Has anyone owned both? I might be in the market for a new car as mine was stolen. Before my car was stolen I had dreams of one day taking it to a track day but I never had the chance to set it up properly. I don't know much about either of these cars and would appreciate any info you could give me on the 2.

Thanks

 

i'd like to see people's opinions on these as well.. so far, all i've ever heard of is straightline performance, what about those of us that want them for autox/roadracing?

 

I have an S and I used to own a 00 GT but test drove the GTS. My impression of the GTS is that it is a good quick little car. The cam switchover to Lift in the GTS felt a little more dramatic than Vtec in my S. The only problem is that it switches @6300 rpms compared to the RSX's 5800 rpm switch. The GTS was a 00 model so it had the higher redline of 8300 rpms than the new 7800 rpm redline of the newer 02+ models. Stock vs. Stock I know it would be a driver's race as long as the GTS is an 00 or 01 model. The shifter also feels so much smoother on the S. Also the shiftgates are much closer on the Celica which will increase the chance of a misshift. Handling wise, I have to give the nod to the GTS. It's awesome around corners, but not to say that the Type S is a slouch either. If you're really performance oriented, then I would suggest the RSX because of it's aftermarket. The Celica just doesn't have any. As far as looks, well that's up to you but I like the Celica's looks better but I still love my S and wouldn't trade it for anything else. Except an R (dc5R) or an NSX

 

i think the general consensus is that the GTS vs RSX-S in a straight line is a drivers race, but the GTS will outhandle the RSX-S. Looks are subjective, i like um both. Interior i like the RSX better fit and finish wise the Celica i test drove felt more cramped and the plastic seemed cheaper than the RSX.

 

RSX-S all the way .

From experience, the GTS is no way in comparison to the RSX-S. I have a friend who own the GTS and a few months later bought a RSX (well, now he traded for a WRX and wants to trade the RSX to the EVO ) and was more of a noticable differnece in all categories.

In honesty, for the price of the RSX and the WRX (not the ST-I) you may be better off with a WRX. (I know, I'm going to get flame on). Don't know what other dealers sells them for, but here at my work (Acrua, Hyundai, Nissan, Subaru, and Mitsubishi are all in the same big-*** lot) we sell them factory invoice.

Just my $.02 cents

 

one thing to add, he did, (like a few have already said) the GTS did felt it handle more (but cliams that he had lowering springs on the Toyota than the RSX) .

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by luvmydc5 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I have an S and I used to own a 00 GT but test drove the GTS. My impression of the GTS is that it is a good quick little car. The cam switchover to Lift in the GTS felt a little more dramatic than Vtec in my S. The only problem is that it switches @6300 rpms compared to the RSX's 5800 rpm switch. The GTS was a 00 model so it had the higher redline of 8300 rpms than the new 7800 rpm redline of the newer 02+ models. Stock vs. Stock I know it would be a driver's race as long as the GTS is an 00 or 01 model. The shifter also feels so much smoother on the S. Also the shiftgates are much closer on the Celica which will increase the chance of a misshift. Handling wise, I have to give the nod to the GTS. It's awesome around corners, but not to say that the Type S is a slouch either. If you're really performance oriented, then I would suggest the RSX because of it's aftermarket. The Celica just doesn't have any. As far as looks, well that's up to you but I like the Celica's looks better but I still love my S and wouldn't trade it for anything else. Except an R (dc5R) or an NSX</TD></TR></TABLE>

Lots of guys were grenading their motors when the GT-S first came out in '00, so Toyota pulled a homo move and lowered the redline on the newer cars, making the "vintage" '00-'01 GT-S's the car "to have". I remember 3 years ago when those things came out that they were fast as all **** with minor bolt-on's (mid 14's with ease)

 

I used to date a girl who had an '00 GTS 6-speed.

The RSX's motor feels a lot stronger, especially in the midrange, however the Celica's chassis is noticably more tossable. Drive the two back to back and the RSX's 300 extra lbs. are painfully obvious. Interestingly enough, the GTS feels more like a 3rd gen Integra than the Type-S does.

IMO, the GTS is more fun to drive, but you do have to make some compromises in interior space and low-end grunt if you choose it over a Type-S.

If it weren't for theft, I'd take an Integra over either of them.

