1987 Toyota Corolla AE82 CS review from Australia and New Zealand

Carburettor went at approx. 260000 Ks.

Starter motor went at approx. 265000 Ks.

Head blew at approx. 295000 Ks.

Drivers side window became stuck / very hard to wind up.

Boot would not stay open because boot hinges broke. Had to hold it open while loading / unloading car.

Probably a few other small problems - just general wear and tear.

I bought this car for my wife from a dealer for $4,500 in 1999. At the time this was honestly the best example of a Corolla I could find for under $5k. Very frustrating when a model is popular and hard to find - my wife had to have one!

This car was a good little runabout. It was a sedan with factory air-con and 3 speed auto. It used a small amount of oil between services and occasionally blew grey smoke when started. It was a bit gutless on the highway for overtaking etc. Around town the performance was fine however.

This car had a lot of heavy use from us over 5 years and beside the problems listed above was a good car. However it didn't quite live up to the impression I had that these cars were rock solid, reliable small cars.

Once the head went in the car I bought a newer car and patched it up to sell. Someone still gave me $1,500 for it even with its mechanical and minor cosmetic issues (fading paint, minor surface rust etc). I sold it unregistered.

This type of car is worth considering if you are on a tight budget and want economical motoring. I would suggest finding the best low kilometre, well maintained example you can find. Don't touch anything with high k's unless its dirt cheap!