1987 Toyota Corolla FX16 Review - The 80's Hot Hatch The World Forgot About!

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DISCLAIMER!
The thoughts, feelings, and opinions expressed in this video are the sole thoughts of Zack and no one else. The purpose of this video is to provide entertainment with the hope that you will take what you see and formulate your own opinions. I highly recommend consuming other reviews of this vehicle before making any form of financial decision.
#Toyota #Corolla #CorollaFX16
Timecodes:
0:00 - Intro
1:06 - Engine / Transmission
3:30 - Interior
5:05 - BFB Test
5:24 - Seats
5:38 - Back Seats
6:24 - Trunk / Cargo Space
7:25 - Final Thoughts
10:49 - Outro

[@TrainWarrior]

It was great meeting you man! As an update, the Corolla made it back to NJ with 0 issues, it even proved to be more reliable than most of my family's cars. Definitely lmk when you plan on making it out to the East Coast!

[@cfc1001001cfc]

There's nothing quite like a Manual 'Rolla to make it past the 30 year mark/300,000+ mile as a daily driver/survivor. :)

[@hollybirge4087]

I learned to drive stick on a 1987 Corolla FX16 just like this one. Same color and everything. Grew up in Florida and these were everywhere

[@jmsaltzman]

I’ve always been a hatchback fan and this is such a classic sleeper. Glad this one’s still on the road!

[@buddy8225]

My parents owned an 88 Corrolla and a 97 Corolla. My first Corolla was 2 door 79 Corolla coupe. I got my license driving it. It was a 5-speed. Learned to drive it when i was 15. Good cars.

[@jefferysmith3930]

That is one scruffy little monkey. I’ve never driven one but I’ve always wanted one. My sister used to have an ‘83 Tercel SR5 5spd. I loved thrashing that little car so I can only imagine how much fun this thing is.

[@johnnybrixton8111]

I’m so happy you did this obscure Toyota! What a pleasant surprise!

[@Angels_z34]

So my grandfather has an fx but needs work. Has been down since 06. His is the carb fx.. straight body, very tempted to restore it and defenately going fuel injection.

[@adamn7516]

I had an 87 FX16 brand new but mine was the GTS model which came with the side skirts, rear wing and moldings and bumper covers painted to match the body color. This car based on the AE82 generation of Corollas, a front wheel drive Corolla FWD coupe based on the next generation AE90 Corolla actually sold alongside this in 1988. The coupe was specifically the AE96. The FX was only available for two model years 87 and 88 before being killed off due to poor sales. It sort of lived on for one more year as the badge engineered Chevy Nova Twin Cam.

[@n0ti5]

I had a 88 in black, my dad gave it to me after he used it for a few years as a daily he bought it used but was well over 10years old when he bought it. I loved that car so much. I learned so much about working on cars and driving/car control. I remember the model i had was also a gt-s model and must of been the top of the line trim, because it had 4 wheel disk brakes, front and rear anti-roll bars, the saw blade alloy wheels, AC, power steering, power sun roof, power rear view mirrors, but still crank up manual windows, the drivers seat had adjustable height, adjustable side bolster, adjustable lumber, tilt steering column. It was my first car and i also modified what i could since parts were almost non existent for this car.

[@adamn7516]

@@n0ti5 I believe the only additional standard equipment the GT-S came with over the regular FX16 were the spoiler package, the bumpers, mirrors and trim painted to match, power mirrors and adjustable lumber and bolsters. Sunroof was an option but only on the GT-S I believe. Also I believe the regular FX16 loses the performance suspension but still retained the sport seats but can't recall if they included lumber and bolster adjustment. Might be able to tell if I look at the seats in the video more closely. Now the plain FX model with the 8 valve 1.8 lost the rear disks and rear roll bar as well the close ratio 5 speed although it had a regular 5 speed as well as the optional auto. It also lost the performance suspension and the sporty front bucket seats of the FX16's. I think all had power steering but not 100% sure on that. AC was available on all trim levels. Can't remember if it was standard on the GT-S.