 

rsx has the superior motor. the k20 is just a more refined powerplant with more aftermarket support in one year than the celicas have garnered in their 3-4 years of existence.

The gt-s is a lighter car, and ultimately that's the reason why it's a better handling car than the RSX. Part of it's weight advantage comes from the fact that you can buy one without the sunroof and the fact that the interior fit/finish is not as good as the rsx-s.

The new celicas are also notorious for becoming very noisy.

I've driven both, and the celica is a hoot to drive, but i'd rather have the rsx-s b/c it's a more refined ride.

 

They're very similar in performance wise. I have friends who own both. They're VERY similar in straight-line speed. I was beat by both the Type-S and the GT-S in my GS-R when I had intake only.

Type-S beat me by a bumper at the top of 3rd. I had him in 2nd tho.
GT-S beat me by a bumper at the top of 3rd. I had him in 1st and 2nd.


I admit the GT-S had a better high end kick because of its VVTL-i. The Type-S felt alot linear and just pulled without a kick.


I would go for the Type-S over the GT-S tho.


I was gonna trade in my gizzer for a Type-S when it first came out, but was dissapointed when I test drove the Type-S because it felt slower than my gizzer.

 

I just went and test drove the new Civic Si, it reved amazingly slow and felt soo slow. I also test drove a WRX today which also felt slow compared to my GSR, then again I haven't really driven a stock GSR for a long time.

I drove the RSX-S when it first came out and didn't really like it, I can't say it was slower than a stock GSR but it was definatly slower than my GSR.

Is the interior of the GTS that much worse that you guys would chose the RSX-S over the GTS? And is the aftermarket for the GTS really that crappy?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Originally posted by Kelvin96GSR
I just went and test drove the new Civic Si, it reved amazingly slow and felt soo slow. I also test drove a WRX today which also felt slow compared to my GSR, then again I haven't really driven a stock GSR for a long time.
I drove the RSX-S when it first came out and didn't really like it, I can't say it was slower than a stock GSR but it was definatly slower than my GSR.

Is the interior of the GTS that much worse that you guys would chose the RSX-S over the GTS? And is the aftermarket for the GTS really that crappy?</TD></TR></TABLE>

First off, being a former 2000 civic si owner and currently a 2002 civic si owner, I can identify with the new civic si feeling really slow in stock trim. But in my opinion, it's the car to get if you're gonna mod it. Very low admission price, and with very little $$$ invested in mods, you can get back the typical honda feeling. I only have 3 engine mods and the car is a completely different animal now. Heatshield gasket, exhaust midpipe, motor mount inserts. The car revs hard and pulls hard now, throttle response is immediate.

So when you look at the civic si, look at what you can make it into with the $$$ you saved. It's got boatloads of potential. Not to mention a tighter turning radius than the RSX-s by 4 ft.

As for the interior of the gt-s, it's okay but it begins to develop rattles very quickly and the chassis is in general noisy. The rsx-s & the civic si have much more solid interiors.

 

i raced a 00 gts with my gsr and won. havent raced a S but i cant wait.
it should be a good one tho between a gts and a type s.
i say whoever gets the jump through first wins the race becuase they prolly have a good equal amount of topend.

 

thank you for clearing that up. Actually I went back to test drive the Si, and for some reason when the dealer told me to gun it this time I was able to chirp 3rd. There must be something different about the Si vs stock GSR cause I don't think I ever did that when my car was in stock form. Could it of been shitty tires?


On a side note to the guy who's trying to flame me, before my car was stolen I had done lot to my car not just the stuff in my sig. I just don't advertise it, but since its stolen now I've mentioned a few other goodies I had on my car. If you're intrested follow the link in my sig.

 

i would think either of them would be a good buy! it will come down to which one you like after you test drive them!
tho it is nice that the celicas have a factory HID option!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Originally posted by Kelvin96GSR
thank you for clearing that up. Actually I went back to test drive the Si, and for some reason when the dealer told me to gun it this time I was able to chirp 3rd. There must be something different about the Si vs stock GSR cause I don't think I ever did that when my car was in stock form. Could it of been shitty tires?

