1998 Toyota Corolla LE 1.7 liter from North America

Summary:

An OK car, but the Camry is better

Faults:

Airbag warning light came on for no reason (it took the dealer 3 service attempts to figure out the driver seat was pinching the wiring).

Gear selector would not go into park, also causing the key to remain locked in the ignition (this also had to go in more than once before being fixed).

General Comments:

Thankfully the car was still under warranty for these problems.

The car also gets poor gas mileage for a compact (~25 mpg in town). My 1990 Camry had the same or better, and my old 1984 Tercel used to get over 30 (40+ highway).

Next time, I'll spend the little extra to get the Camry.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 28th February, 2001

1998 Toyota Corolla LE from North America

Summary:

Well constructed car

Faults:

Gas tank hose leaked within a few weeks of buying the car.

Front driver's visor broke.

Both repairs were free and under warranty. No other problems.

General Comments:

Very reliable car. Good gas mileage. Low ownership costs.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 21st February, 2001

1998 Toyota Corolla VE 4 cylinder automatic from North America

Faults:

Everything:

At one year of age and 40,000 km it began shaking erratically at speeds greater than 100km/h. The dealer claimed the car must have hit a curb and refused to take responsibility (it hasn't). I then took it to an alignment shop to have everything checked. The alignment was perfect!! The tire shop said we needed new struts. We took new tires and a full alignment and balance instead (Cost $500). We then took it back to a Toyota dealer and provided them with the info. Again they refused to believe that the struts could be bad on a new car. Now we have 90K on the car and the warranty is gone. The car's had three full sets of new tires on the thing and all alignments show every thing is straight. Still the shaking persists.

The cars front transaxel is now making knocking noises at speeds over 100KM. Sounds like somethings going to come loose soon.

What a piece of garbage. 2 years old and it's ready for the scrap yard.

The car has had regular maintenance. Oil changes, transmission fluid and filter changes, new tires, tune ups etc.

General Comments:

The first new car I have ever owned and it is one of the worst cars I have ever driven.

The main frustration is the lack of responsibility from the dealer.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 31st December, 1999

17th Dec 2000, 15:01

As a happy and satisfied Corolla driver I am sorry to see that this person was less fortunate.

But for the European readers I want to add that the USA Corolla is a very different car from the European one, and the US version is built in North America.

2nd Feb 2001, 12:52

If you are willing since you had such a bad experience with your Toyota, I would be willing to take it off your hands, I probably wouldn't have any problems because I don't drive faster than 70 mph.

1998 Toyota Corolla GS 1.3 petrol from UK and Ireland

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

I've done 6,000 miles in 3 months in my new Corolla and it's fantastic. The build quality is excellent and it's really quiet at speed. So much better than my old Renault Clio. I just love it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th July, 1998