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Not many people would've been willing to pay that amount for the repairs and upgrades and would've just got rid. Even if they did have means to do it. I'm glad that you did and that this channel helped you to do that. That car was definitely worth repairing.
because they have zero ability for abstract thought. Considering the cost of any new car available today that is; 2x heavier - 2x more complicated and unfixable - 2x less feel - 2x less visibility - and 2 or often 3x MORE expensive than what he paid to do all of that - it makes far more sense to MAKE an old car new and end up with a "brand new" old car that is actually fun and simple than to fork out for a crappy modern couch on wheels that is more complex than the lunar space station and is completely throwaway. Even in the case of a brand new GR corolla or yaris, it is larping around as a celica GT four while being half the car. proof of this is in the modification scene where they are reaching limits sooner trying to do more with less (especially at the regulatory level). It hides behind modern rigidity as an excuse. But you pay the new hot hatch premium and dealer markup for it. and 20 years later, it will be far harder to keep all those computers running. If you just spend a GR yaris or GR corolla's amount of money into an older car, you will essentially get to drive a "brand new" old car that they simply cannot make anymore. and you will have more than one up on the competition in the realm of experiences and simplicity.
This video is exactly what I needed. I'm currently going through the same situation with my 1990 R32 GT-R. I love it so much but it always needs work, and it just seems so far until it can be where I want it to be. Seeing you go through the same emotions and stresses yet still loving the car in the end truly helped me to not be so discouraged with my cars journey. Thank you for posting this one, it means more than you know. I think I'll keep mine now :)
Well you have no choice. The prices have gone so high on your car. You can buy a small island ! No money in the bank has earned so much interest then the fixing value of the car you own. Learn how to do things yourself. Watch you tube and join every Facebook forum. Loads of information. Then private message the top forum guys that know what they are talking about for even better advice. You got this....or sell it and go sulk on a small Island ,as you fish for your dinner !
Welcome to 90s and early 2000s japanese sports cars mate. My Evo 7 has lots of stuff to fix and it has been well maintained and after I fix all of that I start thinking and more and more things are coming up. You never finish fixing them but the way they drive, the sensations and feelings.... No other modern performance car will give you that. Not below six figures anyway. Try to learn to enjoy it while you maintain and fix it.
Great, honest video. It’s been so fun to watch your journey, James. You really are living a lot of our dreams! And you always make it fun, funny and insightful.
@@peugeoting Na.. Not so much. The original "exposed" video was really.. really.. poorly researched clickbait. Given how many youtubers have jumped on this "omg scam" train without doing any investigation... they will have lost a lot of income and thus donations. The original guy is gona get sued into oblivion. Fact Fiend has done a video on it debunking every one of his "exposed" points. They actually do real research. It's a novelty gift, always has been, some cash goes to reforestation. Thats what they said they were selling, and what they sold.
@The Lone Ninja 82 I'd call it a fairly light scam. Especially compared to other shit some youtubers have been pushing in recent years. Basically you go to their website, drop a couple of bucks, buy like 1 square foot of land in Scotland and they claim doing that makes you eligible to call yourself a lord. Problem is that that's complete bollocks and since that became known, they came under fire a bit. So it's not that you get completely ripped off and get nothing in return, it's just not what they make it out to be. Which is a mildly scummy thing to do.
Congratulations you are the most relatable, car reviewer. ALL of the others seem to have lost the ability to ask the same questions that normal people ask themselves, when looking at vehicles from a nostalgic perspective or from a perspective of a possible future purchase. This includes not just in the U.K but worldwide. Just my opinion. Keep on keeping it real buddy.😀
Lovely looking GT4. I think the total is to be expected.I never intended to spend what I did on my car projects, but if you want to do it properly and you love the car then it really isn't about the money at all
Famous last word "no matter what it does, you still love it". Congratulations on your journey and your BIG HEART/WALLET pucker up, she's a beauty. Enjoy the drive and remember its worth it when your driving down the road and all of that goes away ENJOY. Cheers for sharing Romano
Even looking at 20 grand, this is my one and only dream car. Ive been saving for a couple years on a down payment but shit always comes up. Someday though... I just hope it doesn't keep inflating faster than i can save.
