I'm thinking about a 90's corolla

[fleabag]

I'm thinking about a 90's corolla, most likely '98 and while I was thinking about the '98 corolla, I realized I needed to consider other factors. I'm considering this car if I can get it for $5000 or less and I can get good fuel economy.
So with the following things in mind, is there another car I should consider? The only other car I can think of is a Civic.

I'm specifically looking at the '98 Corolla because they changed the engine in '98 and it should be relatively safe, however I found out interesting tidbit:"The eighth generation, which shared its platform (and doors, on some models) with its predecessor, was introduced in May 1995. Due to a recession, Toyota ordered that Corolla development chief Takayasu Honda cut costs, hence the carryover engineering.

For the general market, the Corolla was offered in Base, XLi, GLi, and SE-G trim levels."

This model came to the americas in 1998 (FYI). So with the above in mind, would the safety of a '93 be less than a '98? If safety isn't an issue, the only reason I can see my self not getting this would be because the '93-'97 are kinda ugly (unless proven otherwise). If they shared platforms, would changing out the lights with that of a '98 be possible? Also is the mileage really that much better with the '98?

List in order of importance to me:
Looks
Ease of repair
Cost of repair
Price
Reliability
Fuel Economy
Size

Also I should mention that I'm interested in a manual despite the fact that I've driven a manual once.

I'm not completely set on the corolla and I did consider the civic but the mileage is worse on the civic and I'm under the impression that the civic is more unsafe and possibily uglier.

Any help?

 

[Black88GTA]

Looks are at the top of the list, reliability, fuel economy and size are at the bottom...and you're looking at old Corollas? You sure the list isn't backwards?

I would think the safety would be about the same between different model years on the same platform, aside from the obvious "small econobox vs. large SUV / pickup" disparity. I don't know about the other things.

 

[fleabag]

Originally posted by: Black88GTA
Looks are at the top of the list, reliability, fuel economy and size are at the bottom...and you're looking at old Corollas? You sure the list isn't backwards?

I would think the safety would be about the same between different model years on the same platform, aside from the obvious "small econobox vs. large SUV / pickup" disparity. I don't know about the other things.

I had a feeling there would be this confusion. No what I mean is, of the high fuel economy vehicles, looks are at the top. So a Jeep grand cheroke would be fairly high on looks but since it isn't a high fuel economy vehicle, it's disqualified anyways.

Here is an example: Buy a prius over insight because insight is uglier than prius. (Not that I'm saying that but it's a good example of what I'm talking about)

 

[Black88GTA]

What do you consider "good" fuel economy? You could pick up something a hell of a lot nicer / faster / better looking / more fun to drive for $5k that would probably have close to the same reliability. Of course, this would probably come at the expense of luggage room, rear seat leg room, maybe a couple MPG (i.e. practicality).

For example, you could definitely get a decent 4th gen Prelude (92 - 96) for that. 5th gen is still out of that price range (for a decent one, anyways - unless you get lucky). Or maybe an older Integra. Although Honda parts can be expensive new.

For cost / availability of parts, etc, can't beat the domestics though. I can think of a few Chrysler / Dodge 2.2 turbo cars from the late 80s / early 90s I'd personally like to play with, but those wouldn't have the reliability / gas mileage you would want, plus are probably older than you would like to deal with. Not to mention, would make terrible "only" cars. Been there, done that with a "cool" older car that was breaking down on me all the time.

Plus, you could get a much newer / lower mileage domestic for your $5k than you could an import. Maybe an '02 / '03 Focus or something (don't know, haven't checked prices myself, just guessing).

 

[fleabag]

Originally posted by: Black88GTA
What do you consider "good" fuel economy? You could pick up something a hell of a lot nicer / faster / better looking / more fun to drive for $5k that would probably have close to the same reliability. Of course, this would probably come at the expense of luggage room, rear seat leg room, maybe a couple MPG (i.e. practicality).

