1996 Toyota Corolla Reviews - Page 5 of 10

* Most of theses are due to general misuse from previous owner *

Cracked radiator @ 207000km; leaked coolant and overheated once.

Interior light didn't work, solder had come un-attached. Fixed this myself.

Power steering belt slips, does not affect performance in any way, just a noise.

Boot release failed @ 203000km.

Blown fuse @ 205000km, fuse belonging to stereo and cigarette lighter.

Very reliable, well made Toyota. Only serious things that have gone wrong are from previous owner's mistreatment. The rest of the problems are superficial.

Sits at 80-110 very nicely, comfortable seats with lots of headroom for a small car. Punchy, quick for a 1.6L engine and handles well. Has a very small turning circle, which makes it easy to park. Smooth to drive!

Only negative is it doesn't handle a full car (people) up any sort of hill very well. Starts to lack power.

But other than that, very highly recommended!

Crashed my 94 Corolla in an accident that wasn't my fault.

Got another Corolla, until I can buy a 4wd.

It just stopped running one day and has never run well ever since.

I bought the car because my Topaz was well over 200k and lost compression in 2 cylinders. The Corolla for 4000 miles was everything everyone ever said about Toyota's. It was economical, reliable, did everything a go to work car was supposed to, then it died.

Once the Corolla died it started a long process of garage visits, I replaced everything under the hood, the fuel pump, all fuses, all sensors, the distributor, catalytic converter, the cam was checked for slippage, and a compression test to see if it was mechanical.

I took it to the dealer who scanned its computer and gave me a list of things to replace, I did that and the car was still dead. I then took it to an independent garage that was recommended to me, after months the car still sits there in pieces. I wound up giving the car to the garage and they still believe they can fix it.

My previous car to the Topaz was an 86 Toyota MR2, please read my review on that car, it did the same thing my Corolla did.

Car Survey is the greatest site, it has helped me avoid some lemons and find some true gems, thank you.

Transmission shifter light bulb out.

Paint has faded (probably from the previous owner never waxing the car.

Tie rod needed to be replaced.

Car is very responsive.

Plenty of room inside and for back seats.

Very inexpensive to operate.

It is like driving a go cart!! Very fun.

It is perfect for a student or commuting.

When I got the car, it had not had "regular" maintenance done, so I attribute these problems to that:

Clutch.

Tires.

Rear Struts/Links.

Radiator.

Front Left Wheel Bearing.

Driver's seat belt locks and takes much persuasion to buckle.

This is my first car. I didn't pick it, but it's ok. I have the absolute base model, not even a clock, but it's a five speed so it has relatively good pick up. For some reason however, it's using gas like there's no tomorrow. Tune up? I have to agree with one other writer, once you have one, you see them EVERYWHERE!!! Mine stands out though, as it has a rear spoiler (factory) and the hard to find six hole hub caps. I recommend it to anyone looking for cheap and reliable transportation, and surprisingly some fun.