1988 Toyota Corolla | Retro Review

[@Motorweek]

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[@gregg9672]

I wish we could pay or donate to have certain cars uploaded.

[@gregg9672]

Let me tell u I had a 1990 Prizm it had fuel injection instead of the carburetor the Corolla used and that little sucker would fly

[@NemeanLion-]

Whoever’s decision it was to save all these old episodes should be considered a national treasure.

[@alexander1485]

it was Mine.

[@EyeonthePrize247]

Right?! They’re so entertaining and invoke a lot of nostalgia for me which I appreciate on a day I’m feeling blue.

[@upeedinalamb5297]

This lamb concurs.

[@christopherconard2831]

"on our base Deluxe model". You've got to love the marketing department.

[@nlpnt]

A year or two later they did bring out a no-suffix base Corolla sedan, to replace the 5-door Tercel.

[@germaineliew2012]

If the base is the "Deluxe", I wonder what the higher trims called.

[@alexander1485]

the highest spec is Deluxe Base

[@lakerfanjr]

I had the base model below the DX. Mine didn't have aircon nor a passenger side rearview mirror. LE was the highest trim back then.

[@billschlafly4107]

@@lakerfanjr If I recall the LE stood for "Limited Edition".

[@graycav56]

Bought a 1990 as a “beater” in 1999 with 83,000 miles. A cut and buff polished up the paint and a good steam clean eliminated the smoke smell. It was perfect for my Philadelphia Roosevelt Blvd Grand Prix drive to and from work every day. The fuel injection installed that year really bumped up the power (now a pavement scorching 102) and smoothness. I passed it onto a coworker with 169,000 miles. He drove it to 225,000 and gave it to his son who racked up well over 300,000 before the body finally gave out. An awesome car that never had a major repair.

[@davidrbrtsn]

I'm from South Africa. My parents had two of these, the one inherited from my grandmother. These cars withstood 20 years of family abuse. Eventually my dad gave one away to a colleague in need and this guy still drives it to this day. It has over 550 000km (+- 350 000mi) on the clock and is in great shape.

[@nknasi]

Ah yes, back when Camrys were Camrays.

[@damilolaakanni]

😁😀😅😂

[@ydmf2]

Lol, love it. Camaray. 😂

[@itachisenpaix3]

😀😂😂👍

[@TheBandit7613]

What's a Camray?

[@LearnAboutFlow]

It is weird since, as an automotive journalist, John Davis attends a lot of Toyota events where they pronounce the car names accurately.

[@palebeachbum]

This generation of Corolla last a long time. A friend of mine was given his mother's old '90 Corolla with 300k miles on it and that thing still ran like a top, even with his teenage abuse. I don't think he understood the throttle was not an on-off button you press all the way down.

[@Wasabi9111]

My buddy also had this car in hs - it was a hand me down from his grandfather. The car ran great. But Japanese cars from this era felt so flimsy.

[@TheBandit7613]

@@Wasabi9111 And they were DULL. Back then I had a Pontiac Grand Am. Same class, not nearly as dull. By the way, what's a Camray? LOL!

[@AaronSmart.online]

Depends on the climate, they had poor rust proofing. I remember someone who had one in the early 2000s - the headlights were falling out because the mounts had dissolved, and a big hole appeared in one of the C-pillars. I'm sure it turned to dust long ago.

[@Bartonovich52]

Yep they were well designed but felt they were made of paper and had the resilience of such anywhere it rained or snowed. And as much as people make fun of GM, nearly all of their cars had multi port fuel injection as well as fully electronic ignition (either waste spark or coil on plug on the Quad 4) by 1988. Only some of their V8s still used distributors and carbs that year.. mostly on the legacy C/K truck platform.

[@DStabs720]

I have the 1990 that is the same color as the video. Only 91k miles on it

[@rustbeltrobclassic2512]

I owned a 1989 corolla gts until 2019 and gave it to my neighbors son to autocross. That 4age went 430k trouble free miles. Amazing little car, even the popup lights worked.

[@tomwebber9377]

It's called 'Build Quality'. Something that got lost along the way in the US manufacturing market.

[@jonny-nava-367]

My family had 2 '89 Corollas, one wine in 2009, and the second in gray in 2010. We used the 1st one until starting 2019, and the second until probably 2015. My brother had one golden '90-91 Corolla in 2011-2012 with those passive seatbelts, he sold it about a year later.

