No Budget Reviews: 1996 Toyota Paseo L50 (Cynos) 1.5 ST - Lloyd Vehicle Consulting

[@markonmotoring]

I do remember the Paseo in period. At the time I found the styling to be very conservative compared to other coupes of the time (such as the Mégane coupe) but then the Japanese were very good at doing understated. I always thought of these as being very similar to the Honda Civic Coupe of the same era. I love the bright colourful upholstery which is so very 90's. Great seeing this car on the channel and well done to it's owner for bringing this car along.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, Matt Pink has many wonderful cars, and this is just one of them. Extremely rare, even when new, I think that the conservative styling probably lessened its chances at the time, but now it just looks subtly handsome, especially with the slightly later alloy wheels from the Yaris SR. The Civc Coupé of the time was also a saloon, like this, and the upholstery is ever so typical of the period.

[@Elvis_TheKing]

Oh my gosh Sir! I have one of these, in this exact colour, in my garage. Great cars!

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

You have a rare privilege, sir! I was offered this at really short notice, so it's not the best video, but I am really, really glad to have driven one of these. Is yours an ST too?

[@Elvis_TheKing]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting Any video you produce is great in my humble opinion! 😉 Yes indeed, an ST with steel wheels and no spoiler. Bit of a long story actually- I bought it for my mum as a 60th birthday present in 2018. She bought a brand new ex-demo model in 1996 on an ‘N’ plate... it lasted 21 years and nearly 300,000 miles! Sadly rust was the killer in the end, the old girl was looking in a sorry state. I managed to source the current one in Scotland, it’s a 1997 on a ‘P’ plate, had one owner from new and only 22k on the clock! I try and keep it out of the bad weather but it drives like new. If you ever want to conduct another review in future and ever find yourself in Cambridgeshire, I’d be more than happy to oblige. (I just need to get a new clutch on it first).

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@Elvis_TheKing , I would quite like to try it on a bit of a longer drive (this whole video was literally done in 20 minutes, hence many of the mistakes), and of course if you have any other cars that you would like to be filmed (within the boundaries of the channel). That is very kind of you to get something for your mother to celebrate a milestone in her life, that does soune like a nice example.

[@Elvis_TheKing]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting I’ll drop an email into your inbox in the next few days Joseph; I’m sure we can sort something out. Car is currently SORN as there’s a slight issue with the clutch/gearbox (it wouldn’t go into gear one evening on the Huntingdon ring road...) I had planned to get it up and running again in the summer. My car is a 2012 Volvo S40 which I’ve had since nearly new - you’d be welcome to drive that too. Thank you! It was an elaborate purchase and cleaned out my savings... I paced the floor one night and concluded the Paseos are so rare now, it might be my last chance to buy one! The last owner (who had it from new) only part exchanged it because she was 75 and could no longer get in and out of it without difficulty!

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@Elvis_TheKing , would like to try the Volvo too, as long as we can talk about it on the channel, if you see what I mean... You know my e-mail address! There's no particular rush at the moment, I have other cars to film in East Anglia at some point as well. Paseos are indeed now stupidly rare. They were quite popular with lady motorists, it seems!

[@CHOEYGMUSIC]

I have the same car, same colour, all facotry standard but it seems like mine is the highest spec (SR?), I would imagine. Coloured wing mirrors, window air buffers, AC, wonderful alloys and a few extra bits. No sunroof mind! I agree the gear changes are lovely. I believe mine is 110hp, not 85hp, however is a 1.5. Love it. I want to keep it forever. It just reminds me of driving days. The 90s cars are the last of a dying breed... cars with emotion, attachment, and that feeling that only us petrol heads know :)

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

The 109 bhp version of the Paseo was not sold in this country. The Si was the higher specified trim level compared with this ST. If if was the more powerful engine, if must have been imported. Otherwise, it would have been the standard 89 bhp engine. The 109 bhp unit would have definitely been preferable! Thank you very much indeed for watching and commenting.

[@CHOEYGMUSIC]

Thank you so much for the informative response!@@lloydvehicleconsulting Yes, it is the Si I have, the higher spec trim. It is an import and is actually called the 'Cynos'. I'm in New Zealand so Japanese import version. Lovely car. I have thought about putting a 1.3turbo starlett engine in as should bolt right in, but I just want this standard and mint! Cheers :)

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

That makes sense! Thank you again for watching and commenting.

[@richardhowlett9424]

Rare survivor . A car I’d half forgotten about !