This right here captures ST205 ownership perfectly! I don’t know what it is about these cars but they never get boring no matter how much they push you to the brink of your patience and sanity! You get used to the power so you push and push til you hit the limit or break it, then it isn’t a simple remap it’s a full ECU change, then it’s fuelling then you blow the ring lands and it’s forged engine time. I added up all my receipts 3/4 years back. I was at £26,000 since then my turbo blew, I went for an upgraded hybrid turbo, new downpipe and manifold and a full top to bottom service… I am north of £30k now but it’s 100% worth it, I can’t go anywhere without people giving the car a reaction be that good or bad and it’s been with me 11 years… SOOO when you break it down to monthly costs it’s the same cost to PCP a new mid spec Fiesta 1.0 Ecoboost! 😂
Always had a soft spot for a Celica GT4 Turbo, never had one...yet. Keep looking out for a nice one, until then I'll enjoy watching you enjoy yours James.
You're talking about the car right? I'm sorry mate, my mind read this rather ambiguously and I don't know either what in god's name is wrong with me...
@@chrisprice4658 All good mate 👌 Sometimes I just think I'm way to light-hearted for youtube. Everybody on here is usually ripping each other a new one over absolutely nothing at all, I just don't like to be rude to people, neither in person nor through the guise of anonymity on the internet. Just feels wrong to me.
I love storytime with JayEmm. Even if they are the occasional horror story. Happy Thanksgiving from the states. And happy holidays to you, your family, your cat, and all your cars.
I understand what you are going through. My MGTF 160 is now up to $7500 and 14 months off the road and the car still has the same miss fire it went in for to fix. Un fortunately, I am retired and do not have the income stream you have (you put the hard work in). Your car is going, enjoy it. Mine is referred to as "the garage ornament".
I've many vehicles and ironically my cheapest vehicle (ford focus hatchback) is my most expensive, I've already spent close to 3k on it because it's my beater. In comparison to what it's worth, Im definitely overspending lol
Hahaha, oh my word, that’s a heck of a combined bill. BUT, there is nothing else like it, and all of this work is going into your car, that you wish to treasure for some time. Having driven a black one a few times years ago, I know the smiles that are coming, and they are big. They really are more practical then you would think too, I managed to stuff loads of stuff in the back. Never cared that much for the generation that followed, but these are so cool. Love it!
I don’t know if you remember me a few months back when I commented on your Celica These cars here in Australia are selling for over A$100,000.00 I’ve seen some prestige quality ones at A$175,000.00 and it got SOLD.. Just hold on to this car Jay, just hold on to it, soon your GT4 will get you 355 money… 😉
Finally some new St205 content. Hope you get tune sorted. Once i finish 3 Evora projects then onto my St205 WRC full restoration which has been sitting 18yrs in US.
If I were a RU-vid content creator… I’d want to be like JayEmm. Great content, cars, and stories every video. And really good/quirky taste in enthusiast cars. 👍👍
James, it really doesn’t matter the amount spent if it’s a keeper and you genuinely feel that unexplainable something towards it, as you clearly do. I know project creep well. The excel I keep on my M Coupe build reflects a similar story and still not done…..contemplating if I need a 6-speed box and cams currently 🤦🏻♂️
I've always loved those ST205s. Gran Turismo can probably be blamed for that. It's a shame they along with every other cool 90s Japanese car are so expensive now.
My very first car was Toyota Celica GT4, JDM Spec, in red with the gunmetal 3 spoke wheels, amazing car!!!! Got it for Xmas in 1997, oh sorry forgot to mention it was made by Tamiya 😀
To be fair it looks awesome now, and a properly sorted one has got to be pushing towards the £20k's value sometimes soon. Enjoy it I say. It's only money!
Back in the early 2000s, I did valet parking. One remarkable night, and elderly Lady😂(I suspect she knew what she had) pulled up in one of these beauties. Just mint, about 30,000km. I had driven everything by then. -insert brand- Driving a gt four is in the top 5 of my most memorable moments in that job. It just felt right.
I owned an ST202 "Beams" import Celica. Loved it but wasn't practical at the time. Really wanted a GT4 but there were none around. Always said I will get one, however being as they are getting scarce and may cost up to 20k, it may be a pipe dream :D Glad yours is getting to a happy place!
Another great video. I have been watching your videos for the last couple of years and have enjoyed all of them. Your research on car is very good. Would love it if you did a video on one of my cars.
