I legit want to buy this Celica. I miss my Celica, and it was a base model ST that didn't look nearly as good as this one. It's gorgeous and I bet it's so much fun.
The GT4 was in the states back in the day but rare AF. Clearly remember being pumped as a kid when I saw one in traffic ...absolutely lost interest after destroying it with an eagle talon 😅 They were beautiful tho!
I just got a 99 Celica GT-S 6 months ago with 218k miles, it now has 228k miles and is still running great. Most seals and gaskets were replaced, along with a new radiator and hoses. I put coilovers on it and some new wheels. It drives amazing, and people come up and talk to me about it on a daily basis. There aren't many around my area at all. I think since owning it, I've seen one other driving around.
I own a 97 Celica ST, the one with a 1.8l 7AFE. It’s a very slow car, but when you’re the only person with a 6th gen Celica, and one of the very few Celica owners in your area, it’s such a cool feeling
@@That94CelicaGuy Same here. I live in Martinsville, VA and had the same thing happen to me. State cop pulled me at the store! And congratulated me on driving a 5 speed bc most people now don't know how to lol. Still got a petty ass ticket for not having my front tag mounted tho. I think he was just bein a groupie.
This is not unloved at all. The 6th Gen Celica is one of the most RECOGNIZABLE Celicas there are especially thanks to the ST205 even though we never got them. Even if you got a N/T model though, people still respect the 6th gen anyways because of what the 6th gen is known for. The unloved Celica that's more underrated than this is actually the 7th Gen Celica. Because even though it doesn't have AWD and Turbo from factory (same reason DSM guys get on the 3rd and 4th Gen Eclipse guys for buying those) the 7th gen still an amazing chassis tbh
Personally this is the gen I respect the most. I think the 7th gen looks like someone put a bad body kit on it in 2003 and the 5th gen looks like a mini version of the pop up 3000gt
The celica isn't underrated is a decent commuter with zero aftermarket support even the 7th gen has zero aftermarket support. And it's not a good platform either. Just a decent car for work and back
@User- Sama it was nice to see toyota go back a bit to the celica supra’s roots. I’ve had so many people do a double take on it thinking it was a supra
The 6th gen was my first car, a 99 Celica GT. My brother gave it to me when he got the BRZ when they came out, I loved that car it had 238k miles on it when I sold it. Its a really good looking car and such a good cruiser.
This was a popular car..I had a 94 twin cam. Red with full carbon fiber hood black 18s lowered (before camber and wide wheels was all the hype) red black leather interior..and I traded after several years and was sick. Still am. Loved that car. It ran awesome with just header full exhaust straight piped etc intake. Never let me down.
i think that just go's for the heads in the 4A-GE / 2zz-GE and 3S-GE family (that i know for sure) the beams was just the top dog of the N/A 3S-GE offerings, i'm not 100% certain but i also think the red top and black top were the last hurrah for the 3S-GE being the 2 last versions of the 3S-GE to be released to the public...in japan...don't think they actually sold em anywhere else
Same here! I just bought my 1995 Celica GT (Liftback) a few weeks ago as my first car. Best choice I could have ever made. Honestly, these cars really do deserve more love and attention. Imo though, I think it's healthy that they don't have Supra clout and price tags. A part of me wants them to stay niche & lesser known yet available to those who want them.
As an owner of a 1.8L Celica, I can say that is stupidly fun. When i first went to test drive it before buying it, i wasnt expecting anything special. But it actually is. Is funner than a lot of faster cars, taking it to the mountain is unreal. Its a really fun car, its not fast, u dont really gap other people.... But u have fun, u feel tremendously good driving it. And that,'si why i bought it: With that car u can really enjoy the experience of driving.
Also if I remember correctly the AWD that was used in the rav 4 is the same or very similar as the gt four. So for the ppl like me that dream of a left hand clone, there's your golden nugget.
The 3S has been proven to be reliable and powerful in a 4 cylinder package. Beating out even the 2JZ engine in most racing application. The Toyota Celica GT4 and the famous Tom's Supra.
