1976 Toyota Corolla Liftback SR5 review from North America
"Potential antique pocket rocket"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Car started overheating at 85,000 miles which resulted with a slightly blown head gasket. Re-rodded and cored radiator cured the problem. Still haven't replaced head gasket yet.
Clutch went out at 100,000 miles.
Master cylinder went out at 100,000 miles.
General comments?
This car is running a Toyota 2T-C engine, which is quite popular for the mini sprint cars at the local tracks, so a Toyota enthouiast can really turn a small commuter hatch-back into an older performance car for only a slight amount of money. For the right amount of money and patience, one can pull about 175hp out of this small 1.6 litre engine.
Great with gas mileage around town and on the highway.
The SR5 and the S5 models of the Corolla come with a 4 speed manual transmission with overdrive 5th gear. So on the highway it gets about 70mph at 2800 RPM. With no emission parts (I removed mine after I left California) it has some decent rear end torque and speed. I recommend this car for first timers or for people who love a project car, trying to squeeze every ounce of horsepower out of a small import engine.
Recommended Reviews:
  | The cutest car I will ever own |
| Incredible. Buy one if you can find one in good shape. |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| First year of ownership | 1990 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2001 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.6 gas Manual |
| Performance marks | 8/10 |
| Reliability marks | 10/10 |
| Comfort marks | 5/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | |
| Distance when acquired | 75000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 101200 miles |
| Previous car | Ford Mustang Turbo |
| Date of Entry | 21st January, 2001 |