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2003 Toyota Celica T-Sport VVTLi 190bhp

I like cars, a lot, and always dreamed about one day having all sorts of cars; classic Mustangs, Jaguar F-Type, Aston Martin Vanquish, various American fastback pony cars. In spring 2018, when my Hyundai Coupe needed too much work to be economical to repair (lots of worn parts including power steering, clutch, gearbox, exhaust), I went car shopping and came across a 2003 Celica T-Sport. She'd done 120,000 miles, almost double that of my Coupe, and was older than my Coupe, but her engine and bodywork were in excellent condition and I took her for a test drive. I couldn't give the sales man my £2,000 fast enough.

The interior is very basic with no 'features' or creature comforts at all. She rattles, has almost no sound-deadening, even less suspension, she does 30 miles to the gallon and costs me £315 a year in road tax. But she's a car for those who actually enjoy the experience of driving. She won't do anything for you, but she'll respond to everything you do with gusto.

Since having the Celica, affectionately known as 'Lexa', my long held dreams of expensive cars fell away. Never have I had so much fun on the road as I have with Lexa. She's amazing to drive, sounds beautiful, and the 'lift', a mechanism that physically lifts the cam to provide an extra 50bhp once the car hits 6,000 rpm, makes me grin every time it's engaged.


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