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Toyota Carina E - when will it stop?!

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  • 28-07-2010 10:39am
    #1
    manatoo
    Registered Users Posts: 376 ✭✭


    Hey just wondering if anyone can match this for a ridiculously reliable car

    1995 1.6 XLi bought in 2005 for €900 with 63,000 miles. Today it has 131,000 miles and was laid up for a year while I was in Oz so 17,000 a year since I bought it. In that time I have replaced 2 link arms in the suspension (worn bushing, clunking sound over ramps) and also the timing belt at 120,000. Other than that I chuck some oil in it every 5,000 miles-ish or whenever the light comes on ;) and the odd bucket of water every now and then!

    I don't think motoring can be done much cheaper than this! About to take it on a 3.5 week tour of France in a week's time too! Has anyone else experience of these cars or any stories to tell positive or negative??
    Tagged:


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    #2
    Ponster
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 10,911 Mod ✭✭✭✭Ponster


    Mod Edit : Moved from FAQ


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    #3
    Eric Cartman
    Registered Users Posts: 26,283 ✭✭✭✭Eric Cartman


    In before VB


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    #4
    manatoo
    Registered Users Posts: 376 ✭✭manatoo


    What does in before VB mean??


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    #5
    Eric Cartman
    Registered Users Posts: 26,283 ✭✭✭✭Eric Cartman


    manatoo wrote: »
    What does in before VB mean??

    theres a user on boards who used to go by the name VolvoBoy , the toyota carina is his passion


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    #6
    cian1500ww
    Registered Users Posts: 2,904 ✭✭✭cian1500ww


    manatoo wrote: »
    Hey just wondering if anyone can match this for a ridiculously reliable car

    1995 1.6 XLi bought in 2005 for €900 with 63,000 miles. Today it has 131,000 miles and was laid up for a year while I was in Oz so 17,000 a year since I bought it. In that time I have replaced 2 link arms in the suspension (worn bushing, clunking sound over ramps) and also the timing belt at 120,000. Other than that I chuck some oil in it every 5,000 miles-ish or whenever the light comes on ;) and the odd bucket of water every now and then!

    I don't think motoring can be done much cheaper than this! About to take it on a 3.5 week tour of France in a week's time too! Has anyone else experience of these cars or any stories to tell positive or negative??
    Is it burning oil, because it should only need an oil change every 10,000 miles and make sure you keep plenty of coolant in the car as the more water you add the more diluted the coolant becomes making it less effective ;)

    They're a great car indeed, I know a man who has a '91 Nissan Primera that has over 250,000 miles on the clock and no major repairs done to it. The Japanese really made some brilliantly reliable cars.


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    #7
    pajo1981
    Registered Users Posts: 1,178 ✭✭✭pajo1981


    manatoo wrote: »
    Hey just wondering if anyone can match this for a ridiculously reliable car

    1995 1.6 XLi bought in 2005 for €900 with 63,000 miles. Today it has 131,000 miles and was laid up for a year while I was in Oz so 17,000 a year since I bought it. In that time I have replaced 2 link arms in the suspension (worn bushing, clunking sound over ramps) and also the timing belt at 120,000. Other than that I chuck some oil in it every 5,000 miles-ish or whenever the light comes on ;) and the odd bucket of water every now and then!

    I don't think motoring can be done much cheaper than this! About to take it on a 3.5 week tour of France in a week's time too! Has anyone else experience of these cars or any stories to tell positive or negative??

    131k is no big deal really tbh.


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    #8
    Andrew33
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,857 ✭✭✭Andrew33


    Eric Cartman wrote: »
    theres a user on boards who used to go by the name VolvoBoy , the toyota carina is his passion

    Passion? Fetish morelike. All E's should be dragged into a field somewhere and burned.


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    #9
    dahamsta
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 16,659 ✭✭✭✭dahamsta


    My old man's E went to 300k, the latter 100k in northern Sweden, engine heaters an' all. He replaced it with an Avensis in the end, cos it crapped out just before he went to do that stupid cycling pilgrimage thing in Spain. If he'd had a little faith it would well still be going. ;)


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    #10
    Eric Cartman
    Registered Users Posts: 26,283 ✭✭✭✭Eric Cartman


    dahamsta wrote: »
    My old man's E went to 300k, the latter 100k in northern Sweden, engine heaters an' all. He replaced it with an Avensis in the end, cos it crapped out just before he went to do that stupid cycling pilgrimage thing in Spain. If he'd had a little faith it would well still be going. ;)

    sure they dont even start without padre pio's on the windscreen, those things are like an extended warranty


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    #11
    manatoo
    Registered Users Posts: 376 ✭✭manatoo


    Well I'm not VB!

    Firstly I'm not sayin its a nice car and I sure dont have a fetish for it and I know it's not the biggest mileage! But reading the other posts in here of people gettin new catalysts on 6 yr old VWs, exploding turbos on 4 yr old pugs, constant electrical problems on Fiats, etc etc....I dont have any of these problems and my car is nearly 16 years old! What do you guys drive? Have you had problems?