For example, you could definitely get a decent 4th gen Prelude (92 - 96) for that. 5th gen is still out of that price range (for a decent one, anyways - unless you get lucky). Or maybe an older Integra. Although Honda parts can be expensive new.

For cost / availability of parts, etc, can't beat the domestics though. I can think of a few Chrysler / Dodge 2.2 turbo cars from the late 80s / early 90s I'd personally like to play with, but those wouldn't have the reliability / gas mileage you would want, plus are probably older than you would like to deal with. Not to mention, would make terrible "only" cars. Been there, done that with a "cool" older car that was breaking down on me all the time.

Plus, you could get a much newer / lower mileage domestic for your $5k than you could an import. Maybe an '02 / '03 Focus or something (don't know, haven't checked prices myself, just guessing).

How is the safety on a prelude? How difficult would it be to work on a prelude? Any known issues? I just found out about the 99-02 corollas burning oil which is completely unacceptible for me.


Also I just realized, would the purchase of this prelude be pretty pointless if I'm currently driving an LS400 '94? I was hoping to get a car with better fuel economy than the Lexus LS400 '94 but I'm starting to wonder if this would make any sense for me to buy.

 

[996GT2]

A 4th Gen Prelude with the base F22 engine is rated for 24 mpg city and 29 mpg hwy with the 5-speed. The higher-spec 160HP H23 engine is rated for 22/27, and the 190HP VTEC H22 is rated for 22/26. However, many drivers report getting over 30 mpg easily when driving conservatively. There aren't really many major known issues with older Preludes, except maybe the slight quarter-panel rust typical of all older Hondas. If you want one, look for the later models (94-96), since those addressed some manufacturing problems in the early run models.

If mileage (and looks, IMO) is really important though, you might want to look into an DC2 Acura Integra more than the Prelude, since the Integra uses a smaller 1.8L engine rather than the 2.2/2.3 in the Prelude (and is lighter as well). For $5000, you should be able to find (in good condition) either a 1996+ GS-R model with the 170HP, VTEC B18C engine, or a 1998+ LS/GS model with the less powerful 140HP non-VTEC engine. There was also the 195HP Type-R, but that model is comparatively much more expensive due to its rarity. All 3 engines are rated for 25mpg city/31 mpg hwy, and you should be able to reach or better those claims if you're not too aggressive with the throttle. This generation Integra got a 4/5 on front impact ratings, so it should be relatively safe as well. And it's definitely a better car to be seen in than a Corolla

 

[fleabag]

bump for perspective

 

[redgtxdi]

Airbags came in '94 or '95....(can't remember), but I know a '93 and earlier *don't* have airbags, so if safety is a concern, I'd shop '95 or newer.

 

[SirPorl]

My dad drives a 95 corolla with 160,000 miles on it. It isn't much to look at it but it sure has been reliable for him. The car is pretty vanilla but it will get you there and back without issue. Pretty good mileage too.

Another option to look at is a Sentra or a Protege. Same class of car and might be found a bit lower in price due to not having Toyota's name.

 

[fleabag]

What about a Civic VX Hatchback or Civic HX? I was really suprised to see that the Civic VX hatchback has such good mileage but it would appear it's attributed to the 92HP VTEC-E engine opposed to the 115HP in the HX. However my beef with the VX hatchback is because of just that, it's a hatchback, so I was thinking that maybe I could do an engine swap by putting a D15Z1 engine (VX hatchback) into any '98 Civic. The civic HX looks alright but I think they hold a premium simply because they get good mileage so the idea of putting an engine from a less safe vehicle and less desirable into one I do desire would make the most sense.

bah, I have no idea..

 

[bigpow]

I've a 98 Corolla.
It's still running good considering its age & mileage.

FYI, 00 Corolla has VVT-i, while 98-99 don't. I don't think the difference in price is that big, so I'd say go get the newer year (with appropriate miles, of course).
But if it's between a 30K miles 98 and 100K miles 2004, I'd take the 98.