Celica won't start, rests, then will start?

I drive the same car my mom used to take me to High School in when I was running late in the 80’s. Its an 82 celica with a 22R engine and only 130,000 miles, and she rocks. But the other day she wouldnt start after a short drive. She would have power, then when I turned the key all the way to start it, all the power would go dead. She would sit, then the power would come back on, but when I tried to start her, nothing, not even a click. Tho there was a tiny click AFTER I tried to start her. I let her sit there for a week, now she starts every time. Any ideas. I think she will do it again until I fix something… but what. I dont want to just throw parts at her.

If you try to start her*, are the lights on your dashboard affected? In other words, do they dim, go out, etc?
If they stay on as you turn the key all the way, the problem could be the starter or the cable that goes from the battery to the starter - it could even be the ignition switch and stuff between it and the starter. That will need more investigating.
If the lights dim or go out, the problem likely is within the connections to the battery. They could be corroded.

*Never knew a celica was female until just now. I’ll have to check all my cars later. :slight_smile:

I agree with RemcoW it’s highly likely either the battery is weak or there are dirty/loose connections at the battery, ground or starter. I’d start by having the battery load tested (free at most auto parts) and check for dirty of loose connections. Many no start conditions are simply dirty/loose connections that can be fixed in 5 minutes.