1986 Toyota Corolla GLX review from Australia and New Zealand

Blown head, may be porous, common with age.

Start motor.

Waterpump.

Radiator.

Battery.

Bootlid springs.

Rear struts.

Drivers seat sagging.

Most of the faults I encountered gave plenty of warning, and when serviced as per instructed these Ae82 offer exemplary reliability and economy.

For its size, a manual performs well, has faultless air conditioning that worked in 55 degrees.

If the cooling system is not maintained it will get hot, but have yet to boil after I replaced the head gasket/waterpump/rad. The sender switch in the thermostat housing is a common cause.

This car at nearly 300000 drove in 50 celcius+ temperaturess fully loaded through the outback, through mud and bonnet deep water and never once failed.

I have faith in this to drive it across the country. For a car that is 23 years old and 300000, it blows no smoke, every thing works like new, and it starts every time.

Cheap, good parts are getting hard to find, and eventually the bodywork gives way to rust, especially leaky boot and rear seat.

The paint is as good as many cars half its age, and it routinely gets 600 km on the open road, 380 in the city per tank.

The weak points are safety, braking heavily sustained or under load and sound insulation.

Overall highly recommended for do it yourself, easy to repair, and rewarding to drive, as bugger all goes wrong.