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
It's an OLD Toyota
Billy Tom, 02/03/2010
1990 Toyota Corolla 4dr Sedan
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
My Family has owned this vehicle for 6 years now and it's been a real trooper. It survived 2 new drivers. We've done repairs but nothing major. I really do think this car is going to last. The only flaw is that it is a metal cage of death. It is such a small car that if you get into an accident, you're going to die. There are no air bags and our seat belts barely lock. However, if you're not traveling very far and want a reliable car this Toyota is awesome. I personally want a safer vehicle. I think it has over 300,000 kms. It also has a lot of rust on it, but that could be just ours.
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!
Ol' Reliable - Will Run Forever!!!
Ol' Reliable, 09/13/2006
1990 Toyota Corolla Deluxe 4dr Sedan
1 of 1 people found this review helpful
This has been the most reliable car I have ever owned - it is now at 268,000 miles and still going strong. It has never broken down, although I have had to replace a few things on it - it just has never left me stranded. Although the automatic transmission robs a bit of the power, it consistently gets around 28-30 mpg in town and mid to high-30's on the road. I have serviced it regularly (3,000-mi oil changes, trans services, coolant flushes, brakes, etc.) and I plan on keeping it until it passes the 300,000-mile mark. I do my own servicing, and not everything is easy to do, but not impossible. Kudos, Toyota, to making such a high-quality vehicle!
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.
A great car , But it is really very outdated !
srihari902, 05/07/2011
1990 Toyota Corolla 4dr Sedan
1 of 2 people found this review helpful
Having this car for the past 9-10 years , it is a really strong and powerfull machine , although have had many minor as well as a few major replacements with it . Had to replace the door locks , the vipers (couldn't count on how many times it had to be replaced) ,ac belt ,indicators,.................... and one fine day the engine blew up !
perfect car
TOZTOPRAK, 04/17/2002
1990 Toyota Corolla SR5 2dr Coupe
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
this is a perfect car.
My Car is God's Gift to Me
godsgift, 04/26/2002
1990 Toyota Corolla Deluxe 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
This is the greatest car I've ever had. It's 12 years old and still runs great. The only times it won't start is when I leave the lights on. This car is well built and easy to maintain. Go with Toyota, and Go with God, too!
excellent
Liviu, 05/03/2002
1990 Toyota Corolla Deluxe 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
A very reliable car. Although confort is not its strongest feature, quality beats the rest. The engine runs perfectly, and the other components wear only after a long run.
godslittlemiracle
godslittlemiracle, 05/06/2002
1990 Toyota Corolla Deluxe 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
This is the best little car. I have taken it everywhere and it has been through everything imaginable (including running for a week without oil -- oops!!!) and stills keeps on ticking. Even at 150,000 miles it still runs better than my husbands trunk that is 5 years new. You go my little miracle car!!!!
Built strong
sidney, 07/04/2002
1990 Toyota Corolla Deluxe 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I have put my Corolla through a lot but it's hanging in there. It's a very reliable car and still looks good. It's an old car but the interior is still in perfect shape.
great little car
yadrewhoo, 07/09/2002
1990 Toyota Corolla SR5 2dr Coupe
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I couldn't kill this car if I wanted to. At 170,000 miles, it isn't showing any signs of stopping. A tune-up every year or two, change the oil, add gas and drive. I would recommend this car to anyone who values reliability and fuel economy but doesn't want to give up a sporty look.
rock solid
ohbi, 09/12/2002
1990 Toyota Corolla Deluxe 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
We bought this Toyota with a little under 60k on it and thought oh well maybe itll last another 60k or so, well now into its next 100,000 miles its still runs almost like new, love the revs on this twin cam engine, solid, simple and built to last.
redtoy
dmc, 10/02/2002
1990 Toyota Corolla 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
As soon as I sat down to test drive this car, I knew that I would buy it. My favorite car of all time was an 81 Tercel and this was like being home. I haven't been disappointed. Two years ago, I replaced the transmission and it's working out just fine. Two months ago the brakes were completely redone, front and back. I wouldn't be selling except I've gotten a really good deal on a 95 Corolla, so the beat goes on.
GREAT CAR!!!!
Ann4821, 12/05/2002
1990 Toyota Corolla LE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
My Corolla runs like a top. It's 12 years old and it runs like it's new. No problems at all!! There's 165,000 original miles and I could get another 100,000 out of it.
Corolla 90
ItsNotMe-, 03/04/2002
1990 Toyota Corolla LE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Very nice car ... never had any problem with ....
RELIABLE!!
marchejm, 06/11/2003
1990 Toyota Corolla 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I have owned my corolla for just over 3 years. I bought it as 130,000 miles and it now has 180,000 miles. In this time I have barely had to put any money into it. It has been great. Only minor repairs and regular maintainance. For as many miles as it has it runs excellant!! I am very happy with it!
Bought a house
BigPebble, 07/23/2003
1990 Toyota Corolla LE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
This car has been so reliable I haven't been put in the poor house to keep at a like new level. In fact the reliability of this car let me put a lot more down on a new house.
