At $4,990, Does This 1996 Toyota Celica Gt Convertible Mean Summer Never Has To End?

Today's Nice Price aliases No Dice Celica offers upwind successful your hairsbreadth driving connected nan cheap. Could it, however, beryllium a amended bargain than a like-priced MX5 aliases different unfastened top?

When 1 hears nan sanction Concord, nan apt intelligence image provoked is of a cluster of grapes. The Concord grape is famously known for its usage successful jams, juices, unspeakable wines, and arsenic a superior subordinate successful nan Fruit of nan Loom logo. First developed successful nan mid-1800s by Ephraim Wales Bull successful Concord, Massachusetts, nan Concord grape varietal takes its sanction from that New England city.

For our purposes, however, nan sanction Concord refers to nan 1981 AMC Concord sedan that passed our measurement yesterday. Sporting a amazingly meager 3,600 miles connected nan clock, it is astir apt nan nicest illustration still around. Unfortunately, fewer of you felt it needed to instrumentality around, seeing arsenic its four-cylinder/four-speed drivetrain would apt beryllium astir arsenic inspiring to acquisition arsenic 3:00 AM CSPAN. That quelled immoderate enthusiasm complete its information and $5,500 asking price, resulting successful a 66% No Dice loss.

Let america dream that today's 1996 Toyota Celica GT convertible provides a spot much of a thrill. While still conscionable a four-pot for illustration yesterday's AMC, nan 5S-FE 2.2-liter successful nan Celica is simply a DOHC 16-valve matter rocking a decent 135 horsepower (nearly doubly what nan Concord's Iron Duke makes) and an moreover much awesome 145 Pound-feet of torque.

Working successful tandem pinch that is simply a for-speed automatic, which drives nan beforehand wheels. This being a car from an era erstwhile group took their automatics astatine look value, that's operated via a set-it-and-forget-it console shifter. There is nary manual mode, nor steering wheel-mounted switches for immoderate further driver interaction.

That, on pinch mill AirCon, powerfulness windows and locks, and a reasonably roomy 2+2 cabin, makes this a respectable cruiser alternatively than a canyon carver. At slightest pinch its neo-retro bug-eyed styling, it's a car pinch character. Add to that nan convertible roof, and things commencement to get moreover much interesting.

That apical is not a mill build. It is, however, mill authorized and was primitively sold done Toyota dealers arsenic a modular model, conscionable for illustration nan coupe and liftback. These cars really started retired life arsenic coupes, leaving Toyota's Tahara City works partially assembled and past shipped to Los Angeles, California, wherever each was can-opened by a institution called Automobile Specialty Company (ASC). 

Originally, ASC stood for American Sunroof Corporation, but pursuing nan summation of some aftermarket and caller convertible construction, nan institution changed its name. ASC not only built nan Celica convertibles, but it besides assisted Toyota successful nan model's engineering, including strengthening nan chassis to relationship for nan roof's removal and nan summation of electrically operable rear broadside glass.

The consequence was a factory-appearing build that looks rather good, whether nan apical is up aliases down. On this car, nan apical is successful perfectly serviceable shape, and happily, ASC moreover designed successful a solid rear window.

In fact, nan car wide seems to beryllium successful beautiful bully information and not showing its astir 3 decades of property aliases its reasonably important 189,653 miles of use. Painted successful Renaissance Red, nan bodywork presents arsenic cleanable and shows nary signs of harm aliases rust. Underneath that, nan five-spoke mill alloys show nary denotation of unsighted dates pinch nan curb, either. Amazingly, there's not moreover immoderate peppering connected nan nose, nor important clouding of nan lenses successful nan car's bug-like headlamps.

It's conscionable arsenic bully successful nan cabin, though immoderate insignificant deterioration is noticeable successful nan driver's spot extracurricular bolster. Other than that, nan kitschy '90s-patterned cloth upholstery appears fresh to stone and wholly free of in-car eating accidents aliases nan ghostly remains of sweaty passengers. The only glaring discordance successful present is nan single-DIN Pioneer CD caput portion successful nan dash. That does bring an added spot of retention below, arsenic nan original mill stereo was of a double-DIN style. According to nan ad, nan car has a cleanable title and is described by nan seller arsenic being a "Rare and nostalgic car."

That seller, by nan way, is simply a small, gravel batch car dealer, and based connected nan shots successful nan ad, nan Celica rivals a achromatic two-door Mk5 GTI for coolest wheels successful their inventory. At $4,990, it mightiness moreover beryllium a spot cheaper than that GTI arsenic well.

What's our return connected this Celica convertible and that $4,990 asking? That's keeping successful mind that this being a trader woody intends location will beryllium a fewer extras (document fees, taxes, etc.) tacked connected to that amount.

Is that a woody for a high-mileage but seemingly in-shape drop-top cruiser? Or is that getting adjacent Miata money, which is almost ever nan amended choice?

You decide!

Nice Price aliases No Dice:

Seattle, Washington, Craigslist, aliases spell here if nan advertisement disappears.

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