1997 Toyota Corolla DX review from North America

I bought this car from the terrible previous owner.

A month after that the engine was blown. Most likely the engine was overheated before, or ran without engine oil.

Anyway, I bought a used engine with 40K miles on it. While swapping the engines, I also changed the timing belt, water pump, radiator, engine mounts. All these problems were caused by the lack of maintenance and abusive driving style. The repairs cost me a lot of money.

Fortunately, since then, my Corolla has been taking good care of me, it doesn't have any problems at all. I was told by my mechanic that this car can last for at least 10 years.

The 3-speed automatic is something I don't like. Too much engine noise when running at high-speeds.

City MPG isn't so good, average 20 with 100% city driving. However, good sides are: I have 42 MPG on the highway with 55-60 mph. Driving at 70-75 mph that will be 37 mpg.

It is a small car, small engine, but the handling is excellent in its class. This is an ideal car for those who drive to grocery shopping, school and etc.

In speaking of long distance road trips, this car might not be a good option except for fuel economy.

My experience with my current Corolla encourages me to buy a brand new Corolla in the future.