I wasn't aware of the lack/high cost of parts for the convertible when my wife and I bought it. The weather stripping for the windows is about $400 per side, and that's just for the rubber! There are pieces that the rubber attaches to, and they are expensive as well. We looked at Miatas, since they've made a zillion (closer to a million ) of those little suckers, and I test drove a Chrysler Crossfire a few days ago. The Crossfire was nice, but lacked the zippy steering of the Celica, and parts for that car are getting scarce as well! Crossfires don't seem to be much in demand, and this one is being sold by a new car dealership. They gave me the CarFax, and it shows that they've moved it to all three of their dealerships since April 2012, and still haven't been able to sell it!

While the Crossfire had a LOT of power, I was very glad to get back behind the wheel of my Celica on last Thursday. Parts might be expensive and hard to find for the Celica, but I don't think it's time to spend $12,000 on a used car with equally hard to find parts (Mercedes and Chrysler parts!!!), and the Miata just doesn't seem to go with my height. Guess I'm stuck with my Celica for now. I should mention that my Celica is in pristine condition, and doesn't need any parts right now. I was just a little concerned that the day will come when I'm just outta luck.

It was in the upper 50's yesterday, and we spent several hours burning up fuel with the top down. We did pass a Triumph TR6, and I said to my wife, "Now that's a roadster!" I then began to wonder how much parts for that car would cost.

The Triumph would cost you an arm and leg in parts, not to mention there is no such thing as a rust free TR6. If you want a more powerful convertible why not get a Solara with the V6? Or there is always the Mustang and Firebird/Camaro if you want V8 RWD.

go to a yard and buy a spare top for 100 bucks, thats what i did. people part the convertibles all the time, you can get parts. check car-parts.com for used parts and call around.

There are so many Mustangs where I live....LOTS! I had a 1965 Mustang Coupe, and a 1970 Boss 302 when I was in high school, so the post-1970 Mustangs just don't turn me on. They have recaptured that 1970 vibe in the last few years, but chrome bumpers add that little extra.

Pics from yesterday-
Just the right size:


Nice Solstice and our Celica:


A Miata I drive past several times a week and makes the Celica look HUGE:

I had an MG Midget for a while, and that was interesting....LOL!

I've been looking for junk yards since moving back to Bucks County a few years ago. No luck so far.....

This post has been edited by FrankB2: Jan 21, 2013 - 8:14 PM

ive been around chester county and no luck for me! Not many of them around!

Found a junk yard through car-parts.com! It's 45 miles away, but has several parts for my Celica. You have to call for price, but how bad could they be? Thanks for the link!

P.S. It's Hanna's in Allentown.

This post has been edited by FrankB2: Jan 21, 2013 - 8:27 PM

Oh yeah, forgot about the Solstice/Sky. Have the same problem with Mustangs here, they're everywhere.

>

my uncle owns one the very few triumphs in existence here on the island and let me tell you, the car is fun to drive in but he cant find the convertible top so he only takes it out on sunny days and the body is in terrible condition but the ladies dig the car! motor wise, he swapped it out and put in a nissan 240sx motor in it.

I see no reason to use the words "nice" and "Solstice" in sequence.

Unfortunately, the hot babe in her late 20's wasn't standing next to the Solstice when I took the pic. That would have been very nice!

The Solstice has a funky looking rear section on the convertible top. I've never examined one closely enough to see how it attaches to the body, but the Crossfire has a very nice convertible top system. I could see that top keeping water out nicely.

FuzzyFo,
The TR6 I saw was primo. The couple driving it where well into their 60's, but looked great in that car. I've been seeing MG's popping up for sale, and have read that parts makers are back on the case, at least with the MG's.

Nifty top mounted to a 90's SLK covered in Chrysler parts. While the former is a lot more promising than the latter, the combination is nonetheless still quite dreadful.

This post has been edited by SwissFerdi: Jan 21, 2013 - 10:42 PM

The Solstice is dreadful to drive. I tore one up at the drag strip all night long with a stock 5S. Thought maybe it was poor driving so I took the wheel. The best time I could get was an 11.5.... in the 1/8th mile. So, barring drag racing, it seems to have appeal for street driving. The gearing is dreadful, the steering feel is the same as a mid-90's Silverado, the factory seat covers don't even fit, and the only way to drive it is if its a rental and with a paper bag over your head.

Convertible 350Z's are nice (with the top down), and I'm not just saying that because I own a Z. I still prefer driving my Celica though.

350Z Convertible!!! I forgot about that one. There's a nice looking specimen less than a mile away, but it's at a cheesey looking used car lot. They're asking 20K, but I can't see buying from used car lots.

