Celica ssIII

bbh666

Hey !! Just want some advice on buyin a Celica ssIII (1998) and whats the deal with them are they any use if someone has one ?? Took one for a short spin the other day and was impressed. Think it was a beams tuned one.... any info would be cool thanks

ctc_celtic

There a lovely car which handle very well due to the superstrut suspension. the beams ones (red engine cover with BEAMS wrote on it) are around 200bhp the normal is 175bhp, but the difference seems more when you drive them. There not that easily moded as performance parts are limited.

buy one because of the looks and decent performance but dont expect to be blowing everyother car off the road
always had a soft spot for them and i will be buying a Beams engine MR2 next:D

bbh666

Thanks.... so performance wise they aint very impressive no ? But they do look sweet tho so for looks your right 10/10. Whats the problem with performance parts ...why so little can be done ?

OKenora

Yeah close cousin of the celica is the supra and performance for a straight 6 3.0 litre is, to say the least, un-impressive. think all the Supra/celica stable was like that till they started bolting on turbos, some of the tuned turbo ones can hit 1000bhp+

ctc_celtic

problem is, you just can get off the shelf performance parts that easy.
eg. an after market manifold for the celica is not made by anybody, bar one or two Japanese manufactures and these are as rare as rocking horse poo.
but say a honda civic, you could pick up ones no problem. The reason is there just isn't a large enough demand for performance celica parts, there are more of a GT car than a moders car.

But i love them, had a 97 white one a few years back and will get another one again.

Dish

I prefer the GT4 model of these to the ss ones! Anyone agree?

bbh666

Yeah !!! i would too if i could afford the insurance....

Dish

Did ya get a quote for a GT4 on Insurance?

jdmR

Dish wrote:

I prefer the GT4 model of these to the ss ones! Anyone agree?

yea go for a gt4,heres a pic of mine that i just sold,was modified making 320bhp-which meant it was a very fun daily drive....

also insurance on the st205 gt4 is a ****...well it was for me,i was paying 4800euro insurance but then again im only 21:D

colm_mcm

the GT4 is the business. not a huge Celica fan, but I was very impressed.

projectgtr

jdmR
Where did you get the recaros?Ive got an SiR 2 on the way and it has one recaro (drivers side) and i wouldnt mind hunting down another.
Ps sweet GT4 by the way, how in the name of god do you afford the insurance on that, what are you driving now?

Sorry for thread jacking,

Col_Loki

I have just bought an SS3 '98 with Beams engine and i like it alot so far.
If your looking for something seriously quick and modable then the GT4/Mr2 Turbo is a better option to be honest....but it still does have some poke.

Also on the tuning side of things Toyota have done a great job getting 200 horses out of the Beams engine, its already highly tuned.....to get more horses out of it is costly and you wont see big gains.

Fantastic looking car, nice extra's, beauty of an engine, decent performance.

Atomic Pineapple

Col_Loki wrote:

I have just bought an SS3 '98 with Beams engine and i like it alot so far.
If your looking for something seriously quick and modable then the GT4/Mr2 Turbo is a better option to be honest....but it still does have some poke.

Also on the tuning side of things Toyota have done a great job getting 200 horses out of the Beams engine, its already highly tuned.....to get more horses out of it is costly and you wont see big gains.

Fantastic looking car, nice extra's, beauty of an engine, decent performance.

whats she like in the corners? is the ride pretty good?

might consider one of these if the insurance company dont come through with insurance on the type r, got any pics col??

jdmR

projectgtr wrote:

jdmR
Where did you get the recaros?Ive got an SiR 2 on the way and it has one recaro (drivers side) and i wouldnt mind hunting down another.
Ps sweet GT4 by the way, how in the name of god do you afford the insurance on that, what are you driving now?

Sorry for thread jacking,

the recaros came in it from the factory man,optional extra...i was paying huge insurance on it alright but when you have 320bhp at your disposal its deffo worth it,i now drive a 00ek9 type r which is getting the turbo treatment shortly;)

if your looking for a cruiser then the ss3 is good,but they really lack power,the gt4 on the other hand is the real deal,handles waayy better,and about 55bhp extra as standard...i had coilover suspension in mine though so that played a big part of how it handled like a dream

Col_Loki

whats she like in the corners? is the ride pretty good?

Its pretty decent handling wise, no complaints there. It has superstrut suspension like the GT4's do.....
Its a nice ride, pretty comfortable and not too hard.

if your looking for a cruiser then the ss3 is good,but they really lack power,the gt4 on the other hand is the real deal,handles waayy better,and about 55bhp extra as standard...i had coilover suspension in mine though so that played a big part of how it handled like a dream

The GT4's are lovely, look amazing, very quick, great handling and reliable.....your jumping up from a focus, possibly a better idea to go SS3/ITR etc before and atleast then you have another step up to go....

Anyway heres a picture...

jdmR

Col_Loki wrote:

Its pretty decent handling wise, no complaints there. It has your jumping up from a focus, possibly a better idea to go SS3/ITR etc before and atleast then you have another step up to go....

Anyway heres a picture...

one think mate if your buying a celica with superstrut-> on the test drive listen out for clunking/knocking because the superstrut lasts about 60kmiles before the figure 8's and lower arm bar has to be replaced which costs about 1keuro;) another was to check is to see if theres play in the front wheels,if there is,the fig8 need replacing,these effect handling by alot so try get one with them done already....

if you like the gt4 why not buy one instead of the ss3,mods are easily got,can be tuned easily

jumping from a focus is a huge step to a gt4 tho....i went from a 198bhp(proven) 99reg glanza to a 255bhp gt4 which i modded to 320bhp(also proven) both were quick cars but the difference is the gt4 can turn bends on the limits unlike the glanza:D ,id imagine the focus is pretty poo on the bends:eek:

Col_Loki

one think mate if your buying a celica with superstrut-> on the test drive listen out for clunking/knocking because the superstrut lasts about 60kmiles before the figure 8's and lower arm bar has to be replaced which costs about 1keuro another was to check is to see if theres play in the front wheels,if there is,the fig8 need replacing,these effect handling by alot so try get one with them done already....

Excellent advise, its the single most expensive thing you will have to do to the car (excluding something crazy).

The SS3 will be a big step up from the focus, they aint aimed at performance and from what i hear handling is pretty bad too.
I reckon either way you would love a Celica be it SS3 or GT4.....that said an ITR/Accord Type R bet you will also find them great. Its such a difference going from a crappy run of the mill car with 0 performance to something sporty, especially when you are into cars.

It just depends on what your looking for and what takes your fancy looks wise.

BTW i find the SS3 is easily insured compared with an ITR/GT4. Mr2 Turbo insurance is not too bad, CTR (Civic) is also not bad. This was me checking when i was 24 with 2 years NCB (25 at the min). Check quinn with the SS3 it might be nice and cheap.

jdmR

as fas as insurance goes i was paying

4800euro on a 320bhp 98 spec gt4 all mods declared at 21 years of age

im now paying 2100 on a 00 civic type r which is 200 bhp all mods declared....