There are certain cars and trucks that simply have a following. They are usually attractive and have at least some sporting pretensions about them, and when one is discovered as a low-mileage barn find, it’s difficult not to take note of it. The first-generation Toyota Celica is such as car, and it marked an important shift in the pony car wars when it was introduced. Although not particularly powerful, it did show that manufacturers could build a desirable and economical car with good looks to boot. Find this 1973 Toyota Celica here on eBay and described as a recent barn find for $13,999.
When you compare the Celica to its primary competition at the time, the Ford Mustang, the two cars couldn’t be more different. The Mustang was heavy and large; the Celica, light and lithe. Both cars were fairly underpowered but the Mustang was low on output even with eight cylinders; at least with just 90 horsepower on tap, the Celica was doing its best with a humble four-cylinder. Where the Celica surprised car shoppers most of all, however, was its looks: here was an economical car from Japan that looked muscular, almost racy. It was how a Mustang was supposed to look. This one is also shockingly rust-free.
Another feather in this Celica’s cap is the manual gearbox, which also helped the car stand out from the pony car competition. You didn’t see too many Mustangs with manuals that weren’t the top-shelf performance models, and the Toyota gearbox was a joy to row. While I can’t speak to what it was like to be of driving age in the 70s when the Celica came out, I have to imagine it was a bit of a shock to see a car from the country more known for tiny econoboxes than anything else equipped with a driver-oriented cockpit, three pedals, and an engine that loves to rev.
Now, this was not a particularly exotic motor; it was more farm implement than de-tuned race engine. Of course, that makes the fact that it was fun to toss around back roads even more impressive, as you weren’t working with much under the hood. The seller has made no attempt to fire this 4-cylinder up, as it came out of the barn without keys. However, given the propensity these cars have for rusting out, no keys is a far easier problem to manage than patching holes and replacing body panels. The asking price may seem high, but it’s not out of line for a solid early Celica with a stick.
If only these had stayed this way, they were one of my favorites. While the manual was popular, I read, in ’73, they offered a 3 speed automatic, and that changed everything. Macho he-man types didn’t go for a Celica coupe, it was another car aimed at women, and another site said Celica automatics became the hallmark of most US Celicas. These weren’t cheap, either. While a base Celica was still under $2grand, one like this was easily over $3, and about the same as a Mustang, however, a grand less than its own competition, the 240Z. Toyota sold over 4 million Celicas in its 26 year run, impressive regardless of who you follow.
Oh yeah, while I’ve literally given up on the price foolishness( a rusty AD pickup for $21 grand, unacceptable), but what also is equally as foolish, is this person actually thinks other people will accept the claim of “40K original miles”. Pretty clear to even the most inept, it’s way more, 5 digit speedo, who knows? 140? 240? If they didn’t melt away, it’s entirely possible. Word of advice, if you actually believe the claim, you should maybe try a different venue, I suggest wood boats?
With a curb weight under 2200 lbs, that means that even with only 90 horsepower that Celica was definitely not anemic…it must have been fun to drive!
I have driven something as big, heavy and powerfull as 1974 Buick Lesabre with a 454, and something as light as a Ford Festiva with about 65 hp, of course in a straight line the LeSabre was much faster, but the small car even though slower is so damn nimble, almost like a gokart, that it is more fun to drive and it stops on a dime !
But I am sure many here will disagree.
I’ve driven ’em big and I’ve driven ’em small, but one of the most fun cars I had to drive was the first gen Honda Civic, CVCC engine and all. That thing handled so easily you could drive it with your eyes closed. I also had an MG Midget, which was also fun as long as it ran, which was usually iffy.
This doesn’t look like a 40k mile engine to me at least it doesn’t present itself as such. Just saying. The car does present well for a 50 year old car though.
Sometimes we get caught up in the moment. Our thoughts focus only on the car we like and the biggest drivetrain possible. When confronted with it the juvenile corner of our lizard brain engages and off we go, foot on the floor and steering.
I too appreciate the low performance car that can be driven flat out. All the time. The biggest downside is they seldom have a suspension to allow for optimum fun. *sigh*. Our ’92 Plymouth Colt was one of those. Mini Coopers, Fiats and early Fiestas had the best combination of everything. Long live slow cars driven fast.
most 73 Celica’s were not autos, only about 10%, as far as milage if all the numbers are straight it under 100k if the first number is a little higher its 100k +, if the second number is a little higher its 200k +.
Jeff, I am old enough to have been driving when these came out. I never had a Celica but I did have a ‘68 Corona fastback model with a manual. Fun car to drive, quick and nimble, and it never broke down and left me stranded. And, yes, I did know a girl who had a Celica like this but I don’t remember if hers was a manual or auto as I never rode in it. Also had a ‘65 Mustang and a ‘71 240Z .
