Newbie Buying Advice Needed

May 2, 2012

Just joined as I'm thinking of buying a Corolla. I have only had one Toyota before (MR2) so I want to know what I should look for. There aren't a lot of Toyotas for sale in my area but I've found a 1996 P Corolla 1.6 CD manual that seems like a good buy. I do very few miles and only need a car for the odd trip, but I want something reliable that I don't need to spend every weekend fixing.

So please can you tell me if there are any issues with Corollas of this era? It's the older style 1996 (not the newer rounded one) and done 106k supposedly with FSH. What should I be looking at when I go to view it? Are there any hidden areas prone to rust? Anything about the engines and transmission I shoudl look out for? Any electrical bits and bobs prone to failure? Or anything at all that cars of this age might be suffering from?

What are the key service issues that I need to check (cambelts etc) that if neglected could cause problems?

Any advice welcome!

Thanks :)

May 2, 2012

Update to the above - just spoke to seller who says he has no knowledge of the cambelt being changed (now at 106k) so can I also ask if this is a DIY job and what's involved? I have changed cam belts on old rear-wheel drive Fords but never on a fwd car.

May 3, 2012

Hey lad. Iv owned two 96 corollas a 1.3 GS and a SI. When ur looking be sure to check the inner arches for any bulges inwards, some people may do the dog on the them and that's a good way to see if it's been crashed. If it's got electrical windows on the doors then they are prone to malfunctioning, the engines are pretty damn sold in these cars never had much trouble with them other then when the Battery needed changing and other age wearing parts. A good way to see if it's been clock (if ur having doubts over the mileage) then the numbers on the meter won't line up properly as they go around. The sunroof does also like to stop twice when ur sliding it forwards. Be sure to test the rear window defogger, on the gs that never worked even tho there was power going thro the stripes.

At the minute that's all I can think of but if I can remember anything else il let you know :-). Good luck

May 3, 2012

Thanks nightblade. Viewed the car today and walked away - significant rust around engine and suspension mounts, stange noises from suspension, and generally tatty and tired. Some people are clueless when describing cars, I wasted an afternnon :(

May 4, 2012

Sounds like an untidy rola man, ****ty buzz u wasted ur time. Ya I know how u feel about people who put up ads for bad cars. Last year went to see a car with my bro and by god was that one piece of craps. But there's plenty of others out there so hopefully your manage to find a good one :-)

May 4, 2012

Sounds like an untidy rola man, ****ty buzz u wasted ur time. Ya I know how u feel about people who put up ads for bad cars. Last year went to see a car with my bro and by god was that one piece of craps. But there's plenty of others out there so hopefully your manage to find a good one :-)

I've looked at about 40 cars in the past two weeks, mainly from eBay but also Autotrader. People can be very crafty, taking photos from the rigfht angle so that rust doesn't show up! What do they expect to gain except peeing off the potential buyer? This Corolla was tatty but not a patch on some - a Merc C class, Volvo and VW all riddled with the tinworm and all less than 15 years old. when I bought my first car in 1980 the !Removed! had a reputation for rot, but now it seems the Europeans are far worse. Decent Toyotas are hard to some by because people don't want to sell them, but I'll keep looking :)