1984 Celica

[chizz42]

Hey, ... alright so this car i am going to go test drive next week has had some unexpected shit happen. The guy told me the car was in perfect mechanical order and was asking $1300... so i was like well ill give him $1000 for it right. Then when i tell him this week ill be coming by to test drive it he tells me the pop up head lights are stuck in the up position but work, and that the e-brake doesnt work! 1st off does anyone know why the pop up lights are stuck up, and second he said the e-brake doesnt work because the cable came unhooked!... so how much of a fix would this be and cost for a new cable? Then today i aske dhim when the cars clutch was last replaced and he said he didnt know.. but thinks the o-ring for the clutch is leaking now! so what will this require for fixing, and should i just replace the clutch if its 3/4's done? And the car now also has rust forming on the rear Qtr's, and the drivers seat is now showing wear. 3 months ago this car was looking like new, as if it rolled off the lot and now im pissed off cause its starting to look like shit! So any ideas would be great, for pricing etc. He is asking 1150$ now but i feel i will drop the price more because of all this shit that seems to be breaking on the car. I have read they are very reliable cars, and i know it is 20 + ish years old .. but like how much more shit can go wrong with this car? I wanted this car to be my first car... and i also wanted to do auto X with it but after seeing how much im gonna be paying to fix it i just dont have the money! So any ideas as to what i should do will be very much appreciated!

Rob

[Black_fin]

The headlights could just be a bad relay, switch or the motors are shot. The motors are a pita to replace but readily available used.

The clutch oring, I think he means the slave cylinder or the master cylinder. Both very easy replacements. Master cylinder ~ $50 new. Slave ~ $35 new.

E brake cable, if it's unhooked you might be able to just hook it back up. But then I'd be looking into why it happened. I have a feeling the probably means in the brake drum or something. Last time I priced out an e brake cable it was ~ $45/side.

The clutch, I'd live with it unless you're planning a major road trip. It's not going to just leave you on the side of the road, there will be many miles of warning, ie. slipping.

My advice. Ask someone from here to look at the car with you. I'd be happy to help. If you're not local then I can talk you through it.

-Andrew

[abuseddog]

The stuck headlights could be a blown motor or relay. The e brake cable is proabably rusted/ siezed. Try phoning part source for a price, you can do the job yourself if your comfortable enough pulling the rear brakes completley apart. The brake cable was probably disconnected on purpose, if you were to pull the handle up it would probably remain frozen in the on position. You will need to fix the cable for your saftey inspection, for your insurance company. The new clutch will be around 200 dollars if you can do it your self or anywhere from 700-1200 if you get a shop to do it.

To check the paint, go there on a sunny day and spend some time going through the body and look underneath... poke and prod, it's the best way to check for rust.


For the money it is allways hard to gauge, a 20 year old car is going to need repairs, might be minimal like a new battery or it could be a more, I would think if the car costs a 1000, i would think another 1000 for parts would not be out of line.

Hope some of this helps

[abuseddog]

-Andrew

Dude, beat me by four minutes. :)

[Black_fin]

Haha.

You're probably right about the brakes.

[chizz42]

Thanks guys! that helps alot! :D :p

[azrael]

If you're in Calgary, I drive an 83 Celica GT. More than happy to look at anything you've got questions about, I'll see what I can do. In Edmonton from time to time as well, so let me know.

[celica83_gts]

You are looking at buying a car for what amounts to 2-3 payments for a new one. EXPECT to have to fix things.

Jeez...

Anyway, all of the problems you've described, besides the rust, are fixable with a little time and parts from the junkyards. If you buy a car this old, you'll get to know the yards very well.

[chizz42]

Alright! Thats a lot of help! if theres anymore please go right ahead and post, very helpful to me! I am very appreciated of this since i dont rely know much about the car... never worked on one so! lol! I live in Saskatoon so ... its not really near you guys! :ugh: The reason i wanted to buy this car was because i rely wanted a supra... but this was the closest thing to my budget that i could afford! Im not really worried if it needs repairs the car just needs to run for me so i can use it get to work and such! I just wanted to know if some of these repairs maybe what they would cost and how easy they would be to do. Then when summer hits i will rebuild it, and make it like new... maybe new paint job i dunno well see. I just wanted it so i can race it in auto X.

[Black_fin]

The rust you see in the rear quarters is probably far worse than it appears. The rear armrests simply clip in place, just pull up on the outer lip and they will pop out allowing visiblity into the front side of the rear wheel well and rear rocker. Above the rear speakers and at the base of the shock towers are really common rust areas as well. I'd bring a flathead screwdriver and a flashlight if I were to look at the car. I'd give the rear wheel wells a good poke around with the screwdriver and hope the owner isn't pissed when it goes through..

[nEwbsupra]

Id say just get it. We can spend our time fixing it, along with my supra. Im sure i'll be making a few trips to the junk yards to get various things and those 89+ tails Im dying to get. Lol.

But even this rust, either you can fix it later.. Or just leave it all together. Its not like your paying $5000 for the car and its supposed to be mint. Slowly save the money, fix it over time and you'll be happy with the end result as long as its all dont right.

[azrael]

Andrew's idea with the screwdriver and the wheel well seems funny, but it's only funny until you realize that he's probably right. My ($800) 83 Celica GT was blessed with good structure, it's just the body panels starting to rust. Rust, though, is one thing I almost refuse to deal with, because it never really goes away. My idea is that I'll just buy a car in decent shape and hope it doesn't get any worse, and cover up what's there to make it look okay. As long as important things aren't rusting out, it's not a huge deal.

nEwbsupra's also right. Just buy the damn thing, get it as cheap as you can, and you'll have a lot of fun. GT or GT-S? If GT-S, it will own at autocross if the motor's strong and the suspension's not miserable. If GT, the solid rear axle's not bad if you know how to do up your suspension for it. There's a great guide for SRA suspension on celica-gts.com's forums.

They're a lot of fun, as long as you don't demand that they're super fast. They can be, but it usually involves a motor that isn't the 22R-E. Most practically, it starts with '1' and ends with 'UZ-FE'. Listen to Bob if he ever gives you any advice, he's crazier than any of the rest of us -- he actually owns fast Celicas.

[chizz42]

Alright so i have no idea what i am doing anymore but anyway.... i just love supras so much that i wanna know what you guys think about buying this one? would it be worth $1000 or less! Its a 1982 supra P type incase you guys woundered but it kinda states that... anyway heres the ad i found!

http://www.306motorclub.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15906

Thanks! Please comment... because i have no idea what i wanna do now! lol

Rob

[Black_fin]

I don't know, get the supra? I love that FX21 interior. HOT! Rear sunshade was an option that year.

:edit: Have you talked with him recently, that thread is 7 months old.

[abuseddog]

I have to agree with black fin, it's hard to make serious comment when one has not seen the car in person. I would also suggest, if the cars are still indeed there, get more pic's as offered.

I would pick the better of the two, 400 dollars is not a lot of difference if the car is in better shape.

I know budgets are tight for young people, but money well spent is allways good value.


dog :)

[chizz42]

lol k the 84 celica that this guy is selling is not the one i was looking at lol! the one i want to buy is in saskatoon not PA and also has exhaust, short shifter, intake, etc. I just woundered what the One of the hydraulic cam lash adjusters on the exhaust side isn't working quite right, what it does , and is it a big problem? Thats all i want to know. Because i told the guy with the 84 celica in s'toon to hold it until i decide which one i want! :p :D anyway .... if someone could just tell me what a hydralic cam lash adjuster does, and wheather its a big problem or not...thats all i have to ask lol!! Thanks guys for all the help!

Rob