rear left passenger side carpet. I as told by the previous owner that he had put a 100W bulb lamp there and he accidentally left it on there too long. It is not charred or anything, just browned a little bit. You can use black carpet dye to cover it up easily if it bothers you.
- EXTERIOR
- Driver Side rear well: the front portion has some surface rust developing in 2 spots. (See photo) Looks to me like someone did a bondo job on it and it is starting up again. The rear portion of the wheel well (which is where I typically see rust on old Japanese cars) is fine. Also the passenger side front portion looks to have been patched as well. I'd recommend having this professionally taken care of, so that the rust doesn't get any worse. That is the only rust spot I see on the entire car.
- Driver Side Door: a 1-inch circle of touch up paint was used for a paint chip in that spot, apparently. I just noticed this.
- Windshield has a tiny rock chip on the lower driver side. It's really small (less than 1 inch in diameter) and it's just a circle, not a hairline or crack. I used a windshield repair kit on it just to ensure that it doesn't get any bigger, just to be extra sure.
- Passenger side windshield moulding is missing. I feel really stupid: I was brushing snow off the car the other day and I guess I was using more force than I thought and I must have pulled it off. I didn't notice it until a few days later. This was in a parking lot, so it must be there somewhere, so I don't have the part on me. I was currently searching for a parts car from which to replace it with, but I guess that's now on your "to-do" list if it annoys you like it does me. It is possible that I might find this part and install it by the time you buy the car, but no guarantees, since I am still searching.
- Again, just a reminder that this is a 16-year old car. But considering the age, I think it's in excellent condition. Best condition 1988 Celica I've seen.
- ENGINE BAY / TRUNK
- There is a slight oil leak, not sure of the source, but it's very minor (maybe a drop every few days?). I always check the engine oil level (very important for a turbocharged car where the engine oil also cools the turbo) and in the past 1500 miles that I've owned the car, I added about 1/2 quart of oil total to keep it at the full mark. Turbo cars burn oil faster than regular cars, just so you know, in case you never owned a 3SGTE-powered car.
- The piping from the AFM to the Turbo (impeller side) has a slight crack just on the turbo side of the pipe. It doesn't leak (no hissing sound, no vacuum leak), and it has been temporarily bandaged with duct tape just to be safe. The clamp actually clamps over the crack so there is no leak. It is probably okay this way, but if you're anal like me, I would replace it-- This was the next thing I had planned to replace on the car. If you're going to modify the intake anyways (straight intake with cone filter, for example), then it's not an issue, of course. By the way, the best quote I got from Toyota to replace it with a new Toyota OEM part is around $80 from Conicelli Toyota in PA (http://www.partznet.com/). Otherwise you can try to find a pipe from Home Depot that matches the diameter and shape.
- OTHER
- I recommend getting a full 4-wheel alignment for the car. I think the rear toe settings are off (toe difference between the L and R wheel is probably within factory spec, but they are both pointing to the right, since the car goes straight when the steering wheel is slightly to the right (clockwise) of center). (My MR2 does the exact same thing right now after I upgraded/modified the rear suspension of the MR2, so that's why I'm guessing it's the rear alignment.) Car is very stable at highway speeds (I drive this car mostly on long distance highway trips, remember), but sometimes I feel slight shimmy at around 65mph-- so a good front alignment will cure that as well.
- I recently changed the rear differntial fluid and flushed/refilled the brake fluid. I recommend you change out the other fluids (front differential/transmission, coolant, engine oil) when you get the car, to ensure the car will be in top shape.
- Read up on a site like AllTrac.Net to find what are common issues or "quirks" found on these cars, so that you are not surprised. If you're a former AllTrac owner or have driven one, you'd know what I mean. For example, on the top of my head, I remember that all AllTracs in the winter when it's really cold outside upon first driving the car (first 5-10 minutes) you will hear a faint whirring sound from the front wheel/axle area. It is not the wheel bearing-- wheel bearings on this car were checked and they are tight. (Sound comes from Front Right area on my car, and goes away in about 3-5 minutes). I warm up my cars by immediately driving the car after starting and driving at low RPMs, staying under 2500rpm and never ever boosting the turbo until the water temp reads normal-- which is the proper way to warm up a car (cold start idling in winter is bad for the car). Anyways, it goes away after 5-10 minutes and everyone just lives with it-- so it's just a quirk. So things like that you should read up on to fully enjoy the car.