Faults:

Fan heater switch stopped working.

Starter motor needed replacing after 10 years.

Exhaust system replacing frequently.

Didn't like our salty Canadian winter roads.

General Comments:

It sure doesn't owe me anything!!!

Faults:

Early on, I had a situation that occurred twice where a spark plug actually shot out of the engine while driving. On one occasion where this happened, it left a dent in the hood. However, I think this was due to the Autolite Platinum spark plugs I used. After I replaced these spark plugs, this situation didn't occur again.

General Comments:

This is a very basic car. It is not the sportiest or most eye catching car you will ever own.

However, the 1991 Corolla is (or was) very reliable, and easy to maintain.

Despite a weird spark plug situation early on, my 1991 Corolla was a very low maintenance vehicle that just felt like it could run forever.

When I traded it in early 1998, it was for reasons of vanity, and not due to any forseen potential major problems.

I actually felt guilty after I traded it in, I almost felt like it was a baby I gave up for adoption without just cause. I still miss my 91 Corolla, despite the fact I now own a 2003 Corolla.

Faults:

Engine blown at 169,000 due to poor maintenance.

Upper head gasket at 125,000.

Lower gasket at 125,000.

Alternator at 190,000 due to age.

Water pump at 220,000 due to age.

Seats are wearing badly, but nothing a seat cover doesn't resolve.

Seat adjustment lever for passenger seat stopped working after approx 10 years.

Still running strong after being sat on by a Cow Elk about 12 years ago. Headlights adjustments now done by hand due to the elk breaking the headlight adj frames.

General Comments:

Car is fairly slow to accelerate to 45, but once there, it handles well and responds well to the gas pedal.

Standard radio still works.

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

Never let us down in 17 years!!

Ended its days as a reliable, economical commuter car before she was rear ended.

Best car ever made. Car was written off, but the husband lived, wish it was the other way around.

I loved that car!

Faults:

The right wheel started to make a strange noise a few hundred miles ago. Problem was traced to a CV joint that never got fixed because the car got wrecked.

AC compressor went out around 130,000 miles, and was fixed for 500 dollars.

Glove box handle broke, but was easy to replace.

A stick shift with no tachometer still amazes me.

General Comments:

The car fits me like a glove.

Relatively long throws on transmission, good feel of where you are and what you're doing in the car. I'm 19 and still managed to get almost 30 mpg out of the car, with it fully loaded with people. Held up extremely well through the almost 30 thousand miles I put on it.

I plan on restoring it when I get the money, because this car has a lot of life left in it.

Faults:

Replaced cracked exhaust manifold (twice)

Replaced radiator (twice)

Rear struts replaced at 146000; all struts needed replacing by 180000.

A/C compressor quit working at 178000.

General Comments:

This base model Japanese sardine can came from the NUMMI factory after Toyota turned it around. In terms of construction and reliability, this is about as good as it gets. Most of the problems that I did not list were clearly caused by poor maintenance or lack of inspection.

The old lady is still going strong at 188K, though she does smoke a bit when cold. The shop's diagnosis was that it's old age and she'd go on for another 50000 without rebuilding the engine.

My Corolla has taken me through all sorts of hazards and weather, including several hurricanes and the odd blizzard, and has never let me down. Even doing 105 mph on a wet road did not faze this car. She maintains a superb grip on the road at all speeds and in all conditions. She starts at -1F as well as at she does at 105F.

Performance is much better than one would expect from a 1.6L engine. It doesn't have much zip when you take off but, by the time you hit 60, you migh as well be in a much more powerful car. Acceleration in fifth is magnificent for a small engine and lets you overtake fearlessly as the car goes from 70 to 90 in no time. The transmission is flawless even at her advanced age. I'm rather fond of the high clutch that gives more leeway for sloppy shifting than most cars do.

The interior is fairly cheap, consisting mostly of hard plastic. Still, it fits five in the city without protests, even from the taller ones, who got put in the middle. The paint job on the outside was not terribly good. The car was turning pink and peeling after more than a decade under the Florida sun.

Long after I give her up due to a growing family that needs more car space, I expect to be saying that this was the best car I ever owned. My next car was a Corolla, too, but in the end I gave that one up instead of the old '91 because this was, hands down, the better car.