Celica Forums General Discussion General Too good to be true?

Hello. I'm about to become proud owner of a 2001 Celica GT with only 75k miles. Part of me just feels like this is too good to be true. I've been told by the private seller that he was the 2nd owner but turns out after I carfax an autocheck it, he was the 3rd and i'll be the 4th. I just cant believe that this 17 year old car only has 75k miles and with Odometer fraud going on, I'm very worried that I'm getting duped.

I attached the carfax and autocheck that I purchased for the said vehicle for your reviews. Is this legit?

I would greatly appreciate any advice.

Thank you!

I also find the lack of service record from the 2nd and 3rd owner alarming. Only 9 thousand miles driven over 8 years? 3rd owner (Seller) only drove it for 300 miles for last 6 months? Am I being too paranoid?

A used car sales/dealer could have owned it for the short period. And only driving it when needed, or a few times around the area for potential buyer test-drives. It could have also been a second car, or belonged to someone who drives very little, or belonged to a student who went away fro college and came back with a more preferred vehicle -- notice how the registration location stays within the same general area.

One of my cars currently gets less than 3,000 miles a year put on it. it is garage-kept and is parked next to a 2011 motorcycle with less than 2,000 on it. The car is currently at 68,000 for being a 2001. So there's also that.

You are doing the right thing by asking a lot of questions.

Thanks for the reply and advice. I needed to hear or get another opinion to bring me back down to earth. I pretty much have a dilema.

I can purchase the above vehicle. 2001 GT with 75k miles OR 2000 GTS with 145k Miles. The price difference between the is about $600 (gts being cheaper).

The GT motors can have issues. 75K is a pretty nice low number though. The GTS is more desirable. I have a 2003 with the TRD package. I bought it maybe 7 years ago. At the time the GT models from around 2000-2003 had burning oil issues from the rings, and something wrong with the lift. Both issues fixable but require a major engine tear down.

How do the options compare?

Engine & Performance
BASE ENGINE SIZE 1.8 L
CAM TYPE Double overhead cam (DOHC) CYLINDERS Inline 4
HORSEPOWER 180 hp @ 7600 rpm TORQUE 130 ft-lbs. @ 6800 rpm
TURNING CIRCLE 36.3 ft. VALVE TIMING Variable
VALVES 16

GT 3dr Hatchback 2003 Toyota Celica Specs
Performance
Base engine size 1.8 liters
Base engine type I-4
Horsepower 140 hp
Horsepower rpm 6,4000
Torque 125 ft-lbs. @ 4200 rpm