On a side note to the guy who's trying to flame me, before my car was stolen I had done lot to my car not just the stuff in my sig. I just don't advertise it, but since its stolen now I've mentioned a few other goodies I had on my car. If you're intrested follow the link in my sig.</TD></TR></TABLE>

damn, that sucks about your car getting stolen. jun 3's & valvetrain. =\ x 100 from a fellow all motor enthusiast.

I could chirp the 2-3 shift on my si stock. it has to do with two factors 1) shitty stock tires. 2) suspension allows too much rearward weight transfer.

I have 225/50/15 tires on 15x7 oz superleggra wheels on my si now, and I can still break the tires loose on the 2-3 shift, not nearly as hard though. wheels & tires also totally change the way the car drives. even with the seemingly soft stock suspension, I can take corners at speeds faster than my stock 2000 si, which was more stiffly sprung & lower factory.

And if you're into all motor tweaking, 8000rpm is only a head swap away. not to mention you can swap in the 6spd tranny with lsd from the jdm ITR & CTR when they become availible.

I see maybe 2-3 rsx type-s a day here in atlanta, and if i'm lucky, i'll see one ep3 per week.

 

As for the Rsx-S vs GTS, well first off the GTS has better brakes and handling stock for stock. The RSX-S shifter is smoother and the GTS (2000-2001) were pretty commonly mis-shifted. As for potential, the RSX-S has more potential as of right now also because the GTS has a NON-reprogrammable ecu. Interior of both cars would be strictly personal preference. Both cars haul ***, but the RSX-S has more torque and an extra .2 L. The GTS upgraded sound system is better than the RSX-S in my opinion. Also if you are checking out GTS's avoid the 2002 GTS at ALL costs, the 2002 models have a earlier fuel cutoff at 7800 whereas the 2000,2001,2003 all have a 8300 fuel cutoff(it might be a little lower). The early revlimit will make it so you will NOT be able to land in "lift" thus making it that much slower. The celica's "lift" is at 6000rpm and mathematically its impossible to land in lift even with the stock 8300 fuel cut so you'll have to slip or powershift to land in lift. So what it comes down to is if you want a stock car with good sound, great handling, great brakes, with a peppy little engine then it seems the GTS is a good candidate. If you want to mod your car in the future and suspension, the RSX-S will surpass the GTS. Hopefully the next celica will have a reprogrammable ecu and more perforamnce parts. Hope that helps

 

2 of my good friends have the cars. I have driven it both when it was modded and stock.

In terms of straight line performance, both cars are roughly equal.

In terms of handling, both cars are equal too

In terms of braking, the GTS is a bit better than the rsx (imo, due to weight)

The rsx-s has a stiffer chassis than the gts.

Personally i like the rsx-s better because there's more aftermarket support and because it's more "fun" to drive. The interior of the rsx-s is also one of the nicest interior's i have ever seen. But honestly, i woudnl't get EITHER car. If i were to get another car, i'd prolly go for a used nsx. It has both perfomance and luxury. What more could you want?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Kelvin96GSR &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I just went and test drove the new Civic Si, it reved amazingly slow and felt soo slow. I also test drove a WRX today which also felt slow compared to my GSR, then again I haven't really driven a stock GSR for a long time.

I drove the RSX-S when it first came out and didn't really like it, I can't say it was slower than a stock GSR but it was definatly slower than my GSR.

Is the interior of the GTS that much worse that you guys would chose the RSX-S over the GTS? And is the aftermarket for the GTS really that crappy?

</TD></TR></TABLE>


A WRX in stock trim is way faster than a GSR in stock trim point and simple. I did feel the same at first when the WRX came out. Had one for a half of day. But decided to hold off. Like someone else mention, aftermarket support is crucial to make these car get up and go. Sadly to say, the RXS-S has more potential years to go than the GTS.

Now the EVO is a different story. I don't think right now, any cars come close to it, espeically for it price range.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by CBNBAC &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I went today and test drove a Ferrari 360 Modena and a Lamborghini Murcielago, but decided against them. Neither one felt as fast as my GS-R and I'm not sure that a McLaren F1 would either. </TD></TR></TABLE>

I'm not sure if it needs to be mentioned, but i'm sure we're all thinking the same thing. You're a ***.

 

RSX Type S...will be the best thing you ever bought...man that car is tyte...i have one...i beat celica's but..they are also nice cars.........but honda better than toyota