1985 Toyota Corolla Basic Model review from North America
"Extremely reliable, everyday automobile"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Absolutely nothing!
All I've had to do was regular maintenance (timing belt, brakes, tires).
Other than that, the only repair I needed to make on it was replacing the radiator. The old one was rusted through.
General comments?
The car was not well taken care of when I purchased it for 700 dollars Canadian. It came from Eastern Canada, so it was VERY rusted. One could punch a hole through the front end and the underside.
There were many interior pieces missing (not the fault of the car, but of the lady who owned it). These parts were easily available at local pick your part places for pennies.
The car was a tank! After the replacement of the radiator, one of the hoses was not tightened, and I lost all of my radiator fluid. I decided to drive the car home anyways (roughly 30 kilometers).
After coming home, I tightened the hose, added fluid, and it drove like nothing has happened. My mechanic was SHOCKED that the head gasket did not blow.
This by the way happened twice because I also did not tighten the hose well enough.
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| First year of ownership | 1996 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 1998 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.5L Hatchback Manual |
| Performance marks | 5/10 |
| Reliability marks | 9/10 |
| Comfort marks | 7/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | |
| Distance when acquired | 189000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 196000 kilometres |
| Date of Entry | 12th April, 2004 |