[@rustbeltrobclassic2512]

@@tomwebber9377 US market cars by US manufacturers have profit margins and have to meet shareholder expectations so penny pinchers get involved and ruin something, cut costs, they generally try not to cut design or initial looks, because when they do, you get the Pontiac Aztek, but they do buy cheaper power window motors, plastic regulators, thinner materials on seats, use glue instead of screws on body panels and don't buy as good a quality paint. All of which leads to the quality you see in American cars. In the 80's American cars were cheaper than the imports, now they are more expensive and still not built as well.. Though the late 80's into early 00's were the top quality for Japan's cars.. something we'll probably never see again.. sadly..

[@Andyface79]

It's funny cause compared to Europe and Japan these cars weren't even that small.

[@JDuBz815]

@@tomwebber9377 got lost? Build quality never existed in the US car market, least of all by US mfgrs. The Japs came in and showed all of you how to build something cheaper and more reliable. Hence the partnerships Ford/Mazda, GM/Toyota/Suzuki aka GEO, Chrysler/Mitsubishi. Ford/Mazda was arguably the best partnership of all time. Ford's big budget saved Mazda from going under. As a result, Mazda saved Ford with their tech and efficient designs. GM backed out of their partnerships. Chrysler didn't do much with their partnership, but I would attribute that to choosing poorly or based on cost. The Big 3 have been making mostly garbage for the last 40years. Mazda finally catching up to Toyota/Honda for reputation. Mazda has had the same rep as Toyota/Honda this whole time, but at a smaller scale.

[@PistonJunkeez302]

We need reliability like this again. Bring it back.

[@MandusahRamirez]

It’s Called A Base Prius & Corolla LE😂

[@timothykeith1367]

The durable 4AFE has a cast iron block, power feels better with the manual transmission

[@michaels9657]

@@MandusahRamirez no way from someone who's been around these at dealership level since 88

[@BuzzLOLOL]

@Allen Tokyoo- Most Asian vehicles are still junk...

[@BuzzLOLOL]

The reliability of a carburetor...

[@Pressed_For_Time]

My great grandmother had a 1988 corolla that she had bought brand new. It was the first an last car she ever paid for. One of my distant cousins ended up inheriting it back in 2008 and it only had 45,000 miles on it. She only took it to church on Sundays and the grocery store they were both less then 5 miles away. The car had been kept in a garage my great grandfather hand built back in the 40's or 50's. So in 2008 it still looked band new. The bumpers were still glossy and it was wild to see in person because every other corolla of that gen had faded bumpers that looked like chalk. The engine was still shiny and only had regular maintenance done. It was truly a collectors item. Cousin ended up selling it later to buy something newer as it was her first car and she wanted some thing modern but she drove that beast for 3 years straight. The car looked exactly like the one in used in the vid. Same everything except being automatic.

[@20alphabet]

Women don't appreciate anything.

[@texan903]

@@20alphabet they do appreciate money, until they can spend it, that is.

[@WSNO]

I'm a woman and the other comments are stupid but gosh if she bought a new corolla (or anything else) in 2011 she sure did trade down.

[@WSNO]

@@20alphabet yup takes a big brain MANLY MAN to appreciate a budget commuter car from the 80s.............

[@WSNO]

@@texan903 as a woman I'd appreciate it if you'd shut up :)

[@emehlhar]

I have the LE version of this car. Still runs great. They over built these cars so they can easily last 400,000 miles and 35 plus years if maintained. Can't say that much about cars made in the last decade.

[@StrictlyPlinking]

My dad had a red GT-S. I’d steal the keys when he was not home and take his red sled for a skoot. Dad passed away in 1993. It was bittersweet selling his pride of a car back in its day; he was a simple man. I do recall it went to a good home.

[@20alphabet]

With a son like you, sounds like he took the easy way out.

[@StrictlyPlinking]

@@20alphabet you’re reading way too much into this.

[@20alphabet]

@@StrictlyPlinking Easy to do with only one incriminating comment to go by.

[@terry-zi7eh]

I had a white 89 GTS. No power steering or a/c, which was kind of odd. Cool looking car, though.

[@soyuz281]

To me this generation is the gold standard for Corolla. Maximum return on investment.

[@TeeroyHammermill]

Nope. Not with that carburetor.

