Reliable, cheap, ‘fast’
Because they are almost no longer made these days, light cars with a manual gearbox and some power can quickly become quite pricey on the used market. With this reliable and relatively spacious Toyota Corolla, the price is not too bad, so we think it can be a very nice beginner’s car.
We can cite several reasons for this. Firstly, Toyotatechniek – especially if it dates from the 90s – is known as very reliable. The chance that you will end up at the side of the road with a breakdown resulting in towing and garage bills is therefore quite small with a bit of luck. A pleasant thought for the smaller wallet. In addition, the fuel consumption – just like the mrb – will be relatively low due to a vehicle weight of only 1,036 kg.
Admittedly, nineties hatchbacks are also available in lighter form, but with this Corolla you can take another three friends and quite a bit of luggage. It remains to be seen whether any of the performance potential will then remain. If you go out on your own, then those performances are pretty good. The white Corolla – with its five-spoke alloy, side skirts and tailgate spoiler a child of its time – has a 1.6-liter 16-valve engine under its hood, which is good for 114 hp. It was the most potent engine you could get in the Netherlands in the Corolla of this generation, good for a 0-100 time of 10.4 seconds and a top speed of 180 km/h.
Few kilometers
The LS-TT-18, which is for sale in Groningen, should yield €2,995. For that you buy an apparently fairly neat example with relatively few kilometers on the clock: 129.539. Under the hood we see a not too old battery and neat yellow brake fluid, which indicates that the Corolla has also recently been replaced. So you don’t have to worry too much about the technology. Rust was often an issue with the Japanese from this time. During a viewing, ask especially if you can see the car on the bridge (the Corolla is at a garage), so that you are not surprised by critical rust formation during the next MOT inspection.
If you know how to prevent that, then this Corolla is a fairly smooth, possibly quite reliable, cheap to drive car that will probably last for years to come. Give the interior a good cleaning and grab some tools to remove that phone holder and car kit, and the interior of the Toyota still looks great. Including beautifully upholstered, extra sporty designed seats. Can you see yourself already?
.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl