1992 Toyota Paseo 1.5

Summary:

I like the car, but it needs more power.

Faults:

Windshield wipers are possessed. They turned on by themselves while driving sometimes. The headlights are possessed also they turn on after I shut them off and have walked away from the car. The headlights have never turned themselves off if the switch was in the on position though. I was able to fix this buy buying headlight turn signal stalk from a junkyard.

My water pump has gone bad at 12500KM.

The passenger door lock on the inside was broke when I bought the car for $100.00. I was able to fix it in ten minutes when I changed out the factory speakers.

All the factory speakers sounded terrible when I bought the car in 2004.

The suspension was worn out when I bought the car. I was able to replace the suspension myself for about $200. Made a huge difference in handling.

General Comments:

I own a 92 Toyota Cynos, which is the Japanese version of the Paseo. The only difference I know of is the headlights are 1 piece instead of 2, the steering wheel is on the other side & the dash is different. Everything else is the same.

The car was a real dog when I bought it, but after I swapped the automatic transmission for a 5-speed the cars performance was vastly improved.

After I replaced the shock absorbers with the cheapest ones I could find the handling improved immensely. The old suspension was just worn out.

The paint is faded, but that is to be expected on a 14year old car that has been kept outside for years.

The car is light enough to be quick with only a 1.5L engine. And the light weight & small engine size means good fuel economy.

The rear seats are small, but nobody ever sits there, so I don't care.

I bought the car for $100 from a friend who thought it needed to much done to it to pass inspection. I replaced the tires & brakes. When I was looking it over it was apparent that the previous owners never changed the oil, tranny fluid or the antifreeze as they were all black. Even though the car had been severely neglected it cleaned up good & has been a reliable car for me for the past 2 years, never leaving me stranded & always starting up first try.

I have never owned a Toyota before, but I will buy one again. MUCH more reliable than my Chevy Cavalier or my VW Fox were.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th July, 2006