Top car... i miss my st185 gen 5.. in white and a wide body model. Thousands spent on mods and rebuilds only for it to fail, repeatedly.. had the st182 non turbo before which was brilliant... and in white and now daily drive a gen 7 Tsport.. i feel your pain. Glad to see yours is doing ok. 👍
Great to see it back and your channel is doing so well to afford the fixes. please keep up the great work and vids on the gt4. Never got there with mine and now drive a UK st202 gt.
Had one back in 2004. Managed to screw 450BHP out of it which was not easy or cheap! ... unfortunately It blew up on the way back from winning an award at billing aquadrome (modified car of the show - 200+ club AND it was featured in jap performance magazine) and it still hurts to this day, I think 450BHP was too much for some of the standard internals, it doesn't have the strength of the 2JZ
From what I remember reading, safe power on stock internals is 350, after that it starts getting a bit like a tightrope, it can take more but it needs a very good tune to keep it alive. How long did yours last at 450?
I had a 1980's Celica that liked growing rust. I fabricated and welded so much on the car the rear end was virtually new. Interesting on one of your images showing a red hatchback as my 1980's car I had in the mid 1990's disintegrated with rust and needed a replacement (used one). My rear wheel drive version was like a Ford Carpi in the wet as it loved facing the wrong way if driven over 20 mph around a roundabout. Wish I had kept it as it would be worth £30k now.
Back in 2001 I was in the look out for a New car and because I was working near to home I wanted something special! Namely a Rally car for the road. At the time Subarus and Mitsubishi were good money!! When a Red Toyota Celica, the same model as James's Celica popped in a Local Showroom. It looked fantastic, I was Smitten with it. This was the one!! The only thing was it was high mileage but Fully Documented Toyota History from Day one. It had almost a complete Mechanical rebuild barr gearbox, New diffs clutch Turbo etc. I asked the Salesman for a Test, upon moving the car there was a pool of gearbox oil on the floor. Of course it was only a minor weap but as I'd already seen 1000's spent on this car my head worked loose of my heart. Surely with all the work done the gearbox shouldn't be leaking, so with a heavy heart I left it. A Clio Williams was next on my agenda, which I have to this day. Two month's after I saw this Red Celica I met its new owner. He wasn't happy with it as he'd had to pay out a small fortune on a New gearbox!! Lovely cars but not so lovely on your Pocket!!
The average price of good quality example of these has increased to more than the car cost to buy and repair in less than 12 months! You are still winning, this car will last for decades!
The mechanical feel of the oem drive train and gearbox is next level, you feel connected to the road, never really discussed it is up there with classic 911's maybe even superior feel.
You can get the bulbs for the dash from Toyota and easy replace also you should have a rubber vent on your alternator or it will burn itself out from the heat in the engine bay iv seen it happen twice
I feel like the job of people wealthy enough to do these projects is to buy every single lemon and do full restoration on every one of them cause that's what's gonna save the old cars from going extinct lol. One day there might be a market for full resto cars like this ex-lemon GT-Four
I very much enjoy your work James. I am about twice your age and not involved in the car culture of your peer group. My first car was a Peugeot 404. I have own some silly Cars including a 1964 Chevy Impala wagon. Keep up the good work
I had 3 of there’s from new, I was commuting Kent to MK at the time with frequent trips to Manchester. Red then black and finally a white one (one of the last made). Fantastic mile munchers and at the time monster quick compared to the avg company car, they happily destroyed the replacement model.
When you find the right car it just happens, I’m in deeper than that on my Toyota Crown James & I just don’t care, I don’t drink or smoke or gamble it’s my only vice & it gives me a lot of joy. That’s real petrol heading right there 👍🏻
Well done for keeping one of my dreams cara on the road. It’s absolutely stunning from every angle. Also loving the brutal honesty about what you’ve been thru with it. It’s genuinely one of three in my dream garage. Can’t wait for updates and a drive video.
Love this video. Needs more ads though, Jay. 🤣😉 Seriously though, I just traded up from my mk III Clio RS to a '13 BRZ. There's already boxes of parts stacking up in my room.
Lovely looking car, to be sure! Plus it has the bonus of bringing waves of Sega Rally nostalgia. I'd never noticed just how good looking they were before but yours is a genuinely stunning car. It was definitely well worth your investment, it was a car you love and I can't imagine that there's many of these still about (especially so here in the UK!)
