2002 Celica GT

Author's Rating:

Pros: Stylish, economical, reliable.

Cons: Grasshopper quick, but lack of serious muscle (GT).

Handling And Control:

The Bottom Line: 
Worth taking a look at if you're in the market for a reliable and economical car that doesn't look/feel boring.

Author's Review
UPDATE: 20,000 miles. I ended up getting another "beater" car, so I've been able to skimp on the mileage driven on the Celica. Here are a few additional observations since I authored this review 10,000 miles ago.

The hazard lights (blinkers) switch is located in a hard to reach spot. Traffic came to a dead stop on the freeway the other day and I wanted to hit the blinkers to warn the fellow behind me. I realized that the switch is hard to reach given that it's slightly hidden behind the right side of the steering wheel on the dashboard. So, the wheel partially blocks access. Another interior design faux pas in my book is that the power mirror switch is not lit at night. I'm trying to parallel park so I want to adjust my mirrors, but I hard to turn on the dome light in order to find it. Like the hazard light switch, these switches aren't going anywhere, but they sure were hard to find when needed. Things I overlooked when test driving. [END OF UPDATE.]

I have owned my '02 Celica GT for a year (currently about 9,900 miles on the odometer) and am mostly satisfied with my purchase choice.

The Toyota Celica comes in two trim levels: GT and GT-S, the latter being the fancier of the two with more available features and a slightly higher output engine. The base engine is a 4-cylinder, 1.8L displacement VVT-i ("Variable Valve Timing with intelligence") engine yielding 140hp (@6400 rpm) and maximum torque (125 ft-lbs) at 4200 rpm. I owned a '99 Mazda Protege ES 5-speed and was getting tired of having to shift in and shift out during Los Angeles rush hour traffic every day, so I decided that I would get the 4-speed automatic transmission with the Celica, regardless of what "enthusiasts" say about loss of horsepower, etc., etc. (It's true that there is some oomph lost, but my priority was to give my left foot a rest.)

I use this car as a daily driver, logging nearly 50 miles any given day although I alternate between it and another car in the house. You sit low and there's no question you are sitting in a sports coupe. The fabric high back sport seats are firm but relatively comfortable and offer sufficient support. You can adjust seat tilt/height, recline and distance to front manually. There is also a well-placed dead pedal for resting your left foot on long cruises. You get a pretty good view of the road in front of you, but there are blind spots to the sides and looking out to the back (for instance to back out of a parking spot in your supermarket lot) is a challenge due to the height of the factory spoiler wing and the higher rear deck. (A rearview sensor (or RX330-style rearview camera) would make things a lot easier but I'm sure we'd be paying dearly.) The dash reveals analog speedometer and tachometer, a digital odometer, PRNDL gear indicator, as well as fuel level and temperature displays. These are legible even under the sun, but they are orange on a black background which may make it difficult to read to some compared to black on white gauges. The orange instrument cluster looks better when lit at night, but the rest of the instruments (clock, radio, HVAC controls) light up in typical Toyota green. It's too bad this was overlooked by Toyota or deliberately chosen as a cost-saving strategy because it detracts from an otherwise well-designed interior. The three-spoke steering wheel houses a driver-side airbag and has a sporty feel and look to it. The horn button is right smack in the middle of the wheel, making it easily accessible during emergency situations. Tha hazard blinkers button is located slightly to the left of the horizontal center of the console: the steering wheel gets in the way, and hence is not reachable quickly in case of a sudden emergency. Other than that, most controls and switches seem like they have been placed in ergonomic spots. Stalks and switches have a fluid "quality" feel. The switch for the remote passenger-side mirror is located on the driver's door panel but is unlit at night, so looking for it could take some getting used to (I'm still not used to looking for it...)

Controls for the radio/tape/CD player and HVAC are located in the center stalk and are logical. There are four round vents that add to the modern and sporty look of the interior. The radio unit is easy to use and has a rotary volume knob but tuning/seek can only be done via buttons.

The car feels nimble and agile. It's light and quick on its wheels. There is sufficient pickup off the line and plenty of oomph to merge onto freeway traffic. On those longer uphill freeway stretches, the transmission takes a while to downshift, unless you lock the overdrive in the off position. For the most part, the transmission is very smooth and you don¡¦t feel the shifting very much if you¡¦re easy on the throttle. The engine feels like it likes to operate in the higher rev band, but I take it easy and it drives just fine. (It's just that it's capable of more.) You hear a mellow and pleasant (non-invasive) exhaust note and some engine noise. There's some road and wind noise as well, but it¡¦s well within standards for this class. If you remove the cover that conceals the cargo space, you hear a lot more road noise. The ride leans towards the firm side of the spectrum, as one would expect. I get the feeling that I am riding in an enclosed sport motorcycle.

There is a rear seat that is really not usable for any decent trips. Kids may be able to fit in the molded seats. Adults may too, but rear entry and egress require some effort. The cargo space is accessed by opening the rear hatch (it¡¦s a hatchback) or by folding the rear seatbacks forward. There is sufficient cargo space. The rear hatch can only be locked and unlocked from the outside. I have not tried hooking up infant car seats in the Celica.

The build quality is above-average and I only have had one defect that was rectified by the dealership: the top of the interior driver¡¦s side front roof pillar was coming loose. While fit and finish are typical of high Toyota standards, the materials look and feel a bit cheap (gray and silver painted plastic). Still, the interior design is modern and tasteful, generally-speaking. On rough pavement, I have detected some rattling emanating from within the instrument panel. There are secure spaces for two cups along the center console as well as storage space for CDs and other stuff.

The style, depending on how you look at it, may take a while to get used to. I like the wedge motif and think that it was one of the more aggressive looking compact sport coupes in the market. The projection-style headlamp beams are a nice touch and illuminate the road well. There is also an attractive (and they say, functional) hood scoop that adds to the athletic character of this compact. My Celica is black and the paint doesn¡¦t have the richness I expected. I am pretty careful with exterior paint care, but nonetheless there are the inevitable surface scratches. Looks great, tough to keep. Just FYI.

The Celica GT takes 87 octane (regular) gasoline and has given me 32-34 miles per gallon on average.

I bought this car because of its predicted reliability and affordability. I feel like I got my money¡¦s worth. With some minor compromises, the Celica GT delivers a blend of style, dependability, practicality (it¡¦s just me and my stuff on my commute) and relative agility that I did not find anywhere else at the time. Moreover, there is a Toyota dealer nearby in the general area that provides an exceptional level of customer service when I take my car in for maintenance providing shuttle rides for drop-off and pick-up.

If you are considering purchase of a pre-owned '02 Celica, know that they are unchanged from the '01 model year. The '03 models feature a black interior (and you may want to check if everything lights up orange inside.)

My scantily equipped 2002 Toyota Celica GT:

1.8L 4-cyl VVT-I engine
4-sp automatic transmission
A/C
6-speaker AM/FM/cassette/CD player
Fog lamps
Rear deck spoiler

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