Simply put . . . Best car I've owned.

When it came time for me to find a new vehicle, I was not exactly looking for a Toyota Celica. I had previously owned a small Nissan truck, but totaled it in an accident with a much larger SUV (not my fault). With the insurance money I received I headed out into the world of car shopping. I checked out a few major dealerships in my area, but I saw nothing that grabbed my attention. A few days later, I stopped at a privately owned used car lot and my eyes immediately landed on a black, 1994 Toyota Celica
GT. I knew I had to test drive it.

From that first test drive, I knew that this was the car for me. Why? Several reasons. The car handles beautifully (as most of the other reviews have also attested to). I even pushed it once to see what it could do (not trying to give anyone any ideas here) on a VERY curvy road on the way to my brother's house. I never dropped it below 45 and the car responded without almost any effort whatsoever. If I had more guts, I'm sure I could have taken the corners at higher speeds.

Secondly, the look of the car is a definite plus. I think that the newer Celica models are more modern, but it just seems like the engineers behind this design were trying too hard to be different. The '94 body design is smooth, sleek, sporty, and seems to whisper to you from afar, "Drive me." I have had many comments about my Celica and almost everyone is about how cool the car looks.

While the exterior beauty of a car is important, almost any true car owner will tell you that what's under the hood is much more important than what it looks like. And I agree and am glad to say that Toyota didn't miss this point either. My Celica is a 5-speed manual with a 2.2 liter four-cylinder engine. I will admit right up front that I have had to replace the engine, but it needs to be said that that was b/c of my own negligence, not the fault of the car itself. After a hasty oil change, I forgot to add the correct amount of oil and had been driving with not enough oil for weeks when my engine finally went. I'll never make that mistake again. That being said, I have nothing negative to say about the motor. The initial pickup on the car is great considering that everything on my car is stock. I have beaten more than a few of these "million-dollar" suped up Hondas that just love to antagonize you at redlights. My car is closing in on 145,000 miles and the engine is quiet as a mouse. I keep my oil regularly changed and have only had to change the tires on it once (not bad, considering the car is ten years old and I have had it for more than two years.
The transmission is smooth and offers little resistance in gear changes. Braking is another plus for this car and I imagine that is due to its light weight, but nice distribution of what it has.

As far as roominess is concerned, don't expect too much out of this little two door car. Sure it has four seats, but if the person is taller than 5'6", they will not be super excited about sitting in the back seats. I am 6'2" and do not have any trouble with leg room in the driver's seat (as long as no one is behind me), but only have about 1" between my head and the roof.

In closing, I would easily say that this is the funnest car I have ever owned or ever driven for that matter. Not the best vehicle for moving and not a good choice if your family consists of more than two people. But for a single person like myself who simply uses the vehicle for work and school, I would definitely advise that you take a look at this car.