1987 Toyota Corolla LE review from North America

Catalytic converter stopped up.

Starter went out.

Alternator went out 4 (!) times.

2 new batteries gone bad.

All this has happened in 7 months time.

I like the looks of this car, no rust and the interior is like new. No cheap materials.

It has adequate power for such a small engine. Cheap on gas, a real plus considering how high gas is now.

But the electrical problem makes this car unreliable. When I first got the car, the brake light stayed on all the time, though the brakes were fine. The alternator went out. It had been replaced 3 times. I got to checking and turns out the ones I got to install my alternators did it wrong. They were not wired up correctly. After I had wired it up right both the brake and charge lights on the instrument panel went out.

The new battery was damaged so I got another one.

Well, I thought I had the problem solved. It ran fine for a week and 300 miles. Til one day, not expecting it, I tried to start it. It turned over slow.

I had the battery and alternator tested.

They were both bad. A new battery gone in a week! All the fuses were OK. Perhaps my alternator was going bad when I put in the new battery... I don't know. I got a new alternator, but not a battery yet. I don't know if the problem will ever be solved.

Of course, I won't complain. The car is 18 years old and has high mileage. So I expected problems. Also I bought it dirt cheap. It would be great if not for the electrical problems. Burns no oil and runs good.

But it is not the car's fault those "grease monkeys" did not install my alternator correctly.