I have a coworker who’s looking to sell his car, a 1989 Toyota Corolla. I know the basics of looking after a car, but a car that old is almost foreign to me, because I’m from a state where cars rust out.
I figure Toyotas are pretty reliable and so is the 4AG engine, but I don’t want to end up with another money pit. What should I look out for, or should I just avoid it altogether?
What are your options? For example, I would rather daily an '89 Corolla over a '01 Kia.
What is your budget for maintenance? There will be nuisance items go like seals and gaskets due to age, even if the engine runs strong.
What is the price? For a car that’s almost 35 years old, it better be low.
If you have a low budget, don’t have a crazy commute, and can get a couple years out of this car for a couple grand, it could be exceptionally wise decision compared to a $600/mo car payment.
So I dailied an ‘86 for a long time. It’s a money pit. A delicious delicious money pit that you’re going to remember for the rest of your life.
If you crash it you might die tho.
Bad idea safety wise, sure
I daily a car from 1968. If youre mechanically inclined and very intimately knowledgeable about the specifics of the car it shouldn’t be too big of a problem. Carry some basic tools, the jack for the car, and some spare belts, fuses, and other small maintenance items in the trunk and have a tow company number handy. Always factor in extra time before going anywhere incase of a problem (ie, always be early).
Once you work on the car enough you can get it to be decently reliable as long as you take care of the maintenance properly.
If you can do basic maintenance to the car like changing belts, hoses, filters, etc it’s really no big deal. I used to daily 1959 pickup truck, now I’m in an 81 jeep. Old cars are a lot of fun and the mechanicals on them are way simpler than what you’ll find in a modern car. They do have their drawbacks though. Safety is probably the biggest one, airbags and crumple zones weren’t really a thing pre-1990’s. They will also get worse fuel mileage and are generally slower and less comfortable. But the look cool, and have a personality that most modern cars are lacking.
I daily a ‘93 Miata. It’ll likely kill me in an accident due to no safety features. Anything rubber has a potential for failure with age. Belts, hoses, seals, gaskets, may leak and require service. It’ll take more maintenance than a car from say, 2005. That being said - I’ve never been stranded. Maintenance is dead simple, this era of basic EFI is dead simple. No stupid electronics, space under the hood to work. It’s totally doable for a daily as long as rust can be kept at bay and you have some mechanical knowledge. Put a new stereo in there and drive it!
Honestly, a 93 Miata is probably one of the safest old cars on the market. I’ve seen multiple Miata owners come away from head on collisions where the doors still open and close
If the wheels stay on the ground, that is. They have little rollover protection.
theres nothing wrong with an 89 corolla, assuming its been taken care of. id rather have that than some cars a decade newer honestly.
the questions that you should think about are whats the gas mileage. how far is your commute, and can you afford anything more fuel efficient and/or safer . the corrola shouldnt be terrible but depending on the price you might could get something safer and more fuel efficient. but your commute might be short enough for that not to matter at all for all i know.
Here’s the problem… cars need maintenance. Parts wear out, they need replacing. Doesn’t matter what make or model they are, things will go wrong. Plastics get brittle, rubber deteriorates and metal parts like bearings wear out. That’s the nature of the beast and don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.
The problem with such an old car is that you can’t just run into Autozone and find a new gasket or bushing or other parts. Generic stuff like bulbs and oil is of course available, but you will be waiting for things to get shipped to you for a lot of parts.
If yiu had some other form of transportation and your commute was short, then by all means buy it as long as you understand part availability could be a little delayed versus a more modern car.
Also keep in mind that 80s and 90s era cars are hot right now due to nostalgia so the resale value for them has gone up considerably in recent years. If you’re into that era car and yiu don’t mind wrenching yourself, consider the car, but you will pay a premium.
The problem with such an old car is that you can’t just run into Autozone and find a new gasket or bushing or other parts.
This isnt exactly true. Its highly dependant on the M/M.
For example, I can walk into my local O’reilly (AutoZones in my area have consistently got the wrong part every time so I avoid them now) and get pretty much any mechanical part I need for my 1968 Ford Galaxie 500. And if not that day, then by the next day. This is because Ford shared a lot of mechanical parts between many models for many years, so things like drums and shoes, starters, wheel cylinders, engine parts including gaskets, suspension bushings, etc. are all pretty easy to find and buy. They’re also incredibly cheap. I bought a wheel cylinder for $15 USD, and a brand new starter only set me back $45 USD. This is in California, which is pretty notorious for high cost items. For any part that my local stores don’t have, RockAuto is guaranteed to have it. They even happened to have the rare factory style air-conditioning vacuum valve tree for directing coolant into the heater core I need to get heat in my car for just $20 USD (which I promptly bought 2).
