1988 Toyota Celica

All-Trac Hatchback

4 - Cyl.

Manual

JT2ST68M0J0003663

Gasoline

To be fair this all started with zombies. But you should also know I am an ASE/Toyota master tech from the T-Ten program with an associates in automotive technology that has owned several older Toyotas for this story to make sense. The mayor of Johson City TN was trying to break the world record for the largest game of tag. So they tried to have a zombie apocalypse themed tag game. But they didn't bother to shut the traffic down with a bunch of middle school kids running around wearing all black in the middle of the night. I don't think anybody got hurt, but when did that ever sound like a good idea hah. Anyways long story short i'm hiding underneath a 15 passenger van in a parking deck and noticed this car sitting in the corner of the orange level with 2 flat tires. The next day I called the number on the sign of the ticket booth to ask about the car. They told me it belonged to the owner of the parking deck who lived in florida and were kind enough to give me his email address. Apparently it wouldn't start one day back in 1994 right before he was moving to Florida so he sold the car to one of his son's friends and left it there. Well the title changed hands a few more times I believe, but for whatever reasons nobody did anything with it. It was basically forgotten about and left there to collect dust. At that point I had to have it, this is just too great of an old rare car story to not tell people, especially if I could get it running with minimal effort (as a testament to older Toyota's and their crazy reliability that you just don't see anymore). Anyways long story short I got it back to my shop and found that the circuit opening relay was the original culprit of its demise. So I did all that it required and now it is ready for a loving home and daily driving once again. It is very fun to drive, super comfortable, smooth, quick, averages 28mpg on the hwy, reliable, clean, etc...... Basically the nicest celica all-trac i've ever seen, and i'm excited to offer it up for sale, I think someone will really love it. I'll do my best to describe it in great detail, please read the entire description before placing a bid, I want you to feel confident with your decision. Exterior: For starters the paint is all original except for the clear coat on the hood and the rear bumper. Those were the 2 spots that were hit by sunlight where it was sitting in the parking garage and the clear coat faded, so I had the spots touched up professionally by a friend in black mountain. The pictures were taken a few weeks ago but the car looks the same today I promise hah. Being in a parking garage the car did get its share of minor dings and blemishes here and there. Nothing that cant be corrected by a paintless dent removal guy for under a couple hundred bucks. You have to really try to find problems to see anything. The car has never been wrecked or abused, all the panels are straight and true. It even has the factory ram air transmission and alternator scoops which are rare to see intact under the front of the car. Have no doubt, these were legit rally cars, not some pussed wrx. Where was subaru back in the 80's? Making unreliable turds like they still do, but I digress. There are zero signifcant dents or body damage of any sort. The power antenna was a victim of the car wash, easy to replace though. All of the lights work, and the fog lights are very bright. There is also ZERO rust since it sat in a parking garage for a decade which is a big plus with any older car. All of the wipers and washers work, the front blades are new, the rear needs to be replaced. The wheels are very clean with no curb rash and all of their center caps. All of the original all-trac graphics are still present and in great shape. The power mirrors are also heated, their paint has faded a bit but isn't bad, the rear window heater works great. Basically it is all there, it is all in stock straight shape, it could use a few dings removed and a paint job if that is your thing. But it looks awesome rolling down the street, no one ever tried to race me in my last twin turbo supra, but i've had 3 people in the last week try to race me in this thing hah. Must be because it says turbo on the back in such kick ass 80's graphics haha. Interior: Interior wise the car is near perfect. There are no tears or stains anywhere, on anything. From the front seats back it is in showroom condition. All of the original floormats are present, the drivers has some wear on it but the carpet underneath is perfect. The glue under the dash to the right of the cluster has come loose but there are no cracks, would be easy for an upholstery shop. The headliner is perfect, the gauges, the controls, the stock radio, all