1979 Toyota Corolla DX Wagon review from North America
"Cheap reliable transport"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Most recently, oil in cyl 4, could use head work.
2 clutches in 260000 miles.
2 front brake jobs win 260000 miles.
1 water pump in 260000 miles.
1 radiator due to user error.
2 clutch slave cyl due to wrong part (pre 79 slaves fail, wrong size)
Rust around back hatch.
Uphostry... all of it shot after 200,000 miles.
General comments?
Stock it had a top speed of 120mph, which I timed on man trips to California. Best time Seattle to L.A. was 14hours. Shockingly it seemed to handle better then a 1988 Celica all track turbo. There are many upgrades to improve the stock engine, not the least of which is a DOHC.
I averaged 30mpg most of it's life, my old 76 without a cat got 40 with the right gas. Last check it was closer to 28mph.
To this day it's operational, though a rebuilt head would be in order at this point. The compression tested solid after 340,000 miles.
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| The cutest car I will ever own |
|
| Incredible. Buy one if you can find one in good shape. |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1979 |
| First year of ownership | 1991 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.6 2-TC Automatic |
| Performance marks | 5 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 10 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 1 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 80000 miles |
| Most recent distance | 340000 miles |
| Previous car | Toyota Corolla |
| Date of Entry | 29th July, 2003 |