Faults:

Broken speakers.

Warped front brake rotors.

Just regular maintenance.

General Comments:

I bought a Toyota Paseo 1993 1.5 liter gasoline engine 3 years ago for 1 grand. Everything works, which is surprising for the age of the car.

Not a very fast car in a straight line, but will surprise drivers with bigger cars in the corners. I have beaten a 600cc bike with this car once, not because of this car, but because the bike rider was a newbie I suppose. I know the bike rider anyway. He ended selling his bike not long after that, not a very happy rider LOL.

The engine displacement is very similar to a Toyota Starlet, except this one has a coupe body.

This is my favorite of all the cars I had before. Cheap on parts, rego and insurance, great on fuel, plus nothing much has gone wrong so far.

The parts that I changed in this car were changed because of personal choice, not because it failed or broke down.

It's fast enough to get you into trouble if you drive like an idiot. You will not win in this car in a straight line. If you have this car, this vehicle shines more in the corners than anywhere else.

Regular maintenance is all I did with this car (e.g. change oil and spark plugs). Bought this car with 280,000km on the odometer; 333,000km and it's still going strong. I wish this car would live forever.

This is one of the best cheap cars I've had so far. I had a 325i BMW and a Mercedes Benz C200 (which is not really cheap) before this little Toyota. Handling wise, the Paseo will come close to Beemers and Mercs. Don't expect too much on engine power and ride comfort; your tears might turn into blood if you do that.

Believe it or not, this Paseo has a bit of oversteer given the fact that this is a front wheel drive and the rear suspension is not fully independent. Rear suspension looks like a straight steel frame, nothing too flash. This car was designed as a real coupe, it is just a guess from me, judging by the way this car handles.

I still have the Merc by the way. I can service a Paseo 3x for 1x the cost of servicing the Mercedes if that counts in terms of economy.

If Toyota builds another Paseo, I will buy it in a heartbeat. This Paseo will train you to become a good driver. Have fun. Take care. Good luck. Don't crash.

P.S. Get a manual transmission. Make sure the revs go beyond 5,000 before shifting. After that your heart and mind will become one, and you will realize how happy you are to have a car like this.

Faults:

I had to replace the right front shock absorber / strut assembly.

Power window switches were full of some strange gelatinous / sticky substance, so I had to disassemble and give them a thorough clean.

Oddball wiring in the headlight harness by previous owner, fixed it just now.

A couple of bits of interior and exterior trim were cracked or missing, so replaced as necessary.

Clear coat on paint is flaking away, and makes the car look a little mangy in spots.

Had to put a new windscreen in, a flying road rock took care of the old one.

General Comments:

A great little car, paid very little for it and it flies through its biannual road worthiness inspection nicely.

The handling is a bit scary, it always feels like it wants to let go around sharp corners if you are pulling a bit of speed.

Has a bad tendency for accidental wheelspin in the wet, but I think it might be a case of poor quality tyres.

The drivers and passengers seats turn into torture weapons on long trips, but it is fine for the daily commute.

It has all the options, electric windows, electric mirrors, power steering, incredibly good air conditioning, a keyless entry alarm system.

Thankfully it is a 5 speed manual, an automatic transmission would not perform well in this car I believe.