Those ugly black bumper guards really take away from this car’s nice lines. I’d 86 ‘em.
I owned a 74 CelicaGT with a 5 speed and A/C and it was comfortable, got great gas mileage and was easy to work on.
The interior was excellent.
The 18RC engines were prone to valve burning and timing chain issues but the body work was way better than offerings fro Datsun which I also owned. One of my favorite rides.
we didn’t see a lot of valve issues on the east coast but if you seen one with an engine problem it was likely the chain, while this didn’t seem to be a big problem when a car don’t have many problems the one it does have stands out and the pattern we seen a lot was s%&t oil filters like the fram on this one.
it was a shame we didn’t get the 18rg like Japan and Australia, we imported them back in the day and I have a 71 with one now and they were EXTREAMLEY tough.
For 14K you would think they could have a locksmith come out and make new keys and maybe spring for a battery? What do the front seats look like under the covers? Any owner’s manuals or service records in the glove box?
Sellers like this don’t give me a good feeling about doing business with them. It is quite clear that they did nothing more than buy a nonfunctioning car on the cheap and are determined to do as little as possible to sell it for a figure that they pulled out of their nether regions. They will have little information about the vehicle and fully absolve themselves of any responsibility regarding condition. All they are accomplishing is adding a gratuitous layer of cost to the equation. A parasitic drag if you will. Adding cost not value. Classic middleman justification for living among the rest of us.
My first car was a 71ST, $1000 in 1977 while I was still in high school.
It was my grandfathers, his neighbor was a body guy from the locaal chevy dealer. He bought the Celica and a 74 Corolla too [it was an automatic]
Grandparents lived on a farm, they sat in a barn because he had a Marlin he drove all the time.
When I turned 16 he sold it to me, I had to work at a Wendy’s and then a grocery store to afford it and the insurance.
Man I loved that car
I bought a 77 Celica GT 5spd w/AC and half vinyl roof for $5k out the door in 1977. Still have the window sticker and invoice. I believe the engine was the 20R at that point. Changed the oil & filter every 3k miles. Plugs and points changed about every 10k. Put 265k miles on it with only 1 major repair – the drive shaft center hanger bearing. Even though the car was way out of warranty, the dealer fixed it for the parts cost only. It was payback for sending several friends and family to purchase Toyotas. Sold the car in 1984 for $4k due to severe rust in the unibody rails.
the 20r is where I cut my teeth, great engine, have made over 200hp n/a and over 450 with boost and or NOS and they will take it like a champ.
Speaking of turbos, I knew someone who had a little Datsun wagon with the L19 engine with an added turbo. He ran 8 lbs. of boost and the wagon would shred its tires.
Lovely looking car. Although I was way too young at the time to drive a car, I remember when the Toyota Celica looked like this.
I had a ’73, red, black interior, 5 speed. I liked the car. It was relatively fast and handled great. It was pretty rusty, not on the exterior but the strut supports. I went through a construction zone where they had made a really bad transition to new pavement and both sides of the hood pushed up. I drove it back home, opened the hood and the front end dropped as both struts had broken free.
All the younger (pre-Boomer) gear heads in my city are obsessed with vintage Japanese steel like this, so the seller probably won’t have trouble with that asking price. In a year, this one will be fitted out with a low suspension, underbody LED lights and a super loud music system.
I’m holding onto my aging Honda in the hopes that I can eventually sell it for double its original price :)
The Celica (which is Japanese for “swan”) sold a ton here in the US and why not? They were good looking inside and out, fun to drive and also economical. What more could you want? And you used to see them all over back in the day. It would be nice to know if and how well this unit runs, however, given the price.
Had a 78 version of this model in blue and a removed vinyl top. Paid $400. It had the 20-R engine and a 5 speed. No rust to speak of but it needed a clutch (which I dutifully replaced in my rental’s driveway. I bought it with about 100K on the odometer and put another 80K on it without issue. Other than the interior smell of wet dog (which I never could be rid of), it was a great driving car. I put on a Weber carb thinking it would improve performance some, but if it did, I couldn’t notice. Sold it when I bought my 84 RX7 GSL in 1988 (with only 5K miles on it…see my signature picture). Always did like that Celica (or as they say in the UK midlands,
Ce-lee’-ca).
“what a Mustang should have looked like?” Uhh, No.
When I blew the engine in my 68 VW squareback ( a common problem with the “pancake” motors) I bought a used 73 Celica light blue with a white vinyl roof and interior. I don’t remember any big problems with it and drove it regularly until I got the classic bug and sold it to buy a 67 Camaro RS convertible (which I still have!). I’d be really interested but 14K is not in my price range and I too wonder why it’s been sitting this long with no keys/battery/dubious mileage. The ones sold on BaT for 15-23K in 2022-2023 were low mileage cars in great shape.
