FS: 1989 Toyota Celica, $300 OBO

jagec

[H]F Junkie
Joined
Aug 3, 2001
Messages
8,792
*SOLD*SOLD*SOLD*SOLD*

Well, due to poor planning on my part I need to sell this car pretty quickly, since insurance is about to run out and Washington laws are kind of weird. Anyway, I'm asking $200, for a running, driving car that would work great as a beater.

Some notes:
Car is a 1989 Toyota Celica ST, 5-speed manual, FWD, 3S-FE 2.0L 4-cylinder fuel injected engine, with a little over 224,000 miles on the odometer.

The car has air conditioning, which works.

The (factory) radio/tape deck works.

All accessories and instruments work (lights, wipers, gauges etc).

The engine runs solid *but* has some minor issues as noted below. I've changed the oil regularly, and the car includes a filter and 3 quarts of oil (I used one previously and didn't bother replacing it) to perform the next oil change.

The clutch does not slip or show any other signs of wear, but I'm not sure exactly how long ago it was changed (I think between 40-50,000 miles ago).

The car comes rigged with a special "kill switch" system (a bit more ornate than most), to be demonstrated to the potential buyer.

The car has current registration, a clean title, and passed emissions easily last year.

Issues:
This car previously came from Indiana. As such, it has some body rust. The sunroof leaks a bit (not enough to actually wet the occupants from just driving in the rain, but if you leave it out in the rain it will soak through and wet the seat).

I'm not going to lie: The previous owners did NOT treat this car gently. It has been driven pretty hard. The gearshift is a little sloppy, though all gears work fine.

The CV joints click upon turning (but they've been doing this for the past 50,000 miles with no adverse effects).

The body has a dent in the front bumper and some slightly bent body panels. The hood closes and latches to the first latch fine, but it requires a special kick (to be demonstrated to the potential buyer in person);) in order to engage the second latch.

The engine has a peculiar problem where it runs poorly in wet weather. I don't know exactly what's causing it, but when it is left out in the rain or driven long distances in the rain the engine will sputter as if there were water in the gasoline (this possibility seems to have been eliminated). It is possible to keep driving it (This car was my daily driver for two years, with ALL these problems), but it would be nice to fix this if you plan on driving it in the rain.

Due to some morons using a screwdriver to access my possesions, the key will not open the driver's side door or the trunk. It will open the passenger's side door, and the trunk can be popped from inside the car.

The muffler needs replacement.

The power steering does not work. I drive it this way with no issues. Parallel parking isn't fun though.

There may be something I've missed, but I think I've covered most of it. This car would make a great beater, all you have to do to make it a reliable daily driver is seal the sunroof so it doesn't leak, and figure out what is causing the engine to sputter in wet weather. It runs fine in dry weather. Once again, this car was my daily driver for 2 years, even with its problems. It has never left me stranded. This was the car that totally sold me on Toyota reliability. It has had EVERYTHING thrown at it and keeps on running.

It tops out at 115 MPH if you are interested. Don't ask how I know.

LMK if you have any questions. Thank you.

pics
http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/299/celica_engine.jpg
http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/180/celica_front.jpg
http://img35.imageshack.us/img35/2945/celica_trip.jpg

*SOLD*SOLD*SOLD*SOLD*
 
OMG so how do you get inside the drivers seat do you just leave the door unlocked all the time? Good thing about beaters is nobody really wants to steal them unless they need to go buy some crack real quick. That seems like a good price for that car seeing as how it works and all. If I lived over there and wasnt considering getting the Scion tC which will be out shortly, I would definately buy this. Good luck man!
 
no, you just unlock the passenger's side, reach over and unlock the driver's side. Sounds inconvenient, but you get used to it :)
 
jagec said:
no, you just unlock the passenger's side, reach over and unlock the driver's side. Sounds inconvenient, but you get used to it :)

Lol, growing up the in the ghetto, I am very familiar with that :D
 
i'd so be on that if i was closer.. i've been lookin for a 5 speed beater..
 
Part it out on eBay, I assume the air conditioner compressor would sell for $300 alone.

Jon...
 
I agree with the post above, ebay.

Or actually even better part it out to a junk yard, or take it to them whole, you can get at least $500 or more from them. You can probably get over $2000 grand for the parts individually but that will take time.
 
bobsaget said:
Would you drive it to spokane? Im in North Idaho...
I'm afraid not...I'd need a way to get back, and I'm not sure how many of my friends would be up for a full day's worth of driving.
 
last bump...I'll probably junkyard it tomorrow. Low end for a car that's taken me this far, but what can I do?
 
freakin' junkyards...


price is now $200, THERE IS NO REASON you guys should not buy this. It is a running, driving car that passes emissions and all that good stuff. It gets great mileage but still has enough power to get around. BUY IT.
 
BUMP for WA drivers

thats a nice cheap car...hmmmm

its tempting, hit me up on AIM/email and convince me...damn that would be a fun rally car
 
DAMN!!!!!!!


$200!!!

that's a friggin steal for a car that runs.

i'd take it but i live in cali and don't have $200 lol

o i know i'll trade ya a ps2 for it!! or a 266mhz emachine puter for it!! lol
 
BUMP! For 200 dollars I would buy it just for the hell of it. Too bad I'm in IL.
 
ridiculous, almost worth it for me to get it and take it apart for fun and put it back together, or make a full sized rc car out of it, but getting there and back would be more expensive than the car. stupid gas prices these days.
 
bump for you, all those problems you've mentioned I've had with other vehicles (except the engine doing funky stuff in the rain bit) but never simultanious. You are most definately [H]ardcore when it comes to putting up with annoying aspects of a vehicle.

good luck to you.

oh, you could part it on ebay, but that will take time. you might look into selling it as scrap metal, or donating it and writing it off as a tax deduction, either one will give you a LOT more than $200
 
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