25k Original Miles: 1984 Toyota Celica GT
Cars from the 1980s spent years in the wilderness as people sought to forget The Malaise Era. However, times have changed, and one of the driving forces behind their reemergence is a new generation of enthusiasts who view them as an affordable entry point into the world of classic car ownership. While that may seem strange initially, it is worth noting that vehicles from that era now have more than three decades under their belts, making spotless and unmolested examples attractive. That is the case with this 1984 Toyota Celica GT because it fulfills those criteria. Adding to its appeal is a known ownership history as part of the same family since Day 1 and an odometer reading of 25,000 original miles. It now needs a new home, with the owner listing it here on eBay in Houston, Texas. Bidding has raced beyond the reserve and currently sits at $10,200. I must say a big thank you to Barn Finder Larry D for spotting this beauty.
When Toyota released its Third Generation Celica in late 1981, its styling caused a sensation in the media. Below the surface, it was business as usual, but the exterior featured sharper styling and straight edges that would become a hallmark of vehicles from that era. The company performed a mid-life facelift in August 1983, changing the appearance of the vehicle’s front and pop-up headlights. Our feature car rolled off the line in 1984 wearing a combination of Light Topaz and Brown Metallic paint. Toyota offered that combination for a single model year, and while it may not appeal to some, the colors are typical for the era. The car has been part of the same family since it rolled off the showroom floor, and limited use combined with a history of garage storage helps it present beautifully. The seller indicates the paint has some flaws, but these are too small to be visible in the supplied photos. It shines like a new penny, with the plastic trim showing no signs of deterioration. The glass is flawless, as are the alloy wheels. This Celica probably wouldn’t have generated much excitement in the motoring community in 1984, but its condition guarantees it will draw a crowd at a show or a Cars & Coffee.
Toyota released the original Celica as a sporting model, and while they continued to market it as such, it was another vehicle severely impacted by tightening emission regulations. This car features its original 2,366cc 22R-E four-cylinder engine producing 105hp. Sadly, the owners elected to order the car with the optional four-speed automatic transmission, which further saps potential performance. It is challenging to nail down specific performance figures for Celicas from this era, but the factory confirmed it could accelerate from 0-60mph in 11.5 seconds. That isn’t fast by modern standards, but it was about what buyers had grown to expect in the early 1980s. Its saving grace was its economy, with a 1984 Celica GT capable of cruising at freeway speeds while returning consumption better than 27mpg. The story of this car is positive. It belonged to the family matriarch, who used it for such mundane duties as trips to the market. The wonderful lady only clocked about 25,000 miles behind the wheel before parking it. Her son inherited the vehicle on her passing and worked through a thorough revival process. The Celica features new tires, a new muffler, new hoses, and new belts. They flushed the fuel system, replaced the fluids, recharged the air conditioning, and performed other maintenance tasks as required. The car runs and drives perfectly and is a turnkey classic, ready to head to its new home in a few days.
Besides less-than-stunning performance, cars from the 1980s developed a reputation for interior trim that could best be described as “biodegradable.” Manufacturers struggled with plastic development, and many cloth upholstery products proved prone to sun rot. It is not unusual to see cars like this Celica with floors littered with small pieces of plastic and seat upholstery developing holes. Our feature car hasn’t suffered that fate, with its interior condition close to showroom fresh. There is no wear or physical damage to any surfaces and no aftermarket additions. It features the production Celica gauge cluster with a tachometer and other auxiliary gauges. Buyers also received a tilt wheel, an AM/FM radio, a power antenna, and air conditioning. Everything in this classic works as it should, except for faults with the radio and antenna. The seller says the antenna is inoperative and that the radio doesn’t sound great. The two defects could be linked, so fixing the antenna could address the second issue.
Although it is impossible to describe this 1984 Celica GT as showroom fresh, its condition is well beyond what we usually expect from an unrestored vehicle of this vintage. Its originality is admirable, as is the family’s decision to resist the urge to add aftermarket equipment. Their transmission choice will negatively impact its potential value and will probably see some potential buyers turn their backs. However, the bidding history suggests people like what they see, and with the reserve met, I’m unsurprised it is set to head to a new home in a few days.
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Comments
What a cool little side note in automotive history.
Let’s assume the lady that owned it was probably at least in her mid 70’s when she passed a couple years ago, let’s say 75. If that was 2 years ago, she would be 77 now (if still alive).
