I'm not to sure which of these cars i should get. I wanted the celica at first but the talon seems like its in better condition.
There 5 speed Standard.

1990 Eagle Talon
Price: $2,500.00
Km's: 125,000




1991 Toyota Celica GT-S
Price: $2,200.00
Km's: 190,000



I'll be painting whichever car i get black.

not sure about American cars TBH so I'll go with what Joker will choose: the Celica.

I'm not sure where you live, but if gas prices stay between $3.60 and $4.00+ I'd look for something that's a little more economical and won't make my insurance cost be so high.

I almost bought a talon one time... took it home for the weekend and everything. I have owned two celicas as well.

I can tell you that the celica has a better resell and they are better quality, but the talon appears to be in better shape with less miles. The celica has a sunroof, if that matters. Both are 5spd; good choice. The celica also has a second set of rims/tires, which is pretty nice.

Just based on my memory of those generations, the Celica should be faster (mainly because it is lighter I think). Both of those models had an AWD turbo model (and FWD turbo on the talon), and both of those were awesome, so if you can swing it, try to find one of those FYI mitsu eclipse is the same thing as the talon... there was also the plymouth laser which was a DSM as well.

Considering they are both 3 door (hatch), front wheel drive, 4 cylinder, manual, and approaching 20 years old, they will be as cheap as a student can get. They should get reasonable gas mileage too, if they are in good mechanical shape, considering they have a small motor/5spd and weigh a lot less that today's cars.

ive owned an eclipse gsx and although it was fun as hell, it required a lot of maintenance. my younger bro later picked up the mitsu eclipse version of the talon, like in your pic, in hopes to turbo it, but it had too many issues to begin with. from memory, i think it was the transmission that failed on him.

based on the pics and descriptions, the talon seems to be in better condition; however, i'd test drive them and actually see them in person. theyre both reliable cars. even though the celica has a better resale value, theyre both nearing 20 years, so it becomes a moot point.

if youre planning on modding either of these cars, i'd say theyre both fun as an auto-x car. i wouldnt recommend turbo'ing either.

the sun roof is appealing, not sure if the talon has one or not. So far I'm leaning towards the celica cause he's asking 2200 obo so i think i can get it for $2000, but the talon is still a possibility. I'm gonna have to drive them both to see how they run.

z6joker9, what did you like driving better?

Well, considering I drove the talon for a weekend but purchased two different celicas and drove them for 8 years (both of which are still in the family), I'd have to go with the celi. However, they were different generations than the ones you are looking at. The celica, for instance, went through a huge change for the 7th generation (compared to the 5th that you are looking at). The 1st vs 2nd gen DSM are a closer match, but still differ greatly in looks.

Greaser is right about the resell value, but the resell ability will be easier with the celica, considering it is a Toyota, vs a car from a manufacturer that no longer exists (Eagle). The price at that age is solely up to negotiation... it's just that you might find more potential buyers for the Toyota. If you are planning on driving it until it virtually falls apart, though, it might not matter to you.

I wouldn't put painting high on the list of things to do. It will be expensive compared to the cost of the car and you'd be better off looking harder for one in the color you like initially, even if the paint is bad. Repainting a black car black is a lot easier than painting a red car black.

Celica's are known to be quite reliable, while DSMs were a mechanic's special. DSMs in particular often suffered from crankwalk, but I *thought* it mainly affected turboed 2nd gens. I once came so close to picking up a 97 triple black GS-T Spyder but was worried about maintenance (ended up purchasing my second 7th gen celi instead, which initially had a few of it's own problems before it was reliable).

However, just drive both and see which one you like best. The talon does appear to be in better cosmetic shape, but is also more expensive. I personally like the celica's body style better (between those two generations anyway, 6th gen celi vs 2nd gen DSM goes to the DSM, but 7th gen > 3rd gen).