St20x Vs St18x

[emicen]

OK, seems like a fairly fundamental question but I want some peoples opinions. Not including the GT4's, would you have a 6th gen or a 5th gen. I love the looks of a 5th gen but I want a reliable car.

I'm thinking of the Jap equivalent of the ST184 Celica GTi or the ST202 Celica GT SS2 or SS3.

Just want something reasonably nippy, 2.0 and fwd whilst I wait for my 4 (well, wait to be able to afford my 4)

[Deejay]

I own a gen 5 but would suggest a gen 6 simply because they're newer cars and have some revised parts that make them more reliable and also marginaly quicker (on paper anyway). Plus you get those nice quad lights and a better interior.

[mikegsi]

i'm new too these cars, (dont actually have one yet, but will be looking v.soon, need to cut down on fuel bill!!)

so let me get it right, a 6th gen celica is the one with the two round headlights??

would be the ones round about 1998????

[Spiralize]

Not much difference in reliability between 5th and 6th Gens. I've had my 5th gen for a year and a half and apart from servicing, I've changed the front brake calipers and removed and refitted the outer drive shaft as it clunked a bit. Otherwise it's been cheaper to run than any of my older cars.

I'm looking at a 6th Gen today (it's manual, my Gen 5 is an auto). The interior is a bit nicer, and it has all the mod cons (as its a jap import).

If I could find a nice low mileage manual Gen5 then I'd stick them, but the Gen6 is a real mint car and begging to be bought:)

6th Gens started in 1994 up to 1998. Gen 5's were 89-93 I think. And yep the 6 has the twin round headlights, 5's are pop ups.

More mods available for Gen6's. And if you get an import you may get a fair bit of moneys worth of mods with the car. The one I'm looking at has Apexi intake, exhaust and header and nice alloys and still comes in cheaper than a UK car. Just have to check the imports thoroughly, and always ask the dealer to see the auction condition sheet, and if he won't show you walk away cos others will....

[emicen]

Yeah, basically I love the looks of the 5th gen with the pop ups and just its general curves, but the 6th is newer and the SS-III has LSD and a leter revision 3S-GE pushing 180bhp iirc.

[Spiralize]

Didn't know the SS3 had LSD as standard. I do know that the later SS3's came with a 3SGE engine with a Beams vvti head and pushes 200bhp. I think it would have to be an import if you wanted one of those though (not sure the Beams engine ever made it to the UK). You can spot it by the red rocker cover with Beams written on it.

[Leeky]

Yeah the late spec 3s-ge with the red beams rocker is jap only.

Over here they put them in the is200 but its the dual vvti version so its even better.

Im unsure about the LSD, i know the SS-3 came with the GT4 super strut suspension as standard.

Good luck in finding a SS-3 though, hardly ever see them and when you do they are snapped up very quickly.

Good for a decat though because the MOT centres havent got the ss-3 on the database!

[Spiralize]

Good luck in finding a SS-3 though, hardly ever see them and when you do they are snapped up very quickly.

I've yet to see an SS3 in the UK. But theres loads come up for auction in Japan. I was looking through the listings at USS Nagoya (I think it was that one) and most of the 6th gens were SS3's.

If you really want one, find a decent importer who'll hunt one down for you. Bloke I bought my Celi off does special orders and will find whatever you want.

[Leeky]

If you really want one, find a decent importer who'll hunt one down for you. Bloke I bought my Celi off does special orders and will find whatever you want.

Definately, thats what i did to get my 4.

Had to what a while but was well worth it.

I have driven a ss-3 funnily enough a year ago, and to tell you the truth they arent that fantastic.

I had a normal UK GT (known as the ss-2 in japan) and it felt pretty much the same. I think the only diffrence was i seemed to rev to the red faster than the ss-2. Hardly worth making the ss-3 really, probably why it never went outside of japan.

I think it was more a way of toyota sticking a model in between the GT and the GT4. Seeing as the SS-3 has the super strut suspension and the GT4 Wing.

[emicen]

Yeah the late spec 3s-ge with the red beams rocker is jap only.

Over here they put them in the is200 but its the dual vvti version so its even better.

Im unsure about the LSD, i know the SS-3 came with the GT4 super strut suspension as standard.

Good luck in finding a SS-3 though, hardly ever see them and when you do they are snapped up very quickly.

Good for a decat though because the MOT centres havent got the ss-3 on the database!

Nope, over there they put it in the Altezza. Over here the IS200 is a 6 cylinder with no VVTi ;)

I'm thinking the SS3 os basically a nice one to have since it would give all these new school exec. boy racers with Civic Type-R's a shock!

[Leeky]

Nope, over there they put it in the Altezza. Over here the IS200 is a 6 cylinder with no VVTi ;)

I'm thinking the SS3 os basically a nice one to have since it would give all these new school exec. boy racers with Civic Type-R's a shock!

Ahhhhhh that makes sence.

I wondered how the UK version was a six cylinder.

You learn something new every day.

Thank id rather have the Altezza then rather than the IS200.

[emicen]

Nope, over there they put it in the Altezza. Over here the IS200 is a 6 cylinder with no VVTi  ;)

I'm thinking the SS3 os basically a nice one to have since it would give all these new school exec. boy racers with Civic Type-R's a shock!

Ahhhhhh that makes sence.

I wondered how the UK version was a six cylinder.

You learn something new every day.

Thank id rather have the Altezza then rather than the IS200.

Exactly! Altezza was actually the car the Lexus works team used in the BTCC aswell, because the 3S-GE with Beams was a far superior engine for the tuning regs used in the series