Bought a new toy today...

goldtop

digitalscream said:

I was sorely tempted by the 189bhp VVTL-i, but you only get the lift when you boot it up past 6krpm, and I know I'd be in licence-losing territory with that.

...maybe for the next one?

Enjoy! Toyota put that 190bhp engine into the Corolla T Sport. That was fun.

In my test drive, when I bought a T Sport from a dealer, the poor sales exec had no idea. He absolutely panicked when this little shopping trolley came alive at 6k. But you are right - the fun with VVTL-i and VTEC only comes in that little window and you only get two gears to enjoy it before you are over 70mph.

RaymondLin

I found a mk3 Supra that’s been garaged for 18years for £6k.  Clean MOT, very tempted...if not for the fact that I am after a Cayman instead....

digitalscream

Oh, god. The exhaust note is hilarious on this thing. Just took the wife and mother out for a spin in it...their faces were amusing

ThePrettyDamned said:

Is that a puma next to it? I really miss my old one wonderful car, I hope Ford make another. 

Yep, and it's going to be for sale pretty cheap once I've got the replacement log book (or I've found it). Even comes with a pair of replacement arches, if you're the welding type...

steveledzep

digitalscream said:

Oh, god. The exhaust note is hilarious on this thing. Just took the wife and mother out for a spin in it...their faces were amusing

Beware the "acoustic" cameras.

iseverynamegone

Always liked the look of those back in the day. Amazing what a grand buys you. 

Dominic

very nice .........but it's got 4 wheels
2 wheels is where fun starts

axisus

Nice. When I retire if I have any money I want to get a TR6. Always wanted one.

digitalscream

So...I've been getting a little frustrated with the performance compared with the Puma. Only a little, but given the handling it feels like it should be quicker than the Puma.

Then I discovered a new trick.

Tootling along at 30mph in fourth, I'd usually drop to third as soon as I hit a national speed limit sign. That's as much as I could do in the Puma, because 2nd gear tops out around 35-40mph so it's relatively pointless when the same bump comes from third. However, in the Celica...dropping it to second literally chucks you back in your seat and takes you all the way to 50mph with surprising promptness.

Here lies the practical problem with the Celica - it really needs to go a lot faster than 70mph in order to properly use all six gears, because the gears have so much range (unlike the Puma and the ZR before that, which had much closer gears). In practical terms, if you like driving quickly and staying in the power band until you get up to speed and then changing up to something a bit more fuel-efficient, fourth and fifth gears are pretty much pointless.

Fourth and fifth would probably only be of serious use in the 70-135mph range, which I'm unlikely to ever use unless I turn it into a track car...at which point I'd probably get rid of it anyway and get the 190bhp VVTL-i which is more designed to be constantly above 6krpm instead.

Still, it's bloody good fun and more practical than the Puma, so there's that. I've noticed a tendency for the front wheels to slip and understeer when accelerating even mildly round corners, though, so I'm having to restrain myself pulling out of T-junctions. It feels like that really shouldn't be a problem in a car like this.

tony99

Why more practical than the puma? more space you mean?

digitalscream

tony99 said:

Why more practical than the puma? more space you mean?

Yep. It's more comfortable for long drives, too.

blobb

"Here lies the practical problem with the Celica..."

Similar dna but that's where the MR2 scores. Useable fun without breaking the speed limit, rear drive and perfectly balanced.

strtdv

Supercharger kit?

stickyfiddle

blobb said:

"Here lies the practical problem with the Celica..."

Similar dna but that's where the MR2 scores. Useable fun without breaking the speed limit, rear drive and perfectly balanced.

Yep, and this is why the MX5 is still the best little sports car for actually enjoying on actual roads  

300+ bhp is great fun for 2.5 seconds until you're going too fast for the conditions, but that gets boring surprisingly quickly. 

robgilmo

My first and only Celica was a TA40B 1600 ST, much like this one, Black, lowered, wolfrace alloys, two carbs, four branch manifold down to a straight through with cherry bomb, louder than it went fast but loved it all the same. Wish I had it now, sold it to some fellas who went chasing the circuit of Ireland and the last I heard it was put on its roof and left there!

 

digitalscream

Ooft, OK. Had my first full fill-up today (I don't tend to drive much, working from home). 33mpg...slight shock to the system, that, given that the Puma averaged 40-42mpg.

Still...who cares, eh? It's not about the money, it's about the fun and how much gear will fit in there...