raisin

Apologies to SEA_Tigger, from whom I stole this format.

I got to O'Hare airport on Thursday returning from my trip to DC. I got to the Hertz gold area and found the Celica GT sitting in my stall.

Celica home page: no longer available since it has been discontinued in the U.S.

The Celica GT I received was a 2005 with about 2200 miles on it. Leather seats. Had a strong new car smell. It was listed as YD class vehicle. I had booked a D class. Ran me about $25/day to pick up from ORD and return to my HLE on the North Side of Chicago two days later (minus $5/day from a Southwest Airlines PC#).

The car has a very sporty shape. Actually, it kind of reminds me of a DeLorean in appearance, with the big blocky spoiler on the back. I about sprained my knee bending down to get into the car, it's set so low to the ground. The engine was reasonably powerful. I didn't get the specifics on how many liters but I had no trouble getting up a quick head of steam. EPA says the car gets 29/36 mpg. I drove it a while around the city and a little on the highway. I drove about 60 miles and put about 2 gallons of gas in the car. So the EPA numbers are about accurate.

The car ran quite smoothly. However, when it started to snow I had some trobule keeping the car from sliding, so I had to reduce the speed greatly. This isn't a snow car, I'd say. Despite the contortions you have to go through to get in the car, it's comfy inside. However, the back seat, such that it is, would be pretty cramped. It's really only meant for 2 people, in my opinion. It's a hatchback type car, so there's not too much storage room in the back, but enough to fit my large rolling bag with no problem.

The dash indicators are all digital and the display is pretty sleek looking. The sound system rocked. The window and lock controls are in between the two front seats. This was a little confusion, but I got used to it, although I think the Hertz gate attendant was a little worried about my sobriety when I couldn't get the window open.

All in all it was pretty decent. But, it's not for hauling lots of people or stuff. But, if you want a cheap, sporty car to drive for a day or two, go for it.

raisin

bump due to the new format

wahooflyer

You'll have to send a PM to safetymom to get her to change the title, as only moderators can do so.

I love the Celica...test-drove one in 2001 when the current model first debuted.

safetymom

I got one of the Celica GT's today at BDL. It had 5500 miles on it. Attendant joked with me to behave with the car. I too felt like it was very low to the ground. Felt like I was in the Fast and Furious movie with the spoiler and gear shifter. Didn't care for the size of the trunk though. By the time I put my suitcase(which isn't that big) my computer bag, and another small bag, there wasn't any more room.

CrazyOne

Still amazed that they have these in the fleet. Nice, though, compared to the usual Big Three same-old. Since my personal taste in cars I'm able to afford to buy tends towards the Japanese, being able to drive cars like this or even the Mazda 6 makes it feel less like I'm driving a rental and more like an extended test drive.

(Okay, I know that must be weird to many of you. But I like it. I'm ready to put a Mazda 6 on my next new car shopping list after my last two rentals. I think it's really well laid out, drives nicely, a bit underpowered with the four but the V-6 oughta cure that. At the very least I'll be taking a good look at it when I'm in the market.)

CApreppie

Make sure to look at the 5DR Hatchback. That is the best looking model of the bunch. I think the 5-speed manual makes the car a lot more fun.

I think the Celica is not long for Toyota's Earth. The styling is a bid odd and this model hasn't sold well. I also think that Scion TC is cannibalizing sales. If the Celica does go away, it will be the end of a long nameplate.

SpeedRicer

Toyota has already confirmed that the Celica and MR-S will both be discontinued after 2005. While they did start to get overshadowed in recent years, it will be sad to see them go.

The tC will indeed take the place of the Celica as Toyota's main "sporty" coupe entrant, along with another upcoming SCION product that has yet to be disclosed.

uastarflyer

Interesting statistic I found out was over 60% of Celica purchases were by women. I wonder if the tC will retain that demographic (unless the feeling is that's not in important thing to retain).

CrazyOne

The 5-door is one of the reasons I'm interested in the 6. It's a rarity in the US market. I'm sure the manual makes it more fun, as would the V-6 (the rentals are fours). I drive a 5-speed Integra now, and even with the base four it makes it notably more fun IMO. Annoying in stop and go traffic, to be sure, but otherwise great.

I can see why the Celica will be gone. The tC is a way better value in every respect. It would be hard not to choose it even with its drawbacks like heavier weight (the main drawback I can think of; the tests seemed to say yes, it's heavier, but it didn't really matter much in the performance/handling). Heck, the tC has more power than my 5-year-old base Integra and a similar slate of standard features at a sticker *less* than (or at least roughly the same as) what I paid for the Integra 5 years ago! I was really shocked about that price tag last year. Even if it has been bumped up a bit in the meantime, the tC would remain a great deal.

SpeedRicer

Just got a Celica for this week as an upgrade from my B reservation. ^ Excellent brakes and steering/handling -- which isn't surprising considering the chassis and its relatively low weight. Could use more power, but that is to be expected of a GT with an automatic (the six-speed GT-S is a bit more fun, although the shift gates are so narrow that the "money shift" is a little too easily attainable ). The only annoying thing is that mine didn't come with keyless entry, so I have to lock the hatch and doors separately, whenever I grab my laptop from the back.

Overall, I would much rather have this or a Mazda 3 than the usual Camry/Taurus upgrades Hertz seems to think I appreciate...