Used 1996 Toyota Corolla

"One of the most reliable cars ever made"

"This car is nothing special to drive, you can definitely tell that you are in a 1990s economy car. The main benefit of the 1997 Corolla is that it is extremely easy to repair and built with such great quality and so few common problems that you won’t need to repair it often. You’ll be pleasantly surprised that parts for these cars are dirt cheap and you can have it repaired almost anywhere. If you want a car that can potentially see 500,000 miles and get great gas mileage all the way there, get a 1993-1997 Corolla. It is worth avoiding the 3 speed auto version of this car and finding a 4 speed auto or a 5 speed manual."

"Love of my life!"

"I got a ‘95 Corolla as my first car. With some quick fix ups here and there, she was the best car I’ve ever had. Totaled it a few days ago and I’m heart broken. Nothing ran like my Corolla did. She probably could’ve outlived me."

"Rock Solid!"

"I brought the car to a local shop to have the timing belt changed at 200k just because I was doing a 500 mile a week commute for a few months and didnt want to risk getting stranded. The mechanic popped open the hood and said - Oh, you have the good one - This engine is rock solid and just keeps on going. He was referring to 1.6L and said engine type was rock solid and definitely preferred over the 1.8L. I make a point to only use ethanol free gas and get up to 38mpg highway. The car is over twenty years old and gets better gas mileage than most cars put out today - something wrong with that. I do try to keep it at 65mph or less just for the fact engine and transmission is not made for higher revs/speed. I have had to replace plastic inner door handles due to dry rot. Replaced door speakers due to dry rot. Gone through a few sets of tires. Usual stuff. This is a manual 5sp and has original clutch. I assume I have had brakes done but honestly dont remember doing so and not in last ten years (50k miles) anyway. Even battery currently in it is 10 years old and doing just fine. I suspect I didnt have to change timing belt. My parents wanted me in something more current with safer technology - side airbags and bigger I guess and offered me 25k so I could buy a Dodge Ram but I kept the Toyota 1.6L. If something goes catastrophically wrong on a new car I could be out 2k just for air conditioner replacement (oh and air works great and has never been touched) so I saw no reason to fix it if it was not broke. If something went wrong with current car I would probably search for a maintained Toyota 1.6L"