A few questions pre-gt4

Hi all, im new to the forum, and pretty new to cars in general.
For about a year now ive been driving a 91 celica gti, and even though i absolutely loved the car, ive wished for something a little less ragged, and perhaps something with a tad more power to it.
So im planning on getting this one through the inspection, then sell it and get myself a GT4 (90-93 model).

So heres 2 questions:

1. Will it require more (and costsome) maitanence compared to a GTI? (i will not do any power/performance upgrades and i wont be racing or anything simmilar)

2. Is it a noticable fuel consumption compared to a GTI?


Im trying to get a clear view about how it will affect my economy.
Thanks in advance!

Lotus":1qladnpu said:

1. Will it require more (and costsome) maitanence compared to a GTI? (i will not do any power/performance upgrades and i wont be racing or anything simmilar)

Click to expand...

This will depend entirely on the condition of the car you buy.. Regular maintenance costs are pretty similar across the board for all vehicles but when it comes to maintenance related repairs, I would say the cost is MUCH higher for a 165 or 185.. any turbocharged 4wd car for that matter..

2. Is it a noticable fuel consumption compared to a GTI?

Click to expand...

I'm not sure what kind of mileage you're getting but a lot of the guys here get anywhere from 10-25 miles per gallon depending on driving style..

Im trying to get a clear view about how it will affect my economy.
Thanks in advance!

Click to expand...

The only clear view is that compared to your GTI it will most likely effect your economy negatively.. even if you didnt mod it..

Comapried to your GTI? I have no idea.

But i have a 90 GT4, that basically had hardly any maintmence stuff done on it when i bought it a year ago..

Things your going to have to replace once:
rear diff cusion/mounting... cost near 200$ from toyota or you can pour your own poly one (requires a week to dry, so no driving). Or a guy named mario sells a aluminum one for less then the toyota one.
This will NEED to be replaced, it will clunk around if its bad, and they all go bad.. Unless whoever you buy the car from already recently did it...
The syspension bushings should be ok depending on the car you get.
Driveline parts are strong, dont require much maintmence if any.
Engine is strong, its the rubber that wears out. A few hoses around the engine will leak over time, and are sometimes very hard to get to. The crank seals go eventually, depending on how clean the oil has been kept probably. Shifter cable bushings... Whatever rubber toyota used, doesnt last 15 years.
Power Steering, I think the pump always will leak in this car... I thought it was just my car at first, but it seems to happen to everybody. Not cheap to replace, especially if you replace all the rubber ps hoses too.
interior/windows/headlight motors etc are very reliable i think, not hard to find replacement if they break.

Syspension, rear struts wear out before the front i think, but at their age new struts on all 4 corners are going to be required. (unless you dont care)

Hopefully that will help you understand whats involved in owning a gt4.

You say you will keep it stock/daily drive? Even if your not beating on it, most of those things will need replacing due to age. Turning your own wrenches will save you enough to buy another daily driver with this car
The mechanically challanged shouldnt buy this car.

Jon P-

yah the powersteering pump leaks on almost EVERY car. Mine had a leak toyota said 1000$ canadian. YAH A THOUSAND!!!!. but the leak went away. LOL

also in terms of maintenance and replacements, keep in mind that the alltracs share a lot of parts with their respective GT-S model trim celicas. GT-S, of course, are more common and easier to find in junk yards, etc. so you can find cheap replacements there-- for anything not drivetrain/engine-related, that is.

and the 2nd gen MR2 Turbo share lots of engine-related parts with the ST185 (but not that much with the ST165), so that opens up a few options.