Where To Buy Facelift Bumper For 2001 Celica Vvti?

[MatthewRuddy]

As it says in the topic title, where is it possible to buy a facelift bumper for a pre-facelift 2001 Celica VVTI?

Really like the facelift bumper compared to the normal one. Intending to buy a second hand 2001 Metallic Blue Celica here in Ireland.

Don't really know what else to say. As far as I'm aware (although I don't know much) the facelift bumper will fit a slightly older model. Is this true?

Matthew.

[Scarlett Arrow]

If you find a Bumper Matthew, try and get the reinforcement panel that sits beneath. If you fit a face lift Bumper onto the old reinforcement, you'll have some trimming of the sponge to do before it will sit correctly. The apertures for the Fog Lights are different, but it doesn't look too bad.

Better still, buy a face lift car (52 plate on). Buying a 2001 VVTi is so risky given the horror stories so many owners have posted about the disappearing oil problem. On the face lift, you'll get a better Interior, nicer rear Lights, and the 275mm front Brakes from the 190/TS/GT too. There's a low mileage 2004 Silver 140 on eBay for under £4K (and that has the £1500 Premium Pack and a rear Spoiler too!), so a 52 or 03 plate should be within your reach.

HTH.

[MatthewRuddy]

If you find a Bumper Matthew, try and get the reinforcement panel that sits beneath. If you fit a face lift Bumper onto the old reinforcement, you'll have some trimming of the sponge to do before it will sit correctly. The apertures for the Fog Lights are different, but it doesn't look too bad.

Better still, buy a face lift car (52 plate on). Buying a 2001 VVTi is so risky given the horror stories so many owners have posted about the disappearing oil problem. On the face lift, you'll get a better Interior, nicer rear Lights, and the 275mm front Brakes from the 190/TS/GT too. There's a low mileage 2004 Silver 140 on eBay for under £4K (and that has the £1500 Premium Pack and a rear Spoiler too!), so a 52 or 03 plate should be within your reach.

HTH.

I'm not sure a facelift model is an option for me; simply cannot afford one it seems. A 2000 Celica here in Ireland is around €4,500, where as a facelift 2003 model is €6,500+ (often much more)..

What kind of issues are there with the 2001? If their is a lot of problems, I may have to rule out getting a Celica altogether. FYI, this will be my first car.

Matthew.

[Scarlett Arrow]

There is a design issue causing hot spots in the Piston Ring area. Over time, this causes a build up of burnt deposits leading to excessive oil consumption as the Rings are not operating efficiently. If the oil level is not checked very frequently, oil starvation can occur leading to major damage to the Main Bearings and Valve Train. Toyota were offering a free replacement Short Block (subject to an oil consumption test) on cars up to seven years old..so they are well aware of this design fault. The face lift model had a redesigned Block with extra oil ways which seems to have cured the problem, hence me suggesting you avoid the 99-02 140's.

Is buying a face lift in the UK and driving it to Eire an option?

[MatthewRuddy]

There is a design issue causing hot spots in the Piston Ring area. Over time, this causes a build up of burnt deposits leading to excessive oil consumption as the Rings are not operating efficiently. If the oil level is not checked very frequently, oil starvation can occur leading to major damage to the Main Bearings and Valve Train. Toyota were offering a free replacement Short Block (subject to an oil consumption test) on cars up to seven years old..so they are well aware of this design fault. The face lift model had a redesigned Block with extra oil ways which seems to have cured the problem, hence me suggesting you avoid the 99-02 140's.

Is buying a face lift in the UK and driving it to Eire an option?

Don't think so. After the currency conversion, tax, VRT (which is about another €1000+ on top of the price), plus getting the car NCT'd, and travel costs, car would probably cost much more than buying a facelift over here.

Budget is really maxed out at €6000..

[Scarlett Arrow]

OK. Well, if you do buy a pre face lift 140, you can order a revised Dipstick from Toyota which allows a little extra capacity. Then change the 5W30 frequently and keep an EAGLE eye on that max point on the new Dipstick.

Good luck in your search, Matthew :)

[MatthewRuddy]

OK. Well, if you do buy a pre face lift 140, you can order a revised Dipstick from Toyota which allows a little extra capacity. Then change the 5W30 frequently and keep an EAGLE eye on that max point on the new Dipstick.

Good luck in your search, Matthew :)

Thanks. I've been looking on autotrader at UK Celica's, generally 2003+ ones (facelift models), and I'm amazed to see a lot of them for under £4,000. Am I missing something or are they just generally this price range? (£3000 - £4,500). Thinking about it, if I got one for £3500, thats €4200, then VRT brings that up to €5500 (crazy, €1300 for VRT), which isn't bad considering a 2003 is roughly €6000 + here.

Obviously, purchasing in England screws me if something goes wrong, but if its the difference between a newer model and an older one then maybe it would be worthwhile. My max budget is really being pushed at €5500..

Also, just wondering, how are dealers over in the UK? Over here, you would generally never pay asking price for a car; it's often easy to haggle and get them for much less with extras thrown in, they're so desperate to sell. Do UK dealers allow for much negotiation on prices? The cheaper the better.

[Scarlett Arrow]

No, you're not missing something, early face lift 140's have been available for under £4K for a couple of years now.

I wouldn't worry too much about something going wrong. These cars are pretty "bullet proof" with only the Rims and the inside faces of the Brake Discs being known for early corrosion. Check for Service History, two Remotes, panel gaps, and brand of Tyre (Tyres are the first thing I look at when viewing). The "Premium" Pack is a desirable option, consisting of Leather/Climate/Sunroof.

Your question on UK Dealers is a more difficult one. Mark ups vary enormously, with Toyota Dealerships regularly adding £2K to their S.I.V.

Because the Celica is so reliable, I'd be tempted to save some cash and buy privately, but obviously, it's "your money, your choice".

BTW The Silver 37K 04 plate with "Premium" Pack listing has finished now, with only one person making two bids starting at £3800. Bargain in my eyes on a car costing over £18K new.