Faults:

The alternator died at 230,000 miles.

The timing belt snapped and had to be replaced ($450).

Used in Midwest, so one side of rear bumper has almost been eaten through by rust.

We've replaced almost every major part in engine, but nothing besides the timing belt has ever made the car break down.

General Comments:

The Corolla is a very cheap, bare bones alternative for those without a lot of money, but with an aftermarket Cd player and speakers, not uncomfortable at all to drive, especially with a manual transmission.

The acceleration is not the best in 1st and 2nd gear, but after those gears it can achieve highway speed fairly quickly.

Very reliable. There are rattles and squeaks, but my paranoia is never justified by its performance.

Lastly, as in any older car, the suspension rusts quite a bit. The last alignment took 3 hours because of the rust. Still handles well though with loose steering, just slow down for corners.

Faults:

Absolutely nothing major. The front passenger door inside door handle fell out. The driver's door seal fell out. That is about it.

General Comments:

I have had three cars stolen before the Corolla: a Honda accord, an El Camino, and a BMW 318is. I have had this car for over a year and it still hasn't been stolen. I live in a bad neighborhood and they don't even look at this car. It is perfect if you don't want to receive a lot of attention. I have been driving this car for over a year and have put over 20K miles on it. The only things I have changed are the tires, brake pads, and the clutch. I really didn't have to change it; the only problem was that it kept popping out of fourth gear. This car is great on gas mileage. This is the lowest model and because of it not having simple luxuries, it is lighter which makes it great on gas. I bought this car from a Greek man moving back home. He really took great care of this car. This car is smoother than my BMW, Honda, and El Camino. It gets better gas mileage also. The only thing that it doesn't have that my other cars did is horsepower; it has trouble regaining rpm in higher gears. It is a perfect daily driver. The car has nothing wrong with it. The only modifications I have done are to put in a CD player with speakers. I am a surgeon and could easily buy a new Mercedes or some other luxury car, but I don't plan on it. I plan on being humble and keeping this car for the rest of my life.

Faults:

I received the car with:

Broken hood prop.

Worn front bearings.

Faulty brakes, one front caliper seized.

Front exhaust pipe leak.

Belts worn out.

It did have new tires, new turn up, new exhaust from cat. converter back.

Radio static really bad when the signal is not strong, speakers are partially blown.

LIGHTS - front signal side lights, heater console light, dome light, backup lights DO NOT WORK. I need to fix these!!!

Trunk leaks as noted by other owners... it appears to be a seam by the wheel well that can be fixed with sealant or bondo.

General Comments:

Easy to work on.

Reliable, even with all the faults it had I put new front brakes on and drove it for 3k miles with no issues.

Parts are readily available, and not to expensive.

Struts work exceptional, tight steering, with 170k miles.