[@adamn7516]

@@n0ti5 Here is an original Motorweek road test of the FX16 kzbin.info/www/bejne/iquad6CjfbGWjck

[@n0ti5]

​@@adamn7516 yeah im somewhat familiar with the trim levels i just dont know exactly what was optional or extra, the base model fx had a 1.6 carbureted 4ac engine, the mid tier fx-16 came with the 4age, and the gts had skirts and wing. The 4age powered automatics had a ect button that held engine rev's higher at part throttle for a "sportier experience" not sure if that was a gts only option or all 4age auto's, because i know that was something on mr2's and the rwd rolla's that had 4age's also. I see this fx in the video doesnt have the adjustable seats. and doesnt have the rear wiper, but does have power steering, AC and it has that front strut tower brace that i thought was a GTS only option but i might be wrong and it might be on all mid fx-16, but i know for sure base fx didnt have the brace. I also know the base fx didnt have some interior bits and bobs like the center console little cubbie box, the pockets on the doors and the back seat sides, the digital clock on the dash also the instrument cluster didnt have a tachometer. I have a bunch of useless info in my brain from doing research about this car or at least the little information i could dig up. I also remember a friend of mine giving me a printout of a 80's car magazine that reviewed the ae82 i dont remember what publication it was but i remember it had a very cool drawing of the side of the car cut in half where it showed the inside of the car like engine position, seats and suspension struts in relation to the body of the car. i just tired searching for it and couldnt find anything.

[@n0ti5]

@@adamn7516 yeah i watched the video a bunch of times. have you seen sushpants' fx? He did pretty much everything i wanted to do to my fx when i had mine. always had dreams of doing a 20v with 6speed swap or a 3sgte swapping it. but never had the $ when i was younger. www.youtube.com/@sushpants

[@eritfree3597]

Zack keep it coming.I remember I wanted the FX16 in a Mono tone Silver!It was Great car sporty and Great on gas!That 1.6 liter took a lot to Rev the hp out-of it but it did the job with no gas being burned!!

[@prestige_w0rldwide]

A friend of mine had a Tercel like this in highschool it was a little under powered but cool

[@blue_lancer_es]

Smaller than this.

[@prestige_w0rldwide]

@@blue_lancer_es a little maybe

[@cafn8ed74]

People who have never experienced a super light weight compact with 100 HP and short manual gears should experience it before all cars are electric with a 1000 lb battery.

[@bwofficial1776]

The new Hummer's battery weighs more than this car plus a driver and passenger.

[@btrdangerdan2010]

I've seen an fx16 Corolla only a handful of a few times on the road in San Jose and in SoCal

[@MannyCruzal3]

My dad had one of these when I was a kid. I LOVE this car!

[@auntbarbara5576]

I would daily the shit outta this car.

[@thomasrhinehart6084]

The patina on this car is epic and taking it cross country warms my heart....it will stick it to so many suckers who are beholden to shiney new things and the latest tech....way to go my dude!!!!!

[@bldontmatter5319]

It's not patina. This is major cancerous rust. It's really bad on Toyotas

[@rushnerd]

Oh man, it even has the black Wanatabe-like wheels too. These mid-80's Corollas are SPICY in price and very hard to find for some reason. Then again, I found a 85' Hatchback Celica in white that looked EXACTLY like the AE86 last year for $10K and it took everything in me not to buy it. Just super cool cars that really stand out now.

[@Jlb-fz7nl]

I was a young apprentice technician for Toyota back in 87 and after a bad experience with a Vw Scirocco I bought a brand new white FX16 gts. I bought a trd header for a mr2 and had a local muffler shop modify it to fit the fx16.

[@Jlb-fz7nl]

I started remembering more details about the car. I installed a trd quick shifter and a complete hks exhaust system also

[@Michka1001]

Damn do these little beast bring back some nostalgia 😅

[@djkenny1202]

I use to read about all the 80’s hot hatches as a kid. My favorite is the VW GTI 16v. Timeless and Sexy! Owned my 92 model since 98.

