2002 Toyota Celica Consumer Reviews

2002 Toyota Celica

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2002 Toyota Celica

Kelley Blue Book Retail $5,550–$6,650  

Average Rating

4.4 out of 5
Review This Car
Comfort:4.4 out of 5
Performance:4.0 out of 5
Exterior Styling:4.9 out of 5
Interior Design:4.8 out of 5
Value for the Money:4.4 out of 5
Reliability:4.1 out of 5

8 out of 11 people would recommended this car to a friend

Consumer Reviews

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Perfect

by Shapeshifter_CRO
from City of Zagreb, Croatia | January 4, 2012

Rating from

(5)
Comfort: 4 out of 5
Performance: 5 out of 5
Exterior Styling: 5 out of 5
Interior Design: 5 out of 5
Value for the Money: 5 out of 5
Reliability: 5 out of 5

"I'm from a small state Croatia in Europe and I bought this car (VVT-i 143 HP) about a month ago with 110.000 km, 6-speed manual. Works fantastic! All 1ZZ-FE motors may have the same problems about the oil consumption before 2003. In my case: 1L oil / 7000 km. Normal. Toyota says that the normal oil consumption may be 1L/1000 km! Feeling is great, looks great, all mechanical parts works fine, economical. Few friends got the same model and two of them have TS (VVTL-i 192 HP) and none of them does not have any problems at all. Very good car! Greetings from Zagreb, Croatia!"

I would recommend this car to a friend: Yes

This vehicle was purchased: Used

Primary use for this car: Just getting around


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2 out of 3 found this review helpful

So much for Toyota reliability

by Kengel
from CT | December 20, 2011

Rating from

(4)
Comfort: 4 out of 5
Performance: 3 out of 5
Exterior Styling: 5 out of 5
Interior Design: 4 out of 5
Value for the Money: 5 out of 5
Reliability: 3 out of 5

"When I first purchased my 02 Celica GT for $6500. It had tons of go compared to my old Impreza, it looked great on the outside and inside, and had a really good overall feel. It had 98XXX miles at the time. 5,000 miles later, I bent a rod, and had to spend $4,000 getting the engine replaced. Since then I've had check engine lights from the evap system, and one of the cats went bad. The estimated 34 MPG is completely unrealistic, with only 5 speeds you'll be doing 4,000 RPM at 80 MPH, which I don't think is an unrealistic cruising speed. Overall, I'd say if you want a Celica, buy a GTS, definitely not a GT, but for that money in the North you'd be better off in a Subaru and in the South, some RWD muscle car."

I would recommend this car to a friend: No

This vehicle was purchased: Used

Primary use for this car: Commuting


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0 out of 1 found this review helpful

dont buy

by tess
from | June 24, 2011

Rating from

(2)
Comfort: 4 out of 5
Performance: 2 out of 5
Exterior Styling: 4 out of 5
Interior Design: 4 out of 5
Value for the Money: 2 out of 5
Reliability: 1 out of 5

"i have an 01 celica. ive had it about 4 years. other than good gas mileage and looking nice the car is awful. it has no go whatsoever. anything and everything has gone wrong wiht her. she burns oil like crazy and has a multi cylinder misfire. awful car dont buy not worth the stress of constantly fixing im trying to get rid of mine"

I would recommend this car to a friend: No

Primary use for this car: N/A


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0 out of 4 found this review helpful

Puts some spice in a commuter car

by Kengel
from Roxbury, CT | April 29, 2011

Rating from

(5)
Comfort: 4 out of 5
Performance: 4 out of 5
Exterior Styling: 5 out of 5
Interior Design: 5 out of 5
Value for the Money: 5 out of 5
Reliability: 5 out of 5

"I just bought my 02 Celica GT on Tuesday. I'm using it to commute to school next year, naturally my father wanted me to get a Civic, Corolla, etc. however the Celica was a great middle ground for the two of us. It gets great MPG and has the famous Toyota reliability. I work at a garage and drive other peoples cars all the time, and I've never found a clutch this tight, not in brand new Imprezas or Mini Coopers. Not only does it have all the basic features of a good commuter car, but it steps out of the box and looks great, and drives like a dream. Also, being the 18 year old guy that I am this car is a great starting point for some basic modifications to make it really my own. In short, I couldn't ask for a better economy/commuter car, it's practical and sporty at the same time."

I would recommend this car to a friend: Yes

This vehicle was purchased: Used

Primary use for this car: Commuting


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2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Great Car

by Celica Enthusiast
from Austin, TX | March 11, 2010

Rating from

(5)
Comfort: 5 out of 5
Performance: 4 out of 5
Handling: 5 out of 5
Exterior Styling: 5 out of 5
Interior Design: 5 out of 5
Features: 5 out of 5
Value for the Money: 5 out of 5
Reliability: 5 out of 5

"Found it at Cars.com 250-mi from here. Excellent condition for almost 100K-miles but Celicas are good for at least 250K without a major overhaul. This one gets over 30-mpg and hums right along. All the bells and whistles of expensive cars with leather seats, pwr doors windows alarm auto cold air etc. This is my first 7th generation Celica; used to have a '95. I love it!"

