Used 1990 Toyota Corolla Consumer Reviews
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Glad I Chose This As My 1st Car
Jay, 01/01/2016
1990 Toyota Corolla 4dr Sedan
13 of 13 people found this review helpful
Bought my 1990 4dr Corolla (base model, no power anything) in 2014 for $865 as my first car. It wasn't in terrible condition but it had been sitting so all four tires were dry-rotted. I replaced the front two to avoid slipping in the winter, serviced transmission, performed an oil change, and performed a tune up. With a couple hundred dollars into it, it was running fine and continues to do so despite being 26 years old now. There is an exhaust leak, the door handle fell off once, and one night the battery terminal literally broke in half and disconnected itself while driving. Fixed it the next day with a $5 dollar one from Auto Zone and everything was back to normal. I've put ~10K miles on it in a little over a year. Being an 18-year-old boy, it definitely isn't the most exciting thing to drive for me but it gets me where I need to go with around 30 MPG as I drive like a granny in town. Purely based on value, it's a better one than any other first car I could've chosen. There was no other car I could've bought that would have cost this little and still work reliably every day.
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Runs 4ever
Ratboy, 11/28/2002
1990 Toyota Corolla Deluxe 4dr Wagon
7 of 7 people found this review helpful
I bought this car about 5 years ago (it was already 8 years old) just for basic trans for a year or two until I get something better. Well, oddly enough, I can't let it go. It's the best car I've ever own. Not the prettiest or most comfortable, but does the job and never breaks down.
Keep it Simple
Beast, 11/01/2010
1990 Toyota Corolla 4dr Sedan
10 of 11 people found this review helpful
Love this car. Bought it in 2005 with 30,000 miles on it. Did not realize what I was getting into when bought this car. Drove this car to Los Angeles and back a few times. Easy. Filled up twice. For 700 miles. I mean come on. Being a '90 model, with a top speed on 110 mph. This car can actually reach that speed. I find that very impressive. Acceleration is outstanding and really just very fun to drive. Lots of great memories in the car and I recently crossed 85,000. I expect this bad boy to be with me for a while. Not a scratch. Not a tear. Everything is functioning. And body in pristine condition. Real lucky to drive this car. Will take care of it as much as it takes care of me.
253,000 and still going strong!
linda, 10/23/2016
1990 Toyota Corolla 4dr Sedan
6 of 6 people found this review helpful
I got this car back in 2005 with I believe 80,000, or somewhere in the ballpark. I'm the third owner. I paid $800 for it. I remember the guy I bought it from literally kissed the car goodbye! lol. He said it was a great car, extremely reliable and amazing on gas. It's now 2016 and yes I still own it and it now it has 253,000 miles and still going. It's not as if I haven't put any money into fixing it. I had an oil leak at one time, the engine fan suddenly stopped working and had to be replaced, several hoses were worn out and it overheated one time and I had to get a new radiator. Other than those problems, everything else has been routine maintenance. This car is so reliable that I've taken it on major road trips across the U.S. However, if I were to get into an accident, I'm pretty sure I would die. It's not very safe! But it's my daily driver to and from work only.
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The Best Vehicle
Andrew99, 02/27/2002
1990 Toyota Corolla Deluxe 4dr Sedan
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
The best car ever made! A little bland, but reliability makes up for that.
Fun, Practical and Reliable
Gary, 02/05/2019
updated 08/06/2020
1990 Toyota Corolla 4dr Sedan
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
I bought this Corolla in 1999 and would never have dreamed that I'd still own it 20 years later. But it's the most efficient and reliable car I've ever owned. And it's fun to drive. So why sell it? Just how good is it? Well, it had 122,000 miles on it when I bought it, and 20 years later it has 382,000 miles and is showing no signs of slowing down yet. And it still has the original engine and transmission. Neither has been rebuilt. Last year, with 371,000 miles, it did blow a head gasket. I replaced the head gasket, seals, hoses and belts at that time, but the machine shop that surfaced the head said it didn't even need a valve job. So I put it all back together and it's running as good as ever. It gets 28 - 30 mpg in town and 34 -36 on the highway. I wish it had cruise control and automatic intermittent wipers, but other than that it's great. UPDATE - 08/06/2020 - it now has 401,000 miles, still going strong. No smoke, plenty of power, good fuel economy, no further work done since original review other than oil and filter changes.
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Toyota Corolla sr5 awd wagon
jackal, 03/06/2002
1990 Toyota Corolla SR5 4dr Wagon AWD
5 of 7 people found this review helpful
Great vehicle for all weather conditions with good fuel mileage and Toyota dependability
294,000 and runs like new!
douglasseattle, 07/07/2014
1990 Toyota Corolla 4dr Sedan
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
My car still is excellent! The interior looks like it has about 50k and the car runs like it came off the showroom floor. It does have a leak in the valve cover gasket which I will fix soon and a small leak in the transaxle. Nothing that will cause a break down. Other than required and scheduled maintenance, this car has not had any major problems. My 03 Focus died at 91000. I expect this one to keep going for a very long time. For some reason the automatic was not listed as one of the corollas. Mine is a 3 spd auto
Best I ever had
crisgonzal, 06/29/2010
1990 Toyota Corolla Deluxe 4dr Sedan
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
This car was amazing. I drove it to college and then exchanged for a newer car. But I will never forget this good friend. I took it to Miami, DC, Niagara Falls, New York, South Carolina. I miss you Toyota Corolla 1990!
Why did they stop making this car?!
John, 11/12/2006
1990 Toyota Corolla Deluxe 4dr Wagon AWD
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
One of my favorites of all time. This is my third and they are getting harder to find. Runs circles around my AWD CRV in the snow. Better traction and gas mileage than the Honda. I don't know why Toyota doesn't make a nice little AWD wagon with MANUAL transmission and good gas mileage. They have handed the market to Subaru.
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