1979 Toyota Corolla CS review from Australia and New Zealand
"A cheap and reliable bargain"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
Slight oil leak from spark plug sleeves.
Split hose from thermostat to water pump.
Slight wear to front seats.
Badly repaired rust beginning to re-surface.
General comments?
Considering the small capacity of the 1300cc 4K engine, it is quite zippy both on the highway and around town. The ever-reliable 4K engine is essentially bulletproof and seems to go on and on.. Recently I drove the car from Gold Coast to Lismore, and from Brisbane to Gympie within the same week and it didn't miss a beat. The 4-speed gearbox isn't really suited to the highway, however, due to the relatively short gearing, but seems happy to cruise at 100-110 kph.
Rust is quite an issue with this model corolla, although due to the previous owner badly repairing the existing rust, it has re-surfaced. Considering its age, there isn't all that much rust there.
Because I am a larger person, the cabin isn't all that spacious, nor comfortable. However, for its age and genre.. its quite well equipped and would rival any other car of its age.
Overall, I am quite happy with this vehicle. After all, for AU$1200 its hard to find a one-owner vehicle with low kilometres (143,000) and 8 months registration, isn't it?
Recommended reviews
| Too small, too slow and too unreliable |
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| 1975 - Corolla 1.6 Fuel Injected You can't beat a Toyota |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Year of manufacture | 1979 |
| First year of ownership | 2003 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2003 |
| Engine and transmission | 1.3L petrol Manual |
| Performance marks | 9 / 10 |
| Reliability marks | 10 / 10 |
| Comfort marks | 7 / 10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | 9 / 10 |
| Overall marks (average of all marks) | |
| Distance when acquired | 143676 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 145503 kilometres |
| Previous car | Mitsubishi Sigma |
| Date of Entry | 14th December, 2003 |