USED Toyota Celica Coupe (99 - 06)

My car

Overall, I love it. It's an absolutely wicked car. It was my first really fast car. I hit over 130mph in it (on an autobahn, obviously).

When I bought it, it was completely standard, with corroded alloys. I payed only £5500 and it's a W-reg but the looks were soon improved. I added 18-inch alloy wheels, rear light conversions, the premium pack boot spoiler (beware of doing this if you use a boot a lot - it will not stay open afterwards) and tinted windows. These cars turn heads if that is what you want.

The lack of speed everyone seem to moan about I soon sorted out with a K&N induction. Wow, this makes a big difference. Definitely consider it - although it has bad points.

So, all in all I spent £5500 on a car, £1000 on alloys, £200 on rear lights, £200 on a boot spoiler, £200 on window tints, £200 on K&N, £650 on a catalytic converter, £250 on a clutch, £200 on a gear selector cable, £250 on brake pads and discs.

Now all is well but I can probably expect back round about £5000 privately or £4500 in part-exchange.

My car

A seriously good-looking car thats also fun to drive, and mine cost me less than £20K. I'm just suprised you don't see more of them on the road. Space in the back is an issue - this is really a two-plus-two. You may get away with sitting a couple of kids in the back, but there's simply not enough leg room for adults.

Great car!

My car

Well built, nice to drive but I find it a bit tiring after a while - the ride can be harsh and there's quite a bit of road noise. Also, it takes work to get at the performance.

Equipment is a bit mean, I think - there are no steering wheel buttons for the radio etc. Poor visibility means it's difficult to reverse. Rear parking sensors, which are available as an option, ought to be fitted as standard on a car of this calibre. It's quite practical though.

A good car overall - buy it for the looks, not the performance. It went head to head with a Skoda Fabia VRS, which walked it!

My car

When I decided to buy a Celica, I took a lot of time to do my research and looked at the reliability and the cost of running it. I did look elsewhere at different makes and model, most were either too much money or not a good build.

What I like about the Celica is the style and shape. I've had mine for a year and half from new and I love every bit of it. It's great on open roads and in town, it looks great and I've had people turn their heads when I drive past them.

I've had times when driving round a roundabout I like putting my foot down and speeding up to see if it can handle sharp corners, and boy does it. I've mostly had Fiats before and since going up the ladder to a sports car I decided to go for a Toyota instead of an Italian car.

I made the right choice. Since having it, fingers crossed, nothing has gone wrong. So it's goodbye Italian cars, hello Japanese cars. They are more reliable and better built. There is space in the back for people to sit and there's loads of space for shopping bags.

Every time I'm in the garden and look at the Celica I say: "That's a nice looking car and it's all mine."