The car was new 38 years ago, so she had it 36 years before she left this life.
She, in all those years, put on her car what I put on one of my cars in 1 year.
I can’t imagine anyone buying a brown Toyota brand new and not using it as a commuter, but she did. This car would be way too expensive to restore to this condition, parts just don’t exist for restoration. So I assume this is a well loved original car. What a great find!
Nice car, like Sg sez, just don’t hit anything with it. Local car lot had a car similar to this, similar story, low mileage, I had considered it, but was sold to a local fellow who worked at the gas station. Soon after, I noticed the front crumpled. He hit a deer, and can’t find any sheet metal to repair it. Shame, it was a nice original car too. Even though I bleed red, white and blue, a better car simply wasn’t made. Toyota was the best then and still is today. Too bad they were made out of tin foil.
Hard to believe you can not get an entry level affordable 2 door anymore – at least in the USA – last to bite the dust …
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a33336901/honda-civic-coupe-discontinued/
I bet that would not be the case if there were no smartphones or internet.
No market for even inexpensive cars if teens or 20 somethings don’t want to drive when they prefer getting rides from someone else, looking at their phones all waking hours, let alone have a license to drive or do car maintenance.
Yet, why the small Mitz Mirage(4 door only tho) is still around or even why Mitz is selling cars in the USA is beyond me – especially since there’s no more Sonic, Yaris, Spark, Fit, Fiat 500, etc.
Regarding the Celica, the last gen new bum motor in that car did not help matters.
I had so many cars (over 75) in the 70’s and 80’s that I can’t remember every one. This car sparked a memory of a silver and black ’84 Celica hatchback I had. Great car, should have kept it!
I’m looking into buying this ’85 for our Granddaughter-
(she’ll be paying for it).They’re asking $2700 for it.
Well, I’ll tell ya’, I’m not ripping on your granddaughters driving, but today, I think something with an air bag is more suited to todays driving, it’s a fact, young people have the worst records, unless,of course, you have an unusual granddaughter,,I’d buy it for myself!
Please let me know if you end up not buying that Celica for your grand daughter and send me the info for it.
Trying to get a hold of the seller to go see it.
You can call me at the number below,so I can
let you know,if we don’t buy it.
– Doug 70Seven) 445-3354
I’m in the same boat. My son is 14 and has his permit and will get his license here pretty soon so I’m going to be looking for something too.
Honestly as much as i’d like to get him something cool, I think these 80s cars need to be saved and not sacrificed to a teenage driver, my own son included. I’m going to look for something a bit more modern with more safety engineering and features for him.
He can drive some of my collector cars in the fall or spring as long as there is no road salt on the roads, but his daily driver will certainly be something newer and disposable, without as much redeeming value as these old cars have.
Not a fan of the color but EVERYTHING else about it makes me want to own it. Beautiful find!!
I really like that Toyota stuck with rear wheel drive for so long, even in their smallest cars. Makes them stand out from the Hondas of that same time period.
Rear drive cars of that time handled better than their front-drive counterparts, especially if you knew how to drive them. There’s a reason race car drivers don’t use front wheel drive.
As the article states, angular styling was very prevalent in the early 80s. All that started to change with the styling of the new ’83 T-Bird. “Aerodynamics” became the “in” thing. Cars then started resembling jellybeans, especially Ford.
Why is the back bumper all black, unlike the front one? I can’t recall if that was factory or not, otherwise, a very nice car and (I’m gonna say it) it would be perfect with a stick shift, LOL!! GLWTA!! :-)
Nice condition, but a brown automatic non-hatch is not the most desirable model. That seems to happen more often than not.
Now that brings back memories as I had purchased a new ’82 Celica with
fuel injection. I think it was pale yellow with the same shade of brown
interior (at least it wasn’t black or gray) and was quite reliable. As I was
making the rounds of the Japanese car industry traded it in for a ’85 Nissan
Maxima sedan.
My first car was an ’83 Celica notchback, in metallic blue, 5 speed. Underpowered, but cornered like it was on rails. True definition of “slow car fast!” Also the headlights on the 83 were a bit different than these, they pointed to the sky and tilted into position. Good memories!
The pointed up headlights would make it a GTS model –
the one to have.I love the look of those with the Supra wheels.