Celica st202

[AE82 FXGT]

Hey all,
I'm looking at buying a celica in the near future, a manual 3sge one.
Can anyone please tell me the differences between all of the celicas aroud this sort of period (genII, genIII etc.)?
Is there anything I should be looking out for?

Finally are there any other cars I should be looking at aside from this?
I'm after something 1990+ with more guts than my ae82 fx (not that thats hard to find ).
Nothing turbo, I don't want to have insurance troubles.

[Scotty]

you might have trouble with insurance on any model of celica as they are classed as a sports car

[GT4 20]

I owned an SSII ST202 prior to buying the GT4. I liked the ST202 a lot. Very reliable, comfortable car - nice smooth engine with deecnt power band.
AFAIK, only difference to a GT version (import) was the factory bodykit. NZ new GTs came with a 2.2 motor I think (5SFE?). Earlier ST202s came with a 3SFE motor which is basically a 3SGE with an 'ecomomy' head'.
Someone else will confirm this, but I think that the SSIII came with a BEAMS motor and some I've seen also have GT4 type riser blocks fitted on the rear spoiler (with 'SSIII' instead of 'GT-Four).
Gary

[Alex B]

Yep latter celicas had the BEAMS 3S-GE 200hp. Not cheep thou.

[GT4 20]

Yep latter celicas had the BEAMS 3S-GE 200hp. Not cheep thou.

Is that applicable to all SSIIIs though?
Gary

[AJz]

Celica SSI - 3SFE (140ish HP) >>>i think.....
Celica SSII - 3SGE (Gen3 - 180hp)
Celica SSIII - Redtop Beams 3SGE (200hp)

well thats all i can remember, im pretty sure theres various others but yea, im sure RomanV or Allfours will know.

[soven]

ss2 had superstrut as optional.ss3 had superstrut.

200hp BEAMS engine came in certain SSII and SSIII. Only way to check is to pop open the bonnet and look at the engine.

[RomanV]

Yeah, it wasnt necessarily SS2 or SS3 that had the beams, just.... some of them.

As opposed to the SW20's, where all of the NA's had the beams engine from 98 onwards.

[AE82 FXGT]

Celica SSI - 3SFE (140ish HP) >>>i think.....
Celica SSII - 3SGE (Gen3 - 180hp)
Celica SSIII - Redtop Beams 3SGE (200hp)

well thats all i can remember, im pretty sure theres various others but yea, im sure RomanV or Allfours will know.

I'd be after something along the lines of an SSII.
As I want more than a 3SFE and not as much as the Beams.

Is there anything mechanical I should be on the look out for?
I want to have it for a while as I don't want to buy another cheap thrash car.

[GT4 20]

In my opinion, the biggest potential pitful of the SSII is (if it's fitted) the Superstrut Suspension. While it is a relatively good set-up, it is expensive to replace. Get it checked out by an expert to ensure all is good otherwise be prepared to fork out big bucks to get it replaced. Saying that, once done, it will last a good while.
Other than that, usual things to check as with any other car.
Gary

[AE82 FXGT]

Superstrut, thats what I forgot to mention.
Would a normal SSII without super strut but with some aftermarket shock/spring combo be better (just something like KYBs etc)?

Also how can I tell if it is superstrut?

[GT4 20]

Superstrut, thats what I forgot to mention.
Would a normal SSII without super strut but with some aftermarket shock/spring combo be better (just something like KYBs etc)?

Also how can I tell if it is superstrut?

That would make a great debate. Though, given Toyota's development into the SS system, it must have been better for them to make it standard fitment on later Celicas.

How can you tell? Stick your head under the car and have a look. Front shock will look like this (black if it's still OE) if it's Super Strut...


Gary

[AE82 FXGT]

That would make a great debate. Though, given Toyota's development into the SS system, it must have been better for them to make it standard fitment on later Celicas.

How can you tell? Stick your head under the car and have a look. Front shock will look like this (black if it's still OE) if it's Super Strut...


Gary

Is there anyway to tell from looking under the bonnet (from the top) or will I be able to tell just by looking under and not having to jack it up?

[GT4 20]

Put the steering on full lock and then have a look. It's possible to do without jacking the car up.
Gary

[Jazza]

With the insurance factor, you may wanna look at a curren, basically the same shape but the engines differ alot... thats the only down side...

[Alex B]

Err no they dont, curren can have 3s-ge too.

[RomanV]

Yeah, my mates curren is 3sge powered, and it goes really well!

Its quite a nice car.

[AE82 FXGT]

1996 FS-FE Curren

yeah, but I'm not really into currens eh.

[jiranz5]

I just recently bought a 1996 Toyota celica SS3, It is a GREAT car to drive! (I do anywhere from 600-1,000 km's per week!) It is economical and should have more than enough up'n'go for the average person.

I did some research before buying and here's what I discovered in general:

SS1-Economical runabout, 3s-fe engine, and typical suspension (for celicas) setup

SS2-More powerful 3s-ge engine, but nothing terribly special about it

SS3-Same 3s-ge engine as the SS2, but with super strut suspension

SS3-Some models from 1998 onwards came with the BEAMS engine-AKA SS4

As for insurance...the celica was cheaper to insure than the curren, seeing as the majority of people with celicas are sensible (currens have a higher risk factor).

However, if you like the idea of more features, ie. electronically adjustable lumber support, high adjustment etc, look for an older model celica such as a GT-R (my mum has a GT-R with all those options but for some reason toyota removed them from my model )

Aside from all that, good luck with your purchase and enjoy

[AE82 FXGT]

OK! So it's settled, I'm getting an SS2 Celica without Superstrut.
Now it's just a matter of finding one...