1987 Toyota Celica Reviews, Pricing & Specs

1st What I don`t like about this car is the coil is inside the Distributor and its attached side-ways to the head when oil leaks inside the distributor shaft it leaks goes down and shorts out the coil it starts to expand "cracks-open" inside the distributor. and presto -your dead 2nd the water pump is buried together with the Timing belt ,so as the water pump becomes old it puts stress on the belt and presto -your dead in the middle of the freeway with a dead car. 3rd this really is bad ,you have a Freeze Plug just behind the power steering pump in the block it`s hard to get too. Check this one well check em all . this plug started leaking on my engine on the freeway. what happened next was the water pump bearing burned up then I lost all my water over heated engine destroyed the engine.Jan 02, 2014

Ex NOPI show car. Has venom injectors, polished block bored .40 over, new yamaha head, full custom exhaust, cold air intake, forged engine internals, short throw shift kit, racing clutch, sparco harness, chamilion paint inside and out, custom carbon fibre vinyl, carbon fibre inlet interior, nitrous hook ups and more. Its pretty quick. When it had the bottle it ran mid 11s now it runs 13s. Its good on gas as long as you don't get on it. Takes around 35 to fill it up. It handles good, has full kyb suspension kit. Its fun taking turns in it a lot faster than anyone else can. It spanks new camaros but not the ss modelsFeb 04, 2011

Very easy to drive - parts are inexpensive and vehicle is easy to maintain. Appearance: Comments by my friends are that this is one of the ugliest cars they have ever seen. The GT-S had the accents that really made the car look complete - and so was the better looking of the two. But for the trend of terrible designs that most cars manufacturers suffered through in the late 80's this car looked just fine for what it is. Performance is average - its faster than the larger sedans of its time, slower than the higher end of the mid level performance cars if the time. It has enough get up and go that if your not looking for a road racer than you will do just fine. Fuel Economy: I experienced mid to high 30's (MPG) on average - which is not what I expected from the 2.0 engine. So 5 stars for gas mileage. If you don't mind the looks, and find one in good shape - its a great car to own...Jan 06, 2011

My car was not stock or in factory trim by any means... I mean it was when I first got it but I replaced alot of parts on this car. I had a Jap-spec 3s-ge engine, which by the was was and still is one of the best 4-cyl. engines on the market, makes decent power easily in n/a for forced induction trim. Solid platform, decent handling, stiff chasis. Looks pretty good too eventhough the car was made in '87. I loved the car, the only problem was that it was fwd, that was probably the only thing i wasnt in love with. This car will always have a special place in my heart.May 04, 2010

I have owned this car since 1987. It was my first new car, and I have never tired of it. Mine is a well-tended hanger queen with just over 100,000 miles. I get 35 miles/gallon and it is a zippy little thing that still turns heads. The transverse mounted four is an engineering masterpiece. I easily still keep up with the big boys.(I have the five speed with overdrive). It's not going to snap your head back like a V-8, but it's not a gas sucker, either. I was driving a car with a 402 V-8 and a four barrel carb when I bought the Toyota. it had to be a going car or I never would have bought it. It gives a great feeling of acceleration and has good road feel. I really liked it when I had speed rated radials on it. The interior is still in excellent shape. Doors close well, there are a few small rattles, but not bad for a 22 year old car I thought I would trade in after five years. Why didn't I trade it? Never got tired of it, and it stil grabs my eye when I drive past a window and catch the reflection. Age-related issues: I have had to work on the power windows in the last year, and replaced the power antenna. Neither was difficult, and guys...I'm a girl. Heck - I'm 48 and I still work on my own cars... The tape player has died - I need a CD player any way. Considering the years on it, it is in fabulous shape. We replaced the windshield because of a rock chip that walked. It's still a headturner - looks great with a coat of Meguire's. We have other cars with bigger engines. The Toyota is still the one that makes me smile the widest when I am winding up that four banger and am rocketing past something newer. Braking is good - handling good for a front wheel drive - not too much fishtail. We just replaced the original shocks on it last month. The downsides. 1. Parts are expensive, so don't break anything vital, and it's hard to work on yourself on many things. It's a complex power plant and can be screwed up royally by someone who doesn't know what they're doing. 2. My 14 year old son has eyes on it. I'll have to hide the keys in a year or so. 3.Not great for tall dudes. 4. Everything else has gotten big, so don't get in an accident...you'll lose. 5. Never liked the standard wheel that came with it - make sure you use the trim rings if you still have the OEM wheels - the GTS wheels were much nicer, (mine is a GT). 6. MAny out there have been really abused, so if you buy a used one, be careful. They will take a beating and keep on ticking, but try to find a clean one. All in all, a fabulous little car - fun to drive, economical, nicely styled, solidly built.Apr 23, 2009

My first car was an 87' Celica ST. I absolutely LOVED that car! It had so much spunk and get up and go. Although the outwardley appearance wasn't amazing, what it lacked in that department it made up for in performance. Anyway, I moved to the east coast from WA and had to leave my dear old celica behind because it lacked something quite necessary for S. Florida...A/C. =[ I miss my celica and in the future hope to own an 87' again!Feb 01, 2009

The car runs well. It's not a powerful car although for it's age it's not too bad. The handling is really good, so through corners it's a great car to drive, but going up a steep hill or dragging off powerful cars it's not great. It's geared pretty well, comfortable to drive and spacious front seats. If you're unlucky to sit in the back of one you wouldn't have much room to do anything, so unless you're small or going for a short trip you wouldn't want to sit in the back. The styling is quite nice though. Sleak lines, pop-up lights, pretty low as standard. It does have some tacky plastics on it, and standard mag wheels are samll, but for an old car that's not a classic you can't expect much and it's certainly better than your average 1987 standard road car. It's pretty good on fuel costs. Maintenance and repair bills are cheap. Parts are easy to find. The car is pretty reliable anyway, so if you get it checked then you can't go wrong. Overall for it's year and price it's a great car.Jan 20, 2008

A £350 temporary car that turned out to (currently) the most fun car I've owned. Nice and low to the ground, low seating position, nice clutch, hardly any body roll, handled well even on the crappy worn re-treaded tires it came with. The cam belt broke, but I probably drove it too hard for an 18 year old car... but once fixed it drove like new again. Wy did toyota give up making fun cars like these?Dec 06, 2007