It validates the rumors that the supra mkiv was just a gt car that was not meant to take on the gtr and nsx. And also validates that the 1uz was the racing motor with lots of developments on it, even putting it in mkiv supras in some contests. Still 2jz an awesome engine, it is a legend but not the legend we think it is.
I never heard about this engine, but it seems to be fun. I got a Celica GT 1996 with 1.8l engine. 116HP without any tuning. Drives smoothly, but it would require some love :)
I loved the Celica....always wanted one as a teen, it's the perfect first car in my opinion. It's quick enough to have some fun but not get you in trouble, looks sporty but not boy racer and its interior for the time was really nice plus it's a Toyota so reliable if you keep them closish to stock. Which here in Auz you are not allowed as a new driver to modify them....so I think it's a great first car. The next gen was a bit too gawdy for me with all the fake plastic shit all over it. For me this Celica and the 87 update were the best looking. Unfortunately here in Australia the Celica was seen similar to the Miata as a hair dresser or make up artist car. I knew a few mates who had the gt4 though and that thing was a weapon. They were not easy to modify so a lot of us stayed away from them. The people that did though they were really fun cars with a bit more power. I may buy one when I get some space just to have owned it like I always wanted.
@@cristianseminario7899 they came out with some crazy bodykits formthem stock....plastic everywhere. Some of it was functional but mostly it just looked hidious
I don't know about that man, this gen gets a lot of love, now the previous gen is the one that doesn't get any love at all. Even i forget they exist. Also Toyota really needs to keep there partnership with Yamaha, there engines are one of the best when they work together.
@@Tiltymilk How's the engine power delivery difference in the 5th to the 7th? I've got a 3SGE 5th gen and I can imagine that it's a lot more torquey than the 2zz.
im preparing for a 5th gen 3s-gte swap in my 94 celica gt, i wanted to go BEAMS but its so much more expensive though. the beams engines are incredibly hard to find, unlike the caldina 3sgte
@@Underpantsniper 3sgte 2.0 is turbo. Capable of 300+ hp with boost controller and bolt ons. The BEAMS is a non turbo high compression 2.0 with high rev limit and 200hp. 3sgte cheaper and easier to find. 3sge BEAMS is a unique and fun engine harder to find.
My AT200 6th gen has 365k miles. I just rebuilt the entire car. New polyurethane control arm bushings, machined engine, new coils, new wheels, and being that this is my first car, i gotta say love this platform. It’s such a fun car. Even tho mine is the slow 7afe, it’s still a fun car to drive around town.
ngl the 7afe engine is great fun to drive, i also have a 6th gen celica with 311k km, still got some maintenance to do, but it still performs like a dream, never failed me once :)
@@CoffinNachtmahr i personaly hit up parts shops or autodoc. If they don't have it i try the toyota dealers (tho usually things are discontinued unfortunately) in which case i go through the internet for parts. It's unfortunate that parts aren't always that plentiful
@@ericsmith8129 yah but you never driven a 2ZZ obviously. its not about the power its the driving experience. the 2zz is basically a Toyota B18C from the Integra type R.
I had one of these with white wheels and SHEEEESSHH!!! I loved this thing. It's the car I leaned to drive manual in. It was awesome and I sold it because I had to pay rent... those were hard times!
I love celica's. They just make sense for the 90% of time your driving it. They're comfortable, you can play around in the mountains with it and take it to work the next day. They're easy to fix and they just work
very true, bought a really clean 107k mile one, drove it 4500 miles on a roadtrip to Washington state from Arizona and it didn't skip a beat. It was the most fun car I've ever taken on a trip just for the twisty roads and was a super smooth car on the highway. love that car and wouldn't sell it
There was this legendary street racer down in Houston who a really mean Celica. It was silver and had a stock looking appearance. He used to always trash talk anybody who had a Honda, BMW, or Audi. I think his name was Scott Kilmer or something like that.
Awh man, this review is giving me some serious FOMO. I have a 2nd gen Celica coupe with a black top BEAMS in it that I sent in to David, I hope he sees it before he reviews another 2nd gen 😖. Edit: I do have some videos on my channel for those interested. Also, Mr. David (and I'm sure most people are saying this) VVTi does not "kick in", it does not have secondary cam lobes the way VTEC does. Instead what you're feeling is a combination of the variable intake runners in the BEAMS that open up ~4000 RPM and advanced camshaft timing as the revs climb.
