1988 Toyota Celica Reviews, Pricing & Specs

I have owned my Celica GT4 for many years and it has always brought me joy. Its one of the legendary cars made by Toyota that very few have seen. Its styling is beautiful and powerful at the same time and it has every option and then some. Toyota spared no expense when they made these. The car first and foremost is a road going rally car. It was not built or designed like a 4 door corolla or a Camry, so do not expect the same thing. It wasnt built to drive to the grocery store on sunday, it was built to be driven like a performance car and maintained as such. You dont buy a Corvette to drive to your job as a bathroom fixture salesman and then expect to pay for Chevy Aveo maintenance. This car should also not be compared to camry, corolla and tercel alltracs. They are utilitarian cars and as i said before this is a sports car.May 31, 2013

My first 4WD and turbo car, it equipped with a 3SGTE 2.0 L engine with CT26 turbo charger. This GT4 is running a water intercooler which is unique compare to most other turbo 4WD using air intercooler, the handling is exceptional, acceleration is good but not fast compare to other 4WD turbo during that era due to heavy weight. The build quality is good (usual Toyota standard), exterior styling is very unique with two large fog light in the middle grille, interior is ok consider it is a 2 doors, the gas mileage is ok as it got turbo and 4WD. The car is very fun to drive, only draw back is the heavy weight. Really wanted to drive this car again!!!Dec 06, 2011

Performance: Power from the turbo engine is good but could be better as demonstrated by the second and third generations. Handling could also be better but was probably much better when new. Build Quality: Its a toyota enough said Appearance: one of the best looking cars from the period. The Alltrac body kit really completes the look. Interior is nice as long as you don't the red one. Cost of Ownership: fairly high since this is a fairly complex and rare vehicle but that is to be expected with a car of this type. Fun Factor: this car is alot of fun to drive. when the turbo kicks in you are pushed back in your seat. A good set of rubber under the car allows it to use the AWD to handle more than you would think.Nov 30, 2011

this car rocks in the snow why because its all wheel drive and turbo but it also shines on dry ground. Its an oldie but a goodie. Did i also mention it won a few wrc championships when the car was created yea i love it specifics 190 hp very solid not to boxy so it looks a bit sporty gas is fairly good maintenance is hard because parts are scarce super fun to drive if you have the money Dec 10, 2009

Performance ~ once you take the boost over 16psi then it becomes fast. Handling ~ 4wd drifting is cool, better than kitcars and as good as evo9 on point to point stuff. 0-80mph 1-1.5sec quicker than GTi-R. cant say no bad things about performance for a almost standard car. handling get coilovers on them. bigger wheels i had 17in. strip the insides bare bone. 100mile trip costs £5 more than a NA Supra. As its an old car service every part to check bearings. rear diff swoop to st205. rebuild turbo. swoop bolts in most places or clean up. On this car rust on outer sill, rear wheel arches, under driver foot well are realy the only issue. Me i love the car, but would keep it for club meets or special moments. id have 185 as striped lighter, got that nice look in rally clothes, rust not a problem on body. fuel pipes is a must check on both models as rust is a problem. Sep 08, 2008

My car is actually a JDM 1987 Toyota Celica GT Four, but I couldn't choose that from the pull down menus...so '88 Alltrac it is. Although this car isn't cheap to maintain, it's always fun to drive! It's also my favorite Celica body style. The turbo makes it difficult to keep this car within the speed limits and the all wheel drive keeps the car stuck to the ground and in corners!Feb 05, 2008

I've had this car for almost 3 years now, and i've had very few major problems with it. The starter has gone out a couple times, and the alternator has gone out a couple times... but other than that, it's a great car. It gets great gas milage. The only major problem i have with it is that they should've made the back seat bigger, because when i ride in the car for 3 hours in the back seat, my legs hurt like no other.Mar 30, 2007

Since Ive owned my celica I have been extremely impressed with it. If you can find an extremely curvy road to push it to the limit with one of these cars, I suggest nothing but keep the rpms high and lay on it. The handling is suberb when sliding and braking is no problem with quad disc brakes. The 2 litre 3SGTE is what I have in mine and that motor has pep in the high ranges of about 4500 to 7000, you could say it is in powerban. Plus off the line it will beat any other four cylinder or small sixes and when in mid driving V8s are just in front of you. Ive raced brand new tdis, ludes, civics, even chargers, vettes and supras and theyve all given me a smile or a thumbs up by the next light. Ive only catbacked the exhaust, opened up the intake and put some nice tires on it. Also ive taken it rallying offroad and it will slide nicely on gravel as well and ive taken it through wash-out mountain roads in bc and took it a two foot drop on and had it on three wheels and scraped the mudflaps. So that is what I have to say about this amazing car and what it has done for me. I will be upgrading alot more to make this car more suberb then it already is. So my advice is if you like to have a reliable, fun, fast when you need it kind of car i suggest you buy it. If not the all-trac turbo version if you like a bit of fast bushwhackin( rally style). Thanks for reading this and happy celica driving.Nov 18, 2006