A ’73 with an 18 RC engine? Ok, I won’t argue but I thought that Toy had gone to the 20 RC by that time. My ’71 HiLux had an 8RC as did an acquaintance’s ’71 Celica. I don’t have good memories of the 8RC and neither did the guy with the Celica. I might add that the Celica jockey didn’t have to put up with his detonating POS for very long. A kid in the same community was out hot-rodding with his new Challenger RT. He decided to cut circles in the approach to the highway. Along came the guy in the Celica and T-boned the RT. Well, squarely in the rear wheel at least. I swear that he couldn’t have gotten that wheel more square in the front end if he had measured it. There was a perfect imprint of that rim in the grill. Two somewhat desirable cars with less than 4K miles on them, scrap-iron…
20r came in 1975. 8r had more hp but less torque than the 18r
You’re probably right. It has been a lot of years. My mother had a ’72 Corona Mk II and I thought it had a 20RC but it could easily have had the 18 RC. I just remember that it would run on regular gas while my 8RC sounded like a diesel on Ethyl. It was without a doubt the worst vehicle I ever owned…
One of the ones that started the downfall of the US auto.Industry. I was a Pontiac guy through and through. In ’73 I’d just bought a new Grand Prix, oil crisis be damned. And I just hated these though.with time I can appreciate them. Most of them rusted very fast in salt states and few though to preserve them, so this is something you just do not see every day!
Yes this was an outfit that, for once, didn’t look like a pagoda with wheels on it. I was always a strong supporter of American Made, and still am. I bought a HiLux pickup on a very stupid whim. My mom bought a car from over there shortly after and it wasn’t any better. We’ve all stayed 95% American Made ever since with no regrets…
You were not an enthusiast for the lovely Toyopet?
Can’t say that I am, Paolo. Of course, back then, British and European were nothing to write home about, with the exception of some of the sports cars. The Japanese did their best but, even when the Datsun 510 and the Toyota Corona showed up they weren’t very far from the Toyopet. Of course things opened up considerably when the Japanese started hiring stylists from America and Europe…
No Paolo I certainly was not! Toyopet and those silly little Beatles. And 370zpp, I am a well aware of our auto industry shooting itself In the foot. It makes me sad just the same. My last new car was a 2009 Pontiac G8 GXP, and I will not buy another new vehicle unless they bring Pontiac back, which is not likely to happen despite teasing us old folks recently with that fake news ad!
“One of the ones that started the downfall of the US auto industry”.
I respectfully disagree. The U.S. auto industry was responsible for the downfall of the U.S. auto industry. For ignoring the writing on the wall.
Yes, I can agree with you to some extent. I do blame politics, and the unions, especially the unions, for destroying the US Auto Industry.
I agree. The late 70s and into the 80s saw the US auto manufacturers putting out bland, low quality cars. The big 3 was pushing the low cost junk at us so people turned to better quality imports.
Plus the car mags, back in the mid-’70’s, climbed into bed with the Japanese manufacturers. They’re still doing it now, with those garbage Korean cars.
Big C, you definitely struck a chord with that one. I remember when I worked for GM, if there was a safety-related campaign change, the media wrung it right out, almost blaming the poor guys on the assembly lines. If there was a campaign change with the imports it was almost politically incorrect to even hint that they did something wrong. I remember a few years back, there was a lot of flak over a faulty ignition switch and GM was recalling cars right, left and center. There was as many as (9) imports using the exact SAME switch and the media glazed right over them but implied that GM was the soul offender. I found out through the automotive aftermarket grapevine, which listed ALL the users of that switch. The publisher of that newsletter almost had to hire a lawyer to get that settled down.
The downfall of the American auto industry was not due to the unions.
My younger brother had of these. It was manual and I was impressed with the handling when I got to drive it on the back roads around us. It actually handled better than my 1970 Camaro. Really fun car to drive especially if you liked working the gears. Back then John changed cars quite often. After a year or so my dad took it over. After the Toy my Dad who was a diehard full size Chevy man; traded it for a new Datsun B210. The Toyota was getting rusty mostly due to the salt spread on the roads where we lived. Dad had enough of rust with his old 1958 Belair. A deer totaled the Datsun before it could rust. Actually would like to have that Celica back today.
Reminds me how close or not so close I came to buying a new, Motor Trend Car of the Year, 1978 Toyota Celica. I loved the look of that sporty car. I spotted it at the dealership on the way to shop a 1978 AMC 2Dr sedan. Everything was going good with the salesman until the close. He said the price would be $6,200 and he would give me $200 for my 1971 Ford Pinto. I told him no one in my extended family has ever paid sticker price for a new car, and I won’t be the first one to do so. So he counter punched by telling me I was actually getting a bargain because most dealerships were selling the car for above sticker price because it was car of the year. Upon hearing that, I said nothing, I just got up from his desk and headed toward the door as he yelled after me, “don’t leave in anger and go buy an AMC car which you later will regret”. He turned out to be a prophet. But at least I got 14 years of service out of that AMC Concord.