You should try the newer celica with a 2zz-ge engine, it has vvtli which is toyotas version of vtec so it has variable valve lift. The beams engine only has vvti which is only cam timing.
I've thought for a long time these were the best looking celica since celica and supra divorced. I've actually been looking for a clean one for a few years now but its HAAAARRDD to find a clean one
You know what made this car great is that it was named the “Celica Supra” once before until it’s name got separated. If it wasn’t for the Celica, the Supra and it’s name would’ve never existed. We all should be all thankful for the Celica making the Supra very possible back then. 🙏
I’m buying a beatiful 96 Celica ST 25th anniversary edition today with 34,000 original miles… this one has 14” steel wheels with hubcaps… looking to immediately put wheels and tires on car… have a set of 17x8 wheels picked out but don’t know what tire size will be best… not new to the game, have an Evo X and NB Miata… just new to this platform. And 6th gen Celica owner’s that can chime in and help thanks in advance!!! 🙏
My close buddy just got this generation celica and it's fun, I definitely felt like I was sitting on the ground though, it's not for tall people so I HAVE to tilt the seat way back so maybe that's why. And he wants to beam swap his, he put neon SRT4 wheels on with a spacer and it looks good!
@@ArchangelJuicy ahh idk then. Perhaps if you have aftermarket seats. Stock seats sit so low, its hard to imagine. I have a convertible, which the roof is even lower than hatch or coupe.
I drive the 95 Celica GT convertible 2.2L. I love my Celica and this is my second one. My first was an 85 red convertible. Wish I had the money to fix up my current car
It’s already a lot of fun with the 2.2, not in straight line but in the corners, lovely steering as you mentioned, but the body movement is just spot on. She’s something that is driven before it gets the love
Beams came with a 20 value head instead of the normal 16 in most usual 4 bangers. It was basically a homage to the not only the group A race engines, but also the 4age silver and black top - thus the beams black top name. I believe the black top beams made 200-210hp.
Nope. As much as i wish the redtop came with 20v from factory, It's just not the case, what 4th gen 3S-GE had that set these engine apart from the blacktop 4A-ge thou is the debut of MMC(metal matrix composite)linings onto the 4th gen blocks, it's lighter than the iron block from the 3S-GTE yet still being able to hold down decent amount of boost. Depend on region, some tuners prefer the redtop over the backtop dual VVTi variant beams for forced induction applications for the sake of simplicity, Unless you're aiming for big power figure and the top end delivery the redtop's single intake side VVTi is actually more responsive and easier to tune during the low to mid rev ranges and will do you more favor as a street engine. 3 years down the line you could see Yamaha fully integrating this technology onto it's 2ZZ-GE development phase.
I just got a 95 celica st. I dont really kno what to do with it but i'm also on a budget. The 7afe is impressively reliable and running very smooth with 150k miles. I might hold off and save and do a K swap as u mentioned many do. Even at bone stock so many ppl love it, its a beautiful semi rare car
Just bought my 3rd one, silver with a 3SGTE conversion. Needs work but it was extremely cheap. They really are a well built car, like you say the interior plastics and even the seats hold up really well for the age.
I've got the same type (1999), with the 3SGE engine. Love the car and it turns heads. I agree, all the interior still looks almost new, talk about Toyota quality and reliability!! Thanks to the video dude👍👍
The sound comes from it being developed by Yamaha. It's like if you've ever been in a tunnel in a 2zz mr2 and lift comes on, those guys at Yamaha just know what they are doing.
Nice video! Speaking of this generation of Celicas, it would be cool if you could find a 3rd generation Toyota Carina ED ST205 to make a video with, it's a very rare car, I've heard they're basically 4 dour Celicas since they have the same platform, even the interior bits like the center console are almost the same as this generation Celica. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-rRNOtBFwlW0.html
I just bought a 94 for $700 lol. Gonna make it my daily driver. My first project car was a 92, only sold it cause it was an automatic. I’ve loved celicas as long as I’ve loved cars.
