Celica Forums General Discussion General 2000 GT-S with 240,000 Miles and the original clutch...

So, I've had the recent (Last year) luck to have had a 7th Generation Toyota Celica GT-S with the 6-Speed drop into my hands from my dads coworker. I love this car, it's my first car, the car I learned to drive stick in, and the first car I drove when I got my learners permit this year. It's my every intention to keep this car nice, but first I need to to figure out if it's even worth it, or if this great car that's a little crashed at the moment and a little (a lot) over the expected mileage is worth the trouble I'm willing to go through for it.

I'm a stupid teenager. I'll start with that much; what I want out of this car is something that I can hold on for a looong time, eg, Reliable, but I also want to be able to take it to the track and to tear down backroads at 8000rpm every so often.

What I'm trying to understand is if it's possible to take this tired, buzzy little 1.8 that's been doing it's job beautifully for 242,137 miles and make it the 8000rpm VVTL-i hitting (But also reliable, can't forget that) engine that I want it to be so badly.

I know of some ongoing problems with the 2ZZ's, namely the oil pumps giving up pressure after about 8100rpm, and the non-baffled oilpan.

I just want to be told if this car can do that for me, no matter the amount of work it might take. I want to refrain from taking the engine out, and attempt to keep it numbers matching. I'm already planning to, in a couple years, take the motor out, replace the clutch, fluids, seals, and whatever else may possibly need replaced.

Thanks guys. If I can manage to get anything good out of this I appreciate it.

I have a 2002 GTS with the 2ZZ engine, 307,000 miles, still runs smooth like new. I routinely drive the car at 100 MPH on weekly long cruise, no problem ever, still pass Califonia smog test. I used to abuse this car a lot, not changing oil, only adding for a couple years, drove and overheated engine twice with broken belts and busted coolant hose. Still runs like new now.

The Celica GTS is a very good, fun, practical, versatile and reliable high-performance sports car, the last original sports car Toyota designed from the ground up. It will be a collectors' classic. Racers in Japan raced it against other Japanese sports car, it came in second after the Honda S2000 with a 2L engine and only 2 seats, and it can take the turns faster than all other rice rockets. This car is more fun to drive and much better than the Acura RSX type S, BMW Z4 or Lexus IS250. Toyota cars are far more reliable than all other brands. The 2ZZ engine is a super quick high rev engine. Lots of fun.

The only time I ran past 7000 RPM to check lift, the radiator developed a small leak. I bought the OEM radiator from DENSO for about $150. The mobile mechanic did not show, so I took out the fans and radiator and put the new one in. Easy and logical and I am not a mechanic.


Most accessories are original, except:

Radiator
Charcoal EVAP canister
1 set engine mount
1 O2 sensor
2 ignition coils
3 batteries
1 thermostat
1 coolant hose
1 set of iridium plugs
1 set of front and rear strut (ran over curb and bent front struts hehe)
2 sets of rear hatch struts (eBay $15 a pair, dealers sell for $250 damn )

Normal wear items, tires, serpentine belts, brake pads, oil, filter, air filter,light bulbs ect

Due to small oil leak, had to reseal front timing chain cover, an 8-hour labor job. Car is now completely dry.

If you dont abuse it and maintain it properly, it should last over 1 million miles. This car will be a collector car in a few years.

I have a 2002 GTS 6spd as well with 389k miles and she runs excellent. Still hitting lift once or twice a day no problem. Original engine, original lift bolts, new brake rotors and pads (parts are cheap. I replace rotors with every new pads) . No major repair. It looks better than new with new paint 2years ago. Interior is as clean as can be. Leather Still fresh, dash still looks new. I do maintenance and repair myself. I hope to get 500k or more out of this car.

If you live in South West US and have no rust problem, the Celica should last you forever. There are lots of cars and trucks made in 40's and 50's still cruising the streets.

With very cheap parts from the aftermarket, you can replace whatever breaks. I used to pay $250 in Toyota dealers for a pair of liftback struts, which last about 2 years. Now struts made in China are stronger, last longer and sell for only $15 a pair in eBay. Damn. The ignition coils start to fail after 200K miles. DENSO coils are about $120. You can find good coils made in BOSCH, DELPHI for about $60 and will last many years. The off brands from China will fail after about 10K miles. I would buy all electronic parts only from name brand manufacturers.

If the engine is completely broken, there are a lot of used 2ZZ engines in Matrix, Corolla S, Lotus ect for about $1,500. If you are handy you can drop one it pretty quick. My Celica will probably outlive me by 30 years