American made????? so a camey or accord? the most American cars you can buy, if your buying ford or chevy your supporting Mexico or Canada. I would come very close to saying that no ford, chevy or dodge has ever been as good as the worse Toyota.
Matter of opinion, Jeff. I owned both and I was a mechanic for 50 years, who worked on everything that came in the door. By the mid-70s the Rising Sun produced some good cars but they still broke. I have seen just as many catastrophic drivetrain failures from Japanese and Korean cars as I have with American cars. On a personal note, my Fords and GMs held up very well for me and I’ll continue to drive them for as long as I’m allowed to drive. But make no mistake, every time I see a dealership’s service bay doors opened, their shop is full of broken cars with the same badge as the big sign at the front…
I to have been a mechanic since 1983 owned my own shop for 35 years and raced cars since 1989 and I have seen a completely different market and I think you will find that almost all the statistics support what I see. the first year Toyota was officially here 1957 the crown was decent car but was grossly under powered, ( ironically had more power than a bug) so Toyota left and on there official return in 1967 the toyopet corona was a 200% better car than about any American car, by 1974 there cars were about 600% better and until about 1995, because in 1991 our government mandated that Japanese manufacture’s had to build at least 51% of the cars sold in the US and use at least 51% American manufactured parts and that started the decline to now, where on average Toyotas are about 200% better.
I’m not going to argue with you. I said my piece…
These were known as a “chick car” before that was a thing, by definition of a car that was good looking but without serious performance and power And why not, it seemed they were mostly owned and operated by the very loveliest of girls and women in my world. The cheer leaders, swim team members, sorority sisters, hot older sisters of my friends, the young waitresses at the restaurant where I worked my first job. What a time to be alive.
1973 celica 0-60 11.1 1973 mustang 0-60 9.7 so yes definitely slower but the celica would murder it in about every other test.
I had a terrible crush on a girl in high school who owned one of these and in this color. Maybe if I buy this, restore it and give it to her as a gift she’ll marry me?!
Hahaaa I was over her half a century ago, but still brings back memories of the girl who – first – stomped my heart in the ground, dumped vodka on the shattered pieces and then lit it on fire!
Never forget ya Trixie!
When I was young and naive I bought compact pickup that the dealer advertised as only having 17k miles. I was so excited to beat the world to this incredible deal I ignored the rubber pads on the clutch and break pedals being worn through to the metal. Of course in about 5,000 miles it through a cam chain and busted the cover. Lesson learned, check the seats, carpet and pedals for wear. 40k they should appear to be near perfect.
I never drove a Celica but do remember Road & Track and Car and Driver castigating them for not being a true sports coupe, particularly criticizing handling. They said it understeered.
The 2000cc Pinto was rated at 100 bhp, and was an original and well balanced shape. The Celica was derivative and not very well done, in my opinion. I owned the Ford, a 1971.
That was almost enough for me. The second thing was, well, you didn’t see any on the race track. No Toyotas for that matter. Datsun? The 240Z, 510 and B210 were sweeping the asphalt. I bought and modified a 510 after the Pinto was totaled.
The automatic transmission, btw, was straight from GM. The little 1800cc Toyota was expected to push torque through the same slush box that Chevy put in an Impala. Japan didn’t make an automatic that Toyota wanted to put in their cars. As a Customs Inspector I signed off on a load of automatics headed to Japan; their value could be subtracted from the value of the cars imported into the US, reducing duty paid.
Definitely a great little car, and a nice start for someone, BUT
I will never understand why people list things and stop short of doing little things like get a key, battery and maybe even invest a little to get her running.
I get not wanting to dump money in a car you are selling, but the loss of potential buyers at this price due to that is high.
If it was a steal price wise , ok, but as priced I think a little more effort would have yielded more serious buyers and possibly a higher price. Jmho
As a certified manly man, I can say that I would indeed drive this Celica if just for the irony and the 5 speed….and certainly not for the price. If indeed it sat in a shop undisturbed and certainly appears so, it could well have 40000 miles. The odo looks pretty square and the car looks pretty clean. My goil had a ’77 Celica Liftback at the time and it was an ok car. Certainly didnt have the heft of a fifties Chevy but with gas hitting .40 a gallon whats a college student to do?
SOLD for $13,999.99
just turbo/efi-ed 1 of these. Used the 2.7 tacoma though. Car is pretty complete (as it came, just needed drive-train). Got losta help w/the puter
& wiring. The rest is in my wheel house. Missed the late ‘80s – early ‘00s
as I paid others to get their hands dirty (those 20 yr development I wuz not in the garage). Learnin in my last decades again (like 1st decades)! You CAN
be young again 8^ )