1996 Toyota Paseo ST 1.5
Summary:
Wonderful little coupe from Toyota
Faults:
Replaced battery at 105,000.
Replaced radiator at 145,000.
Replaced rear exhaust at 148,000.
Replaced headlight bulb at 149,000.
General Comments:
Bought as a cheap runaround for £300 with six months MOT. I intended to keep it for a month or so. It has surprisingly proved to be the best car I have owned; it's covered 60,000 miles in a little over 2 years, and has never failed to start. The car has never let me down, and I haven't got round to changing the oil or plugs yet. The bodywork has a few dents due to the age of the car, but there is no rust.
The interior is good and front seats relatively comfortable, but the back seats are cramped, especially for adults. As a 1.5 litre sports coupe, it provides adequate power with good economy. I use the car daily, and it returns 45mpg on the motorway with 35/38mpg in mixed driving.
These cars are quite rare in this country, although the running gear is all Corolla / Starlet based, so parts are readily available, but you won't need them very often in my experience. I really can't fault the Paseo; it's been fantastically reliable; so much so that I kept it, and got rid of my Mercedes C Class Diesel that was a constant drain on the finances.
I would seriously recommend these little cars to anyone who is looking for sporty looks, good economy and fantastic reliability. You won't be disappointed.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 30th November, 2010
30th Nov 2010, 20:02
My brother-in-law owned an early nineties example of the Paseo during our college years. He drove it like a bat out of hell everywhere we went, and that little car kept on ticking no matter what. One of Toyota's best.