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Supercar slayer bargain

4K views 16 replies 8 participants last post by  Ti CLARK 
#1 ·
Anyone interested in a VERRRY underrated car check out a Celica ST205 GT4.

They are silly cheap at moment cos of fuel prices (and jap imports ONLY run super unleaded).

But by crikey they are fast. I mean REALLY fast. Simple £150 boost contoller sees about 300bhp, but its that killer 3rd gear that gets em every time. Its very capable, and you have to have some firm commitment - its not an easy car to drive fast like the subaru, but if you have some skill and balls its devastating.

Old school lag and 4wd - minces EVOs up to the 7, then it just loses gracefully to the new ones. Minces Subarus including UK300s. Eats Boxsters and M3s, surprises RS8 owners (the V10 lambo ones) cos they dont pull away like they think they will.

Looks cool with the right wheels and big spoiler, insurance is reasonable (£650 fully comp for me against £450 on the ZS TD), 30mpg if youre gentle (12 if youre not), surprisingly spacious and a massive boot - similar to ZS proportions but 3 door so a faff getting in!

I've had 2 - would THOROUGHLY recommend them. Once the babies are a bit more grown up and my commute mileage drops to something more reasonable, I am getting a 3rd!

wwwGT4OCnet for more info

just thought Id share that with y'all.
 
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#2 ·
I've looked at them before, don't they have seriously complicated suspension with a million bushes and figure of eights that wear out quickly and are a right pain to change... the dash also looks like something from the 80's version of Battlestar Galactica.

I do like the look of the jap spec GT4's, except the ones with the silly spoiler extensions that raise the spoiler another 6 inches.
 
#3 ·
I've looked at them before, don't they have seriously complicated suspension with a million bushes and figure of eights that wear out quickly and are a right pain to change...
yes.. and all K series headgaskets will pop in 5 minutes, all women cant drive, all Italians are handsome, all chinese are kung foo specialists, all american cars are crap, all .... see where I'm going with this?!! (PS did you like the kung foo reference i got in there bob?!!)

The "Superstrut" suspension is a marvel. makes it handle so well. Ford now use it and call it Revoknuckle in the Focus RS. They do fail - its a consumable part. But 60K miles is the recommended failure. There's TONS of people who have 100k mile+ fig8s. So many people change them now cos the cars are of that age - remember the youngest one is 12 already!

So buy one where they'e already been done, chances are you'll never do them again unless you live in a very potholed place, or rally it, or bounce up n down kerbs a lot etc.

Superstrut has a bad rep - totally undeserved. when its fixed it's a belter!

but yes, it's expensive to change - about £800 cos you have to do both sides. its not hard, just Toyota prices! Cheaper GT4 Specialists in Blackburn, Nottingham and another one in Southampton or downsouthland somewhere. Oh and Fensport cambridge (if you can afford em).

the dash also looks like something from the 80's version of Battlestar Galactica.
well its an old jap car - what do you expect?!! however it is VERY well set up - everything in reach, angled to the driver etc. I tarted mine up by spraying the plastics silver - looked nice and fresh. So you can mod it cheaply and easily.

I do like the look of the jap spec GT4's, except the ones with the silly spoiler extensions that raise the spoiler another 6 inches.
its a factory extension to mark out the special homologation WRC version. would you have an Escort Cossy without the whaletail? no you wouldnt. Would you have an impreza without gold wheels? no. would you have a...

...you get the idea!


its also an essential mod. no "raiser blocks" - you're not a true FOUR-ist!
 
#4 ·
I'd have on over a Gen7 anyday.

I very nearly bought one off ebay 5 or 6 years back, it was a fresh import with every mod going. It was in a dealers who had it listed for buttons because they thought the diff's knackered because they clicked when driven at slow speeds.

I don't think they realised that after market LSD's all do that.
 
#5 ·
i had a gen7 which was far "nicer" to drive - in fact the best handling/confidence inspiring car ive driven - that includes an impreza and a puma. Lovely car and the missus loved it. but ultimately it was slow. 140bhp and a light car it defineitely is... but is no match for a 300bhp turbo!

LSD? on a faff? really?
 
#7 ·
sorry, "faff" is the owners club terms for an ST205

wasnt aware of LSD on one.

Alfa... not my thing. Mivec is nice, but there's something I cant put my finger on as to why I don't really want one. Same as MR2 - I bought in haste, never really fell for it. It was justa pretty, nippy, nice car. Never really grabbed my attention.

There's a G7 GT4 - see Fensport website! Mmmmm. but not really affordable or even road legal!
 
#11 ·
standard headlights are candles in jam jars. that pod was awesome!

the gen7 is lovely in GT4X guise, but £100k+ ??? In standard guise they need revving to high heaven to make em move - no torque at all. But the best handling car I've driven... unflappable!

The Gen6 was not a beauty... but it runs rings round... well... most things!
 
#17 ·
Yes very quick cars indeed a friend owned one afew years back, in black and looked the part, we use to drag race each other and afew other like minded lads with sum serious machines up a local ind estate, from full bore launch in the impreza id keep with him all the way to the end of 3rd gear then bye bye scooby, he claimed it ran 330hp on dyno so i wasnt doing to badly with 290hp in the Sub, its proberly down to the gear ratio and the fact im on full boost at 2700-3000 rpm his celica sufferd emense lag and for that im sure id have done him on a track, which is what i kept telling myself...
 
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