foxxy

Another thing I don't like with the Gen 7, too easy to select reverse when I want 1st gear, bloody embarrassing at traffic lights, maybe that's why there is a reverse warning beeper or my linkages are worn (169000 miles) or maybe I'm just an old git who cant select the right gear any more. (In 10 years or so I will be smelling of wee and trying to grope nurses I expect - I cant wait !) Either way, its only a matter of time before I reverse into some poor bugger behind me.

Where I live (Lyme Regis) being very hilly I could do with a lot more torque and less gears (GEN7 140) It really struggles unless I rev it. I don't think the 140 needs 6 in the box. I cant understand why Toyota produced 2 engines for the gen 7, both very different, both of the same capacity. They could have used a 190 detuned to 140bhp along side the 190.

We all like the cars we drive but as with anything there are annoying little (and large) characteristics, faults, foibles and peculiarities that you don't like about them, after all nothings perfect.......

When I bought my Gen 7 the previous owner gave all the previous history, handbook etc. to me including all the bills for any parts that were used. (much more important than a bloody stamp in the book to me) plus all the old tax discs and MOTs and I continue to keep everything that I spend on it .I too, have worked for many years in the trade so I know what goes on (and what doesn't), but bear in mind that all Celicas are now regarded as old cars and FSH doesn't mean much and no longer adds a great deal to the cars value, if any at all.

I used heat shrink on my tube nuts and a dab of paint in the socket heads, no more rust.

Having worked for both a franchised dealer and independent garages I can tell you that the dealer doesnt do really better than anyone else - except charge a higher labour rate and higher costs of so called OE parts. (which they arent - car manufacturers dont make plugs, brakepads, oil, belts, tyres etc etc.) Reading the above service lists, 80% of it is something anyone can do, you dont need a mechanic to tell you whether your lights work or not or your tyres are bolloxed and do you really need your car washing or vacuuming for about 60 quid or so an hour? (yeah, course its free) A service history is now increasingly irrelevent on any Celica because they're all old cars. Learn to do basic servicing yourself, its not rocket science plus you get the added satisfaction of knowing its been done properly.

Reminds me of a Tarantula after its legs were ripped off, probably similar performance too. ....and just as ugly.

Something really went wrong with the styling on the early coupe especially at the back end,and the standard wheels are sooooo small, and the new ones look so dull and half hearted.

That'll be the Gen 6 boys, I cant tell the difference between a Hyundia coupe and a Gen 6, or is it only me?

I bought my latest wheels 2 months ago,on a Friday. Went out to the car on the Monday and found 2 of the (butchered) wheel nuts on the ground next to the front wheel. Three hours later locking nuts fitted. I didnt think scumbags nicked wheels any more. I was wrong.

Ferrous steel nuts and bolts, no matter what they're plated with will always rust because damage is inevitable every time they're tightened or removed, its made worse by electrolytic action because of alloy wheels. Alloy nuts are to be avoided though at all costs.

Apparently, Reliant 3 wheeler drivers flash each other.

A Db meter is not used for noise testing during the MOT.....yet. Its discretionary only. However, the regs say that an exhaust must not be unreasonably loud when compared to a similar vehicle with a standard exhaust in reasonable condition, make of that what you will. My garage once had a car in for a service an after market exhaust and an MOT. In that order. I failed the car because the exhaust we had just fitted was deafeningly loud and the owner wasnt best pleased - his fault, if he asked for the exhaust to be fitted, AFTER the MOT there would be no problem but he wanted it done during the service (to highlight any potential test failure items). I did warn him.