Steering:
Out of all the cars I mentioned, the only one I've driven has been the Crossfire. Straight line highway cruising would be fine, but man that thing feels like the first Mercedes sedan I drove back in the early 1980's...and that's not a compliment. The door sills are super high as well, and it was nearly impossible to rest my arm on the sill. Actually, we drove it with the top down, and the salesman and I were laughing at the way it looks with your arm on the door sill.

I like my Celica, and looking at other cars over the past month has confirmed I made a good choice back in October.

I was also thinking about selling my celica vert. I looked around at other cars, but decided to spend the money, and swap in a red top beams engine. I couldn't be happier with the result. It's a great car, and if the beams engine is as reliable as the 5s, the swap will have been well worth it.

I got it. Corvette convertible, that or a Porsche Boxster.

Corvette and Boxster? I've got the visual covered on those two cars as well:

I've seen nicer Vettes from the 60's, but the new models are FAST. The front looks kind of cheap and plastic on the new Vettes, and I think the Celica is holding its own there....REALLY.


The Boxster is nice, but even that car isn't too thrilling in terms of appearance:


Think I take a lot of pics???

P.S. I've removed the dealer's logo off the trunk since that pic with the Boxster was taken. Hate that stuff.....

This post has been edited by FrankB2: Jan 22, 2013 - 2:07 PM

Why you get this one:


I personally prefer the C5 to the C6 anyway.

Convertibles are high maintenance cars in general.

I don't mind spending the money, as long as I can find the parts. We have had two larger sailboats since 1991, and have thrown tons of cash into those. Life is short, and we enjoy sailing and the convertible, I just want parts. The first of our larger sailboats needed a part for the mast, and it was no longer manufactured. I went to several machine shops trying to get a decent repair, and finally stumbled into an shop that made aerospace parts. They charged a LOT, but the resulting piece was a work of art. An exact replica of the piece that had cracked, but CNC'd from much better materials. I left it on our coffee table before driving it to the Jersey shore two weeks later.

Out driving the Celica today, and had a chance to compare with a Mustang. I'll take the Celica in this case.


I was visiting at a hospital when I took that pic, and didn't look around, but there were probably eight more Mustangs in the lot. The Mustang's top cross bars are just plain nasty! They must keep the local top shop busy, because that top looks ready to burst open.

This post has been edited by FrankB2: Jan 27, 2013 - 8:03 PM

>



I think the biggest concern I have with my vert are the power window motors. They work fine for now but I'm considering hunting down replacements since parts for these verts are already hard to find like you said. Sometimes you might feel bored with your car but its just a matter of giving it a rest and driving something else for a few days to really appreciate the celi. I've had that feeling with previous cars its completely normal. The drawbacks of buying a new car would be price eg making car payments,, or example if you get something newer you'll probably pay higher property taxes. Also, depending on what you get, might cost more maintenance wise. Just things to think about.

Dont get me wrong I love my celica convertible but I would have bought a 90's 300zx convertible if it had better gas mileage

I'm not afraid about parts any longer, and we've been enjoying the Celica all winter. It's my DD, and I gave my Jeep to my son. Driving anything other than the Celica seems odd now.

That Nissan looks like a mini-Vette/Firebird... sort of. There's a classic car dealer about a mile from where I live, and they have a red 1985 Mazda RX-7. Looks mint, but no price. Talk about looking for parts....

I too thought of selling my Celica, but decide not too when I looked at what I could afford. Nothing has the same feeling or character that the celica has.

300ZX is a nightmare to work on. Ill never do it again!

>
The NA didn't look to be that bad, I know the turbo is a nightmare though.

>
bump... Frank, looks like you have the center caps with the Toyota logo; do you know if those are original? I can find them for the Camry, but not the Celica, wondering if they're interchangeable. Also, did you remove the spoiler or did it come w/o?

Thanks,
Dennis

Hi Dennis,
I'm guessing those caps are original. It was a one-owner trade-in at a local car dealer, and belonged to a little old lady. I have no idea about interchanging them....

The car didn't have a spoiler when I bought it. My insurance company says it's a GT LE according to the vin, but there's no sign of a spoiler mounted on the deck lid. I did have to replace a tail lamp assembly last week. I was backing out of a parking spot a Walmart (should've known nothing good would come of that), and a woman was backing out at the same time. The only damage Was to my tail light assembly, and a new one cost $160. The local Toyota dealer wanted over $200, but I bought this one from Lithia Toyota. BTW, I'm using the voice dictation keyboard on my iPad to type this. Pretty cool!