Faults:

Head Gasket blown two months after purchase- replaced under warranty.

Thermostat housing corroded and leaked at 120000km.

Heater element leaked at 130000km.

Air conditioner de-gasssed at 135000km.

Rust appeared on rear mudguard at 140000km.

Head gasket blew (again) at 170000km.

General Comments:

The temp. gauge rarely moved much above cold- this was probably due to the thermostat being stuck open, probably leading to the reduced life of the head gaskets.

The EFI 16 valve engine uses platinum plated spark plugs. these are supposed to last 100000km, but cost 5 times the price of "normal" plugs. Be aware of this as I had several dealers try to change them at 10 000km intervals and put the cheaper plugs in. I caught them out every time.

In terms of performance, this car really goes! It is happy to gently cruise around at below 4000rpm, but let the revs build up a bit and the power really comes on right up to the 7500 red-line! Great fun to drive on a windy road, but will also wind out to 180kph- not bad for a 1600 4cyl four-door.

This car had manual steering which was a bit heavy in slow manoeuvring, but felt rock steady at speed and offered plenty of feel when winding through the Adelaide hills.

Seating for driver and passenger is deep bucket seats, allowing plenty of stability when hard cornering and plenty of adjustment. Stereo was good for its day. The hatchback and rear fold down seats allowed me to fit my bike in the back with only removing the front wheel.

Minor car cancer appeared on the right rear mudguard- this is a very common problem, solver with some anti-rust paint regularly applied.

Head gasket blew again as I traded it in on a larger family car. I should have repaired it and kept it.

I saw it a few months ago, looking a bit run down (now 20 years old) but still going!

Faults:

Bought the car off a mechanic... car is great he says, just replaced the engine.

But no.

Replaced ignition leads as car missed badly.

Car had an issue where it would drive and then suddenly cut out which went on for a few months.

Head gasket then blew, spark plugs snapped and Toyota mechanics said head may be cracked. They said could cost around $2000. I replaced the head with one with 120000km myself for much cheaper.

Replaced many things to try and fix dieing problem, and now have replaced the main relay, and the car seems to go fine.

Electric windows stopped working.

General Comments:

Goes good for a 1600 with plenty of parts available cheaply, and plenty of performance parts available.

Handles well for a front wheel drive hatch, similar to a CRX or some such. Easy to catch in a slide and is fairly flat on corners. Wheels have been replaced with 15" mags and 205 tyres, but could do with suspension bushes replaced though.

Engine has nice exhaust note, and revs well with 7700 redline and 130hp. Gearbox is all good, only a slight notch into second on hard shifts and the throws aren't extremely long.

Makes a great first car to learn to drive hard. Cheap, without to much power and semi decent handling.

Faults:

CV joints wore out 200, 000km

Heating coil wore out at 200, 000km

Muffler replaced at 200, 000km

One Rear Wheel Cylinder Replaced 200,000km.

General Comments:

Extremely Reliable, just went and went and went

My first car, will be a Corolla fan for years to come

Awesome little gearbox

Very Economical

No A/C made it tough to drive in summer, but otherwise very comfortable

Easy steering (no power)

40/45ltr Fuel tank, easy 500-600km/tank

Fantastic Resale value.