[@alfonsomartinez7919]

@@TeeroyHammermill still did with the carb.

[@TeeroyHammermill]

@@alfonsomartinez7919 : Nope they didn't. They blew headgaskets and had driveability problems like every other 4cyl aluminum head carbureted car back then.

[@DStabs720]

The fuel injection models were bulletproof. I still see them around

[@therealhustle9974]

@@TeeroyHammermill the automatic transmission was a weak spot as well

[@SP84Fanatic]

This takes me back to my dad’s 1991 DX wagon. By that point, the engine was fuel-injected, and there were passive restraints up front with rear shoulder belts for outboard passengers. He kept that wagon for 13 years and 225,000 miles. I spent many road trips in it growing up.

[@rightlanehog3151]

They still make Corolla wagons for other markets.

[@timothykeith1367]

The wagons are hard to find now

[@jramsek]

I would bet that wagon is still on the road! I'm actually looking for a pristine one in that generation around the country, for nostalgic sake!

[@theKevronHarris]

@@timothykeith1367 Toyota is making the Corolla Cross which replaces the Corolla wagon.

[@fleuger99]

@@theKevronHarris The Corolla Cross is far more Crossover than wagon. Wagons only make up 1.5% of new car sales in the US, unfortunately so no way mainstream Toyota is bringing out a wagon.

[@Dirtymoney8]

I still see quite a few of these Corollas on the road today..

[@WSNO]

Yes they are made in the infrastructure world that motorweek track tests take place in. You need a 1994 Pontiac Grand AM sedan in SE trim to visit last i heard near shoppers world.

[@unconbentional2044]

My parents still have one on the road.

[@goranpavlovic9051]

Where?

[@Uchiha_Sasule_84]

I still keep one, incredibly reliable!

[@tedschmitt178]

When power steering and A/C are options and a manual transmission is standard, that represents the very definition of “economy car” in 1988.

[@Tool0GT92]

Amazing to think adjusted for inflation a modern car is practically the same price and has 10x as many features.

[@johnnymason2460]

A car has to have power steering, air conditioning, and an automatic for me to want it! Otherwise, I'll pass on any barebones car!

[@imnotusingmyrealname4566]

@@Tool0GT92 That's what we call technological progress.

[@imnotusingmyrealname4566]

@@johnnymason2460 You need an automatic? Cringe.

[@imnotusingmyrealname4566]

@@johnnymason2460 Will the sir have manual or automatic air conditioning?

[@smartkid1201]

That "Cam-RAY" never gets old lol

[@officialdiarbekirian]

Still see these on the road! True testament to quality

[@BigWheel.]

My neighbor has one! Still running.

[@timothykeith1367]

Many of the junked E90 Corollas could still be on the road if they had decent maintenance. This week I saw a clean one in the salvage yard with low miles - would have bought it for $500 if I'd seen it for sale.

[@michaelhungate7506]

I know of 2 in my area. Both are in good shape.

[@ronsmith9251]

Remember when cars didn’t come with key fobs? When power steering, AC, power locks, cloth seats, and a driver’s side rear view mirror were options? Motor week does…

[@aliabualadas]

I'm really addicted to these retro reviews

[@doug6191]

1:09 Fun fact - Stayling borrowed heavilay from the Camray. That's crazay. Sometimes, Toyota was lazay with stayling, copaying others.

[@kamrankhan-lj1ng]

That reminds us of "Bellay O Conollay" sketch in Not The Nine O Clock news.

[@manthony225]

Pretty much every car company has a "family resemblance" among its models.

[@manolexing68]

Reminds​ me of the​ days when shopping​ for a vehicle, and driving one was a whole world​ easier than these very unusual EV days.

[@unclejoe6811]

When new cars are so expensive all you watch are retro reviews...

[@LearnAboutFlow]

Never realized John Davis mispronounced the Corolla's larger stablemate. It's CamREE not CamRAY.

[@teapurveyor]

You should watch the actual Camry video. He says it 100 times. It's obnoxious.

[@oldtwinsna8347]

No oil pressure or voltmeter gauges.

[@bghoody5665]

You should hear him when he says Testarossa. Yikes.

[@thepoopmountain1904]

Shut up! John Davis has never been wrong. It WAS camray..

[@LearnAboutFlow]

@@thepoopmountain1904 Nope, not even then.

