Now that I am retired and maybe have a bit more time I was thinking about trying to find, buy or restore a 1984 GT-S like the one my wife bought new in Boston and was stolen and destroy after we moved sometime later. Never had time and now seems like a good time to reacquaint myself and summer might be a good time to start trying to find a good one. Owned and built other cars but not that one, yet. Jim
New Guy
1 - 8 of 8 Posts
Joined
·
6,772 Posts
You are still welcome here. Our cars share a lot with the Celica GTS, particularly from the firewall back so we need to work together as much as we can.
Whether Supra or Celica, I suggest just buy one that's already in excellent condition. 1) There's almost no reproduction parts to make it look like new again. We can get most of what we need to keep them running, driving and stopping because of the shared parts with other Toyotas and even other brands and models of car, but there's almost nothing reproduced that's specifically for the Celica or Supra only. And unlike earlier classic cars, many parts were originally made by complex machinery and can't be easily refinished by hand. They're for all intent and practical purposes, unrestorable. 2) With the costs of professional services that aren't easily DIY that you would traditionaly have to pay for during a restoration like a proper paint job, upholstery and engine machine work soaring after the pandemic, paying $20K+ for an excellent example on Bring-a-Trailer is even a greater bargain than ever. All those typical restoration tasks cost the same whether you are restoring an 85 Celica or a 67 Shelby Mustang (only the parts prices for the Shelby are likely cheaper since they're all reproduced in China). But the Celica isn't worth much more than the cost of a proper restoration paint job while the Shelby is worth ten times as much. In short, just find an excellent example and skip the idea of restoring one. If you are dead set on a retirement "project", try to find one that's already beautiful cosmetically inside and out and only needs a mechanical refresh.
Whether Supra or Celica, I suggest just buy one that's already in excellent condition. 1) There's almost no reproduction parts to make it look like new again. We can get most of what we need to keep them running, driving and stopping because of the shared parts with other Toyotas and even other brands and models of car, but there's almost nothing reproduced that's specifically for the Celica or Supra only. And unlike earlier classic cars, many parts were originally made by complex machinery and can't be easily refinished by hand. They're for all intent and practical purposes, unrestorable. 2) With the costs of professional services that aren't easily DIY that you would traditionaly have to pay for during a restoration like a proper paint job, upholstery and engine machine work soaring after the pandemic, paying $20K+ for an excellent example on Bring-a-Trailer is even a greater bargain than ever. All those typical restoration tasks cost the same whether you are restoring an 85 Celica or a 67 Shelby Mustang (only the parts prices for the Shelby are likely cheaper since they're all reproduced in China). But the Celica isn't worth much more than the cost of a proper restoration paint job while the Shelby is worth ten times as much. In short, just find an excellent example and skip the idea of restoring one. If you are dead set on a retirement "project", try to find one that's already beautiful cosmetically inside and out and only needs a mechanical refresh.
Joined
·
944 Posts
Absolutely agree with Phil! You will be 20 grand deep into a restoration and still not find all of the parts necessary to finish it. Perfect example, just the rear side window trim is nearly impossible to find in any condition better than junk, and if you do find it in excellent condition, expect the cost to be insane, ie., into the thousands! Hell, the rubber belt molding is over $900 and that's not even oem.
Find a good, solid, low or no rust vehicle and go through it to just freshen it up. Detailing an engine can be just as fun and rewarding as a complete restoration and it doesn't take years or thousands of dollars to do! You get to actually enjoy the vehicle while you're doing little refresh stuff too!
Find a good, solid, low or no rust vehicle and go through it to just freshen it up. Detailing an engine can be just as fun and rewarding as a complete restoration and it doesn't take years or thousands of dollars to do! You get to actually enjoy the vehicle while you're doing little refresh stuff too!
Joined
·
8,043 Posts
There was some people recently (nov 22) that had GT-S potentially for sale.
Might try to contact them to see if still available
www.celicasupra.com
Might try to contact them to see if still available
Need to move a few cars
Hi there, My sister and I are trying to deal with our father‘s estate. Among the ten cars floating around his two houses are three Celica/Supra cars that have been sitting since about 2010. I’m still coming up to speed on what is what as far as models and terms. The three appear to be 83 and 84...
www.celicasupra.com
1 - 8 of 8 Posts
