Hi everyone. I am from the Allpar forum and drive a 1989 Dodge Aries Coupe. I am also president of the new Chrysler K Car Club at www.chryslerkcar.com. I am crazy about all cars and since my family has a Toyota Corolla, I though I would join this forum. My family has a 1987 Toyota Corolla LE 4dr Sedan. Here is a little info:
CONS:
1. The car has 336,000 miles.
2. The car runs terrible and gets 10-15 mpg.
3. The car was flooded in Hurricane Irene of 1999 in Miami, Florida.
4. Some black smoke comes out of the tailpipe on every startup.
5. The car will not startup easily or at all if the temperature gets below 45F.
6. The car shakes like a jackhammer at idle and the tailpipe vibrates against the back of the car.
7. Headliner is down and there is some bad rust eating through the doorframe and the gas tank cap. Surprisingly, this is a dry Southern California car except for its
exposure to South Florida and Hurricane Irene.
8. The car has been in several accidents. The front bumper is rippled with some misalignment. The driver door was badly damaged by a hit and run driver. We pushed it out. The backend was hit by a crazed driver at 45mph. The back trunk is bent and frame is questionable.
9. We hear audible clunks and metallic noises when my brothers and I take this car for a spin.
10. There is rust inside the car, torn up upholstery, and some lingering smell we have noticed inside the car since Hurricane Irene. There is also some white cruddy powder between the doors and in the battery terminal.
11. The interior is brittle from the sun with hard melted interior trim.
12. Radio is dead, dash lights dim, and hardly anything works.
13. Lots of rust under the engine bay surprisingly and some rust now in the floor of the trunk and under the rug.
14. It sat for three years under a tree and lots of stuff dryrotted.
15. Mechanic has not really fixed the car except when it broke down. It has never been truly fixed and seems to break down or have an issue once every few months.
PROS: We love tooling around in this jalopy because of its easy handling ability, good brakes, decent pickup, and unlimited visibility. We laugh when it won't start or when it gets weird sounds. The interior I might add is brittle and baked from the sun. We don't drive it far except on special occassions when we want to take the risk. It eats gas though and that partly limits us to keeping the car local.
FUTURE AND ADVICE: My Dad thinks Corollas are the best in the world and my family rarely junks an old car. For example, our fleet consists of an 89 Dodge Aries, 87 Toyota Corolla, 88 Plymouth Colt Vista, 95 Dodge Van, and 92 Volvo Turbo 740. We have talked about restoring this jalopy, but we have not gotten around to it. We have also talked about just buying another Toyota Corolla and dropping the engine from the 87 in. If we were to save this jalopy, how much would it be and how would we do it? Why is the gas mileage so terrible. This engine is not the original one, though it has sat around quite a bit and been subjected to harsh elements during its last 8-10 years.
