Faults:

I had to change the suspension system of the car. Spare parts for Toyotas in Costa Rica are easy to find, and the replacement of these parts was no problem at all.

I also did a tune up on this car a couple of months ago, and now the car is running very good.

General Comments:

Excellent performance.

Fuel economy is around 11 L per 100 km, which is in the range of Toyota's technical info.

Engine has more power than expected for a 1.3 L carb.

However a problem is the installation of seat belts in the back seat. They were not installed in 1990, so two point seat belts are the only chance I have so far.

I'm planning to keep this car as long as I can. Excellent car!!!

Faults:

- Right Indicator blew. Had to be replaced. Very cheap

- Windscreen water tank leaks

- Front right tyre has had 3 punctures in last 1000kms.

General Comments:

All in all the car is very neat, clean and enjoyable to own. It's the small things like punctured tyres and broken indicators which have been the only real problems so far.

One thing that bothers me is the consumption. The best I have gotten out of a full tank is about 300kms and I'm not metal heavy. It's pretty decent for a small car of this age I guess, though it's not good for my ever decreasing-in-depth pockets!

Faults:

Sometimes the car only runs on 3 cylinders due to oil flooding the fourth one. Easily fixed by cleaning the spark plug.

Normal wear and tear items such as brake pads, shocks and the various filters.

Front left headlight bulb blew at 225000km - easily replaced with a Toyota OE bulb for R9!!!

One of the speakers blew in the dashboard.

Rings are badly worn due to previous owner running the car without engine oil!

Drivers seat is slightly worn, but seems like it will last a few more years.

General Comments:

Previous owner (an old lady) had not serviced the car at all! This car still had all the original parts, almost all of which were still in perfect working order even after 15 years (incl the shocks)!

Every so often blue smoke will come out of the exhaust (due to the worn rings).

Very reliable, has NEVER left me stranded even when running on 3 cylinders!

Faults:

As I read in this forum, I also wished I had known to check the differential oil. Everything conspires so that you never check the differential oil. Even repair manuals mislead you. I did check when the steering was pushing to the left, my left brake was dragging, but could not find anything wrong with them. But this did not prevent the differential from seizing.

I was going crazy thinking there was something wrong with my brakes, or that the ball joint or bushings were worn out, that the caliper was frozen instead of floating slightly to accommodate the brake pad wear. Now the differential is broken (the left wheel snaps, especially when turning; I can tell by the skid mark on the rubber on the tire). I hope this helps somebody to check the differential oil. Mine was empty. How could that happen, if the differential is sealed?. All I found when I opened the drain plug was an ounce of oil and about as much metal shaving coming out.

General Comments:

Change the front shocks and you will feel you are in a new car.

Space inside is average to very comfortable. Especially if you are tall, knees do not get close to the dashboard like in some cars.