I don’t need one right now but i enjoy learning about this subject.
A virtually new corolla is about 7k, but the older they get the cheaper they get. a 93 corolla or tercel with about 110k can be had for 2k if you shop around. A 95 w/85k is around 4k if you shop around.
So how old is too old, considering that your only concerns are initial cost and maintenance? I figure if i found a 93 w/120k or so, took it to a mechanic to have him check it out and if it was ok I could put maybe 3-4 years on it without any real problems. Then resell it for 1k and buy another 10 year old model. And if it broke, i’d just sell it for $500 and buy another one.
I’ve had a Corolla and a Geo Prism, which is the exact same car. My mechanic says they should be good for 200K at least. The Prism is a 1993 model, and is starting to need parts replacement (oil sensor, engine mount starter, exhaust manifold, and muffler/tailpipe over the past three years). It’s also very rattly, if you know what I mean. But it goes, and I don’t worry about it stranding me anywhere since I replaced the starter.
If you can do the work yourself, an older model is great. The oil sensor, engine mount and the exhaust manifold my dad and I fixed ourselves, for very little cost.
One thing, at least with the Prisms I have seen, is that they really start to rust. If that bother you, you might want to get a newer model. I can’t say I’ve seen the same phenomenon with the actual Corollas. Maybe they changed paint when they became Prisms.
Toyotas go forever. They are boring as heck, but they never say die. I’'m driving a '96 Corolla that is copping some severe miles and all we have to do is put petrol in it. Even at the regular services, the oil from last time is still near completely topped up and clean.
I thought about a geo too. I always check carsurvey.org to see which cars give owners troubles and which don’t. Because of that i am pretty much set on a toyota or a geo. All the bad reviews on Nissan sentras, ford focus’s, Kias and Hyundais make me want to stay away from them.
And a geo is cheap, a 2000 prizm w/20k miles is only 5k or so if you shop around. A 97 w/50 is 3k if you shop around.
WHere’d you hear that a prizm and corolla are the same? I have heard this once before too, but I don’t know what backs it up. Are you saying they are the same in regards to reliability or that they are the same build like a Mercury Sable and Ford Taurus?
For some cars (Eclipse=Talon, Ford Ranger=Mazda P/U, Sable=Taurus) they are basically the same car–interchangable body panels & all. Makes ya think. :dubious:
A little over a year ago I scored an '83 Corolla (the sporty 2-door chick magnet with vinyl interior) with 112k miles on it. It still has the senior citizen parking sticker on the back window. I got it for $1,250 and apart from plugs & filters tune up I’ve only spent $2.50 on an oil pressure sending unit, $11.50 on a timing belt & $55 on an harmonic balancer. It’s got 125k miles now and I see no reason to think it’s any more than half done.
I could probably have picked up a 93 for not much more money, but there is no way it would be as easy to work on. In my opinion, older is better with the Corola if you’re good with tools.
A Geo Prizm is basically the same car as a Corolla:
This isn’t unique – the Pontiac Vibe is a Toyota Matrix with different sheet metal.
As to the OP: I bought an '85 Corolla in '89, with ~90K on it and drove it up through 210K (and then totalled it in a highway accident). Then bought a Civic with ~110K on it and drove it through ~365K. For both cars, my impression was that I was spending an average of about $100-$150 a month on high ticket repair and maintenance items. I’m including new exhaust and new tires in addition to things like timing belt, fuel pump, clutch, transmission, engine sensors, and the like. Usually I’d need to take the car in for something every three months or so, although there was a stretch with the Civic where I was taking it in like every month (at which point I was thining of getting rid of it) followed by a stretch where I didn’t take it in at all (at which point I was glad I kept it). I didn’t really see a break point in mileage above which maintanance was considerably more expensive (although I’ll admit that I wasn’t exactly keeping detailed records).
This is what i’m afraid of. It would be a better deal to get a newer car, spend an extra $80/month on a 4 year car loan than to get an older car and spend $150 a month in repairs. Plus with the newer model you have a higher resale value.
I think a geo might be a better car for me (when i get one). One that is 3-4 years old is under 5k if you shop around. I should get 6 years out of that.
Are the chevrolet prizms/metros made by toyota too or just the Geo models?
Last year I helped 3 family members buy cars: 2 Corollas and an Accord. (The Accord turned out to be the worst of the bunch. I tried talking him out of it but he wouldn’t listen.)
Miles count far more than years for cars. Had ~120K and ~60K miles on them. Over a year now and no major problems.
If you’re regularly spending more than $500 each year on car repairs, you have a lemon. This is why you get someone to inspect the car before you buy it (as well as do CarFax and such).
I have an 87 Mazda 323 and I’ve done one repair in the last 5+ years on non-recurring wear-and-tear parts. I replaced the rear struts last year. Got the struts off eBay for a song and a friend-of-friend mechanic did the install for cheap. (I also pay virtually nothing for tag tax or insurance.) So the idea of paying $80 a month for a new car seems like an outrageous burning of money, just for purchase alone, let alone scheduled maintenance, taxes, insurance. And you still have to buy tires and such.
The disadvantage for maintaining an old-in-years car is the availability of parts. Some stuff might have to be ordered. So a sudden breakdown might mean you’re going to wait an extra day or two for a part. (So keep track of what might be near breaking and order it ahead.) For Corollas, it appears that pre-93 or so is the current “cut-off” for finding things locally.
Yeah, the Chevy Prizm = Geo Prizm. I think GM just decided to merge its Geo line into its other nameplates rather than have a dedicated import nameplate. And the Geo Metro = Suzuki Swift. And Geo Tracker = Suzuki Sidekick.
As far as new vs. used, I’m afraid that’s exactly what I wound up deciding. What with the relatively high resale value of Hondas and Toyotas, it was like paying $200 per month for a used car versus $300 a month for a new one. Adding in what I expected repair costs to be and I was at best breaking even when opting for a used car, and at worst actually paying more. I should add, though, that I’m a relatively high-mileage driver (25K-30K per year) so my experience might not be representative, particularly if you can find a reasonably priced car with something well under 100K. YM, as always, MV.
As to the Geo/Corolla comparison. I have the Haynes manual for them, and it almost every section there’s a “except in the Prizm where instead of a Good Part they have a Cheap Part or No Part At All” warning. If GM could figure out a way to save a few cents over the original, they did it.
No, he wants to know how old is too old. I would say, oh, about 103. Or thereabouts. Or when your children are too old to drive, whichever comes first.
