1985 Toyota Carina 2 1.6 petrol

Summary:

Simple and durable!

Faults:

Left rear brake pipe broke during MOT, replaced it myself, cost less than 20 euros. The car rusts faster than European cars.

Other than that, nothing ever went wrong, however, I changed oil, oil filter, spark plugs, cables, distributor head and rotor, air filter, petrol filter, timing belt and auxiliary belt by myself as a part of normal service.

General Comments:

Drives superb! starts first time every time, even in winters -25 C. A lot of space in the boot, easy to fix and service at home.

It's almost 25 years old, but still runs like a new car, never broke down on roadside, I've driven it over 1600 kms in a day on motorway.

Spare parts are cheaper and easier to find. The car has got just what we need to roll on, no stupid functions, no complicated electronics.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 3rd July, 2009

20th Aug 2009, 22:30

Hi, I just had a,look at what you put and I think it has helped me make my mind up, as I am on my way in the morning to look at a Toyota Carina 11 1.6 GL hatch with 57,000 miles, and all service history plus all MOTs, plus MOT till June 2010.

So thanks for the info, all the best, Bren.

1990 Toyota Carina GL 1.6

Summary:

A very reliable car!

Faults:

The clutch had to be replaced before 200 000 km.

The exhaust pipes have been replaced rather often.

There was a minor carburetor problem few years ago.

The radiator and the gas tank seem to be a bit rusty by now.

General Comments:

In general, I've been very pleased with this car.

The engine seems to be still in a very good condition. However, corrosion can be a problem and I wonder what my car would look like had I not been careful in rust prevention.

In my opinion this car has also been quite comfortable and nice to drive. Fuel consumption could be worse; depends greatly on the driving style and general conditions of course, but at times it has consumed even less than 7 liters per hundred kilometers.

In all, I've been very happy with this car. The reliability has been astonishing.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 14th January, 2004

29th Nov 2004, 08:32

To update this entry I submitted in January: in summer I changed the radiator, generator and the rear end of the exhaust pipe. So during her fifteenth year my Carina has required a bit more care than before, but all these jobs were easy to do by myself and the car runs still great and reliable. Oh yes, almost forgot: the rear brakes were also serviced (but this I didn't try to do myself).

27th Aug 2005, 10:12

I also have one of these which I got in pristine condition for 400 quid, what a bargain! Of course, the best part of the bargain is that this thing just keeps on going without a hitch... best 400 quid I ever spent. I'm convinced that there is something special about the line of Toyota that came off production lines in the late 80s and early 90s... with the A4F 16v engine. They are really robust.

Very practical car too, with the hatch, it has as much space inside it as a large station wagon, yet still looks sporty as it sits a good 5-10% lower than the average car, and is very comfy to drive, with the lightest power steering I have ever felt... can steer it with one finger when it's stationary!

Up the japanese!

:)