[@radekvamowski8092]

the model after this was my first car. still miss it. such a great car. and yes, you just know how it will react every time.

[@AlexGarcia-ke3qq]

i like how you filmed this in the snow, also i had an all-trac wagon 91 with a 5spd it would not quit.

[@alphareano1002]

This car is crazy reliable! The Engine was definitely overbuilt! The fx16 saved MY life, death by mustang, typical, yet I got out of it unscathed unlike the mustang driver and lost my first FX ever; R.i.P. Tried driving a newer car and it wasn't the same. Even had a modern truck gifted to me and it wasn't for me. I knew I had to have another FX! Drove all the way from Texas to California and drove the FX16 all the way back home and made it back with a sunburn in 1 piece no issue despite the car being over 35 years old and over 300,000 miles!!!! Was given a hard time again for purchasing the same old car! Was told it was junk and that I was a fool for buying it again! Fast forward a year and my mom's modern 2015 Nissan Murano suspension and engine fail all while mocking my car calling it old junk. Then mom gets sick with a serious life threatening stomach issue and which reliable hot hatchback comes to the rescue? The FX16 of course! Literally saves HER life! Needless to say I always brought it up and the same car has a lot of respect now in my family lol XD Just recently purchased my 3rd one this year as a backup and someday I hope to own more :D The greatest Toyota Corolla ever! The FX16! Super rare! Very unique! Very reliable! Completely unheard of! It's Just the BEST!

[@bldontmatter5319]

People did that for my mint condition 1988, too. As if old is suddenly trash... I call it proven.

[@alphareano1002]

@@bldontmatter5319 The sheeple will never understand real value. Solid gold is solid gold! Keep yo crypto currency and I'll keep my gold! lol 1980s Toyota Corolla 4 LIFE!!! :D

[@scottfineshriber5051]

I love the fact you reviewed this car as one would a brand new Cayman. I remember the FX-16. The 16 referred to the 16 valves in the twin cam engine. While a 16 valve 4cyl. was not a brand new idea, putting one in an affordable small car was a new thing in the 80s. The 16-valve fours were seen as a sign of high-tech sportiness. There were few street cars back then with more than two valves per cylinder, so a twin-cam, 16 valve 4 was super cool.

[@byrnc927]

I owned one of these brand new. I was a lucky duckling. One of my favorite cars I have owned.

[@genericexcuse4737]

Absolutely love the fx16, it’s got everything you want out of a fwd lightweight hatchback.

[@GeeEm1313]

I remember the FX and the FX16. The FX16 was definitely the model to get.

[@ralval5376]

More Corollas please and thank you!!

[@kevinruger8819]

😍 some of my car buddies from Highschool had a few of these! One was 20 valve swapped and the other 4agze which is the engine from the supercharged MR2 AW11

[@Bouwer2100]

it's a gorgeous car

[@cleolorenzochristians2970]

Here is South Africa they are very sort after cars. They are called the Toyota Conquest RSi Twincam here, which made about 86KW (115HP) and 136NM (100FT LB). Our version of this little pocket rocket has minor changes to the cosmetics which makes it look better than the American version (IMO). This was the average teens dream car and many of my friends still own one. These cars are so difficult to get hold of and if you find one in mint condition today, expect to pay an arm and a leg for it. Great Video and I will be subscribing.

[@gikaradi8793]

my cousin Jim had one back in the day .1,3 1988 and up to 2007.Never complained and had great time in it driving full speed as young and dumm as someone can be and for over 200kms at once!! Full volume music also

[@milkcarclub]

Sick vid man, keep it up!

[@doug6191]

9:35 - Nope. The U.S. and Japan were linked well before NUMMI. Ford and Mazda were linked on vehicles like the Courier and Escort. Chrysler was joined at the hip to Mitsubishi with their captive imports. Even GM (via Chevrolet) was linked to Isuzu more than a decade earlier with the Chevette and LUV. NUMMI was a tacit acknowledgement by GM that they suck(ed) at manufacturing and needed to improve, not to mention their exhaustion of dealing with their garbage workforce that blatantly defied management.

