Hello Scotty and community.
I´m looking to buy a used manual transmission Toyota Celica 1990 GT with 80,000 km or around 50 000 miles in it. Seller is private and he is asking 2950€ or around 3221$ for it. He said the car is American import? Not sure what he means by that. Does it mean car is not made in Japan? It has 2,2 l engine and 140 hp. Car has no rust. But it has a few scratches on the right side of the vehicle. He said he has regularly changed engine oil and filter every year. Only thing he said he did to the car is change the engine cooler. Car has been inspected last year and only notices were brake pads and reverse lights should be changed. Here are my concerns:
Would this car be a good buy?
Is his asking price on point or is he asking too much? Should I haggle and for what price?
What would be some good questions to ask the seller before buying the car?
Would this car last a long time for many miles?
What are the things I should look out for when buying this car? My main concern is the engine. I just want to know if its going to be reliable with minimal repairs.
And if I had to do repairs would the car parts still be affordable and readily available for such an old model? I live in Europe.
Any other tips and advice would be greatly appreciated also. Since I´m not an expert in any stretch of the imagination. 🙂 would like to hear an experts opinion on whether to buy this car or pass.
Would this car last a long time
It's already lasted a very long time. Any more is gravy. If it died tomorrow it still would have been considered to have been long-lived.
All Toyota Celicas were made in Japan. This one is made specifically for the US market.
Would this car be a good buy?
This isn't going to be a collector's item. It would ok as a backup car.
Is his asking price on point or is he asking too much? Should I haggle and for what price?
Price is ok. You can try get the price down to 2500.
What would be some good questions to ask the seller before buying the car?
When did you get this car? How long have you owned it? Is the engine and transmission original? If they were replaced, were they from a junk yard.
Would this car last a long time for many miles?
This car is 33 years old. Maybe it will, maybe it won't.
What are the things I should look out for when buying this car? My main concern is the engine. I just want to know if its going to be reliable with minimal repairs.
Test drive the vehicle. Have a wet/dry compression test done on the engine. Then you'll know the real condition its in.
the car is American import
find some documentation. The mileage is suspect.
Thank you for all the replies. 🙂 Ill keep these in mind when checking the car.
My father had a 1974 got and he loved it
My father had a 1974 gt and he loved it.The car ran very well for many years.