I would recommend this car to a friend: Yes

This vehicle was purchased: Used

Primary use for this car: Just getting around


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5 out of 5 found this review helpful

Practical yet Sporty

by GT-S Driver
from Brea, CA | July 15, 2009

Rating from

(4)
Comfort: 4 out of 5
Performance: 4 out of 5
Handling: 4 out of 5
Exterior Styling: 5 out of 5
Interior Design: 5 out of 5
Features: 4 out of 5
Value for the Money: 4 out of 5
Reliability: 5 out of 5

"Great gas mileage. Routinely get 35 - 39 MPG city/hwy combined. Car is very light and the handling is tight & responsive. The Action Package kit is very nice. Very reliable. Have had this car for 150,000 miles without any major prob. Here are the downsides: 1)Low torque. 1st - 3rd gear requires high rev if you want to challenge other high perf cars on the road. 2)Performance is hindered when the A/C is on. 3) My car has a chronic belt sqeak at start up. The belt tensioner was replaced, but the problem persists. Could be due to poor workmanship at the dealership."

I would recommend this car to a friend: Yes

This vehicle was purchased: New

Primary use for this car: Commuting


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0 out of 0 found this review helpful

Worst car i ever owned

by Mechanic
from Baltimore | December 28, 2008

Rating from

(3)
Comfort: 4 out of 5
Performance: 3 out of 5
Handling: 4 out of 5
Exterior Styling: 5 out of 5
Interior Design: 5 out of 5
Features: 3 out of 5
Value for the Money: 2 out of 5
Reliability: 1 out of 5

"I have owned this car for 1 year. So far it has has an engine at 60K and a transmission rebuild at 65K. The toyota warenty covered all the work. When the engine was replaced they did not know that the intake camshaft will lock in the retarted position reducing power and told me there was nothing wrong with the car. They had a dealer represenitive drive the car and he said the same. Only when a Chevy tech checked out what they did was the problem found and corrected. They also preformed the recall on the vehicle and put the fuel pump in incorectly so the fuel level gauge did not work. Now it is in the shop because at 68k the transmission started to leak and the passanger driveshaft started to walk out of the transmission. I have never owned a car with this many problems or had to wait so long to get parts. Another dealer worked on the car putting a alternator in at 66k, they ordered the part and told me it would take 2 weeks to get one from outside of the US because there were none left."

I would recommend this car to a friend: No

This vehicle was purchased: Used

Primary use for this car: Just getting around


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3 out of 13 found this review helpful

Amazing Car

by TRD.Aaron
from Miramar, FL | September 2, 2008

Rating from

(5)
Comfort: 5 out of 5
Performance: 4 out of 5
Handling: 5 out of 5
Exterior Styling: 5 out of 5
Interior Design: 5 out of 5
Features: 4 out of 5
Value for the Money: 5 out of 5
Reliability: 5 out of 5

"This car is absolutely amazing, gets me from point a to point b and a whole lot more! I get between 34-36 mpg combined city and highway, although thats granny driving its still better than a lot of hybrids out there. The sytling of the car is ok but with the trd package or tsunami package its awesome. The 1zz engine of the GT isn't spectacular but is fast enough for an 18 year old who likes to speed at certain times and have some fun on the highway. Last but not least the Reliability is legendary and stands true to the Toyota name."

I would recommend this car to a friend: Yes

This vehicle was purchased: Used

Primary use for this car: N/A


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5 out of 6 found this review helpful

Great Car!

by Toyota Lover
from Cincinnati, OH | March 22, 2007

Rating from

(5)
Comfort: 5 out of 5
Performance: 5 out of 5
Handling: 5 out of 5
Exterior Styling: 5 out of 5
Interior Design: 5 out of 5
Features: 5 out of 5
Value for the Money: 5 out of 5
Reliability: 5 out of 5

"Wonderful car! Never had a single problem with it, dependable, sporty, great gas miles and comfortable."

I would recommend this car to a friend: Yes

This vehicle was purchased: New

Primary use for this car: N/A


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4 out of 4 found this review helpful

Second Car!

by Patrick
from Kansas City, MO | September 28, 2006

Rating from

(5)
Comfort: 4 out of 5
Performance: 5 out of 5
Handling: 5 out of 5
Exterior Styling: 5 out of 5
Interior Design: 5 out of 5
Features: 4 out of 5
Value for the Money: 5 out of 5
Reliability: 5 out of 5

"When I got my driver's license, the first car I had was a 2004 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS with a 5 spd manual transmission. It felt slow, uncontrollable, and dull, as well as having poor gas mileage. I got tired of that car, and decided to give the Celica GT-S a try. Ever since the first time I took it out on the test drive, I have been in love with this car. The handling capabilities of this thing are off the wall. There is no better feeling in this car than taking a sharp curve, downshifting to second, then flooring it on the upcoming straight away to above 6k rpms. It pulls hard when the vvt-i lift system takes over. I can make great launches in this car and love driving it 45 minutes to school each day. It gets great gas mileage. It is the most enjoyable car I have ever driven. I would recommend this car to anyone looking for a great car to drive hard day-to-day."

I would recommend this car to a friend: Yes

This vehicle was purchased: Used

Primary use for this car: N/A


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4 out of 4 found this review helpful

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