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    #12
    Tigger
    Closed Accounts Posts: 16,707 ✭✭✭✭Tigger


    My spare car is a 96 vectra 1.7td with an izuzu engine

    I bought it in 2002 with 120,000 miles on it and used it to commute 100miles a day for a long time

    I got a newer car in 06 which I was using instead so I keep the vectra for when it's icy or if the main car is getting serviced. It always starts on the button after weeks or even months not going and past year it passed the nctfirst time for the third time in a row currently has 257,000 miles on


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    #13
    manatoo
    Registered Users Posts: 376 ✭✭manatoo


    Cian - oil change intervals are 6000 miles for these oldies. It gets thru about a litre every 1500 miles since I got it so two top ups usually does it between oil changes. I asked a toyota dealer mechanic about this and he said all Toyotas of the time drank a small amount of oil even when they were new. Gets throught the emmissions test in the NCT with flying colours every time - 0.01ppm


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    #14
    Tea drinker
    Registered Users Posts: 2,818 ✭✭✭Tea drinker


    pajo1981 wrote: »
    131k is no big deal really tbh.
    It is if it's mostly urban miles..... Seems great cheap motoring for a 95.

    Is VolvoBoy the guy that has one as a taxi?


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    #15
    Max Power1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10,272 ✭✭✭✭Max Power1


    Carina E- the epitomy of bulletproof reliability that makes bangernomics easy!

    I love these cars! Especially when the mileage gets to something like 300-400k and still running as sweet as a nut!


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    #16
    cian1500ww
    Registered Users Posts: 2,904 ✭✭✭cian1500ww


    manatoo wrote: »
    Cian - oil change intervals are 6000 miles for these oldies. It gets thru about a litre every 1500 miles since I got it so two top ups usually does it between oil changes. I asked a toyota dealer mechanic about this and he said all Toyotas of the time drank a small amount of oil even when they were new. Gets throught the emmissions test in the NCT with flying colours every time - 0.01ppm
    Ah you should be ok so, make sure to keep the coolant right though ;)


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    #17
    manatoo
    Registered Users Posts: 376 ✭✭manatoo


    Yea a friend of mine has that same diesel vectra. His is up round 260,000 too BUT he has put 2 steering racks, 2 exhausts in and countless electrical problems over the years.
    Have you had any of these issues?

    Engine just goes on and on though.


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    #18
    Eric Cartman
    Registered Users Posts: 26,283 ✭✭✭✭Eric Cartman


    manatoo wrote: »
    Well I'm not VB!

    Firstly I'm not sayin its a nice car and I sure dont have a fetish for it and I know it's not the biggest mileage! But reading the other posts in here of people gettin new catalysts on 6 yr old VWs, exploding turbos on 4 yr old pugs, constant electrical problems on Fiats, etc etc....I dont have any of these problems and my car is nearly 16 years old! What do you guys drive? Have you had problems?

    not saying you were VB , just i know hell be along at some point , the carina e was a very well built car, my dad had 3 of them , as for other reliable cars well my old kia sorento had 64000 miles when i bought her, full service history and nothing more than bushings and tyres were changed on her , i then added a further 35000 and gave it a lot of abuse and yet again changed nothign but tyres , brake pads and bushings, belongs to a lad in cork now and has a fair few more miles on her with no problems


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    #19
    pajo1981
    Registered Users Posts: 1,178 ✭✭✭pajo1981


    manatoo wrote: »
    Well I'm not VB!

    Firstly I'm not sayin its a nice car and I sure dont have a fetish for it and I know it's not the biggest mileage! But reading the other posts in here of people gettin new catalysts on 6 yr old VWs, exploding turbos on 4 yr old pugs, constant electrical problems on Fiats, etc etc....I dont have any of these problems and my car is nearly 16 years old! What do you guys drive? Have you had problems?

    People only post when they're having problems. The maj. of cars run up to 200k+ without major incident.


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    #20
    Tea 1000
    Registered Users Posts: 4,520 ✭✭✭Tea 1000


    I can beat that - the Carina E was built as a family car, the Colt was built as a run-around, however your Carina seems to have an appetite for oil and water... my mothers Colt, 97, is over 135,000 miles and doesn't burn a drop of oil or use any water! 100% reliable, nothing changed on it yet, no sqeaks or rattles from any major component! Drivers seat belt is slow to retract, that's the only annoying thing.


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    #21
    manatoo
    Registered Users Posts: 376 ✭✭manatoo


    Jeez Kia who'd have thought! Yeah if the E would finally pack it in I'd love to get something a bit more desirable but then I've been shielded from mechanics bills for so long that I think I'd find it hard to swallow if I went out and actually paid real money (as opposed to <1000) for a car and then had to start payin mechanics....seems to me like very few modern cars offer that sort of reliability :(


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    #22
    manatoo
    Registered Users Posts: 376 ✭✭manatoo


    Tea- I meant water as in throw a bucket over it to clean it! I think i last went near the coolant in 2008! The oil consumption is normal according to Toyota and my car is 2 years older than your colt! Good show by it too though, Mitsubishi made great cars back then. Not so much anymore unfortuntately...


