1976 Toyota Corona Mark II Sedan review from Australia and New Zealand

Just to make the car roadworthy, I had to replace:

The front springs, tie rod ends, ball joints, pitman arm, steering box, brake master cylinder, all tyres and battery clamp.

This cost a total of $1400AUD.

After registering the car, it ate four alternators, another two master cylinders, the brake booster, the diff, the wiper arms and the rear wheel bearings.

I must mention that I almost always bought used parts at the wreckers' when replacing brakes and electrical parts. I am wiser now, and I know these parts would have lasted, had I not bought them second-hand!

It was my first car. It happens!

The man who sold me the car knew less than nothing about cars. This was obvious because he put 24V globes in the tail-lights, but couldn't tell me why they didn't work!

He had bought the car four years earlier and it had been resprayed in red enamel and had a re-trimmed velour interior. I looked fantastic, but he had since driven (and neglected) it nearly to death. The engine, body and cooling system were completely reliable and it never, ever overheated or broke-down.

The performance was amazing and it would easily beat most six-cylinder Toranas and V8 Falcons.

The handling was dreadful and could take over completely if driven fast into a tight bend. Scary!

The looks used to get lots of admirers, especially of the female variety.