Just as Dorriss and others have said, At this time of year when its cold and damp many cars do this, the cam cover is cooler than the rest of the engine so condensation will form inside creating this stuff that looks a bit like Mayonaise - (oil and water when mixed emulsify) but wont occur in any other part of the engine .If this stuff is in the rest of the engine then that would probably be down to a leaky head gasket (unlikely with these engines) Short journeys make the problem worse, but its nothing to worry about.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both. Polyurethane is the OE type of material, its resists knocks because its durable and fairly flexible and doesnt age if its painted. Ideally it should be painted with plastic friendly and flexible paint. Anything else often has a habit of peeling or cracking or buggering the base material.. The whole thing has a quality feel to it and nearly always fits without mods to the existing bodywork. The disadvantage is the cost because the market for body kits is very limited - not everybody wants it and the tooling costs can be in the 10s even hundreds of thousands of pounds so the costs of the kit is always more expensive than GRP.. Glass fibre (GRP) is a different ball game, its always had an image of shoddiness and cheap feel to it going back a long time, however times have moved on for the better. It takes any old paint because its fairly rigid but paint can "craze" if the part is allowed to flap about. Fitting is not as straight forward, it nearly always needs modification in some way and always prepping with filller etc before painting. The advantages are its cheaper because the tooling can be knocked up by anyone with some knowledge for not much money out of bits of wood, foam, filler and plaster. And if you break it its dead easy to fix.

Being you live in Bucks you must know where Brackley is, theres a little company on the trading estate off the Brackley by-pass (off Buckingham road, dont know what its called but its on the same estate is a garage called Topserve will point you in the right direction - ask for Wayne or Ian who run it, theyre old mates and keen modders) JK Motors on the same estate will also know. Give em a ring. This little firm made me a 1 off twin pipe stainless system for my calibra V6 5 years ago and it was a top job for decent money. Highly recommended. Send me a tenner and I wont tell the missus..........

I also dont think selling a car as a private sale comes under the Sale of Goods Act however honest or dishonest the seller might be. Caveat Emptor (let buyer beware) if buying privately. Thats why a lot of dealers park cars in laybys or up the street with "For Sale" notices on them. No comeback if it all goes tits up. I could be wrong. Fair play to the honesty of this bloke though. Could be worth a punt to buy and break for bits, but not for what he's asking.

200 quid and it might be worth it.....

If you have to put a replacement engine in it (sounds like thats a necessity), with the cost of that, plus the car, maybe a new clutch and the cost of other odds and sods and maybe getting somebody to do the job........... Celica or not, Its an old P reg car that doesnt appear to have been cared for. Its a no brainer.

Yup, you're right about that only the early MGFs had Hydrogas, I was forgetting, I've still got a lot of spares for a TF including brand new cooling pipes should you be interested - no good to me any more.

Hydrogas is applicable on early cars, replaced in 2002 by conventional suspension (see Plancs posting) rust IS a problem (I've welded loads of'em) but better on later cars. Head gaskets only excusable after high mileage, 60000 miles and often less is a bit much - we were replacing averaging two K series head gaskets a week - every week for years. Funny how Lotus stopped using these engines in the Elise and then started using Toyotas. In defence of the MGF it is a great car to drive on sunny days with the roof down but other cars do it better.

Early build MGFs had Metro Hydrogas/Hydrolastic suspension which consist of 4 displacers- one for each wheel,This system goes back to the days of the early Mini, later MGFs had conventional springs and shocks, All had front hubs that were Metro CV joints with the inners missing, how good is that?ROVER = Really Old Vehicles Engineered Roughly

When I worked as a Mechanic I worked on lots of them, all had similar faults, rotting sills, head gaskets, rear hydro gas units fried by the engine (no longer available new), interior trim that fell to bits and leaky hoods.And then I bought one, what was I thinking of? building cars to that standard is inexcusable. Utter crap.

I love most things about my Gen 7 except the fecking CEL on and off whenever theres an R in the month and the front splitter that I keep curbing (says a lot about my parking). Its the first Jap car I have owned and it beats anything else I've had. Last car I had was an MG TF, the biggest heap of low quality shite ever to grace 4 wheels, no wonder Rover went down the toilet. Good riddence..

Your parents must be about my age, 50+ and started driving in the mid to late 1970s.In those days the Celica equivalent was a Capri, I owned one (actually 3), slightly less affluent teens had Escorts, Cortinas or worse still, Anglias or the truly insane bought Marinas or Morris 1100s, by 70,000 miles they burned or leaked oil and were virtually comprehensively shagged and thats if the bodyshells hadnt rotted out first. Eight or nine years was a good lifespan. Things have come a long way since then thank God. Cars dont really wear out any more, they just become obsolete. If your car looks alright, sounds alright then it is alright.