1997 Toyota Carina e 1.8
Summary:
Cheap reliable motoring. A brilliant car
Faults:
There was a faulty indicator relay at 130000.
Apart from that, absolutely nothing.
General Comments:
I had wrote off my previous car, a 2001 Nissan Micra, on the journey home from work. As a result I needed to find a car fairly quickly to replace the Micra. I saw an ad for a Toyota Carina online, and remembered a mechanic friend telling me years earlier they were bulletproof.
I paid just £450 for a one owner Carina with 7 months MOT, just as a stop gap to get to work. I fully intended to replace it when I had the time to search properly, but it has been absolutely brilliant. I cover 550+ miles a week and it has never failed to start or let me down. It's a big comfortable car with a huge boot and a quiet engine. I use it almost solely on the motorway, and it returns 48 MPG from a 1.8 petrol engine. It is actually more economical than the Micra.
I have no intention of parting with it, although I believe that parts for these cars are becoming scarce and that may be the only issue. It's 18 years old, but looks and drives like new.
I would recommend these cars to anyone; they are cheap to buy, cheap to run, and totally reliable.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 18th June, 2015
27th Apr 2016, 09:58
Just an update on the above Carina E.
I still own the car. I bought it with 107,000 miles on the clock. It has now covered 184,000 with no problems. I have put a set of Avensis alloy wheels and tyres on the car, which I got for £120, and this has improved the looks no end.
I would recommend these cars to anyone, but the prices are rising, although there are still a few around for about £500; be quick and get a bargain.
8th Oct 2016, 10:08
Wow that's lovely. I bought a 1995 2.0 litre Carina E over 2years ago at 159,000km. It's now 212,000km and still runs superbly.
19th Jun 2015, 09:28
Totally agree with this review, you got it spot on, older cars are still economical to run, it makes no sense paying thousands for a nearly new car when a £700 car can give you all the reliability you need for a year or two's motoring. Get the oil changed on time, and the timing belt as well and you're laughing. I have successfully ran older cars like this for years with no problems, and sold them when I get bored for almost all the money I paid for them again! Ford Mondeo, Toyota Carina/Avensis, Nissan Primera, Volkswagen Passat, all the usual suspects are good choices from the 1995 - 2005 timeline and are now at budget prices.