I own a 1990 Toyota Corolla Twin Cam sedan and am thinking of buying a 1.6 or 1.3 Litre Corolla hatchback (manufactured around mid 1990s probably).Am I likely to see better fuel economy - I only drive around town on the whole!And is the 1.3 likely to be much cheaper to run than a 1.6!
doug207,
Dec 26, 8:23pm
My 1991 4AF Corolla manages to squeeze high 6s-low7s in L/100km. You may get a bit better with the 1.3, but it won't be as "peppy" My father has a '96 1.6, basically a fuel injected version of mine and it's slightly heavier on gas.
r15,
Dec 26, 10:23pm
if you got a corolla with a 5a-fhe engine from around that era you would see fuel savings, but they are uncommon.to be honest you're already driving possibly the cheapest to own vehicle in nz.
here's why virtually 0 depreciation from this point in time onwards parts for these the common / cheap / available / everywhere 2nd hand they dont have any real issues unless neglected fuel / milage is already very close to new vehicle figures low cost to purchase a 1990 corolla cheap insurance unlikely to get stolen
thejazzpianoma,
Dec 26, 11:23pm
Is the one you have an auto and are you going to be buying an auto or a manual one!
phillip.weston,
Dec 26, 11:26pm
are you saying your current 1990 Corolla is 2L!
flyingpencil,
Dec 26, 11:36pm
Yes, current car is 1990 2L Twin Cam.It's a manual and I'd buy another manual.
franc123,
Dec 26, 11:41pm
We are talking Corollas and not Coronas here!I didn't know they offered Corollas with 2.0L 3S engines at that time, the same as was fitted to theST171 series Coronas.Seems unlikely.
jasongroves,
Dec 26, 11:46pm
2L Corolla! Doubtful.but should go alright;)
flyingpencil,
Dec 26, 11:47pm
Oops - Corona.You are right.
franc123,
Dec 26, 11:52pm
That being the case then you will notice an improvement in economy, especially in urban conditions, that model Corona and the model after it with 2.0L engines weren't known for good town economy but were reasonable on the open road.The later model 1.6L Corolla is unlikely to be down by much in performance either.If you don't need a midsize car anymore it will be a good upgrade.
flyingpencil,
Dec 26, 11:56pm
Thanks franc123.That's what I thought - when I take it out of town (very occasionally) it seems to be more fuel efficient.
wrong2,
Dec 27, 12:06am
only a tiny bit
the difference between the 1300 & 2L will be noticable
thejazzpianoma,
Dec 27, 12:20am
Thats the key thing, don't be tempted to buy an auto as all your economy will go right out the window regardless of engine size.
The 1.3 Corolla went O.K for what they are and will be alright on fuel around town. Just remember though they are about the most over priced vehicle you can buy.
Personally I would buy a 1.2 litre Punto of the year 2000 or newer. I have had two Corolla's of the vintage you are talking about and the Punto just runs rings around them.
Its not just better economy you go from something with next to no safety features to a 4 1/2 Star NCAP car with pretensioners, 2 airbags, decent crumple zone ABS etc etc.
They ALL have air conditioning and lots of nice features like a factory sub woofer and adjustable power steering. There are no rust issues either as the whole car is galvanised.
All that and its even better on fuel than the Corolla and has more go than the 1.3 Corolla as well. (assuming a twin cam Punto)
For similar money I know which I would buy again!
kcf,
Dec 27, 4:51am
the 4EFE Corolla's (1330cc) go remarkably well, I was amazed.Way better than the 2E Corollas that were in the models up to the 100 series. Be aware though that the NZ New Corolla's stuck with the 2E engine for quite a well, so my 2c worth would be to avoid those like the plague.Troublesome carbs, and not a very nice engine in may cases.Very hard to kill though.
scotty20001,
Dec 27, 5:22am
with you on that one the difference is you will actually want to drive the Fiat.
sw20,
Dec 27, 8:40am
You may as well just go to the casino if you are pondering paying money for a Fiat.
No one will buy it when you want to sell. If you keep a Corolla in good nick you will probably get what you paid for it.
thejazzpianoma,
Jul 13, 8:10am
What a load of rubbish, I have never had any trouble selling Fiats and the Punto's in question have held their value very well of the last few years.
Having owned both cars in question I can tell you there is zero reason to buy the Corolla over the Fiat. Our Corolla's were always last to be used (staff vehicles) we would all rather drive the Fiats.
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