For non-mechanical parts like interior trim, mirrors, etc, that stuff is all really hard to find. I have had to custom order some of these parts myself, especially since the 1968 Galaxie was its own model, the 1967 and 1969 models had different designs that use incompatible parts.
By comparison to modern cars, I found myself getting parts actually faster than the modern cars I repair for a living. Seems like every new car part is SOP these days, 1 to 2 weeks out.
I have a 1964 Buick Riviera and for mechanical parts, most things can be had in a few days, but I’m not finding them at the actual store on the same day. Not anythihg but the super generic stuff, at least. I’m not saying they are months out to get - a couple of days to ship - but OP is asking about making this his daily driver. That’s far different than a fun project car. If you’re driving 30+ miles a day and you don’t have a backup way to get around, I would be very hesitant to get this car for that purpose.
In this case it is true. Toyota does not support their cars for very long. I have a 1988 Corolla gt-s, a 1999 Solara V6, and a 2003 MR2 Spyder. Many parts simply are not available. It’s sad because, I love these old cars, but I find myself sometimes making my own parts or retrofitting other parts.
They are also in constant need of attention. Most of it doesn’t keep them off of the road, but still they need maintenance. Consequently, I bought a newer car as my dependable transportation when more than one is broken at a time.
It can be done but I wouldn’t recommend it. Almost everything on a car ages over time, from copper switches oxidizing to rubber rotting out. Things constantly need work or replacement. Baselining a vehicle like this for daily use should mean replacing almost everything that tends to die from age on that vehicle. Faded/brittle radiators, hoses, belts, certain sensors, overflow tanks, rusty areas, etc.
It’s absolutely doable for someone that loves a specific car and has the drive/knowledge to make it reliable. However, it’s a lot more work than a newer car so it’s not a very practical choice.
To counter this point, the money you would spend on an '89 Corolla plus maintenance would probably be far cheaper than a newer vehicle.
This is purely anecdotal, but I have a few friends that have old Corolla’s, and those things just do not die, despite heavy abuse.
Probably, if you do the work yourself.
However, time has value and there is no getting away from the fact that 30 year old cars need regular tinkering to stay reliable and comfortable to drive. If you love the car, have a backup, and like wrenching it can be a very rewarding experience. However, starting a maintenance project knowing it has to be done before you go to bed if you expect to drive to work in the morning is extremely stressful.
A 89 Corolla has collector value. OP can get a car 10-15 years newer for not much extra money and be in for a lot less headaches.
Old Corollas are just really good little nuggets. I think if OP was ready to have a shop check the car over and then slowly start working on the critically important items of repair himself. Then he should buy it.
You should only consider driving an old car as a daily driver if you also want to make a hobby out of keeping it on the road. If you are not prepared to do the vast majority of your own mechanic work then you should stick to a newer car. Old cars break… alot, and sometimes in weird ways. As a person who grew up working on cars with my dad I have always done my own work and personally prefer the older cars which have relatively simple systems that are easier to troubleshoot and maintain. If you are comfortable getting dirty and are mechanically inclined and have or are willing to get the basic tools needed then by all means drive an old car.
It was reliable like 25 years ago. Now it’s an old car that needs all the rubbers replaced. Also japanese cars rust like hell, this one no exception. If you are into cars, and like to repair by yourself, it’s great. If you need a commuter, just get something from 2000’s, price will be the same.
I also recommend against this. It’s a great car that CAN be very dependable, but it takes a person who really wants it (meaning really likes it or old cars) to own it. It’s the kind of work, if I may make a judgement about you based on what you posted, that you probably aren’t up to. If recommend a modern equivalent of this car. Perhaps even a newer Corolla.
The year doesn’t really matter, it’s about the model and build quality, as well as how well it was cared for.
My 2015 Jeep is a pile of shit. Issues after issues after issues and it has 100K kilometers on it. Extremely unreliable. Meanwhile my old Chevy Silverado with 500k kilometers on it was rock solid until I gave it away.
Depends how it was taken care of. I daily a 1991 Honda Accord and it’s the most reliable box I’ve ever sat inside. But it was a grandma car that was maintained religiously.
It’s true that toyotas hold up better than most, but only if he’s put the money into it so far for proper maintenance, like all the fluids, any remotely rubber components, shocks, ball joints, etc. Otherwise you’re gonna be in for a lot of mechanical trips for squeaks and leaks beyond just changing the oil like I do.
What’s your budget?
