1988 Toyota Corolla Reviews - Page 8 of 12

In the time that I have had the corolla, only 2 things worth saying have gone wrong.

Temperature gauge decided not to work and the car needed a wheel alignment pretty badly.

The corolla is a good car to get you from a to b. It is not the most powerful car in the world, but with a few dollars lashed out a 20v can be easily fitted. I found this car was very reliable and great on fuel.

If you are interested in buying in the AE82 range I would suggest that you go for the seca. A little more money gets you more options and it also comes out with the Toyota 16v.

Rear shock absorbers started to leak at around 133000 miles. Even using pattern parts this cost a LOT of money to fix. (£136 and I repaired it myself).

Rust is starting to become a problem, with bubbling on both rear arches and around the sunroof.

Very reliable, and still drives perfectly well at this high mileage. Very easy to do minor repairs and servicing yourself (cambelt is very easy compared to other manufacturers).

Pay a bit more and buy a very nice one, as Toyota parts prices are ludicrously expensive!

Cushioning on one seat went through and I replaced both the front seats with those out of a corolla seca.

Replace fuel pump (it was still working). Replace catalytic converter (was making strange noises and spat out some of the "black coral"). Replace glass support in passenger window because it had rusted through. Replace brake lines (still working). Small oil leak in the head gasket, but I've been getting away with it.

Also, I backed out of the garage with the driver's door open and bent it almost off. It was a pain to replace and spray, but I can't blame that on the car.

Broke off the passenger's window winder and replaced. Could have been stronger??

Rust is eating some parts, but I wouldn't say that is was very aggressive.

The 'rolla is not generally a very visually appealing car in most people's opinion and mine more so because I've lost a wheel cover and have a few rust spots.

And as for power, it's not close, though it can be quite surprising. It happily hums along at 110km/h on the freeway between Sydney and Canberra.

Where it really excels is in reliability and fuel efficiency. I've always trusted that it will run and never been disappointed. It had to put up with fierce Sydney traffic and didn't complain and hardly dented the hip-pocket.

I've moved house a couple of times and loaded the 'rolla with heaps of stuff (you can put the seats down to carry extra gear, or sleep in if you're keen enough at a party), and it's not had a problem with carrying a full load.

So despite the fact that it's not going to turn any heads, it has never shied away from anything I've done with it (unsealed or rough terrain, heavy loads, long distance, or fierce traffic) and that's why I'd be very hesitant to part with it especially with how reliable it's been and how little it has expected from me.

Nothing went wrong in 8 yrs of ownership (and 125000 kms). I mean nothing. It had the original exhaust pipe and clutch when I sold it. Just routine servicing (spark plugs, tyres and brake pads once, oil changes). Oh and I had changed the shock-absorbers mainly to obtain more feedback from that tail... All in all the most reliable car we have ever had in the family- and we did have some German "fine pieces of machinery" (Mercedes, BMW) at the time...

Oh that "twitchy tail", as CAR magazine put it at the time... The steering was not that precise (and I'm being polite there), it leaned a bit around corners, but that tail... Around B-roads I could almost forget to use the steering wheel, throttle (over) steer was laughably easy to provoke (and control once you expected it). Well I know, this doesn't make up for what we'd call "refined or composed handling" but it was fun and I was 18 at the time... The engine badly lacked low down torque, but it revved freely from 4000 rpm to the red line, where it could stay all day.

Then I had to move abroad so I sold it- I bought a Fiat Tipo (see review_3053) which I never came to like (let alone love) as much as my Corolla.