1998 Toyota Corolla Reviews

Nothing.

I hate how it looks, how it drives, how it steers, and how it handles. It is the ugliest, most boring car brand in current production, but do I care about all that? No, I wanted a $1800 workhorse, and got rid of it as soon as I no longer needed it.

The low power band means you can shift at 2500 or less, so it's quiet and smooth. The suspension is very smooth; you won't expect that from a small cheap car. Get on the highway, and that soft suspension transmits every single road irregularity and it becomes miserable. Also, mine had a shake after 60 mph that didn't go with alignment or balancing, and the car isn't crashed. Don't speed, tight maneuver, or take corners fast with that econobox; it body-rolls like a freakin' boat. Newer Corollas are stiffer for stability purposes, and have a smoother highway ride.

30 MPG pure city driving. Never made a trip in it, but with long gear ratios, doing 60 at a low 2000 RPM, that thing can do more than 40 MPG.

It's a great first car and emergency car that will never let you, and if for some reason you can stand sitting in this thing and looking at it, then it's perfect.

Civics perform better ("ricers made it a shame car") and are reliable in stock condition, but nothing beats a Corolla that you can literally not change the oil and it will keep running. A guy on a Toyota forum said he blew a Corolla engine after 90k miles of not changing the oil! I don't recommend this at all, but it proves how reliable that thing is; many have passed 1 million miles.

At 130000km the hose going to the oil cooler started wearing out, and I've been told to change it.

145000km, thermostat.

150000KM, the clutch was worn out.

The car is 4x4, and handles snow and wet roads perfectly, including country ones. It's very stable in turns. Relatively quick.

In the cabin, everything is at the right place. The speakers are very good along with the aircon. Seats, however are a bit uncomfortable compared to my previous Renaults.

Steering is nice and stiff. Brakes are perfect.

A sticking rear brake caliper.

Everything else is age related wear and tear.

When I bought the car, it was absolutely original, the only issues were a tired suspension, worn brakes, and the need for a decent service.

Being mechanically minded, I replaced any component that was tired (e.g. shocks, battery and brake pads), but nothing had failed.

I gave it a thorough service and it's been performing like a champ. I probably overdo the servicing, but I don't treat it lightly, and I don't cheap out on replacement items, filters and fluids.

The engine is tuned to produce all its torque very low, so as far as city traffic, there's no problem at all. The engine isn't built for peak power, nor is it easily upgraded for more power, but it is simple, bullet proof, and will last easily over 200,000kms.

The clutch and gear throw are quite nice for a car that was designed more as a commuter.

The original tyre size is really more for fuel economy, but a set of 15" Konig Rewinds with 195/50 Yokohamas really improved grip without lowering fuel economy too much, or making the ride rough like those stupid 18" trolleys.

A larger rear swaybar also upped the handling, and replacing the front bushes with Super Pros with Neutral position, but increased caster, livened up the steering.

Unlike a lot of newer commuters, it had independent suspension all round, and 4 wheel disc brakes, and you can actually see out of it when you're reversing. The brakes are very good for quick stops, although ABS was an option my car didn't have fitted.

It has a neat little option where you can slot a remote central locking fob in the glove box and program them yourself. The price of the fob was under $40 new from the dealer, Internet price was over $60.

The Australian spec air conditioning ensured that it actually cooled the car in Aussie summers, something which dad's fully imported Civic struggled to do.

The Australian version was assembled in Australia, so you'll notice a lot of Oceania Parts supplier branded items such as PBR and Pilkington NZ. Other parts are decent Japanese brands like Nippon Denso. Parts are quite cheap in price, even if they're Japanese, and available almost everywhere.

Okay, so the Corolla won't win any style stakes or quarter mile runs without some serious modifications, but it can be made to be a fun zippy little daily dung-er. Its slabside looks, while bland, are easy to keep clean, and don't really age too much. It's easy to park, and the boot is surprisingly deep. I actually like the fact my car still has manual windows; I don't have issues with power window motors slowing, or rear window failures due to non use. It doesn't have any nanny controls, which think they know how to drive better than you, although ABS would have been good to have.

My only criticisms of the car are as follows.

1. Front seats have nowhere near enough lateral support.

2. Seat cloth is very ordinary in the Australian assembled cars. The Mazda 323 of the same year is much nicer inside (but not sold in as many numbers, nor as much in the way of aftermarket suspension parts).

3. The hand brake just operates the rear discs not a drum built into the hub, hence you have to be a little bit careful when parking on hills, and forget any handbrake turn manoeuvres.

4. The gap to the boot after you fold down the seats, isn't much help when you want to put longer items in the car; it may be that oval shape to help keep body rigidity.

5. Fifth gear is not really tall enough to be an overdrive, and not short enough to be used all the time when driving. Hence 100km/hr will have the tacho sitting at 3000rpm.

6. The headlights are okay. Japanese cars of the 90's all seemed to have issues with average headlight performance. US headlights are different spec and design, and use two bulbs while the Australian ones are single H4. The small modification to run your headlights from the battery with slightly brighter bulbs is definitely a good idea if you travel in unlit areas. If you're in urban or suburban areas, the factory lights are fine.

Really, these are fairly piddling little details, especially if you're using the car for daily urban use. The number of these still on the road is a testament to their reputation.