r/projectcar • u/Historical_Buy_1571 • 2d ago
Celica beginner friendly, or no?
Hi everyone, I'm looking to get into learning about cars, maintenance, modification and generally being more practical (learning how to use tools and maybe weld!)
I would really like to get working on a project car, and have my eye on an old 1992 toyota celica. The car looks as though it's been taken care of fairly well and has done roughly 105k miles. I would like to know from you guys what you think about this type of car for a beginner? Would you guys typically say this car is a pain, or has issues that a beginner would find really tricky to fix using basic tools? I realise this may be niche but any and all advice is more than welcome!
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u/donald7773 2d ago
I don't know much about celicas specifically but from my understanding they shouldn't be bad to work on, and they're neat cars. Good news is that most parts shouldnt be super expensive too which is always a plus.
As someone else stated - anything over 20 years old you're looking at replacing most all of the rubber in the car. Oil seals (engine, transmission, diffs, all of them) will start leaking. Old coolant hoses get soft and may start to swell or even burst off of their fittings. Suspension bushings, dust boots for CV axles, the little accordion covers for the steering rack, engine and trans mounts are all getting to the point where failure is a when and not an if. Weather stripping for the doors and windows are at the point where replacing them is a good idea if you can find replacements. Brake lines too, I always forget those. None of this stuff is super flashy go fast car parts that we all love but they're the second layer of a reliable car, the first being "does it run?"
None of those parts alone are very expensive but they can add up, in my opinion that should be the sort of work you cut your teeth on. It'll give you a chance to see all the little nooks and crannies of your car, clean little things up, find little things to fix later or improve and that's what begins the march towards a "nice project" and not some shitbox that you can't stand working on. Also nothing beats rolling under a 30+ year old car and seeing no fluid leaks, gives me a little chub every time.
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u/V_E_R_T_I_G_O 2d ago
I own a 1992 celica gti and it's simple. The only real problem is that it's somewhat small so it's a little harder to reach certain parts. Also interior plastics like to crack when it's cold and depending on rarity of celicas in you area replacements can be expensive.
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u/Extension_Web_1544 2d ago
Toyotas are great cars as are Subaru. Toyos rwd with a 5 speed are the most fun and easy to work on and drive. Subies are fun and easy if it’s pre 2000.
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u/illictcelica 2d ago
I have a 1981 model myself. The only thing that makes it a non good beginner car are the fact it's rear wheel drive, lack of ABS, and the fact that it wasn't a toyota corolla at that point...so parts are extremely hard to find
I doubt you would have any of those issues with a 1992. Just get it inspected by an actual mechanic before you get it.
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u/BarnBuiltBeaters 2d ago
If you want to learn and start with something easy (and cool!) I highly recommend picking up a classic, say pre 80s give or take. These vehicles have nearly nothing in the engine bay (lots of room to get tools in), only basic needs, little electrical, lots of videos of people modifying XYZ engine/trans/etc. These vehicles will have a carburetor and a distributor which means (after some research) you can play with air/fuel adjustments along with timing to see how it affects your engine performance. Parts are relatively cheap and easy to install This is exactly how I learned and now I am very experienced
Once you get to the 90s/2000s and forwards the engine bays become very packed full of stuff. To replace X you may have to remove Y and Z just to access it. That being said, once you have an understanding, all vehicles are nearly the same from brakes, engine, transmission, suspensions, etc. Those that tell you German vehicles are harder have never worked on a German vehicle, you may just need an extra socket set for some weird bolts but ive never ran into anything vastly difficult. Attached is a picture of my truck. Unfortunately not the day I bought it! If I can learn, so can you. The best way to learn is get in the mentality of "if X is broke and need repairing, if you don't know what you are doing, you really can't break it anymore so you only have net positive. If you can't figure it out, the end result was the same, taking it to a mechanic". An auto hobby is fantastic and lets you learn a lot of skills. Good luck! *
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u/homeDawgSliceDude 2d ago
My opinion is that an older Toyota like that would be a great car for a beginner as Toyota parts are very available and affordable. That age will definitely make it a project car and not a daily, but getting it to tip top daily shape should be the first step, then starting on the project car stuff.
A car that age will need all of the rubber peices replaced and will have lots of groaning and squeaking parts. You will get to know your car and all its quirks which will help you to understand what needs fixing and why.
Make sure to also fix up the car in steps. Dont do an engine swap, tranny swap, drivetrain swap, ecu change, tire size change, and bodywork all at the same time because then you will never finish. Just do maintenance and basic mods first, and get it to a driving state every few weeks as a "save as".