You needa get your hands on a Saturn Ion Redline or a Cobalt SS. You'll be surprised how much fun they are. I know you know about ZZP. Talk to them, and see if you came make this happen.
Been thinking of doing that swap with my 5th gen. I'm assuming it fits quite well as a few people have done this now. Can you still change spark plugs easily? haha
@@BennyJ69 It fits pretty nicely, just a tad more cramped than how it sits in a Camry. It's definitely tight by the firewall but once the intake manifold is removed spark plugs aren't bad at all.
The 3s series of engines is so underrated. The 3SFE has amazing throttle response and low end torque to make you feel like your behind the wheel of something much more powerful. (110ish hp) The 3SGE versions are flipping great engines. Forged internals, over engineered and each revision got better over time. If ever in SoCal TDIB, hit me up, take my 4th gen Celica with the first revision of the 3SGE for a spin. That TVIS kicks in like a mini turbo.
The euro GT with the NA 3S-GE is so much fun. Getting into one that was tastefully modified made me realize driving could actually be a total blast and was my gateway drug to being a car hobbyist.
my daily is a beautiful red single owner '95 GT Manual celica, its a survivor car, i get so many compliments from people on it. its definetly a well appreciated car.
I’m 30 seconds into the video and I paused it just to say I actually really liked that Celica. When I was kid it looked like a half brother to the Supra. And when following it from a distance I would mistaken it for a Lotus Esprit. I wanted one in college but unfortunately the financial situation wasn’t on my side.
Makes me miss driving my wife’s 1999 Celica GT that we sold just 2 years ago! She drove it in high school and college. The only problem was that was an automatic but otherwise it was a super reliable car.
Aww crap BEAMS engines are going to go up now! At least I already own the car, but plan on swapping a Redtop into my ST soon. I love these cars...I think you nailed it, it's just a fun car to drive!
This was my first car as a teen and man do I miss it. This was my goal for it. I wanted a red top beams engine in it as a project. Weighing at 2400lbs the Celica was very light and probably feels good with 200BHP
Down here in latam they are very, very popular engines to swap, they even race celicas as FWD quite a bit They put the beams on everything from tercels to nissan v16 (sunnys), starlets when they cant afford the turbo swap... I have even seen them on a few rx8 after they blew the rotary But yeah, that engine lives in the shadow of the gt4 massively, even the fwd celicas running it are always in the shadow of the gt4
Man i think you really need to review a naturally spirated celica GTS, on proper suspension. You will be impressed with the front end! It's genuinely something noteworthy and worth experiencing for somebody who appreciates things like that.
I got a stock celi gts with the trd kit...if the dude is down he can review mine. Plus I think hes in middle Georgia which isnt far...might have to reach out
Honestly you Americans can't complain. The sheer amount of choice you got in cheap enthusiast cars is mind blowing, compared to europe. Yes, we get more special editions like this GT-Four, but we have to pay twice as much. Which means we don't get cheap Corvettes, Camaro, Charger, Mustang, ect. Instead we have to pay Mustang GT prices for a Fiesta ST, and another 30% in insurence.
I had this year Celica, and think this was the best looking of all the Celica's produced. Too bad it didn't have the power the others cars had in the same year in the US.
I remembered looking for those cars back in the day they were pricey new at the time yeah it was a 2.2l engine it was basically a Camry GTS with two doors and 1.8 from a corolla I ended up getting the 7th generation because they were hard to find new in 1999
You really need to drive a 2zz-ge Celica. The 6th Gen Celica is the car that got me to notice the Celica. The 7th Gen is the one that I fell in love with.
I've always been a honda/acura person. But looking at the celicas and I'm realizing there not getting the recognition they deserve. Fact:supra would not be we're there at right now if celica never existed
Always loved that generation Celica. The Beams engine is actually pretty nice. The issue is that Toyota had its own internal competition of sorts. The Ae101 Corolla and Ae111 Levins had a variant of the 4AGe. They were more of an ITR, CTR and Nissan Primera/Lucino/Pulsar (sr16ve/20ve) fighter. The 6th gen will always be considered the Evo/Sti fighter.