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    #23
    Tea 1000
    Registered Users Posts: 4,520 ✭✭✭Tea 1000


    manatoo wrote: »
    Jeez Kia who'd have thought! Yeah if the E would finally pack it in I'd love to get something a bit more desirable but then I've been shielded from mechanics bills for so long that I think I'd find it hard to swallow if I went out and actually paid real money (as opposed to <1000) for a car and then had to start payin mechanics....seems to me like very few modern cars offer that sort of reliability :(
    Last of the uber-reliable cars was probably the 98-03 model Accord. After that everything has electronic gizmos that turn lights on in the dash that no one seems to know how to put out without trying 3 or 4 things that cost a few hundred each!


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    #24
    BrianD3
    Registered Users Posts: 8,280 ✭✭✭BrianD3


    Mechanically it could go on pretty much indefinitely and just need wear and tear items replaced. On the other hand the engine or gearbox could expire tomorrow.

    The main thing to watch for with that car now will be rust. You could have insidious rust eating away inside a box section or sill and only discover it when you get flaking paint or bubbles on the outside. Also watch for rust under window and sunroof seals and for water leaks into the boot and interior.

    It should also be said that it is an unsafe car by modern standards. For me that would put me off doing a lot of driving in one.

    As for modern cars and other makes being worse than Carina Es, the internet gives an overly pessimistic view of car relaibility. Bad news spreads very quickly. Any modern car from any make has the potential to do big mileage with few problems. I've got over 230k on my Laguna II that I've owned from new, engine, gearbox, body and interior all very good, uses no oil. Many wearing parts replaced but many original eg 3 original shocks, wishbones, clutch, exhaust, battery, brake discs. I am thinking of selling it out of boredom more than anything else, life is too short etc.


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    #25
    itarumaa
    Closed Accounts Posts: 704 ✭✭✭itarumaa


    BrianD3 wrote: »
    As for modern cars and other makes being worse than Carina Es, the internet gives an overly pessimistic view of car relaibility. Bad news spreads very quickly. Any modern car from any make has the potential to do big mileage with few problems. I've got over 230k on my Laguna II that I've owned from new, engine, gearbox, body and interior all very good, uses no oil. Many wearing parts repalced but many original eg 3 original shocks, wishbones, exhaust, battery, brake discs. I am thinking of selling it out of boredom more than anything else, life is too short etc.

    Would be interesting to see what kind of market there is for Laguna II that has 230k miles:)


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    #26
    Ali Babba
    Closed Accounts Posts: 874 ✭✭✭Ali Babba


    itarumaa wrote: »
    Would be interesting to see what kind of market there is for Laguna II that has 230k miles:)

    The only ones to buy that would be Renault to add to their hall of fame....... although if it's cheap enough or for nothing i'll take it and crush it to get rid of another one of them.:)


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    #27
    manatoo
    Registered Users Posts: 376 ✭✭manatoo


    Brian, I hear you on the rust thing but so far I havent seen anything potentially a problem. sills are very clean and chassis seems of all round. theres some surface rust just where it got tipped off various things over the years but nothing thats spreading.

    I have to say I have a mate thats a mechanic with Renault who said that of a bad make, the Laguna II was their worst model! You haven't had any of the engine problems going round? The EGR valve? The tyre pressure sensors bullsh1t? The constant window regulators? Aren't all those things dealer only and €500+ problems?

    The safety thing, yeah I hear you but you can look at that two ways. When cars that are now old came out first they were considered state of the art safetywise and we all drove wherever we wanted in them, how can they now be unsafe? On the other hand, mine doesnt even have a driver's airbag. Sometimes I find myself looking at the Toyota emblem on the steering wheel and wondering if some day it'll be imprinted on my forehead as the horn beeps unceasingly.....


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    #28
    Eric Cartman
    Registered Users Posts: 26,283 ✭✭✭✭Eric Cartman


    itarumaa wrote: »
    Would be interesting to see what kind of market there is for Laguna II that has 230k miles:)

    how much money did you pump into that car ? id say its had every pasrt changed twice at this stage


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    #29
    W123-80's
    Registered Users Posts: 2,075 ✭✭✭W123-80's


    I thing I've emntioned my old mans '94 2.0D Corolla on a similar thread before.

    The early 90's Toyotas were pretty bullet proof alright. The Old man's has 225k on the clock, he is the 2nd owner. Going like a dream. Not burning a tint of oil. Still on the original clutch!

    Would love to get my hands on that model Corolla in a 2.0D with less the 120k on the clock.......... As well off looking for hens teeth I suspect.


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    #30
    manatoo
    Registered Users Posts: 376 ✭✭manatoo


    W123-80's wrote: »

    Would love to get my hands on that model Corolla in a 2.0D with less the 120k on the clock.......... As well off looking for hens teeth I suspect.

    True. There are some of the 1.3 petrols up for sale on donedeal and buyandsell. theyre unbelievably good too but the 2.0 diesel is even better


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    #31
    corktina
    Closed Accounts Posts: 17,733 ✭✭✭✭corktina


    i saw the very first one built (in the UK) a couple of days ago, it looked very good.....







    mind you , its in a museum....


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