1999 Toyota Corolla GS review from UK and Ireland

Wipers stopped working during heavy rain on the motorway!

I bought this car as a replacement for my Almera which had a small boot. The Corolla boot is massive for the size of the car.

I've had several Corollas before and they are good cars. However, this is the first high-miler which might have something to do with the following :

Ride/handling quality poor at low speeds and don't inspire confidence at high speeds.

Seats uncomfortable - no support for thighs or back.

Build quality not as good as 'Jap' corollas. The AA guy who came to fix my wipers said that these cars use a lot of British parts, and are nowhere as reliable as the earlier ones.

Spec was fantastic - esr, air con, ABS, cd player etc etc faultless.

Engine and Gearbox unbelievably smooth and quiet. Performance and economy also very impressive.

However, boring to drive compared to the Almera - cannot drive it in a spirited manner at all.

Anyway, I do miss this car - gone back to an Almera now. But I'm on the lookout for a facelift (plus new suspension, seats etc) model which came out from a W reg - this should be the best of all worlds.

Corollas are expensive to buy used. My advice is to go for the best you can afford - and don't buy one which more than 25,000 per annum on the clock.

It's an A-B transport car, and a damn good one at that. But not one that you'll jump into to go for a quick spin for the hell of it.