This is easily the best car I have EVER owned!

I have driven and owned quite a few cars in my driving career, and of those cars, the best by far is my current form of transportation, my silver 2000 Toyota Celica GT-S (just like the one in the commercial with the fighter planes!)
I started out looking for a new car because I was really getting bored driving my econo-box commuter that I bought in '96 and since I had over 65000 miles on it I was sure that some repair/maintenance was due that I didn't care to finance. So I was off to the auto market. So enough about the reasons for me to be looking for a car, on with the review.
I looked at the Celica, and thought originally that it HAD to be out of my price range, just from the styling, however when you look at the numbers, just about anyone can afford this car. It has the proven reliability of a Toyota, the race-inspired looks of a Indy car, and enough horses under the hood to let you know that you aren't driving that econo-box anymore. Now, I am not saying that this car is the end-all-be-all of sports cars, but it is a nice entry to a car market for someone who is looking for a sporty car, yet not willing or not able to afford the pricetag, upkeep, and fuel prices of some higher end sports cars.
After test driving the manual GTS, I decided to try out the automatic GTS with the pushbutton shifters on the steering wheel. I felt personally that I really enjoyed that feature, since it made the test drive more fun than just putting the car in drive and taking off. I was downshifting and upshifting all the way through the test drive feeling more and more like Michael Andretti does in his CART car. But alas, they couldn't get the automatic model for me as quickly as they could get the manual, so I opted for the manual instead. Boy am I glad that I made that choice, the manual transmission on this car shifts so smoothly you really have to wonder sometimes if you are in gear at all.
The engine noise that some of the other reviewers have complained about really isn't all that bad, in fact, I really enjoy the whine and growl of the engine. I even turn off the superb sound system at times when I am alone just to listen to the sound of that hot little engine. And, just so you know, the engine does not drown out normal conversation in the car, even with the sunroof open.
Now about the handling of this car, I have never been in a car that holds the road as well as this car does. I test drove both models around Buffalo, NY in April (which much of the country views as springtime, we here in Buffalo view as late-winter)and although there was some slush and freezing rain, the car held the road better than anything I have ever driven. I even decided to test it a little and got up to 75 on the expressway, and there was no skidding, no sliding, no nothing, just road feel! Please do not try that at home, I have been driving on the roads in and around Buffalo for quite a few years and I know road conditions, trust me.
Now, you have to be thinking to yourself, "is there anything he dislikes about his car?" Yes there are a couple of very MINOR things. First, the excellent sound system could use a little more signal boost, since some of my favorite stations are coming from Canada, and I sometimes can not pick them up like I used to. I was told by a technician that I can buy a booster for it, but it would be nice if Toyota would simply boost it themselves. Secondly, and more importantly, the cupholders, while having the ability to hold just about anything that is put into them including some large and extra large soda cups from drive through windows, are directly behind the shifter and you must contort yourself a little in order to not hit the cups while shifting. I have to ask the Toyota designers....do you not drink coffee? Where were you going to put your arm while trying to shift and not bump your extra large cafe mocha? A slight rethink is in order for that I hope. Maybe if they put the center storage bin where the cupholders are, and the cupholders further back, that would solve the problem.
I also have another point to make about this car. I am 6 feet tall, and weigh considerably more than I should, and I am very comfortable in this car as is my larger than average friend who drives with me almost everywhere. We even test drove the manual together, with the larger than average salesman in the backseat, and there were no complaints, even when I took corners a bit too fast.
All in all I really love this car and I plan to keep it as long as it holds out, which from what most people are predicting, will be quite some time.