1990 Toyota Corolla CS-X review from Australia and New Zealand

I bought the car at auction (my first car), so expected it to have some faults.

Faults at purchase-

-Syncho worn going into 2nd gear

-Steering rack leaked badly

-Brake lines and calipers needed replacing

-Steering boots needed replacing

-Clear coat layer above paint is cracked and peeling badly

-Auction house took out all stereo equipment (irritating)

-Wheel alignment needed at purchase.

When I first bought the car, I expected it to have some faults, and, as a result, didn't pay very much for the car. Because I bought it at auction, it was not registered, and did not have a roadworthy certificate. I took it to the mechanic, who told me about all of these faults. The subsequent repair of these things took the purchase price up another A$500, on top of the A$1950 I paid for her in the first place. After all was fixed, I took her for a spin. Not expecting much out of the 1.6L engine, I was quite surprised at the reasonable level of power. I took her for a spin in the roads in the hills near where I live, and was also quite impressed with the road holding of the skinny tires. Being my first car, I want to stuff around a bit, so I upgraded the tires to wider rubber, and fitted mag wheels, and a larger exhaust. This has improved the cars performance by large amounts. I am now even more happy with how the old girl runs. In the 12300 odd Km's I have had no problems with the car, which I am quite happy with considering the mileage. The shape is nice (it will look much better once I get the paint fixed up), it is comfortable, it drives well, it has plenty of room for a few mates in the back, and the hatchback provides quite adequate space for the odd road trip. After the initial expense I am incredibly happy her, and, at a time where the price of petrol is over A$1/litre, the economy is very helpful.