1999 Toyota Celica

GT Convertible Convertible

2.2L 2164CC l4 GAS DOHC Naturally Aspirated

Automatic

JT5FG02T0X0056474

Clear

Gasoline

1999 Toyota Celica GT ConvertibleBlack/Black Leather74,950 original miles!Selling my awesome 1999 Toyota Celica ST204 Black GT Convertible with black leather interior, automatic transmission with 74,975 original miles. I've had my fun and now it's time to move on to a bigger car and make the wife happy. This is the last year of this model and of course it is the best with improvements to the bumper and front lamps and rear head lamps. As this is my daily driver, mileage will continue to accumulate. And please note that I am not a dealer. I’m just a regular guy who loves classic cars. And when you figure that you are only spending a few thousand for a reliable used car, there’s not much risk as there would be if you bought a $10K or $20K car. I have a copy of the Carfax when I bought the car and a recent one showing my ownership and is free of any issues, accidents, title or odometer discrepancies. Title is clear and in my name. Everything is original/stock with the exception of the radio which has an Alpine CD player and an Iphone 4S connector. The AIpine unit sounds pretty good and with the bass surrounds refoamed sound really awesome. I believe the car originally came with a factory alarm but it was disabled by the first owner when they installed the new radio. The power antenna works and goes up and down perfectly. Recently had a ton of work done on the car about $1500 to fix some minor cosmetic/mechanical issues. The timing belt was replaced at 40K. Water pump works great and the car has never over heated. No leaks. Idles perfectly at 650 rpm. Everything works including the best AC that Toyota ever made and blows ice cold. The robust 5FSE engine is bullet proof and has been power Toyota cars since the 70’s and continues to this day with the current RAV4. I originally purchased this car when it had about 68,700 miles from the 2nd owner and drove this thing 1,500 miles from Palm Springs, CA in 110 degree heat in the desert and not only was I cold from the AC, but I also hated putting so many miles on the car! Lots of new parts and strict maintenance going back to day one. Some of the parts were replaced by me and the harder repairs were done by the shop. Drives perfectly and tracks true and straight with no wandering, vibrations or shaking. The only thing that does not work well is the passenger side rear window does not go up straight. The motor works and it does go up and down but when going up, you have to use your hand to guide it up straight. This is a very common problem on Toyota Celica convertibles and I had the same issue in my 1991. And also the passenger door panel has a on and off rattle when the music is bass heavy. And the only items that may need attention in the future are the rear shocks and the right rear wheel bearing. The shocks do not bottom out or clunk but are a little soft. Not sure if the convertible shocks were this way originally or not but when I looked up the part, it mentioned that the hardtop GT has “sport” style shocks and the convertible does not. And the rear wheel bearing noise has not changed or gotten louder since I bought this a year ago. It could be the tires but I’m not wanting to waste good money on new tires just to see if the tires are the problem. Original convertible top works perfectly in both manual and electric modes. The rear window is in excellent shape and is the same glass with defroster as used in the Toyota Solara. So no worries about foggy ripped cheap plastic rear windows that you can never see clearly out of. No tears or rips in the top. The top is so easy to take down with the push of a button. No latches to unscrew with cumbersome tools. Just flip 2 latches and press the button. It is wonderful to drive this car topless! Comes with the tonneau cover or rubber boot cover. As for any leaks in the rain, a few drops will trickle in the passenger side when driven in very heavy rain. It's an older car and every single used convertible I have ever owned will leak from the rain! Original black paint is in very good condition with minor scratches/flaws on hood and rock chips and a couple of small dents/dings but shines great. No rust. Interior is very clean with nice carpet and no cracks in the dash. There is a worn spot on the drivers side carpet from rubbing the left foot when getting out of the car. I have the original floor mats but like to save them so I've been using generic mats. Both seats are manual and work perfectly. The 90's were when Toyota made the best cars and they also had the simplify philosophy. No seat motors to break or worry about. There are some rips in the driver seat side bolster that I have tried to fix but I think if you want to restore the car to perfection, the only thing you could do is buy new seats from the dealer which are still available. The rips were caused by the previous owners wife who I am told was a little heavy but almost every Celica seats I have seen have this same issue which I think is due to the sides being made out of thin vinyl. Automatic transmission shifts great and I replaced the fluid with genuine Toyota T-IV fluid and the filter. I believe I am the 3rd owner. I bought it from a guy in Palm