2002 Celica GTS
Pros :
6 speed manual
1.8L I4 engine
high compression
great throttle responce
easily modable
toyota reliability
cons:
too expensive for the price they wanted (carmax wanted 14k everything for 76k miles no hassle, only one in my area within 75 miles)
bad blindspot
the brakes were kinda iffy
gauges were hard to read in the sense for economical driving, it makes you want to drive faster(idk if thats a bad thing)
suspention seemed a bit too soft for a 'sporty coupe'
when turning hard, it seemed to have a bunch of understeer
when i saw it on the lot, and i saw it was a 6 speed and not the 4spd auto, i told the carmax guy i wanted to test drive it asap. i was pretty stoked being able to actually drive it after wanting to for so long. the clutch was nice and easy. it has a couple blind spots, but thats where spririted driving comes into play
. it was interesting to say the least. 1st gear is just about perfect, 2nd as well, and 3rd is great. diddnt do any full throttle pulls in 4th-6th though. its weird at first when you hit 7k or so and you hit toyota 'vtak'. sure its great, but it sucked as it only lasted for like 1k or so. i think with a 2000 ecu it would be more fun reving to 8400.
the shifter felt nice and easy. it was in the exact right spot. no annoying arm rest to get in your way either. the throws were a little too long, so i couldnt chirp 2nd, but then again maybe i couldnt shift it fast enough, as i was being easy on the car as the reverse thing is pretty wierd for me anyway.