Faults:

Not much has gone wrong. The paint was fading when I got it, and a little rust on the wheel wells.

Mechanically it's been great. Other than the usual maintenance, I've only had to change the thermostat because it was stuck open. Had to take it to a garage for that, because they had to put it on a lift to replace it.

General Comments:

I've only had it for a year and a half, but it's been extremely reliable. I have an hour plus drive to work each way, so I was a little concerned how a little 4 cylinder would hold up, but it's been solid.

The car looks sporty, but it's really more of an economy car, because it's not real fast, but I'm getting 35 mpg consistently, which is a good thing, because the tank only holds 11 gallons.

The only problem I have with the car, is I have 2 kids in car seats, and it's kind of a pain to get them in & out, but it's a small price to pay for reliability and great gas mileage.

Faults:

It had a bad O2 sensor when I bought it. It just went bad again. Runs fine.

It needs an EGR valve. I pulled the vacuum hose and everything runs fine. It should be replaced though.

Exhaust has developed a leak, which I welded and it still kinda leaks. Its hard to weld the top of the pipe :)

General Comments:

Well, I really forgot what it was like to have to work on cars after I bought this. I had an eclipse (Broke down on the side of the road twice, ECM) that I sold to buy a s-10 (Trans went out 100 miles from home, replaced it). I totalled my S-10 early on in college and bought this Toyota. It got me through college needing only brakes and tires. I still drive it sometimes. I'm going to give it to a cousin who just received his driver's license.

Excellent MPG. Ultra reliable. One of the cheapest Toyotas (and best) you can get. I'm not really sure why they are so cheap, but they are. Paint is perfect to this day. Still looks "modern" enough to pass. Worst part is the factory hubcaps (replaced).

I really don't believe I could get more than $800 for this car with the work it needs. However, if you bought a used rim for it ($10), and never looked at the "Check engine light" (EGR valve bad, O2 bad) it would probably run for another 50 thousand miles.

The Engine and Trans run as smooth as new. No smoke, no nothin'. Could mostly pass for a new car.

Its slow, but it doesn't feel slow. So you get the 35mpg (not with O2 and EGR problems, but still good mpg) while feeling like you are sporting around. Very cool.

Paid $1650 5 years ago for it. Still worth $800. Needed nothing. Beat that.

Faults:

Occasional leak around door seals in heavy rain.

General Comments:

I bought this car in October of 2003. Other than standard maintenance, I haven't had to replace a thing.

For an automatic, the car picks up quickly, however it has a few bands where the power lacks slightly.

Without any modifications, the car handles well enough to ignore the advisory speed limits posted at sharp curves.

Interior space is good in the front seat, however anyone older than eight will complain from the back.

Exterior and interior styling on the car are very modern and attractive.

There are also a few good tuner upgrades for the car if you know where to look. X-racing provides a stunning body kit and a few performance upgrades as well.