Should I buy?

[turbo5sp33d]

Hey guys! Im 17 and a new driver My friend is selling his 92 Toyota Celica GT turbo 5 speed. He is going to sell to me for $2000. Do you think I should buy this car or save up for another? 170k miles on it, stick, new clutch, new tires, oil change, cd player, working sunroof, power windows and locks working, suspension is fine, drives smooth except a lil jerky in 1st but heh gotta love stick He paid $1300 for it and put new $500 tires on it, the new clutch, and the oil change.

Are celica's good cars? This will be my first car so I want to make a good investment with my hard earned money. Paint is worn in some spots but other than that its good. Oh also has some custom rims on it. Please post comments and/or questions.

[turbo5sp33d]

Please someone give your opinion if I should buy it or not... This will be my first car to use to drive to college which is about a 15-20 min drive from my house. I dont want to buy a car that is going to break down but I dont want an old lady car that is gonna be overly dependable and slow he wants $1000 down then I got 4 months to pay the rest.

[Brian R.]

Pass on it. My rule is never buy a used turbo unless I am going to spend alot of time on it. If you want a sporty car, get one without a turbo.

If you must, bring it to a mechanic you trust and have him look it over carefully. It has to drive smooth and not make any noises except for the innocuous rattle or wind noise you expect from an older car.

Compression has to be good. No engine noises, no smoke out the exhaust when you start it or running. No smoke in the engine compartment, no overheating. No "Check Engine" light. Look under the car and under the hood and see if there is any noticable new parts, indicating a collision fix. Pass on it if there is.

Look him in the eye and ask him why he is selling it. Don't trust him even though he is your friend. There may be a reoccuring problem. Pass on it if he can't look you in the eye when he says there are no problems with the car or if he gives you the wide-eyes that say "I would never lie to you, trust me".

[turbo5sp33d]

Hes my best friend, we have been friends since 4th grade. He is selling it because he is buying a 1979 mustang and he needed a lil extra money to use as a down payment for the car. The car had one previous owner which is a long time family friend of my best friend. The car was only used for driving in town and thats why it only has 170k miles on it with the same engine. There is only a slight rattle of the window in the door panel when the car starts up, thats about it. other than that its a completely smooth drive. Hes going away to college so he wanted to get his mustang before hand, and I offered to buy his car because im starting college as well. I did not smell anything or see any smoke whatso ever. The only thing I did smell is when he showed me how not to shift and pelled out and just a little tire smoke. I will be having my pro friend come over and check under the hood today and see what he thinks. Hes not trying to sell me a crap car, the car has never been in a collision. The only problem is the ac isnt working. Also there is 1 bolt missing from the battery case but I am going down to the hardware store to buy another. It just rattles in the case on startup and thats it. The engine purrs and drivers very smooth. Especially on 2-3 3-4 4-5. from 1st to 2nd its a tiny bit jerky but I think that has something to do with the way he is shifting because I been in the car when his mother drives it and she shifts smooth in all gears. I only need a car for about a year and a half. After that im going to be moving to europe and will be selling this car. Do you think a 170k turbo will last me a year and a half? Im only going to be driving around town in it. no long distance/free way driving.

[turbo5sp33d]

I took it down to a mechanic. He said the engine is in excellent condition. He said the only problem is with the AC. The wiring for it needs to be redone and it needs to be refilled. He said if u run the AC before fixing it will cause the engine to overheat but just dont run it until it gets fixed and you will be fine. He said its about $500 to fix it. So I think im gonna buy it. He also said the turbo is in the best condition he has ever seen in a 90's celica before. This guy is an honest man. he goes to my church and is a great mechanic.

[Brian R.]

Well, it sounds good. You may have found a good car. Did he do a compression check? It could still be a problem engine even though it has not been driven hard. Some people treat their cars like gold on the outside, but don't even know how often to change the oil or transmission fluid. If he found good compression, I guess you have a good car. Make sure he did that, no matter what it's history. That many miles is alot to go on appearances.

[Dober89]

See if your friend will take 1700 or something a little less than 2k. It doesnt sound like a bad deal or anything, just being a 92 I wouldnt think it would have alot of value left.

[turbo5sp33d]

The car has great compression the guy said. Also it had a new transmission put into it. He said suspension is great and everything. The previous owner drove it for a few years and put 170k miles on it. Then he didnt drive it at all for like 2 years. All lines and hoses have been replaced. Its had a NAPPA inspection. Also my friend is getting the AC fixed at no extra cost to me. I just learned how to drive stick a few hours ago... took me about 10 mins to pick it up. All it really needs it normal checkups and changing of fluids which im going to be doing. Also im getting it a new paint job. Ill maybe look into one of those tornado thingies for more HP and better fuel efficiency. Ill upload some pics when I get the car next week. We got pulled over by a motorcycle cop. Registration seems to have not been processed by the previous owner so we are gonna get it sorter out next week.

[Brian R.]

Forget the Tornado - worthless. If it was worth anything, they'd have certified dynamometer data.

[Ervin_S]

buy it. It's a pretty good year. I got my 88 all-trac from the dealer for $1400