so i'm in the market to upgrade daily driver and my first car, an 89 celica ST. It's got almost 210k, the body is abused, and its not getting any newer although it still runs like a champ.

For my replacement, I want something both economical and functional.
I really like the tercel because I can get a fuel-efficient 4 door car.
I've always wanted to get the toyota pickup (SEXY) and it would be nice to have a 4x4 vehicle and be able to tow stuff.

I only want to spend 2-4k for the vehicle. Any other suggestions are appreciated but Toyota's only

EDIT: just realized I like the way the 95-97 tercels look a lot better

This post has been edited by 99Celica: Jan 22, 2009 - 3:12 PM

I can't really imgaine you towing anything with those pickup trucks. They hardly have any power especially the 22R models and the 4wd system just weighs it down even further. The Tercels are rather weak in power. I don't even suggest you to get those if your looking for a 4 door car. Stuffing in more than 2 people might make the car sputter as it tries to push people around.
If anything and you still want to stick to a Toyota line get your self a Camry. The 93-97 are pretty strong and you can still average 35 miles to the gallon plus you can find a decent one around for under $3,000

I just picked up a 89 celica gt hatch for 900 bucks. It ran really good, but had this rattle going on the day after I bought it. Drove it to work and thought the timing belt snapped. Towed her home to find out a piston shot out the side of the block. I just got done removing everything from the engine bay.

I say stick with it. Its light and looks fairly decent. Just replace the motor with a 5sfe. I plan on doing so, but the woman won't let me. So I guess I'll just drop in another 3sfe. The 3sgte beast is just chilling outside.

Is the st a hatch or coupe?

and why spend 2-4k when you can use that to fix the current dd? What is your 6th gen doing then?

Yeah that 5sfe motor can run quite cheap. As it was pretty common to find in the 90's being in our car and the camry from what I know of. Probably another gas saver out there as well. I won't lie, I have seen some go for as little as $200.

I use my 6gc to commute to work. Frankly, I just don't trust my 89 (coupe) for the drive for several reasons, mostly safety.

I've been thinking about fixing it back up, it would only cost a couple hundred. For some reason I just really liked the idea of having a 4-door around just in case.