Toyota Celica GT-S daily fix-up - Need input

Hey everyone! So before I bought the Tacoma and moved out to Virginia, I drove a 2003 Toyota Celica GT-S. I picked it up my freshman year of college with just over 80,000 miles on it. The engine and the transmission were perfect, the car was totally stock minus a bangin' sound system, but the little electronic things like the power door locks and dash lights weren't working. I fixed those issues, and the car got me through four years of commuting to college with basic maintenance. I moved away in 2018 and my parents held onto the car.
Now I want to bring it out to where I live and make it nice, and do some tasteful mods. I never liked the riced-out Celica look at all. I'm more a fan of the OEM-plus look. I drive it around whenever I'm home, and it could use a little work. I got a good start last spring with the brakes. All new discs, new calipers up front, ceramic pads, pushed as much of the old fluid out and topped it off.
1. The tires are about 5 years old but they still have decent tread. If they're dry rotted I'll look into replacing them.
2. There's a whoom-whoom-whoom noise coming from the back of the car, it's really noticeable on smooth pavement. My mind goes straight to wheel bearing BUT I had the rear passenger wheel bearing done shortly after getting the car. Turns out it wasn't necessary, the noise at he time was coming from the shitty snow tires that came with the car and the mechanic kinda screwed me but I digress.
3. The steering wheel shakes back and forth and the car pulls and gets kinda darty at highway speeds. I had the car aligned a year ago but the problem didn't go away.
4. Bumps are pretty harsh. I think all the suspension components are original. I'm looking at Tein coilovers. I don't necessarily want to lower the car as much as I'm looking for a handling and ride quality advantage. If anyone has experience in this regard I'd greatly appreciate the input.
5. Overall vibration and harshness seems high. Maybe I'm used to the nice and new Tacoma but trips on rough freeways are brutal. My first inclination is to sound mat the cabin, but are there bushings in the suspension and steering that get dry rotted and contribute to it?

I know that's a lot. My question quickly turned into a journal of sorts. If anyone has any input of suggestions on anything, I'd greatly appreciate it! Once the maintenance and drivability stuff is taken care of, then comes appearance restoration and the mods. I love this car, we've been through a lot, and I want to bring it with me on my adventures out here on the east coast.

 

Biggest thing is the engine, they are fucking time bombs. Make sure the oil is fresh and the coolant is always topped off.

I've never found any coil overs to be more comfortable than stock. I'm old and cranky now so I'd probably just run lowering springs on some cheap oe strut replacements.

These are cheap but give you a lot for the buck

https://raceland.com/product/toyota-celica-7th-gen-coilovers/

It sounds like you have flat spots on the tires. I'd inflate them to 40psi and cross diagonal rotate them (this reverses the direction of the tire, a reset for tread) for now until you figure stuff out.

 

@Delta09 Is this your type of thing?

 

Do you think it has actually gotten rougher to drive, or did you get softer? Those cars are go-karts basically (I have a 2001 GTS still, but it is just sitting now). I bought it used, but with 23k miles. It has always been a bumpy ride, but that is to be expected for what it is.

 

Nice car! Here's my '03, driven daily. The ride is just going to be somewhat harsh, especially after driving other vehicles. And there's virtually no insulation from wind/road noise. No input on the Teins, I am riding on OEM. Fun little cars, good luck!

 

Another clean Celica! There's hope. Looks great man! I miss mine, getting into it from the Tacoma feels like driving a go-kart.

 

Maybe?? Maybe not. Like I said I'm used to the nice and new Tacoma but I put in a lot of time in the Celica beforehand.

My main thing is... it's like there's vibration and harshness coming through the steering wheel that makes me wonder about the bushings.

 

The engine is good. Typical Toyota tick at idle, I'll have to look into that. Doesn't burn oil (knock on wood). I had the dealership perform a cooling system flush and now it tends to disappear from the reservoir and there's a gurgling from the heater... Makes me think they didn't purge it correctly.

Thanks for the tip on coilovers, I don't want to make the ride worse if I don't have to...

 

Should add, I know starting in 2003 Toyota made a couple changes for the engine. The rev limiter is slightly lower than the 2000 model year, that should hopefully prevent the oil pump blowing up, and they revised the lift bolts so they don't break.

 

Tein makes some great coilovers, but they can be harsh if you don't shoot for a good spring rate. I went with the Flex on my old Supra as it had a lower spring rate than the cheaper Super Street and I love how it rides.

 

Thanks! I have no idea how spring rate works (even though I did full suspension on the Tacoma... whoops)
Lower spring rate equals softer ride?

 

Here my old 02 GT. Only pic I have left on my phone

 

Clean! Love the red.

 

I can only dream of having something this nice as a run-a-bout car...

 

My wife's "04. All she talked about for years was the Celica she never bought when she was shopping for her first car back in 1980. Finally got her wish and ordered it new. Blast to drive, just like a go-kart. Solid engine and trans. Change the oil and drive it. Only ever changed front wheel bearings (aftermarket wheels and tires killed them) and a broken front spring. Only disappointments were the interior (poor quality materials, leather seats coming apart at the seams and the JBL sound system crapping out) and the body rust. Awesome in the snow with good winter tires. A lot of miles put on that car. Tires have a huge impact on the harshness of it's suspension. Rock hard Michelins made it ride like a coal cart but softer Conti's made the ride more tolerable. She reluctantly traded it on a '16 Corolla S (needed to cart around an elderly parent).
Cheers.