Springs, California who sold it so he could buy a Saturn Skye. He bought it from the original owner who lived in San Mateo in the Bay Area and moved down to Palm Springs. Carfax is clean and I have the report from when I ran it a year ago. This is my daily driver and it has performed flawlessly. Just a super tight fun simple easy to drive car that handles great and looks beautiful. I'm told the rear was styled after the Toyota Supra. The front end with the four headlights still looks good and unique. So smooth and really feels great around town or on the freeway. Lots of fun to drive and I am always getting compliments on it. I still get 24-26 mpg in the city and I get 36mpg on the highway! But the wife keeps complaining that it's such a small car and I've got another daily driver so off it goes. And I sure as hell don't trust my daughter to drive this car! This is not a show car nor is it perfect showroom condition but if you want a reliable car that you can drive and not worry about whether if gets dirty or scratched or keeping it stored in your air conditioned 25,000sf garage or sealed in your house then this is the car for you. The original paint is in surprisingly beautiful condition. I have all the records since I've owned the car and a great deal of prior owner records. Here is the complete detailed service history that I have all records for: 1999 Toyota Celica Convertible JT5FG02T0X0056474 Vehicle Service History Vehicle manufactured and shipped to original dealer Pre delivery inspection Washed/Detailed Emissions inspection completed Transmission checked Steering/Suspension checked Oil and filter change Trim checked Vehicle serviced Window regulators replaced Trim checked 30,000 mile service performed Transmission serviced Transmission fluid flushed Recommended maintenance performed Transmission fluid/oil leak checked Valve cover gasket replaced Engine fluid/oil leak checked Exterior trim checked Four wheel alignment performed Recommended maintenance performed Oil and filter changed Exterior trim checked Safety inspection completed Cooling system checked Body electrical system checked 39,867 Timing Belt changed 41,343 Oil and filter changed Recommended maintenance performed Tire condition and pressure checked Safety inspection completed 43,778 Oil and filter change Tire condition and pressure checked 53,287 Tires balanced Tires replaced Light bulbs replaced 58,270 Drive belt replaced 60,000 New AAA Battery 65,545 Oil and filter changed 67,828 Car purchased 69,269 New wiper blades 69,580 New PS ATF Dexron III fluid flush New partial change brake fluid 69,611 New PCV (Beck and Arnley) and OEM grommet New Felpro valve cover gasket and spark plug tube seals New spark plugs Denso PK20R11 OEM Double Platinum 69,740 Oil and filter change with 5w-30 69,993 Automatic transmission fluid flush Dexron VI 2.6 Qts Automatic transmission filter and cork gasket Fram 70,000 Automatic transmission fluid flush Dexron VI 1.6 Qts Again 70,002 Automatic transmission fluid flush Dexron VI 1.6 Qts Again Automatic transmission fluid change Dexron VI 1.6 Qts Again Automatic transmission fluid change Dexron VI 2.6 Qts Again 70,070 Automatic transmission fluid change Dexron VI 2.6 Qts Again 70,150 Automatic transmission fluid change Dexron VI 1.6 Qts Again 70,155 Automatic transmission fluid change Dexron VI 2.6 Qts Again 70,161 Automatic transmission fluid change Dexron VI 3 Qts Again Automatic transmission fluid change Dexron VI 3 Qts Again Automatic transmission fluid change Dexron VI 3 Qts Again Please note that the transmission fluid was changed because every time you drain the fluid only about ½ comes out. So it’s like an exponential thing where you keep going to infinity and never get 100%. Differential fluid 1.5 Qts Dexron III (1.4 Qt came out) 70,200 2 new front Nitto tires 70,361 Replace differential seal and new auto trans fluid New Passenger side axle. Driver side fairly new Fixed remote trunk opener and 2 new trunk struts 71,120 Replace missing door clip Repair both 8" woofers with new surrounds and gaskets 71,769 New driver side window and power side mirror bezel 72,290 New gas cap 72,422 Oil change 10w-30 72,776 New hood to front seal New high beam headlamp seals 73,250 New headlamp seals Driver seat 3M vinyl repair 74,238 New EGR Valve same gasket New EGR Modulator New VSV valve Clean intake manifold Clean throttle body same gasket New fuel filter New PCV Valve New PCV grommet New PCV to Intake Manifold hose New Intake Manifold to Air Cleaner tube hose New Elbow T fitting from EGR hose to Air Cleaner Tube 74,433 New distributor O-ring New rotor New distributor cap and gasket New spark plug wires Oil change 75,545 New ECT sensor Toyota red 1 gallon coolant change New radiator cap If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at 281-217-1077 at any time and I will be happy to answer any questions. Thanks, Richard. On Jul-20-15 at 15:25:05 PDT, seller added the following information: OK I've received a number of questions so here goes: 1. What about the brakes? What about them? They work. I don't have any documentation but they have about 85% of pad life left and they work great. Stops the car on a dime. No shaking or shuddering. 