[@KenanTurkiye]

I'd drive that with pride, in 2021.

[@Kimbrough87]

Me too all electric ⚡️ 😊

[@KenanTurkiye]

@@Kimbrough87 carburetor :)

[@raysboomboomroom4800]

I drive a GT-S there is a lot of support for them it's actually quite easy I have an 88 MR2 too though it's a little tougher to work on

[@KenanTurkiye]

@@raysboomboomroom4800 88 MR2 👍

[@billg8270]

The Corolla. Number 1 selling car in the world. Amazing. Toyota number one.

[@BigRobChicagoPL]

When I worked at Home Depot this summer one of the old timer employees still daily drove one of these and he bought it brand new. Always parked in the back of the lot with the sloppy stick stuck in 1st and the ebrake pulled. These are strong little things and someone daily driving one so many years later has to mean something

[@HeadTurnNet]

This is the car when I first learned how to drive in 1991. I was so scared at first because it felt "fast", could be I didn't control the gas pedal well. Anyways, it brought back a lot of good memories when I saw this episode.

[@09NXN06]

Yep, the pedal on those was very sensitive.

[@FuckSlowShit]

Don't worry a lot of people nowadays don't know how to control the gas pedal well in their new suvs and egg sedans

[@FuckSlowShit]

@@09NXN06 should try the cars today. People don't know how to use the gas pedal

[@imnotusingmyrealname4566]

0:44 This is a VERY good question, especially today.

[@jason4554123]

It's amazing that I can still spot quite a few 88 Corolla on the road...

[@D21403]

My 1990 Corolla was 16 years old when I traded it in with no problems. I’ve had cars less time with more problems !!!

[@emehlhar]

I also have an 89 LE sedan.(built in 88) The engine still sounds the same as the new one in that video. Well made cars.

[@teresapflaumer5717]

That is a handsome Corolla. Once in awhile I see that generation on the busy roads of NJ.

[@UnusSedLeo-w5l]

My 1984 Carina II (or Corona) is still going strong. No issues. Just reliable driving. Toyota made (and makes) excellent cars.

[@andreamederos2805]

How many miles is on it?

[@nlpnt]

Going for the wagon would also get you a folding back seat. Probably a stiffer suspension to raise the payload too, which could've gotten it around a cone course faster than the sedan.

[@imnotusingmyrealname4566]

Looks like the wagon is the clear winner. Today it is too but sadly you Americans don't get it.

[@AaronSmart.online]

I believe the wagon had leaf springs on the rear, so handling would have been worse

[@imnotusingmyrealname4566]

@@AaronSmart.online Hmm that makes more sense for this time period. Looks like this was a real hauler though.

[@donaldwilson2620]

The U.S. had two Corolla wagons during this generation. One was a regular Corolla like the one in the video with an extended rear for station wagon duty, and the other one was the Corolla All Trac Wagon(called the Sprinter Carib in other markets) that was more unique because it had standard AWD and a tall roof line.

[@gasolinefumes]

@@AaronSmart.online no leaf springs on the 2wd wagon. The 4wd wagon might've had a solid rear axle, but I'm pretty sure it didn't have leaf springs either.

[@annpappas9579]

I have a 1995 Corolla LE with 179625 miles on it. When my cousin bought it for me in 2016 there was 96,000 mi on it. Still looks great and have kept up the maintenance. Still shiny new exterior and clean interior. Love my Corolla. Corolling along 😊

[@adamn7516]

I had a new 87 FX16 GTS which was the hot hatch version of the previous generation Corolla which competed against the GTI and Civic SI hatch of the day. It was was only made in 87 and 88. Toyota actually sold it alongside alongside this new generation Corolla shown in the video in 1988 even though it was based on the previous generation Corolla body. Sidenote: I always loved the that GTS coupe shown here in the video. I had considered trading my FX in for an 89 Corolla GTS but ended up selling it privately and bought a GTI.

[@chaseman94]

My first car was a 1989 DX model when I got it back when I was 18 in 1996. I'm shocked to still see these occasionally on the road out of all the vehicles I've owned so far in my Lifetime.

[@foxtrot685]

Oh these things are tanks. You literally could never take this in for an oil change since new and it’ll give you about 200k miles, easy. If you took minimal care of it, 300k + is totally possible.

