Depends on model. I had a late facelift JDM ST205 in white. Was a wonderful car overall but you have to tread carefully when buying as they were very expensive new at about £30k back when a Subaru Imprezza Turbo was £19k, Escort Cosworth & Lancia Delta integrale's were about £25k. It was the only car that ever challenged the integrale's dominance in WRC and I believe this provenance should have made it as desirable as an integrale, a car that I have owned for ten years two of which I had the GT4 as well, and certainly more than the couldn't win a thing Escort. Though you just have to look to values now to see its not the case. The integrale is the most successful WRC car of all time and commands high values, the Escort just has Ford followers.
Because of the low value now many have been neglected, or poorly maintained as they are not as cheap to run as an average hot hatch.
The engine is a Yamaha design, its non interference therefore if cambelt snaps pistons & valves don't meet. This is good incase of mishap, bad as some then don't bother don't belts on time. The JDM cars produce 255PS with only 0.9 bar of boost from Toyotas own twin-scroll turbo, ceramic blades on JDM cars, metal on UKDM cars due lower fuel quality. They should be run on high octane. They can't be mapped, or at least couldn't having to use modified ECU's by likes of Blitz, C-One, Apexi which are plug and play if you can find one raising boost to a still mild 1.2bar producing an easy 275bhp. Unusually for a turbo engine power and torque are produced high up the rev range with max power at 6500rpm and torque at 4000rpm, I think red line is 7200 but aftermarket ECU's raise to 7500 which they do with ease. The car is also charge cooled, so front of car is just radiators, one for engine, one for charge cooler, one for air con, one for oil you don't want to front end it.
Gearbox syncro's can go if the box is constsnyly rushed, especially on 3rd gear most noticeable when coming back down the box from 4th. They can be repaired using Rav4 bits iirc
Front suspension is SuperStrut, introduced in 1994, so long time before Renault or Ford tried to get in on the act of trying to make a Macpherson strut act like a double wishbone by making steering axis independent of strut. It's pretty complex and with lots of joints wear is expected resulting in some play and noise and looser front end. Toyota only ran it on Tarmac events and reverted to standard strut set up for travel rallies so shows its a little more vulnerable to wear/damage.
Brakes are brilliant standard. 315mm front vented discs with 4pot callipers, rears are 315mm vented also with 2pot callipers and separate hand brake drum built into the bell of the disc. Engineering wise brilliant, therefore expensive to replace. I'm sure I read somewhere that when launched it was quickest decelerating normal production car from 100mph. Brakes are usually first place that older cars feel old, GT4's don't.
Being a coupe they are aerodynamic (unlike hatchbacks) & will do the quoted top speed of 156mph feeling very keen to continue pulling way into 3figures.
Steering is good being proper hydraulic. Pedals are well spaced, seats are comfortable seating you low. Optional Recaro's rare and if anything you sit a bit higher.
If join owners club and look at buying a known car from there or buy the best example you can as for example to just refresh front suspension will be nearly £1000 doing it yourself.
