1998 Toyota Corolla LE 1.8 from North America

Summary:

Fast, Reliable, Cheap, economy car

Faults:

Just the common wear and tear.

Clutch going soon, getting new one soon. Little pricey 631$ for a Stage 1 performance clutch.

General Comments:

This car is a very good car. I have raced many car's and very few beat me. My greatest wins are a 350 97 Cammaro, and 2005 v6 Mustang.

The handling is OK for your common driver, I drive on the wild side and it keeps up with me for the most part.

The front seats are very comfortable, and you can fit five people in the car with out squishing them. I have had seven people in my car the only problem was it was a little low to the ground.

I have Intake, exhaust on the car, it sounds beastly sounds almost like putting a Flow Master on a truck. It dosnt sound riced and crackle at high RPMs.

This is a very good economy car. I highly recommend this car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 15th December, 2004

16th Dec 2004, 16:42

Car-Stats Report for 1998 Toyota Corolla LE. Obtained from MT December, 1997.

0-60: 10.3

1/4 Mile: 17.6

1/4 Speed: 80.

I've no doubt that you enjoy driving your car, but let's be realistic about performance shall we? Intake and exhaust on a NA 120hp engine isn't going to give you much of a noticeable performance gain at all. A V6 'stang may be slow as balls, but it's not THAT slow...

"Ford says automatic-transmission base model to account for bulk of sales. It has good 0-60-mph acceleration; Ford estimates 7.5 sec" - http://consumerguideauto.howstuffworks.com/

14th Mar 2006, 18:30

V-8 Camaro yes, V-6 Mustang... a joke hell I've seen a Ford Aspire out run one of those yugos in disguise.

1998 Toyota Corolla 1.6GLi 4A-FE Twin Cam 16v 1.6L petrol from Singapore

Summary:

A quick, reliable and durable sedan

Faults:

Front electric window (Driver's side) failed at 88000km.

Door switch on the B pillar failed at 75000km.

Front brake pads have started to squaek (98000km). I reckon this means it's time for me to renew the pads.

General Comments:

My family got this car on Christmas eve 1999.

Since then it's provided us with a honest to goodness form of transport.

It's very reliable and the built quality is really second to none.

In the 4.5 years we had had this Toyota, only the above faults were experienced.

Other than which, consumables such as engine oil, oil filter, manual transmision oil, coolant, tires, brake fluid etc were replaced as per manufacturer's recommendation.

The car still has the original shocks, clutch and brake disc.

The 1.6L engine is quick, refined and quiet and at the same time responsible for it's fuel usage. 0-100Km/hr timings were given as 10s flat in a local motoring magazine and fuel consumption's at 12.5-13 km/L of petrol.

Front seats are comfortable though space at the rear is a little limited. This can be a little irritating on long trips to neighboring Malaysia. The suspension is tuned for comfort rather than for performance so expect severe body roll when executing hard cornering.

The steering is light and the the 5 speed manual gearbox is a breeze to use.

On the whole, there can be no doubt that Toyota makes some of the most reliable cars in the world though for design wise, the Europeans and the Americans such as Volks and Ford would beat the Japanese hands down. Toyota cars are indeed made to last and I would recommend it to anyone who wants reliability and durability at a decent price.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th June, 2004

1998 Toyota Corolla GS 2.0D from UK and Ireland

Summary:

Reliability, value for money, but has image problem

Faults:

The only thing that has gone wrong was the alarm that went off at 4 am for no apparent reason, and continued to sound until I disconnected the battery.

Up until then I did not think the car had one!

A mechanic said it was a common fault, due to moisture in the connections and now the siren has been disconnected. One day I may buy another siren, but at £30+ it can wait.

General Comments:

The image and performance of this car are the only problems.

My wife, and friends tell me it's an old man's car, which is not helped by its purple, grey, silver affair paintwork, and 'interesting' cloth fabric on the seats. But I suppose it must appeal to some people.

The performance is OK. The lack of a turbo on this model makes for how progress, and the chances of getting caught on a speed camera are near impossible, unless you get a very long run up!

The leg room in the back is a bit small. This seems to have been given to the boot space which seems enormous.

However the car is a work tool, not a fashion statement, and does the job brilliantly. Toyota reliabilty. Air conditioning and sunroof. Adjustable seat and steering wheel. All this and much cheaper than a Volkswagen Golf bought second hand.

Golf may have the edge in the style, but the Corolla beats it hands down in the value for money game!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 5th May, 2004