2. Can you describe the shocks. Like I said, the ride is fine for me. And I'm a picky guy. If you push down on a corner, it comes right back up and does not bounce up and down and it never bottoms out even on big dips or bumps. If you want go kart like handling, maybe upgrade in the future but I personally think these shocks have a lot of life in them. If I thought for a second that they were done for, I would have replaced them. You can buy aftermarket shocks for $100 for a pair. OEM will be $300 3. What about the rear wheel bearing? Like I said, this noise has not gotten any louder than when I bought it. I priced a set of wheel bearings and hubs at Rockauto and they came in at around $65. Very easy to replace. All you need to do is take off the wheel, the brake caliper, unbolt the hub and put the new one on. I just have not had a chance to do this because I want to make sure it is not the cheap Pep Boys tires that are causing this sound. 4. Is the rear window made of glass? Yes, it is glass and has a nice defroster in it. Same as the Toyota Solara and that is the main reason I bought this car. I hate convertibles with hazy foggy plastic windows! They haze, get dirty and scratch and ultimately fail quickly due to the heat and sun and then crack and then you never want to drive the car in the rain. Not to mention the danger of not being able to see out the rear window. 5. Tire condition? The rears are Pep Boys crap and they've got about 50% life and were placed on the car from the guy I bought the car from. The fronts are Nitto's and they are fairly new with only a few thousand miles on them. 6. Does the heater work? Just as the AC is ice cold, the heater is hotter than hell. 7. What about the radiator hoses? Look brand new to me. I was wanting to replace all the heater hoses as a fun project but when I looked at them they still look brand new. 8. Why did you replace the gas cap? Because my daughter forgot to put the original cap back on one day after filling the car with gas! 9. Why did you replace the EGR? I did not have to but I am anal and know these cars inside and out. When I took off the original EGR, it was still as clean as a whistle and I somewhat regret doing it but at least I know it will last another 100K. 10. Has the car ever been in a wreck? No. Check Carfax. If I ever thought for a second that this car ever been in an accident I never would have bought it. The paint matches, there is no bondo, no uneven seams. All VIN stickers match on every panel. Both front shock mounts line up evenly to the centimeter and yes I measured this before I bought the car. Front and rear bumper are original. Hopefully this answers a lot and again, I've addressed every single thing about this car that I know of. I only wish more sellers would provide this kind of information when I buy a car. It would make things so much easier. And I forgot to add that the car will come with the Factory Service Manual (Big green book) and the Convertible supplemental manual as well as a new oil filter, all the repair history documentation and receipts and some other miscellaneous parts.On Jul-20-15 at 15:31:19 PDT, seller added the following information: And I forgot the question about the seats. The seats and bolsters are made out of very tough, thick durable leather and Toyota made them this way to be durable in the sun. The leather is very thick. On the other hand, the outside of the seats are covered in cheap vinyl. This was Toyota decontenting period so they tried to save money I guess.On Jul-21-15 at 05:43:23 PDT, seller added the following information: Ok have received a couple more questions. First is regarding shipping. No I will not pay for shipping and no shipping is not included in the final bid. Let me repeat I am not paying for shipping. Shipping is the responsibility of the buyer. Uship is good and there are several shipping companies around. I will help and assist as much as I can and can be at home at whatever time you like that is convenient for the pick up. I am open to driving the car to you but only if funds are received first and you pay for all my meals,gas, lodging and a one way ticket back to Houston. Second what is the least you will take? I paid pretty much retail for this car as I wanted a low mileage Celica badly. I then flew out there and then include the gas food and lodging and that adds up to another $1000. Then the TTL and that's another $500 and then including the restoration add another $1500. You can do the math and see what I have in the car. Would it be nice if I could recoup all this? Hell yeah. But I'd also like to win the lottery so it ain't gonna happen. Now if I were a car dealer that would be a different story. Like I said I've had a whole lot of fun with this car and the money I spent was the cost of having fun. Let me just say that I could easily trade this in at a dealer and they could rip me off with a fantastically low price. I'm a stupid guy but not dumb. So the short of it is the reserve is more than trade in but a whole lot less than full retail. There's another convertible for sale on the bay and this guy is asking a ridiculous amount for a car that's not even half as good as mine. And take a look at other car ads. They are asking way too much. I'm not greedy. Just asking for a reasonable price. Check out KBB and NADA and that will give you a good idea of retail value which I think is way too optimistic.