Celica's swan song turns into cost-conscious custom

Yaphet Demond Benton was in the market for a Celica at the same time Toyota decided to discontinue the model because of slowing sales. If that wasn’t enough to scare away the average buyer, Benton didn’t find much reason to celebrate when he called around and located the last new Celica in Virginia. The problem was that it was white and he wanted a black one. But for a true customizer, everything is subject to change. So Benton, intent on the body style, purchased the 2005 Toyota Celica GT. After a while, even the white grew on him.

“I’ve always wanted to be a part of the tuner community, but never had the right platform to build on before my Celica,” Benton said.