[Reversing beep]

I was in stopped traffic on the motorway once and went to set off and the clutch didn't bite. I immediately assumed I was in third and not first, so slammed it across into what I thought was first and turned out to be reverse. I think the guy behind me must have had the fright of his life. The beeping saved me an accident that day!

[celica GT vs GT86]

My mate owned my Celica from new for 11 years before buying a new GT-86. He loved the Celica and could not find anything to replace it with until the GT-86 came out.

Parked next to one another the cars are very similar in proportion. The Celica can definitely give it a run for it's money in the looks department, with just a few details making it show it's age.

He still misses a lot of things about the Celica - for one, it's way more practical considering the cars are the same size.

Performance wise they're similar, with the GT-86 having more low down but torque lacking that banzai scream at the top end. The Celica engine has more character - as long as you thrash it of course ;-) They may be slow compared to some modern cars, but I rarely want for more to be honest, and are still way faster then most cars on the road.

Having said that, the GT-86 is all about handling and balance. In the right conditions the RWD can be great fun, and more accessible than on other similar cars. I got to take part in a GT-86 track day at Oulton park (only as a passenger unfortunately) and all the drivers had a ball. On the other hand, in wintry conditions you may be best off leaving it at home!

I'd love one. It's great to know there's something out there to replace my Celica eventually. With the current depreciation I might even be able to afford one one day.

Pics from the track day:

Old vs new:

[Annoying things people say about ur car...]

I have to admit that, before I knew much about Toyotas or Celicas, that I saw a Celica with a TRD badge on the back and thought it was a diesel! Not so daft - there are plenty of diesel coupes on the market nowadays. It's for that reason that I won't let a TRD sticker anywhere near my car!

[WHERE ARE ALL THE CELICA'S]

I commute daily 70 miles through the rush hour around Manchester and must see thousands of cars each day. I usually see 2 other gen 7s at the most. Plus a gen 6 nearly every morning because he sets off at the same time as me.

The thing which strikes me when I see another gen 7 on the road is how small they look.

[Best Comments]

I've had nothing but nice comments since I got it. Everybody seems to love it.

Probably the best were from my project manager at work:

"Your neighbours will think you've come into money!"

...and from my next door neighbour after looking at the rev counter:

"NINE thousand?!"