old corsas/fiestas/corollas any good?

d32

very tight budget, on a car hunt for something under 1,000! reckon i'd need to spend 400 p.a on upkeep of a newer car, so why not get something old, be prepared to spend 200 more on it p.a. and drive it til it dies?
mmmm i'm still looking for some wallet damage limitation tho- seen plenty of 10 yr ++ vw golfs and polos, opel corsas, a few corollas and plenty of ford fiestas... I'm thinking-if they're still on the road then surely that's a good thing- anyone driving any of these? also what sort of problems frequently pop up with these- any help appreciated!

andyseadog

corolla.

colm_mcm

Corolla or starlet

crosshair1

Corolla

Shulgin

Yup, can't bate an old corolla

colm_mcm

Automatic 97 Corolla saloon here for €495, NCT 13 months

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2059497

Jap import 94 Corolla 1.5 saloon here (high spec) NCT 2 years for €895

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2059165

96 Starlet 1.3 no mention of tax TEST but must be worth a call at €400

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2058461

98 Starlet 1.3, NCT for 9 months €950

http://cars.donedeal.ie/donedeal/classifieds/viewFullPhoto.jsp?cid=5973258&ad=2058268

97 Starlet 1.3, looks mint, 18 months NCT, no price specified, but worth a call though.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/1864901

97 Corolla 1.3 XLi Plus, NCT 14 months €950

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2055695

Carstuck

Have driven both the corolla and fiesta. Never had any trouble with either, both were extremely reliable. Corolla was excellent on fuel, but would recommend both highly. Own preference really .

Max Power1

The corolla would be a class above the fiesta, so for me it would be

corolla>fiesta>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>(ad infinitum)>>>>Corsa


And I drive a fiesta!

Owen

Unless the car was off the road due mechanical problems, don't let a lack of tax put you off. You'll only have to pay for tax from the date of ownership change.

colm_mcm

PaintDoctor wrote: »

Unless the car was off the road due mechanical problems, don't let a lack of tax put you off. You'll only have to pay for tax from the date of ownership change.

Sorry, on the Starlet, I meant to write no test rather than no tax.

bazz26

The navy Jap import Corolla for €895, mental money considering it looks very jaded.

bazz26

This looks tidy enough:
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=201111201618917

Or if you had a bit of extra dosh maybe something like this may last a bit longer:
http://www.driving.ie/usedcars/index.cfm?fuseaction=car&carID=201113201782947

David09

bazz26 wrote: »

The navy Jap import Corolla for €895, mental money considering it looks very jaded.

Jap cars tend to be unreasonably overpriced. Toyotas aren't really nice cars to drive, but on a budget that probably wouldn't come into it.
Opel corsas are a case of an excellent car coupled to a horrible engine.

colm_mcm

bazz26 wrote: »

The navy Jap import Corolla for €895, mental money considering it looks very jaded.

To be fair, it's only the opaque parking light lens that stands out in the picture. If it passed an NCT a few weeks ago there can't be too much wrong with it.

It also looks like an SE Limited spec which has loads of toys, and the 1.5 engine is great on them. Sure you could knock a few quid off the price alright.

kincaid

i had a 2000 fiesta 1.25 zetec for 4 years and never let me down, only thing i had to change was the starter as it was getting lazy and apart from the usual things like tyres etc -i sold it way back but still going strong - great little machine

The Muppet

I,ve had all three at various times, I'd opt for the corolla . Fiesta 1.25 zetec is a good car too but make sure the clutch and timing belt doesn't need to be done on it as it's a pricy enough job , Your £200 budget will not cover it. The corsa would be cheapest running costs

GTDolanator

David09 wrote: »

Jap cars tend to be unreasonably overpriced. Toyotas aren't really nice cars to drive, but on a budget that probably wouldn't come into it.
Opel corsas are a case of an excellent car coupled to a horrible engine.

it depends which engine tho.mates corsa has a c20xe from a calibra pretty good car.corsa with the isuzu diesel will go forever,mine has 278539 miles at the moment still goin strong

Buffman

d32 wrote: »

very tight budget, on a car hunt for something under 1,000!

The Nissan Almera is another one to keep in mind, very reliable.

http://cars.donedeal.ie/for-sale/cars/2059832

David09

David09 wrote: »

Toyotas aren't really nice cars to drive, but on a budget that probably wouldn't come into it.
.

A Corolla from the mid 90s is a lot nicer to drive than a Fiesta from the same era, or an Escort for that matter.

d32

crikey-mountains of feedback! just the sorta stuff i was looking for ...

colm_mcm

Yeah, the 90s corolla is actually great craic, my mother had a 1.5 jap like the blue one and it was a hoot, so light and chuckable.

David09

RoverJames wrote: »

A Corolla from the mid 90s is a lot nicer to drive than a Fiesta from the same era, or an Escort for that matter.

I drove a borrowed corolla for a couple weeks. I owned an escort for two years. Both were hatchback and 1995. At the time the escort was bought for a few hundred quid and the corolla could have been bought for 1800
Having driven both cars, the corolla was far smoother with absolutely no rattles but it felt really dull. The steering was really light and the gear change vauge. It just didn't feel like a nice car to drive.
The escort on the other hand was crude and noisier but felt a lot more positive and balanced on the road.
In terms of reliability I wouldn't have doubted the corolla. I chose the escort because it was cheap and it was a purchase I was satisfied with. I put massive mileage on the car and it never failed me having driven it from carlow to dublin daily for two years.

_Conrad_

bazz26 wrote: »

The navy Jap import Corolla for €895, mental money considering it looks very jaded.

but it's JDM yo! :P:D


joking obviously, but yeah anyway out of that list, corolla is definitely to one to get, horribly boring and not very good to look at but pick a good one and it'll keep going and going

colm_mcm

If that jap corolla is an SE Limited (certainly looks like one) it'll have climate control, central locking, electric folding mirrors, really comfy seats,4 electric windows etc. For an old shed that's pretty good.