I've been DD-ing an 01 celica GTS for the last 2 years and the automotive ADD is getting to me. Lately I've been looking at lukewarm hatches, ep3 si, prelude, mazda3s, but leaning towards the civic si for the shifter/reliability/price. I may even consider a TSX if the price is right.
Stop me from making a mistake? I know the celica gts is a great car but I rarely take it into lift and the only time I encounter anything close to a turn that's not an intersection is an on/off ramp.
Price range, year range?
i love my ep3
If I can drive a ACR for 14 months straight as my only car you can stick with the GTS.
~5000-6000 (under 5000 preferable). Ideally designed after 2000 with side airbags, I almost got t-boned in my 94 celica by a local youth running from the cops on the way back from home from work. Also no theft-prone hondas.
sofly: Likes/dislikes? MPG? Common problems?
I thought that the ep3 si was the last great Civic si. I've found that the Mazda 3 is no where close to being a lukewarm DD.
wearymicrobe wrote: If I can drive a ACR for 14 months straight as my only car you can stick with the GTS.
The GTS isn't beating me up or anything like that. It's just the notchy shifter and lazy engine from 3-6k. It's fine from 2-3 or 6-8.4 but when I just want to drive mildly spiritedly it kind of just falls on it's face. It's quiet, has ac and a 6th gear and gets 28-32 mixed and 36 mpg highway. Looking at dyno graphs of the k20a3 and it's flat torque curve has me lusting for a more flexible engine and well I've always been one for honda's shifter action.
mod that 2zz and make it something special for way less than you'd spend on a "luke warm" anything. The phrase "Full boost before 3000rpm, 291whp/203ft-lb" solves your problems guaranteed. Also comes in under budget
and get a trd short shifter too. 
I went with the EP3 Si because I didn't care for the 2ZZ for street driving. Clean up the shifter and hp as mentioned and that is a sweet car. They can also look terrific.
The Si can be a little dull as stock too but it does have a much nicer mid range and the 5 speed is very well mated but needs 3 or 4 minor mods to sweeten the shifter feel; aluminum bushings (in the shifter AND linkage under the hood), aftermarket cables ($), short shifter (bought a shortened knob for $5 instead) , and that heavier spring thingy in the tranny.
I'm not so sure TRD makes one for the EP3. I believe Buddy Club or someone made one for about $160 but stopped making them and may have re-started again, not sure. They can be found.
not a trd shifter for a honda, for the celica. He complained about celica's shifter action in the above post.
Would you have to get rid of the Celica for this? Or are you keeping the Celica and just getting a different driver?
Different strokes for different folks, but..
The thought of intentionally going from a 2ZZ celica gts to a stock ep3 si has me flabbergasted.
Vigo wrote: Different strokes for different folks, but.. The thought of intentionally going from a 2ZZ celica gts to a stock ep3 si has me flabbergasted.
Really. Especially if you pull 600 lbs., give the 2ZZ ten more hp, and move it to the rear.
I'd probably keep it. Pull 200 or 300 lbs., slightly smaller diameter tires, add some more mid range power - has that been successfully done with intake, exhaust, ecu?
Nicksta43: I'd be getting rid of the celica if I get a new car.
Hasbro wrote:Vigo wrote: Different strokes for different folks, but.. The thought of intentionally going from a 2ZZ celica gts to a stock ep3 si has me flabbergasted.Really. Especially if you pull 600 lbs., give the 2ZZ ten more hp, and move it to the rear. I'd probably keep it. Pull 200 or 300 lbs., slightly smaller diameter tires, add some more mid range power - has that been successfully done with intake, exhaust, ecu?
Vigo: I know, I know, that's one of the reasons why I ended up with the GTS over the other choices I'm considering save for the prelude.
Hasbro: The car currently has an intake/ported header/exhaust and without a tune most dyno's for 2zzs put up ~110-120whp at 6000 rpm. The most popular tuning option for the 2zz would be powerfc with tuning that would be quite expensive. I'm leaning towards keeping the car I let her stretch her legs out on the way to work this evening and I ended up with a big dumb smile on my face for awhile. That being said it's just not a fun car to drive unless I'm beating the crap out of it which is what brought me to want to get a different car in the first place. Shifter/clutch action also don't help
In that case I think I'd keep the Celica. It sounds like you have a boring drive and going to a more boring car would make it worse in my opinion.
lnlds wrote: ~5000-6000 (under 5000 preferable). Ideally designed after 2000 with side airbags, I almost got t-boned in my 94 celica by a local youth running from the cops on the way back from home from work. Also no theft-prone hondas. sofly: Likes/dislikes? MPG? Common problems?
the ep3s did have a side curtain air bag option, not sure how popular
i get 32-34 MPG, real world numbers
to be honest i've only had the car for about 2 months, i don't have any real dislikes at this point
a couple things:
1: the seating position is more upright, at least compared to my older civics, i assume that will be the same compared to the celica
2: the sunroof has a safety feature where it will only close halfway then requires you to release the button and press it again to close the rest of the way, this is the closest thing to a dislike i have experienced
to be honest i've only had the car for about 2 months, i don't have any real dislikes at this point a couple things: 1: the seating position is more upright, at least compared to my older civics, i assume that will be the same compared to the celica 2: the sunroof has a safety feature where it will only close halfway then requires you to release the button and press it again to close the rest of the way, this is the closest thing to a dislike i have experienced
Yeah, I thought the upright position was too much but the frontal view can be easily impaired as the hood is pretty tall. Lowering the seat can create a similar problem. Getting the position right took me a long time. Stock seats are very nice, though.
There's an easy sunroof fix on EPHatch, ClubRSX, or ClubEP3.
Inids, your GTS sure sounds like a keeper to me!
Fix your commute? I have a e36m3tty commute, and often go the long way to avoid it.
I love my EP3, but the EP3/RSX online community is one of the dopiest out there.
Throw on the stiffest f&r swar bars you can get (hotchkis competition?), and some front -2deg. camber bolts, it'll make a world of difference in the handling & feel of the car.
and without a tune most dyno's for 2zzs put up ~110-120whp at 6000 rpm.
You mean right before it goes to 160whp, right? I can understand the annoyance with tuning options being expensive.
If it makes you feel any better, the FR-S i drove felt a lot like a .2L larger 2zz but without the increase in power over 6000 rpm. 
Maybe the ep3 is somehow better than that, but i doubt it.
I used to have a 3.0/5spd dodge dynasty that was faster than a stock ep3 and had great midrange, but it made 0whp at 6000 rpm since the rev limiter was 5800.
I had a turbo/5spd Shelby Lancer that had awesome mid-range torque but.. was actually slower in the long run than my friend's stock 2zz Corolla.
I admit i've never owned a 2zz car, but having driven them, i certainly plan to own one at some point. Maybe eventually i would start to dislike the same things...?
Maybe the ep3 is somehow better than that, but i doubt it.
Honda sent us the turd Si instead of the R. A better comparison would be the RSX S with the GTS. I still like the GTS more, even though the S has the better engine.
edit;I actually like the K20A3 in the Si for starters but will install a K24 frank some day.
Hasbro wrote: There's an easy sunroof fix on EPHatch, ClubRSX, or ClubEP3.
yeah, just figured i'd put it out there
Sounds like you just need to drive the crap out of it all the time then, huh?
What about a svt focus?
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