Video request: whole garage wallk through. I only know about a few cars ,it suppose. And you have great taste is cars, not going for the latest and greatest and chasing a greatest hits of drivers cars
GT4 WRC edition with a 5SGTE build with a G4X ECU owner here. About the pops and bangs, I don't think that is possible even with a setup like mine capable of 500bhp I have tried and I know some people that tried too . I'm totally in love with the car, and i think that the line is just iconic, but it's strange because for example here in Switzerland but in Italy too, is the most stealth car that I have owned, no one's seems to care about it ahahah. I really like the fact that the UK community loves these because they are such great cars
Very strange that it can't be done. Surely by squirting a little bit of fuel and having no spark will cause it to hit the hot exhaust manifold and see some nice bit of flames/pop...
Great video; great car and; the main reason why I drive Lexus. Now, don't get me wrong, I've had some incredible cars in my 60 years of driving and 62 years of racing, (just club level, I can't afford the really big stuff). I've always bought used cars, my very first being a 1954 Oldsmobile Rocket 88; and I've had some very serious cars over the years. I like fast; I also like quick, so 10 years ago when I bought a 1989 Lexus LS400, most of my friends thought I'd dumped my marbles! That attitude changed when some of them tried to catch it - and couldn't! Next came a 1st gen GS300, again, very fast and comfortable. I'm now on my 7th Lexus, a 2006 GS300 SE-L, It's standard except for a little bit of tinkering which was actually done very reasonably by my local dealership and includ d d the removal of both tail-boxes, to be replaced by straight pipes with twin outlets. This gives the car a pleasant rumble and a minor roar under acceleration...lovely. My point is, I've never, ever had a Lexus need mechanical work. They just don't break. Keep them serviced, change the oils and filters regularly: and they go on for ever! They're also something of a wolf in sheep's clothing. There's not many cars out there that can keep up, much less catch up....unless you have iver £100,000 to spend. I love them, and I love that they don't cripple my bank account. Next, I'm after an LS460 SE-L with all the bells and whistles. I'll have Lexus "breathe" on it and lose the tail_boxes. Then off we go!
Crazy funds spent James yes but it's a Gt4 probably one of the best examples in the country (one of, I know there's minters tucked away) I'm sure it'll all be worth it. For your own enjoyment driving said beast and if you ever decided to part with it. Which surely you won't.
Nice update James, 👍. Looks so much better on the White wheels, white on white doesn't always work but it does on a GT4. Go and enjoy it, don't count the money up... I'd hate to think how much I've spent on my Nova Sting project... car cost £2k... at a guess to date I've probably spent £10k on parts and resto work. Still need to do the interior!
Spending that amount of money on maintaining a car, or rather, just trying to get it to work, is a serious illness. Really, it's insane. I should know, I used to be like that in the early 90s. I had an Escort RS1600i, biggest moneypit ever. And not a very good car at that. But we all live and learn. With all the money I have spent on cars I could have the deposit for a decent 2-bedroom flat. But I love your videos, don't worry!
Of course it makes sense….. in ‘Man Maths’ lol 😆…. But you do now have a sorted car that you love to drive and it has still cost you less than a run of the mill new hatchback and I can guarantee it attracts more admiring looks than the new hatchback ever would 😊
Wow, that's a big list of things. I got my 205 about 8 years ago and dont think I will ever sell it. Think I got lucky too, as it's never had any real issues in that time. It's daily driven, goes out in the rain and even to odd bit of snow fun. Latest additon was a whiteline rear roll bar. Makes a huge difference to the turn in and they are a cheap easy mod that doesn't seem to have any downsides. I highly recommend you consider one.
My mistake was owning an ST165 when i was too young....didn't have the money to drop on big repairs back then. Sigh...maybe i'll have to pick up another one, though now that ST205's are legal stateside...I'm dreaming of getting a German one in LHD...
@@felixl.l.2060 I had a bog standard ST162 and I loved that car, ended up having an accident and wrote it off, still miss it. Very hard to come by nowadays. I have an 83 RA60 now, which I like almost as much lol
Hi James - Awesome ST205 you have. I personally own an ST165 with the same gen 3 3SGTE as yours... GT-Fours are brilliant cars. Just a heads-up, for any mechanical maintenance or upgrades, we on the celica club UK forums mostly use a guy called Bek. He's a magician for anything to do with gen 4 to 6 Celicas.
