Faults:

No mechanical issues ever. I have the usual rusting of steel brake lines, power steering fittings, gas fill tube.

General Comments:

Great little car for everyday city driving. Easy to park and over 30 MPG.

I feel this car will last another 20 years if I can control the rust.

Faults:

Engine replaced at 166000.

Fuel pump replaced at 166000.

Normal wear and tear items: ball joints, tires, fluids, wiper blades, light bulbs, etc.

Front struts are creaking and need to be replaced.

General Comments:

I received this free but badly neglected VE from an in-law, and proceeded to install a second hand engine and fuel pump myself.

After the coldest MN winter in 20 years, I have to give this little car some props. Many, many days of below zero weather parked outside and this car started up every time. Upgrading to 185 tires is a good decision.

Pros:

Fantastically easy car to repair and work on, especially this base model with power nothing. The engine bay has plenty of room to reach everything (try changing spark plugs on a VW Jetta or changing the oil filter on a Honda Civic from the same time period).

Low beam and high beam are bright and well aimed.

Very good view from the driver's seat with small A-pillars.

Affordable replacement parts. Widely available at auto parts stores (note: use OEM Denso upstream oxygen sensor).

Fits easily into compact car parking spaces. Short wheel base and small turning radius.

Brakes are surprisingly good for having rear drums.

Functional layout of controls and dials without looking.

Timing chain and external water pump.

Does not attract attention.

Cons:

VVT-i is a joke with auto trans.

Lack of right armrest.

Backseat is tight for anyone over 4 feet tall.

Gas mileage is not that great with the 3-speed auto. Getting around 25 MPG city with lots of stop lights.

Key copies are impossible to cut for some reason.

The best selling American passenger car in 2000 was the Ford Taurus. I don't see many Taurus on the roads or in parking lots, but I see plenty of these Corollas rolling around. I have no doubt that this car will be around another 6 years to become a "classic".

Simple does not mean less than!

Faults:

Toyota Corolla's are known for their engine oil problems. Oil leaks or burns, you will need to add a quart of oil depending on how many miles you put on the car. I bought the car at 155000, and at 186000 the engine blew out on me.

If you are buying a Corolla, I would advise you to check for oil problems. Do not worry about anything else, this is the single problem that will drive you nuts.

General Comments:

Performance wise it was average, although I wished it will perform better with a stick shift.

Electrical connections were all better than most other car manufacturers.

Faults:

Engine check light at 90,000km. It was something unimportant though.

General Comments:

This is a very economical vehicle. Cheap on gas and maintenance, yet that comes at a cost. Yes it is a VVT-I engine, and yes it is a light weight vehicle, but the 1.8L four banger can be boring and at times frustrating. You would have to apply more gas than you normally would on any other car to roll from a stop at an acceptable pace, and that causes lots of engine noise or whining, and this vehicle has no soundproofing. The materials used in this car may look really cheap and plain, but they are pretty tough and don't break easy.

The ride is pretty comfortable and very soft, so it handles bumps and potholes pretty well. Seating is tight and hard and extremely uncomfortable.

Even though this is a FWD car, it handles pretty bad in snow and rain even with snow tires.

Only buy this car if you want something economical with low maintainability, because this car is certainly not sporty or luxurious, nor is it a blast to drive. Better choice than the 1.6L Civic though.