[@justamalfunctioningai7940]

I have the deluxe model and it has all the saftey features

[@ayoCanada0921]

I feel good watching these cars again

[@oldtwinsna8347]

Not again - another no oil pressure or voltmeter gauges when this doesn't need one because the engine won't seize up on its own compared to domestic models of the time.

[@Ferraridude13]

Yeah John Davis is living in 1963 with that demand lol

[@yit555]

I drive the ‘92 Geo Prizm variant of this car. Bought 6 years ago at 80k miles, now at 111,500 miles. It’s had a few problems here and there but nothing major, and the A/C even still works. It’s saved me a lot of money vs. buying something newer, we’ll see how long it lasts.

[@VintageSac]

I had an 89 Corolla and it wasn’t great. It used to stall out as I was driving. After it happened on the freeway and the mechanics couldn’t find anything wrong, I traded it in. Loved the looks of it, it looked just like this one.

[@tashikitten]

Oh, that sucks. I have an 89 and it’s never done that, thank goodness. It does, however, sometimes stall or try to stall, when I’m driving it first thing, and press on the gas after sitting at the first stop. 😐 I live in fear of being rear-ended at the stoplight. Otherwise, it runs surprisingly well.

[@BossRob]

My mom had that issue but my dad was able to fix it. I forgot what the issue was. It was minor though.

[@tanyguch_kun1330]

carburetor prob needs cleaning and tuning common for these cars

[@2URLex]

Red two door is the first car I learned a manual in. Does GREAT e brake turns and burnouts, miss high school sometimes. My grandmother had this particular model

[@thepoopmountain1904]

Hi say pen is, thanks

[@danieldougan269]

My first car was a red 1992 Corolla that was basically identical to this one. It was a hand-me-down from my parents. It was very slightly restyled. The front grill had the modern Toyota logo instead of just the word "Toyota," and the taillights were just red and white with no orange/yellow. But, other than that, it was the same. Unfortunately, I caused a pretty bad accident with it in 1997 when I was just starting out driving, and I walked away without a scratch. The same for my friend in the passenger seat. My mom chose to ride in the back seat that day because my friend was 6'1" and she's 5'1". The seatbelt caught her across the belly, leaving her with some nasty bruising. But, it could have been a lot worse for her. All things considered, it was a safe car. It was actually fixed up after the accident, and I drove it for a couple more years. But, the transmission went out on it surprisingly early. Then, right after getting the transmission replaced, the rear differential went out, and we called it the end of the line for that car...before it even got to 100,000 miles. It had left me stranded one time too many.

[@kevinbarry71]

I remember this when it ran the first time; and then as now, they had me until they said the word carburetor. I just noticed, he never did say what the horsepower and torque numbers are

[@careavis]

It had 74hp

[@AaronSmart.online]

@@careavis US spec 1.6 carb featured here was 95 hp, base model in Japan and Europe was a 1.3 with about 73 bhp

[@TheBrowncoat2112]

You could make a drinking game out of every time John pronounces it “Camray”.

[@Noah_E]

I had a 1992 with EFI, ABS, driver only airbag, bigger tires, and rear shoulder belts (except the center seat). It was archaic, but substantially better than they were just a few years prior.

[@jacklo325]

Wow, what a flashback. My family had that corolla DX, but ours was a 89', and everything is identical, except for the rear seat. By 89', rear seat actually have shoulder belt.

[@guikirsch9758]

My favorite car I've owned...inexplicably. Super boosted power steering smooth caddy like ride slow as hell with the 3spd auto.

[@tomlabarb2640]

I had this car... you cant kill them...

[@303nitzubishi4]

$11k seems like alot for a car with a carbureted engine. This gen was the beginning of the golden age of Japanese quality vehicles, even though they were built in California. You still see this gen on the road now and then with 300-500k+ miles on the clock

[@TeeroyHammermill]

The fuel injected ones more so. These carbed verions been junked out.

[@liddlebopeep]

I thought Toyota had shifted completely to EFI by the mid-80s, was surprised this Corolla has a carburetor.

[@lemonstrangler]

this looks identically similar to 1994 mazda protege, motorweek did a video on this too

[@marshalmagooo3899]

Owned a red 89 GTS in the 90s, it was as fun as any car I have driven. The seats were incredibly comfortable and the engine had that sweet motorcycle sound. It over to be shifted at 7k rpms.... the good old days

[@AlanForde-CheyneMS]

Simplicity and economical, and reliable as the sun

[@fleuger99]

I bought one of these in Jan 1988. I had the manual and it was a nice little car. I used to tow my dirt bike out to the track. It was not super exciting to drive and later I bought a Golf GTI which was a BIG step up on the fun factor.