The final generation Toyota Celica GT-Four, the ST205, is an amazing piece of automotive history that is remarkably affordable. Right hand drive cars are selling at auction in the States now for just under $20K so yours at 20K sterling especially after all the upgraded work done is still a bargain and a great investment you lucky man!
I'd rather have the GT4 than a Ferrari personally, but I've always had a soft spot for Celicas as my first car was a Celica. Could never really afford a GT4 though
I've said it before, I'll say it again; out of ALL of Mr Jays cars, this is the one I want the most! (Can't afford any of them, even the cheap Rovers, though 🤣)
I used to own an imported MR2 Turbo James... Great engine! My first job was at Dover Toyota when I was 18 and I drove all the Uk Toyotas of the time.. Also wonderful motors.
I bought a '96 GT4 about 17 years ago. I wanted a white one but had to settle for silver. I only kept it 10 months. Fast? Very. (dyno'ed at 290bhp) aapable? So much grip. Fun? Nope. Did a few track days in it but it's too heavy and understeery. Great looking car though, and they were called faffs back then so I wouldn't want to own one now. It Ate imprezas for breakfast though :D
My old boss at a Toyota breakers yard imported a GT4 same as yours from Japan and it was a Road reg Carlos Sianz Factory paint rep with standard interior except for Recaros,and a bolt in half cage, it has Lsds ,straight cut box ,HD everything lotta TRD ,blitz,HKS parts,18 inch Tarmac enkies on HKS coil overs ,Motech ,it spun 290 hp at 12 pds boost at the hubs x 4 with 310 ft pds at 7500 on hub dyno, landed and complied certed rego plates and on the road was 10 k NZD just before covid hit ,the thing was fast pulling every gear, more of road gearing 3rd gear just off the 180 kph speedo then 4th 7500 then 5th ? ,bars and braces underneath it ,great car
Gorgeous, absolutely love the st185’s and st205’s….if I couldn’t sell it for the money I’d rather have that GT4 on my driveway than any of ur Ferrari’s
I guess this Celica adventure makes you potentially a younger Harry from Harry's Garage as he spends a lot of money getting cars he loves restored. Also here in Australia we say Celica the same way as you.
Do you know what you've done here, James? Not only have you saved this car from certain death i.e. ending in up someone's hands who could've cheeped out on the work and killed it, but by keeping this car alive you've also made sure that the market for Celica GT-Fours doesn't go crazy as fewer and fewer good examples remain in good shape. That is not only doing justice to this car but also a bit of public service! And I really appreciate that!
Here in the USA when buying a used car, the protocol is caveat emptor all the way, baby. Once you’ve paid for and taken possession of a car, all future communication with the previous owner is VERBOTEN. You bought it, man, you own it. And the funny thing is, there’s something right about that approach. You have every chance to back out, so you need to be sure you’re doing the right thing. And hey, sometimes you are! Which makes me wonder how relevant ol’ JayEmm is, here in the land of the free. First off, I’ve driven one of these Toys and it’s nothing special. It’s a heavy, slow-steering car. And from any angle I am unable to detect beauty. And yet our narrator, despite noticing UNREPORTED crash damage and never having driven it himself, nevertheless plunks down the readies and goes home with a lemon. Now, at exactly what point should we be concluding this guy knows diddly more about cars than our own selves? Because this transaction is a no-brainer DUMB move on the buyer’s part. And just in case we missed the point, he goes to the trouble to recount his sucker’s purchase again! Okay I get it! And good luck with the Ferraris!
I certainly feel that same way about my Alfa Romeo 159 TBI. With just 2 examples in the country in Sportswagon body, it's something special that deserves the maintenance. Less than 2 years in and its cost more than the purchase price, but now it's a faster and more reliable car than what it was and with all the big ticket items done, it should be relatively smooth sailing from here.
Many moons ago before I bought my Alfa 156 I went to look at an actual Carlos Seinz gen5. Wish I'd bought that instead of the Alfa. Mind you, as from aug '23 neither would be able to drive in London thanks to Mayor Napoleon and his damn ULEZ that does nothing except generate cash for tfl.
>Toyota's won't cost you a lot. >Claim it's wrong >One of the rarest Celicas was expensive to maintain and fix Not exactly the best example. But it's still true. Idk how much I've sunk into maintaining my 1990 Corolla. Yes it's old, Yes it's a Corolla, yes it's slow. I still love it. XD