[@ShootingCars]

Correct, but the cars were always built in an existing factory. Parts sharing was common, but NUMMI was built for the sole purpose of the two brands working together.

[@jba2048]

This car is so awesome. I want one.

[@mumwifeteacher]

Don’t forget the 80’s novas made at that plant by gm. My dad bought a 87 nova new that I later learned to drive stick on. They also made a twin cam nova that was a 4 door in the 80’s

[@blacksongoku312]

I've always wanted one of these or an AE92 gts. Love these nippy classics ❤

[@evan937]

The fact that it has 300k miles on it just shows how reliable these old Corollas were! Only thing that kills them is Rust! 💯👍😆

[@hardankles3382]

I loved these cars when they came out!!!! They were a direct competitor of the GTI, but I liked these better because they were a bit more understated and rare

[@Obesemonster666]

Last year My neighbor was selling me a manual white fx16 w clean interior but needed some work! I passed on it but I regret not buying it for only $2k

[@1978chrono]

my first car loved it

[@michaelcoffey7362]

Cool, I always liked these 🥰

[@Jmdp.94]

I got an AE92 Wagon and this generation of Corolla is absolutely glorious. So many things with other trim levels are so compatible with each other. 4AGE engines will swap right in to the factory mounts, different front seats from coupes, LE, Levin and GT-S models mount right in and there's also about 4 different headlight, bumper and grille combinations possible and suspension struts are the same up until the 2002 Corolla.

[@tanyguch_kun1330]

had a 95 corolla and i'll say you can modify any AE chassis cosmetically the oem way like putting EU, JDM, AU spec bumpers, lights, grille etc and can put engines like 4ag 20v,4agze, 2zz its an underrated car that you can modify in alot of ways

[@STEP_BACK_3]

Oh my effing god.. This is the first car I ever owned. I got that thing with 67,000 miles on it for $650. Then sold it for $420 a fter adding putting another 1,700 Throughout damn near every single town and city in Oregon

[@luiselapostolfeliz2421]

Hi Zach I love the video though it lacks in technology by modern standards but the way it looks I like it. Even though it's not a 2023 vehicle I like the way it looks but, they don't make them like they used to.

[@ajthenerd4918]

They only built the FX series corollas at NUMMI, not the 3/2 door coupes or the sedans. But, the nova (Chevy corolla) was.

[@dave11686]

Awesome!

[@robcampbell3235]

Drove one of these a while back. As fast as a contemporary gti without the sketchy vw quality.

[@rjft7003]

This Corolla model in Europe was commonly known as the '12 valves' as it was fitted with the very successful 1.3 litre 12 valve engine competing mostly with the Honda Civic but also with some forgettable euro econoboxes like the, Ford Escort, Opel Kadett (UK Vauxhall Astra) and Renault 9/11 (Alliance/Encore for the US), Citroen BX and Fiat Regata. The sport version Corolla GT Twin Cam was and still is an epic car.

[@marshalmagooo3899]

Back in the day they were considered ugly. Most of us kids wanted a CRX, Celica, Starion, Civic si or Corolla GTS. They were great little cars though

[@agreen3092]

My father had one in cherry red, it was in our home In the Dominican Republic 🇩🇴 I learned to drive in this thing. Love it it was so good looking before ❤

[@pattyjay9999]

She was a cool car back in the day Toyota wanted more than my credit could hold I’m dating myself but back when this car came out minimum wage was like $3.35 an hour and I think this car cost about $14,000 brand new in GTS trim.

[@rightlanehog3151]

Yes, it was a very expensive car in those days.

[@GeoRedtick]

Ha! I used to have one in perfect condition. Ex wife took it when we divorced and then ended up junking just because it needed new shocks. 😢

[@SayAhh]

GM learned nothing from their NUMMI experience, or they learned and then ignored or refused to implement any new ideas.

