1976 Toyota Corolla KE-30 1.2 from Norway
Summary:
A Toyota is a Toyota - reliable as hell!
Faults:
My seats are worn.
The engine broke down at 131000 km. due to the previous owner's inability to check the oil level and eventually change the oil. The oil pressure was quite low and the oil lamp was lit for over 5 seconds after the car had started before it went dark.
General Comments:
The car is a dream to drive. Very comfortable gearbox, it shifts like a dream, and the clutch is as easy to press in as on a newer car.
It handles well, but is not too good on iced roads if you do not know how to drive a rear-wheel-driven car. It is easy to get the rear part slipping.
The engine on these cars are very tough and can run on an on forever (3K). However, the previous owner of this car did not see to the oil pressure and oil replacement, and as a result of this, the motor died.
The dashboard lights are not too bright, and can be hard to see when driving in tunnels during the day and other such environments. However, when it is pitch black outside, you can see it.
There was once a break-in into the gas tank of the car, and as a result of this, gas is flowing back out from the fuel filling tract when pushing the accelerator to the floor.
Apart from this, the car has been rust-treated a lot of times since it was built, and it is still without rust, even though corrosion was a serious problem on these cars.
Low fuel consumption. I would definitely own another one!
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 6th August, 2006
13th Jan 2010, 08:52
-could anything done to improve this-
Years ago I owned a Corolla 30 and wanted to improve performance etc. The 1600cc engine, gearbox and front McPherson struts (with brakes etc) from a Toyota liftback of similar vintage (also sometimes called 'Corolla' but completely different body) all were fitted without too much difficulty. Other than having to weld new engine mounts, change from wire to hydraulic clutch and cut a new hole for the gearstick, it appeared that Toyota had designed the shell so it could take these bits (but never did on the 30).
It all ended in a car that was a fair bit faster and a bit more economical (eventually uprated the rear diff also).
16th Sep 2008, 15:54
I got a 1976 toyota corolla that I have managed to improve a bit, with renewed dash, aluminum wheels and seats. It is a great car, not too fast though, but strong built. I have thought of selling it to buy a newer one, but sometimes I don't know because everybody says that they are so good. It is carburated, and it makes it not too economic even though it has a 1200 cc engine. Could that be improved? I will have to think more about selling it...