1985 Toyota Corolla GT review from Australia and New Zealand

Gearbox lost 1st,2nd, 5th gears, replaced gearbox.

No other problems.

I bought this car for $1500 (NZ). The previous owner had already fitted it out with stabilizers and lowered it as well as hardened the suspension. This is a four door sedan and looks like a very standard car apart from the standard GT flares and badging. It is white, which does not make it stand out at all. Since I have had it I have had the following improvements to it:

2 ¼” exhaust.

Cam timing adjusted for about 12% performance improvement.

When I bought this car it was already very quick and would rev to 7000 and beyond running at about 126BHP. Now with the mods I have done it accelerates noticeably quicker and will give most turbo and non-turbo imports a run for their money at the lights. What is interesting is that it now has 145BHP, which does not seem like a lot, but it now has a huge amount of torque especially between 3500RPM to 6000RPM. The best thing I like about it is its ability to stick like glue to winding roads and pull out of them at ridiculous speeds. I would definitely recommend this car to anyone who wants the performance and reliability without the risk of blowing a turbo. One thing to watch is its ability to get sideways on tight roads if pushed, but being a front wheel drive it is easy to put back in line.