[@hoover2501]

Why is the engine infamous? Was there trouble with this engine? I think you just misspoke. Also you didn't mention those grab handles on both sides of the front seat which were meant for the rear occupants while the driver was ripping around corners in this little pocket. I do remember this car and when I saw it on your channel I was really pumped to see it again

[@123mell101]

Question anyone im rebuild a jdm 4age out of a fx16 gts 16v what crankshaft did it use for the jdm 4age use???

[@puertoropelu2257]

I wanted to see what Toyota corolla engines swap right into this? Got one from my dad and the harness is all hacked and cut up so I just was gonna swap a newer 1990s-2000s corolla engine into it for a daily. Anyone know much about these ??

[@pyrolusite]

Ha, kick the cat. Great review. Look at one right now.

[@bernard5238]

Beautiful ❤

[@karoltakisobie6638]

I think somewhere in Asia there is a current Corolla being made in this exact trim. I can be wrong.

[@chrisvigneau3960]

I need a damn cv axel shaft for mine 😢

[@blue_lancer_es]

2:45 euro beat intensifies**

[@vicp8772]

At the time, nothing the us brands could touch these.

[@oldskool1979]

That is a rare gem that rusted out in 2 years lol

[@odalanus_863]

I got a fx16 (ae82 here in France) and a ae86 and i can say the 82 is funnier and more reactive than her sist i love this car

[@RichardRS4]

Scotty would be proud

[@1996FordCrownVictoria]

Hey Zach, Have you reviewed a Preface lift first generation Ford Fusion yet?

[@ShootingCars]

I have not!

[@1996FordCrownVictoria]

@@ShootingCars Well, maybe I'll send in a request for you to review my 07 SE one of these days

[@leavus]

coool!!!!

[@auntbarbara5576]

Phil should put qq's on it 👌

[@mrtitsmigee]

Lmao my friend has this exact car now 😂😂😂

[@hujiannong]

good car, but can it do 0-60 in 3 seconds?

[@ENGINERESCUE86]

now you need to do ae86.Your"e in chicago? come thru to wisconsin and check mine out

[@ShootingCars]

I’d love to! You can email me and we can set up a time! [e-mail]

[@ENGINERESCUE86]

@@ShootingCars done

[@tientrinh943]

Wow

[@doug6191]

"Infamous" doesn't apply to this engine - that's a negative word.

[@davinp]

The American automaker's build quality wasn't good as the Japanese. Unfortunately, GM still makes junk cars today as their quality has gone downhill since their 2009 bankruptcy. American automakers don't follow the Japanese quality philosophy. GM, Ford & Chrysler focus on reducing costs and increasing profits at the expense of quality

[@richardepstein3494]

Unfortunately, ALL of the Japanese car companies have fallen into that trap too

[@bikingD]

Except at the time GM was selling Toyota Corollas at the time as Chevy Novas, Geo Prizms and afterv Pontiac Vibes. Heck this FX16 like he said is built in a GM/Toyota California plant. Also GM sold Suzukis as Chevy Sprints Trackers, Pontiac Fireflys, Sunrunners. Sold Isuzus as Chevy Spectrums, Geo Storms, Pontiac Sunburst and Asuna Sunfire. So basically their whole small car lineup outside of the J car and T cars were Japanese. Heck even had Pontiac Lemans and Asuna Se are from Korea. So your statement about GM small cars at the time actually contradicts your comments. Heck even newer cars my 04 Chevy Optra I had was from Korea and a friends Buick Encore is Korean as well.

[@wigletron2846]

@@bikingD the sonic, aveo, and spark were korean as well.

[@AlexGarcia-ke3qq]

agree

[@bikingD]

@@wigletron2846 So is the Chevy Epica and Orlando but was more so bringing up the 80's cars and just used the few newer ones as examples of GM imports.

[@MoriKonoha]

Is just a race car ahhahahah

[@ahahuehafook4207]

I respect you sir

[@sheldonlamey7010]

There were cup holders you could buy and hang from the inside of the Car door. This FX feels like the Grand Father of the GR Corolla.