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

I certainly had forgotten about them until last month! I don't think that there are any other contemporary UK reviews on KZbin of the Paseo either....

[@trabali5168]

yep very rare indeed. I only ever saw them in N/P/R registration. A friend i knew at the time his brother bought one second hand instead of a Tigra mk1........dont think they are in the same range though, are they?

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, they were a direct competitor for the 1.4 Tigra in particular. Only sold here 1996-8, so N-R registration makes perfect sense. They weren't a huge success, unfortunately...

[@mattw8332]

The Paseo 1.5 in 1995 makes perfect sense. Cast your mind back to the early 1990s. There was a lot of car related crime going on at the time. Car insurance groupings went from 1 to 9 to 1 to 19. Insurance premiums went sky high. Remember Jeremy Clarkson and his £20,000 insurance premium on his Escort Cosworth? It affected me as I passed my driving test in early 1995 and it would have been prohibitive getting insurance on a tired Fiesta XR2! A lot of car makers were introducing 'warm hatchbacks' into the market which still looked great. One example was the Renault 19 RSi. They didn't have the performance of their hot hatch counterparts but they were much cheaper to insure. It was a good tactic of Toyota to launch the Paseo in the UK - an attractive looking coupé but without the quickest engine. Toyota also introduced a 1.8 litre version of it's Celica at that time, slotting under the 2.0 versions. Great marketing.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Vauxhall did offer a 1.4 version of the Tigra, and the EG/EH Civic Coupé was offered with 1.5 engines as well. I am not sure that this was why there were no more powerful engines in the Paseo too, though. I think they decided to go for a bit of a middle of the road approach, as they had done with the Starlet upon which this was based, which also only had one engine option and two or three trims over here, and I am not sure if it really paid off. Amazingly, I think I am one of the only people to have done a contemporary review of one of these on KZbin on this country, even if it wasn't a great one, so for that I am extremely privileged.

[@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain]

I had forgotten Toyota had made these, great little cars a forgotten Gem.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

It's quite plain in terms of the interior (apart from the seat fabric) and the way that they drive is far more akin to a Starlet than anything else, but as an easy to drive, simple to maintain and modestly handsome coupé, I think that it does have a certain appeal.

[@alaricbragg7843]

Thanks for this! These cars were a favourite in New Zealand and even now you can still see some roadworthy examples still around! The first shape was sold brand new here as the Paseo, but this shape was mostly used Japanese imports, usually the Cynos. I have seen a convertible too!

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, we never got the first generation car over here, but we did get a brief run of the second generation car. Paseos are seriously rare in this country, most have completely disappeared. Good old Cynos!

[@alaricbragg7843]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting They are going the way of old pre-Millenium favourites like the Diesel Laurel, the Gordon Jackson Galant, the Sentra sport wagon and the Dodo in New Zealand too, thanks unfortunately to those tougher WOFs...

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@alaricbragg7843 , it's often the MOT or Warrant of Fitness tests which kill a lot of these 1990s Japanese cars off, isn't it?

[@alaricbragg7843]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting Yes. Plus we are all going to go electric... supposedly...The way things are that will be a slow process here...

[@alaricbragg7843]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting Although the Toyota parts do live on in other vehicles, especially backyard racing cars. For example a form of stock car racing here called Ministocks, aimed at children and teens, has vehicles that rely heavily on wrecked small Toyota powerplants!

[@seancooke7332]

A lovely little Coupe the Paseo. It was very attractive and came in some great colours. The way that you described the steering, the light clutch and the gearchange was very familiar of Toyota cars of the time. There was a Honda Civic Coupe at the same time but it looked quite bland in comparison. However, I prefered the looks of the very similar Nissan 100NX and I thought that the Hyundai Scoupe was just that little bit more accommodating and a far superior package for the money even though it didn't drive as well as the Toyota or the Nissan. Great little Coupes which did not need to be pocket rockets. They simply looked more sporty and individual than their hatchback equivalents.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

We may have a 100 NX coming up on the channel at some point, sir... I have been trying to get hold of an SCoupé for absolutely ages, but they are extremely rare. That had been discontinued by the time the Paseo came out in 1996, it was just the Coupé at the time. The Civic Coupé was also definitely a direct rival for the Toyota, another car which is not well known over here any more. The Paseo was not particularly dynamic, but it was exceptionally easy to drive, with no nasty surprises.

