1988 Toyota Corolla XL review from Costa Rica

Normal wear and tear. However, the interior shows almost no visible signs of tear whatsoever.

A couple of years ago, power door locks sometimes refused to work - the problem disappeared by itself. One of the ventilation controls broke - but that was my fault.

The air conditioner seems too much of a burden for the tiny 1.3 liter, feels kind of like cutting off a couple of cylinders. It has always been like that, since new. That said, it should also be noted that the gearing is chosen to extract the best possible performance out of the little thing, so when the air is off, the car ends up feeling quicker than it really is.

Nothing else.

It's a basic transportation tool and it fulfills its job without drama and without pretense. Great basic design, good choice of materials.

It's just so frigging R E L I A B L E that you would not believe, more so than any other car that comes to mind, except possibly other Toyotas (my father's Land Cruiser for example).

I am also the very happy owner of a 2001 Audi A6; however, I deem the reliability of the Corolla as far superior. I don't know if the Audi will be still with me in one piece 17 years from now, like the Corolla.