perfect. Even the shift boot is in pretty good shape. There are a couple screw hole covers missing on the passenger door panel, would be like a dollar at a junk yard. Everything works, all of the gauges, all of the lights, all of the switches. It still has the rare factory cupholders that flip down from the center console lid. The lid catches are loose but again a small easy cheap fix. The stock radio still works great, with the antenna broken it still gets most local stations. The power sunroof and windows are strong, none of that slow have to help it rolling up or sliding back. They move like they are new, very refreshing to see in an older car. The seats are soo comfortable with power adjustable lumbar and side bolsters. It still has the factory spare which has never been used and all of the original tools. It also has the owners manual in the glovebox. It's a really chill car to drive down the street, quiet, smooth, and nothing annoying is broken. Mechanical: The tires are brand new. It got a 4 wheel laser alignment when they were replaced. The brakes are all good oem Toyota stuff. The exhaust is all original, never been modified, and has zero leaks or rust issues. It is the quietest running 3S-GTE i've ever heard. No valve noise, no exhaust noise, and no intake noise. All original and in great shape. Has the ram air transmission scoop, alternator cooling hose, water-air intercooler, T-VIS, T-VSV, EGR, everything is there just like it rolled off the dealer floor. It has no lights on the dash, everything is in top notch shape. I did all of the maintenace myself. Mobil 1 fully synthetic 10w30 at 3500 miles, synchromesh trans fluid, mobil 1 rear diff fluid, new timing belt, water pump, thermostat, distributor cap, rotor, wires, denso plugs gapped correctly, toyota air filter, adjusted base ignition timing to 10 degrees, new front CV axles, new outer tie rod ends, stage 2 exedy clutch, new rear main seal, coolant flush, and i'm sure there is other stuff I can't remember right now. Needless to say it is ready to go and do whatever you want with nothing but regular oil changes. It does have one oil leak from the pan from sitting for so long, not hard to fix and it isn't terrible, just don't park it on any rembrandt paintings for now. Other than that one problem it is perfect drivetrain wise and I would trust it across the country and back. Coolant temp stays right at half no matter how fast you drive it, oil pressure is solid at all RPM's, it rev's and boosts smooth throughout the whole powerband. It will pass an emissions inspection in any state, doesn't smoke at all period. Boosts about 6-7psi on the stock gauge which isn't the most accurate thing ever but that is about right. Gets 28mpg on the hwy if you cruise under 70. It has the viscous coupling center differential and LSD rear end, has awesome traction with the Fusion HRi tires. Handles great, very smooth over bumps, no pops, clunks, or squeaks. The struts are all in good shape, it is tight around corners and really sticks in the rain. It isn't super fast since it is all stock but it is something for a car from 1988. I am very confident you will have zero problems out of this car for a long long time, it's pretty rare that I say this if you know me, but I love driving it. If you have any questions at all please feel free to call me at 828-458-0244 or drop me a line on here. You are more than welcome to come view the car in person and test drive it before placing a bid, or even take it to a 3rd party shop for their opinion. Thanks for looking and good luck bidding. This is a no reserve auction, whatever it goes for it goes for. On Apr-10-11 at 20:43:06 PDT, seller added the following information: SAVE MONEY ON SHIPPING! uShip is the first and largest auction style marketplace for shipping and transportation services.Learn More SHIPPING PRICE ESTIMATOR Delivery ZIP Code: MORE RESOURCES: uShip Guides and Articles uShip Provider Directory Other Useful Tools & Links On Apr-11-11 at 16:47:50 PDT, seller added the following information: Took a gentleman for a test drive today and we noticed a slight exhaust rattle that is only apparent when you let off the gas around a left hand corner, it would appear one of the rubber exhaust hangars is starting to sag a bit letting it barely touch the suspension in a certain condition. Would be a $20 fix at an exhaust shop, no biggy but I thought everyone should know. And to clarify the radio works great but the speakers could be replaced, they work, but being from 88' they are nothing special.On Apr-14-11 at 09:04:39 PDT, seller added the following information: Just wanted to let everyone know I got tired of that exhaust rattle now that I was noticing it so I took it in and got it fixed. They just replaced a couple hangars, quiet as ever now.