[@imnotusingmyrealname4566]

Crazy. The Corolla is way bigger now but it absolutely isn't synonymous with family transportation today. People will probably call you crazy and and ask why you didn't buy a crossover. Sad times.

[@sammyt3514]

Toyota sold 237k Corollas in 2020, so they are still as popular as ever. It's true that, generally speaking, the car market has been shifting towards SUVs/crossovers, but the Corolla (and the Civic) are among the few exceptions to that trend; people who want a simple, reliable and economical commuter car still buy them in droves.

[@imnotusingmyrealname4566]

@@sammyt3514 "people who want a simple, reliable and economical computer" yeah sure and that's great but not people who want a family car. "YoU nEeD aN sUv.", "fAmIlY sUv", "YoU dOn'T hAvE a 7-SeAtEr SuV?"

[@sammyt3514]

​@@imnotusingmyrealname4566 What often happens is that parents would start with a Corolla/Civic when they have no/small kids then graduate to a crossover when their kids are old enough to hand down the Corolla/Civic to.

[@imnotusingmyrealname4566]

@@sammyt3514 Yeah but that makes no sense and damn, American kids get free cars?

[@suomenpresidentti]

You should answer that you are planning actually to drive on the road, not just going to cross over.

[@janpur1417]

Geo Prizm is 100% toyota Sprinter (AE 90 elsewhere) and made parallel to Corolla. I drive 92 Prizm everyday and it still got Factory AC (Ice cold), Engine, 5 speed manual transmission, Factory starter (new contacts) factory alternator (new brushes), all wheel bearings, calipers and it is now at 283K miles! Everything in this car works!

[@myolox]

My mom bought one new in 1989 after owning a yellow Plymouth K car coupe. The bumper were strong not like the previous flimsy versions especially if you had the DX model. It was our first import along side my dads1982 Olds ninety eight regency and the car came with a Toyoguard sealant kit in the glovebox. The smell of the interior is what grabbed me the most and Blue on blue. Even my next door neighbor bought a champagne color and threw that car around corners with the manual as if he was driving a race car and that car must have been fast. It really lasted a long time with radiator and CV joint replacement but in 1999 front-end collision made it a total loss. Funny thing though, we still have the keys to the car.

[@Blakecryderman7244]

@joe ly yes those old late 80’s early 90’s Toyotas have an extremely distinctive interior smell. Kind of like coconut mixed with salty clay. Would you say that’s how your dad’s 89 Corolla back in the day smelled?

[@thetechlibrarian]

I remember my mom was going to buy one of these and it’s was obviously the better car but my grandfather worked at gm at the time. A shame really because that gm plant is no longer open.

[@TeeroyHammermill]

The J car offerings from GM were better than this car. Especially when ordered with the V6.

[@raysboomboomroom4800]

Chevy Prizm's were Rollas with these same engines even a top of the line with the GT-S engine

[@brendanharrell4249]

I like the look of this Corolla A LOT better than the new ones!

[@FuckSlowShit]

I like the corolla in 82. Square and ugly the Fred Flintstones sedan

[@Blakecryderman7244]

@Brendan Harrell yeah I LOVE the beautiful simplistic look of the steel rims. It he body has this look of nice simplicity that you couldn’t find anymore by the time 2008 rolled around. That was the last year of the Corolla looking nice & simplistic.

[@cgreenfield6655]

I want this car so bad

[@chadpalmer8640]

Last forever

[@nlpnt]

Far less rust-prone than earlier models, too, which was the only thing that could kill them.

[@williamegler8771]

Unfortunately

[@jamicl2580]

Scotty plays this on a loop to fall asleep to at night. : )

[@landyachtfan79]

REV UP YOUR RETRO REVIEWS!!!!!

[@noseefood1943]

Even for today this is a nice well put together car

[@mikeyveloster7615]

Glad to see the Corolla Coupe got a little snippet at 6:51

[@ZeldaNumber17]

2024 checking in. My 88 has 123,000 miles and hasn’t had a single thing besides regular maintenance items. 3 speed automatic. Original everything

[@GrantedGin]

would u say ur car idles as smooth as in the video ???

