1992 Toyota Paseo 1.5 litre from North America

Summary:

Sporty gas saver

Faults:

Radiator at 190,000.

Thermostat at 175,000.

Previous owner said power steering pump went before they bought it from original owner. We just use our muscles.

General Comments:

With regular maintenance this car will last forever. It is nice and little with good pickup.

I come from a short family with no one being over 5' 3" so this car is a great family car. Also good with someone with young children.

It has a lot more room than my s10 and the trunk is bigger than our family's Toyota Tercel.

From what I have heard this car is known to burn oil, but I have yet to notice such a problem with mine. This was also the car that I learned stick on and the gears were pretty easy to find.

I would recommend this car to anyone as long as they aren't too tall because at 4' 8" I have bumped my head getting in.

Also this car is rather sporty and takes nice sharp turns. I will have trouble giving this car up when it is time.

Overall a great, little sporty car with even better mileage.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th March, 2008

1992 Toyota Paseo 1.5 from North America

Summary:

Gravy!

Faults:

Rear struts had gone on it when I purchased it. A new CV joint boot was needed, but that is about all. And I needed to change the decals on it to convert it to a manly car :)

General Comments:

Awesome car. I am scared about the clutch, but that is the only concern I have. I am sure this car will continue to get me through school and beyond a bit. I am able to take corners sharp and hang with the boys in the V4 class. Watch out world, the paseo is not goin anywhere!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 18th November, 2006

1992 Toyota Paseo 1.5 from Japan

Summary:

I like the car, but it needs more power.

Faults:

Windshield wipers are possessed. They turned on by themselves while driving sometimes. The headlights are possessed also they turn on after I shut them off and have walked away from the car. The headlights have never turned themselves off if the switch was in the on position though. I was able to fix this buy buying headlight turn signal stalk from a junkyard.

My water pump has gone bad at 12500KM.

The passenger door lock on the inside was broke when I bought the car for $100.00. I was able to fix it in ten minutes when I changed out the factory speakers.

All the factory speakers sounded terrible when I bought the car in 2004.

The suspension was worn out when I bought the car. I was able to replace the suspension myself for about $200. Made a huge difference in handling.

General Comments:

I own a 92 Toyota Cynos, which is the Japanese version of the Paseo. The only difference I know of is the headlights are 1 piece instead of 2, the steering wheel is on the other side & the dash is different. Everything else is the same.

The car was a real dog when I bought it, but after I swapped the automatic transmission for a 5-speed the cars performance was vastly improved.

After I replaced the shock absorbers with the cheapest ones I could find the handling improved immensely. The old suspension was just worn out.

The paint is faded, but that is to be expected on a 14year old car that has been kept outside for years.

The car is light enough to be quick with only a 1.5L engine. And the light weight & small engine size means good fuel economy.

The rear seats are small, but nobody ever sits there, so I don't care.

I bought the car for $100 from a friend who thought it needed to much done to it to pass inspection. I replaced the tires & brakes. When I was looking it over it was apparent that the previous owners never changed the oil, tranny fluid or the antifreeze as they were all black. Even though the car had been severely neglected it cleaned up good & has been a reliable car for me for the past 2 years, never leaving me stranded & always starting up first try.

I have never owned a Toyota before, but I will buy one again. MUCH more reliable than my Chevy Cavalier or my VW Fox were.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 29th July, 2006