[@jdmsnowmonkey7913]

Ah, lovely - I've got a '97 Si model in Silver. It is a lovely, peppy thing for short journeys; feels faster than 90hp would suggest. One thing I am a little confused about is whether that's an ST or Si model, since the higher spec Si got you the little boot spoiler with third brake light, plus a sunroof, so maybe this is an Si which's had an ST bumper put on it at some point in its life...

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

I mean, it is badged as an ST on the back, so I think that is what it is. Don't know about the spoiler, was than option on the ST as well? The engine is perfectly nippy, more so than in some cars I have driven with far higher specific power outputs. I quite liked this car, probably even more so than it appears in the video.

[@retromatt74]

Hi, this is my car and it's definitely an ST - the boot spoiler was most definitely a later addition based on the state of the wiring to the brake light when I first got it! Was a pleasure to attend Mr Lloyd's gathering, but I really should have cleaned the car first. This is evidence indeed that a sub £1000 budget can buy you something reliable and interesting and extremely cheap to run.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@retromatt74 , we love No Budget Reviews for that reason, sir! Unusual cars that you can buy for not a lot of money and enjoy driving. I want to drive one of these again now...

[@skodathegreat]

A few wee tell tale signs on the trim level that I noticed. There was an optional spoiler for the ST trim level, which is a little bit different from the spoiler that was standard on the Si. The ST spoiler has those little design lines you can see on the top left and right. There isn't an ABS pump fitted to the ST - this would be fitted to the mid left of the engine bay (where there is a big empty space). They are really fun & cheap cars. I have one same colour but in Si trim bought as a project 2 years ago, and owned a Galliano (very limited edition) about 15 years ago.

[@jdmsnowmonkey7913]

@@skodathegreat Ah, I think that settles that, then! I was just initially confused since my Si has the spoiler and sunroof, and I thought those two items weren't available on the ST.

[@BarbaraKimbrough-q8x]

I own a 1996 Toyota Paseo it has less than 30,000miles on it I was told that I need a new motor I don't understand that can some tell me where can I get one for a reasonable price I live in Mississippi.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Not sure, I am afraid....

[@Droopypower]

U have the same car. If you wanna enjoy it at its best then rev all the way till 5000rpm and then shift. Great car to drive and the running cost is very low.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

It's not my car, I am afraid, but I did very much enjoy it. Sadly, I didn't get a long time to drive it, but the brief drive I had was most enjoyable. Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting!

[@zzhughesd]

Joseph. Always wanted one back in day when had about 2 pence as a teenager to buy one. Prudent. Economical. And semi stylish. They sold terrible. Nobody wanted them. Sadly. Look ok even today.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

A real surprise, actually! Nice to drive, easy to live with, and a handy size. I quite fancy one of these at some point, but there are virtually none left.

[@spesus182]

My mate has one. Fuel injectors are blocked. He said i can have it for 1k 😂

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Does that mean it only need some new fuel injectors? If so, that sounds like a bargain.

[@roygardiner2229]

Although I find a car like this as being a little bland it would probably be a very sensible car for an aged car novice like me. Cheap and cheerful, with, hopefully, Japanese reliability.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Yes, based on the old Starlet, there are no nasty surprises in terms of the way that this drives and although the styling is a bit subdued, it looks handsome enough. The running costs should be relatively low, unless you want to find Paseo specific parts.

[@Richard-Bullock]

The Paseo is to the Starlet what the Tigra is to the Corsa.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

That's pretty much it!

[@Richard-Bullock]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting I used to have a 1999 T plate Starlet. One of the very last sold here in the UK. Of the 20 cars I have owned, that was 1 of only 2 I regret selling. The other being a 1970 Fiat 500 L.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@Richard-Bullock , yes, would love to do one of those final generation Starlets. I did a 1988 Starlet on No Budget Reviews last year, in fact. I think people who owned then were quite fond of them.

[@Richard-Bullock]

@@lloydvehicleconsulting I was very fond of mine. For some reason I can't fathom, I part exchanged it for the only unreliable K11 Micra ever made! Worst pile of crap I ever owned. Put me off Nissan for many years.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

@@Richard-Bullock , it's really strange, as apart from rust and the door handles breaking off, the K11s don't tend to have many issues... Mind you, some people have owned really reliable Alfa Romeos!

[@Luke-PlanesTrainsDogsnCars]

Ah-So ...Passeo the Galliano....Sorry ill leave now.

[@lloydvehicleconsulting]

Glad to see you have been watching the video intently, sir!