[@ZeldaNumber17]

@@GrantedGin most definitely. Sounds the same too.

[@zcriix]

checking in too, i own an 89’ rolla thats red with 116,000 miles on it. 4 speed auto and still rust free. I just did the brakes and rotors on it, nothing else. it’s a tank and i drove it from Pennsylvania to florida and back. I still daily drive it despite it having a carburetor. 👍

[@GrantedGin]

@@zcriix nice ! Ya mines got a lot of work done, having the awd is nice if it rains on me !

[@menomisespeanut]

89 Corolla LE with 144k miles on it. Cruise control and AC still works. Love it!

[@theKevronHarris]

I see nearly a lot of E90 Corollas on the road in South Carolina.

[@lavafish7660]

I have a 91 Prizm that's still going strong to this day, even the "cheap" one was amazingly well built, and the handling in my case is superb (probably due to replaced struts, but even stock it handled well, even on 13 inch wheels it stays planted.

[@robwebster1098]

My first car was a 89 yota rolla! How cool to see it after all these years!

[@imnotusingmyrealname4566]

They felt isolated in THIS? If only they could've time traveled to today.

[@imnotusingmyrealname4566]

@@MyerShift7 What? I meant the Motorweek staff from 1988 to 2021. What do you mean? Also relatively it may be more 8solated but still. Cars from the 2000s were still very noise while the 2010s had much quieter cars seemingly.

[@PhillyDee215]

🔥Toyota has always been great🔥

[@nicholaswolfe4219]

Up the hill from me there is a Corolla of this era that was driven by an elderly couple. They wrecked the car at 40 mph with 341,000 miles it, The airbags deployed. They were uninjured in the crash in 25 year old car. It has sat in their driveway now for quite a few years. The wife had dementia and passed away and the husband was taken in by his children because of some driving scares. But that car saved their lives, two fragile old people.

[@gxdjoeybaby07]

in the late 90s i had to drive my boss's all-trac corolla sedan (looked just like this one) to buy a bottle of everclear for work use (certain containers had to be cleaned with food-grade alcohol)...i remember arriving in a car-length leather jacket and gloves and a couple people hanging around the front of the store looked at me and then back at the car with a puzzled look on their faces! easily the least-disappointing toyota i've ever driven...and good memories of that job! =D as for the ae92, my cousin bought a new one around 89 or 90, fully loaded...there were parts of the sunroof mechanism that weren't up to snuff and for most of the first year she owned it, the sunroof panel was partially dropped down into it's opening after a bracket broke, and she had to tape the perimeter while the dealer ordered the parts from japan...iirc, the replacement parts broke, too as for the cross-shop comparison, that civic was light years ahead of both this corolla and sentra

[@isaacsmind5575]

Adjusted for inflation, Corolla’s are about the same price today - but they pack in a whole lot more tech, not to mention all seatbelts, a tach, and a folding rear seat lol

[@gabrieliusmistautas8788]

Waiting for the 1993 Corolla review!

[@johnbehneman1546]

I AM SO IMPRESSED!!!! THANKS FOR SHARING!!!

[@GalenlevyPhoto]

My friend had a maroon 1991 Corolla with automatic. Unfortunately the speedometer and odometer doesn’t work. It stopped at around 160k miles or so I can’t remember. it still kept on going and going until he sold it. he passed away while he lived in Costa Rica.

[@bonchance7705]

Back when people were still calling their friends to go out on their landline phones because they couldn't afford the HUGE Motorola 8000x

[@Tool0GT92]

Kind of amazing this car had a carb even in 88

[@imnotusingmyrealname4566]

Why? Wasn't it expected in that time?

[@oliverdelgado6952]

As I recall my older brother had a Honda Accord of this vintage and it also had a carb.

[@AaronSmart.online]

Base model EG Civic still had a carb in Europe until about '96

[@imnotusingmyrealname4566]

@@AaronSmart.online Oh great. Got cats early and kept carbs late. Europe being Europe, always getting fucked.

[@donaldwilson2620]

It's not just the Corolla. Many small, inexpensive Japanese and Korean cars were still using carbs mostly to save money because developing high tech EFI systems cost a fortune. Thankfully, most Asian brands finally switched to EFI in 1990 mostly because of tightening emissions standards.

