Does any one know past reviews for this vehicle, or have personal experience? I am considering buying one. Thank you.
Any kind of review is not going to mean much on a 21 year old Toyota.
They’re good cars when new but a lot of water has gone under the bridge since 1986, which is when the car was probably built and sold.
Like any 21 year old car it needs to be checked out before buying it. Of course, do not overpay for it because you can safely bet it needs something; or several somethings.
ok4450 is right on the fact that ANY 21 year old car could have a myriad of things wrong with it. Get it checked out by a pro before purchase.
From personal experience, my son had an '86 Nova, which is the SAME as a Corolla, as his first car six years ago. It was a very good little car. We knew the original owner, and bought it from her. He drove it two years, and never spent a dime on it other than replacing the timing belt because it was time. It should get mileage in the low to mid thirties if it’s a five speed.
The bodies aren’t any good and should have started to fall apart. Get away from the eighties Corolla. Clean the ground wire from engine to body at the body end or you might have starting problems. Click, click, click. They probably have lousy crash ratings and the exhaust is awful from the converter back. Pay extra for stainless. They weren’t too bad in their day but they are now history.
With so many good, cheap cars on the market, buy something newer. These cars were OK in their time, but rustproofing was not the best, and carburetors were often finicky. The 1968 Toyota Corona, for instance , was head and shoulders above competing small cars in its day, but I would not want to own one now. My sister had a 1986 Corolla; a great little car as I recall, but it finally succumbed to rust, while mechanically still OK. If you live in a dry state (Nevada, Utah, etc.) it might be worthwhile to buy one with low maileage, if you have access to a mechanic who likes carburetors.