Toyota Celica (2000 – 2007) Review

Toyota Celica (2000 – 2007) At A Glance

Smart looks and sharp, rewarding handling. The 190 has a terrific high-revving engine. Well built and so far very reliable.

The rear seats are tight for space. VVT-i engines can develop a thirst for oil after 40k miles.

Ask Honest John

How much is a 2004 Toyota Celica worth?

"We have a 2004 Toyota Celica 1.8 VTTi . It's a genuine 'two lady owners' (the original and my wife for the past 4 years) with a full service history from the supplying Toyota Main Dealership for the first 16 years and a local independent garage for the past 4. It has a genuine mileage of 52,000 and full MoT. She is now downsizing and I wonder if you can give her an indicative asking price for her to sell it privately?"

This is an interesting one as it's clearly not your average 20-year-old car and has been very well cared for, with a much lower than average mileage. It sound great, but it's not an especially sought-after car. We'd try asking for around £2000 in a private sale.

Answered by Craig Cheetham

Should I buy a Toyota Celica?

"I fancy a Toyota Celica as a second car. Probably a T Sport 190 bhp (but not the GT with a big spoiler) 2005ish for approx £5,000 to £7,000. Should I buy with leather, is silver grey or red a good colour? Which model do you advise? I would buy from a garage, not private."

I see the appeal but that's quite a lot of money to spend on a 17-year-old Celica. If you're prepared to pay top money for one, you can be really picky about condition, specification and things like service history (a full history wallet is important if you're considering it as a long-term investment). They're pretty reliable but check oil levels (excessive oil consumption is common) and look out for signs of rust or general neglect. A Honda CR-Z could be an interesting, slightly newer alternative.

Answered by Andrew Brady

More Questions

Model History

• February 2000: New Celica revealed
• October 2003

Toyota Celica (2000 – 2007) Buying Guide

Good

Probably the best handling front wheel drive car you can buy, and the extra 52 bhp of the 190 T-Sport makes it better still. By far the best 2.0 litre coupe of its day. Highly recommended.

Best to join the Toyota Celica Club

BMW, Toyota and Ford jointly suffered the fewest breakdowns attended by German ADAC during 2001.

9th from top for reliability in Auto Express 2002 survey.

13th equal from Top in 144 car 2002 JD Power / What Car? Customer Satisfaction Survey of V and W reg cars.

Joint 2nd top make in 2002 'Which?' reliability survey cars 2000 - 2002; 3rd for cars 1997 - 1999.

Insurance groups for 2003 models fell to 13E for 140 and 15E for T Sport.

Top sports coupe, 34th overall in 2003 What Car? J.D. Power Customer Satisfaction Survey.

100% breakdown free in 2003 Which survey.

Toyota generally 10th lowest average warranty repair costs in 2003 Warranty Direct Reliability index (index 74.95 v/s lowest 31.93) www.reliabilityindex.co.uk

Fewest breakdowns, average problems and faults in 2003 Which survey.

7th top car out of 137 in 2003 Top Gear survey.

2000-2006 Celica 3rd equal most reliable car in 2007 Warranty Direct Reliability Survey with 6 faults per 100 cars.

Bad

Not much leg or head room in the back.

Sequential four-speed auto originally shown at Motor Shows did not come to the UK.

Watch

Grey imports not to UK spec. VVT-i engines can start to use up to a litre of oil every 600 miles after 40,000 miles. 

That lovely dark metallic blue chips easily. 

Brake discs very prone to rusting on inner sides.

Can have an oil consumption problem, same as MR2 1.8.

No UK market automatics. All autos in the UK are grey independent imports,and idependent imports do not have the rust protection of UK market Celicas.

Radios fail: volume fluctuates and/or screen fades. Only option is a new radio.

Check brake master cylinder for leaks.

Check engine sump pan for corrosion and leaks.

19-11-2017: 2003 Celica failed MoT due to rusted rear subframe.

Recalls

12-3-2003: VINs JTDDR38T#00133333 to JTDDR38T#00151427 and JTDDY38T#00059144 to JTDDY38T#00064700: Check valve in fuel tank inlet that prevents reverse fuel flow is incorrectly fitted on some Celicas. This could case fuel to spill out when the cap is opened if there is high internal pressure in the fuel tank. Remedy: correctly fit the check valve or, if necessary, replace the fuel tank and check valve.

May 2006: Toyota Service Bulletin issued concerning oil consumption problem of 1.8 VVT-I engines built up to July 2005. Affected models are Celica ZZT230.