[@carexpertandy]

My parents used to have a 1990 Geo Prizm hatchback which shared a platform with this generation Corolla, but the Corolla wasn’t offered in a hatchback, but a wagon instead. Overall a good car, then my dad totaled it in 2000.

[@t.b.g.504]

The Corolla saloon = a very common driving instruction car in Canada!

[@PTAldridge]

Nice and simple..... Love it!

[@spinnetti]

Our first car. Was expensive for what it was - no AC, roll up windows, no radio at all - not even a clock. Was mad when a few months later it swapped out the carb for fuel injection and the dealer had told me there would be no change for the next model year. Still mad at them - "Wheels Toyota" of Lansing Michigan (called something else now). I guess I should have known better. Nice car but we got one of the few lemons that had numerous problems including a defective brake rotor, defective flywheel and blew the motor within 4,000 miles and Toyota wouldn't warranty it. Struts were a real weak point too. Didn't deter me from dozens more Toyota's, but highly stressful as we had a hard time affording fixing it and a horrible brand experience (I guess I'm a glutton for punishment as also had defect issues with the v6 in the 91' 4Runner which warranty only covered 1/2 of the defect). I lowered it and put MR2 wheels on it which made it much more enjoyable to drive. Sold it after a few years to help with our first house down payment.

[@saifmansoorgiki]

Owned this one all childhood, legend of a car

[@alexsbikesandmotors]

That 4afe engine was powerful for the time. I had an 84 corolla 4ac and my friend had an 89 with that 16 valve engine and it was so much faster

[@chaseman94]

@kerryphillips1 I had a 89 DX model as my first car and mine was carberated.

[@alexsbikesandmotors]

@kerryphillips1 nah it was 4afe. The 4age was super fast but rare. I think only the gts corollas had it

[@FuckSlowShit]

Cause of the more valves and horsepower and torque

[@averyparticularsetofskills]

CAM-RAY kills me💀🤣🤣

[@mathisnotforthefaintofheart]

This model and the model in the nineties (succeeding model) are absolute quality cars.

[@ElectoneGuy]

The ultimate transportation appliance: reliability in the extreme.

[@NoBSB9484]

And these will still outlast any excuse for modern, German, "engineering." Excellent vehicles.

[@Yormsane]

From a time before Toyota discovered piano black plastic.

[@Blakecryderman7244]

@RichH piano black sucks, it smears so GOD DAM easily

[@landyachtfan79]

2:40...............this one was VERY unusual, since it had a 16-valve engine with............A CARBURETOR!!!!!!!!!! 4:55, 5:09, & 6:42..........UGH........it's CAM-REE, John, NOT CAM-RAY!!!!!

[@oldtwinsna8347]

Nope, a Cam-ray with no oil pressure or voltmeter gauges.

[@Liquid_Cooled]

better looking car than the new M2

[@brantisonfire]

We need a t-shirt or sticker with Jon’s likeness and Cam-ray. Classic.

[@raysboomboomroom4800]

My GTS first engine grenaded three years ago because I bent a conrod fudging around in there then I bought two MR2 AW11's and gave it the engine from one drove it on a 2000 mile trip last year and it sings the MR2 is not a fun car to work on but the Corolla is truly reliable for a small motor

[@MissingLinkGTRS]

At one point when he said “Camray” it reminded me of forest gump..

[@larryk731]

There's a reason old Toyotas are all over high school and college student parking lots. They get disposed of when the body rusts away before the engine gives out.

[@aayonce4]

Man I wish I was my age now in the 80’s would have loved to live then! With the knowledge of cancer and stuff because I feel like a lot of people who were in there 20’s and 30’s during the late 70’s and 80’s were exposed to soo many cancerous things that now they make up a lot of the cancer patients.. so yeah if we could live like the 80’s with the knowledge of the now I think we’d be Soo much better off

[@zillsburyy1]

the car that cant be killed

[@ramoncarter6585]

I like this generation Corolla it was well built and looked like it was really reliable. The '91 got some changes a woman live up the street from me had a '91 or '92 in maroon it looked good like this one in the video the paint faded on hood but A/C still worked a tough little car shows you Toyota knew how to build a reliable car my classmate mother had one it was light blue could had been a '88 or '89 also liked the wagon but prefer the sedan. I'D take a 1991 Corolla over a 2021 any day love the 88-91 generations could be my favorite.