1998 Toyota Corolla 1.6GLi review from Singapore

Front electric window (Driver's side) failed at 88000km.

Door switch on the B pillar failed at 75000km.

Front brake pads have started to squaek (98000km). I reckon this means it's time for me to renew the pads.

My family got this car on Christmas eve 1999.

Since then it's provided us with a honest to goodness form of transport.

It's very reliable and the built quality is really second to none.

In the 4.5 years we had had this Toyota, only the above faults were experienced.

Other than which, consumables such as engine oil, oil filter, manual transmision oil, coolant, tires, brake fluid etc were replaced as per manufacturer's recommendation.

The car still has the original shocks, clutch and brake disc.

The 1.6L engine is quick, refined and quiet and at the same time responsible for it's fuel usage. 0-100Km/hr timings were given as 10s flat in a local motoring magazine and fuel consumption's at 12.5-13 km/L of petrol.

Front seats are comfortable though space at the rear is a little limited. This can be a little irritating on long trips to neighboring Malaysia. The suspension is tuned for comfort rather than for performance so expect severe body roll when executing hard cornering.

The steering is light and the the 5 speed manual gearbox is a breeze to use.

On the whole, there can be no doubt that Toyota makes some of the most reliable cars in the world though for design wise, the Europeans and the Americans such as Volks and Ford would beat the Japanese hands down. Toyota cars are indeed made to last and I would recommend it to anyone who wants reliability and durability at a decent price.