Intro:
I have been meaning to write this upgrade guide for a while, but I needed to wait for a few parts to come in. This guide will be an easy resource to use to upgrade the exterior lighting on your car. I’m sure there are plenty of people out there who are just like I was until recently about this kind of upgrade, “Why would I spend all that money just to upgrade my lights?” Well, now that I’ve done it, I’m a believer. I think that anyone who has a Celica could benefit from upgrading their 20-year old lights to something much more modern.
In order of difficulty and cost, I’ll discuss what a good upgrade path looks like for the exterior car lighting on the 7th generation Celica.
Easy/Inexpensive:
The easiest and cheapest way to get performance and much better exterior lighting is to change all of your marker bulbs around the exterior of the car. Luckily, you can buy a 10-pack of bulbs that fit the markers, running lights, and license plate lights for only $10. If you intend to do the all these bulbs, you’ll end up paying about $100.
Below is a table that has affiliate links to all the products I used:
| Position | Cost | Link |
| Markers, License Plate, Running Lights | $10 | https://amzn.to/3FJINo9 |
| Front Turn Signals* | $17 | https://amzn.to/3Ljddyu |
| Reverse Lights | $22 | https://amzn.to/37ORuAY |
| Brake Lights | $19 | https://amzn.to/3lf1lDf |
| Rear Turn Signals* | $18 | https://amzn.to/3sAm1JX |
| LED Flasher Relay | $11 | https://amzn.to/3wf3SUk |
More Cost, More Customization:
Next up, we have the option to change out the housings for the exterior lights. First, the side markers are relatively inexpensive and can be purchased new still. There are several eBay and Amazon options available, but there is also an OEM option. This option is the Supra sidemarkers which are a direct swap and still available new from Toyota. I purchased mine from an eBay seller, but here are the part numbers and how they look compared to stock:
Another popular option for many who have the zenki Celica is to upgrade to the kouki taillights. As this is another OEM option, I highly recommend it as a “budget” upgrade if you like that style. Further, its a nice upgrade because the lights are interchangeable and completely compatible. (If you’re unsure how to find parts like these taillights, read up on my post about best places to find parts):
Most $/Best:
When it comes to exterior lighting, nothing really compares to an OEM HID upgrade over the stock halogen headlights. I have seen people over the years making posts raving about the upgrade to the OEM HIDs and the hype is real. The visibility, look, color, and customization of HIDs can’t be understated and pictures certainly don’t do it justice.
I had one of those ‘aha’ moments after I completed the conversion on my car. The only other car that I’ve owned with factory HIDs was my Honda S2000. I used to drive places in that car in very isolated desert roads out in New Mexico and always loved the way the lights looked. It never occurred to me that it was because they were a factory designed HID headlight until I drove my Celica with the OEM HIDs installed.