Can't part with it
corgts, 09/24/2003
1990 Toyota Corolla GT-S Sport 2dr Coupe
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Picking up a RAV4. Thought I would sell my GTS but decided to use it as a summer car. Gotta love Toyota quality and reliability. I always gets comments on my car. Most think it's either new or a few years old. Fast and fun, great on gas, expensive to replace parts (all TRD). NEVER had a problem with this car, just kept up maintainance. Now it will be my summer car. 133,000 MI...will put in car shows 20 years from now
Old corolla
Hunorhs, 10/19/2003
1990 Toyota Corolla LE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Does it well what it suppose to do. Runn without problems and hang ups. Good milage, low meintenance.No frills. A car for commuting and for all seasons.
old faithful
To-Yoda, 01/06/2004
1990 Toyota Corolla 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I bought her off the street for $1000.I put $1400 worth of repairs,parts in her up front,,Ive put on 60000 miles since and all Ive replaced are the tires (once),and the speedometer cable.Shes got great pull uphill (Automatic),I live in mountains of Western North Carolina,
Still going strong
Peterborough/Ontario, 03/23/2004
1990 Toyota Corolla SR5 2dr Coupe
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
1990 Toyota Corolla SR5, 5 speed, red with grey interior. Bought used, 2 years old with 22,000km. Twelve years later and now at 236,000km, this vehicle has never let me down. I had the body repaired and new paint job in 2000 and it has held up very well.
Dependable/Economic/Nice Ride
Danner, 04/27/2004
1990 Toyota Corolla Deluxe 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I purchased this car when it was 2 years old. It had 6800 miles on it. Other than normal maintenance, oil, filter, grease, lube, brakes, tune up and timing belt it has been an economical dependable car to run. This vehicle has 158,000 miles on it now. Recently I had to replace the water pump and valve gaskets. It has never let me down. I had a 77 Corolla that I drove for 15 years with a total of 206,000 miles when I sold it for $600.
keeps on going at 166,000 miles
Greer, 04/30/2004
1990 Toyota Corolla Deluxe 4dr Wagon
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I've had this car for two years now and I couldn't be happier. At first I thought "This is a station wagon, how can this be cool?" Now with only minor repairs and maintenance( tires, brakes, oil changes as needed) I am sincerely impressed with this car. Even on road trips with it completly loaded down (pulling a trailer) or for getting to those great mountain biking places this car has more than kept time with our busy lifestyle.
Corolla GT-S
Drofmab, 07/24/2004
1990 Toyota Corolla GT-S Sport 2dr Coupe
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Very nice to drive, very low maintencance -- other than oil changes, new tires and brakes, I haven't put any money into this car since I bought it 7 years ago.
great car for basic transportation
Frankp, 09/09/2004
1990 Toyota Corolla Deluxe 4dr Wagon
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I bought this car 5 years ago and it never let me down(well once, the gear would not shift, took us $20 to repair the brake connection). the A/C lost most of its coolness during last summer. but I guess it happens for a lot of old cars. Every time you go to the car, with 7 inches of snow or not, you know it is going to start and carry u. It is also not hard to sell. 5 year of ownership, total cost is $250 for brakes, some $ for oid change and $40 for battery and $20 for brake connection. Not bad for a 10+ year old car at least by my standards.
Head Gasket
Dramaqueen2820, 10/18/2004
1990 Toyota Corolla Deluxe 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I drove this car for a year and the head gasket blew. It was after we had the engine cleaned so it would pass inspection. It ended up having a cracked head, that had some carbon buildup in it. The radiator fluid ended up going through the head and out the exhaust. We put some head gasket block in it and it worked for a total of 2 weeks. We put a new radiator in it and then the problem resurfaced. Today i ended up driving it to the junk yard with a bunch of white smoke coming out of it. I ended up getting 50 bucks for it.
Amazing Car!
R Albertson, 11/15/2005
1990 Toyota Corolla Deluxe 4dr Wagon AWD
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
This car is really fun to drive and gets a get gas mileage. I get 36-37 all the time on the highway, and have gotten up to 40 at about 60mph. I have owned since 188,000 and have only replaced the clutch and exhaust manifold.
Extraordinary
amazing, 04/27/2007
1990 Toyota Corolla LE 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I've had this car for 13 months now. I bought it with 183,000 miles on it and now it has 189,000 miles on it. It has never let me down.
Miss it
mekimeki, 09/25/2007
1990 Toyota Corolla 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
I just donated it after 12 years of ownership. Very reliable transportation with a stripped-down yet clean feel to its operation. Only problems: AC compressor died at 90,000 miles, then replacement leaked; alternator died at 150,000 miles; ceiling cover came loose and had to be pulled/scrubbed off. Overall, a dependable ride that was always there when I needed it.
Reliable Hassale Free Car
blondie 11230, 05/13/2003
1990 Toyota Corolla 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Bought this car in Aug 1992 with 40K miles and it now has 85K and stll runs well. Hardly ever took it to the mechanic even though I had it for close to 12 years.
Go Goldie Go!!!
GoldenGirl, 03/26/2003
1990 Toyota Corolla Deluxe 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
This is hands down the best car that was EVER made. Not that anyone will be running out to buy a 1990 Corolla, but if you need a car to get you where you needed to go...THIS IS IT! I can't say enough good things about it. I've had mine for 7 years and have only had to replace mufflers, oil, and CV joints. Nothing major. Runs great in snow and has never let me down. Except when I leave my lights on...but that's my bad.
1990 Corrola GT-S
Mondoman, 04/01/2002
1990 Toyota Corolla GT-S Sport 2dr Coupe
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Third Toyota I have owned. Probably the best one to date. Great performance at a great price with no sacrifice to fuel economy.
Great Car
mkr2mr2, 05/27/2008
1990 Toyota Corolla Deluxe 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Great car, gets me to point A and to point B and hey even Z. Great car, mine is in great condition and great mpg, very good car. A good car to have especially with these gas prices.
Corollas are great
cory, 05/27/2008
1990 Toyota Corolla Deluxe 4dr Sedan
0 of 0 people found this review helpful
Ok this car has been great, 202,000 miles + and all that has happened is one bad water pump, 1 broken timing belt, 1 bad alternator the factory one finally gave out in 07. I think only 3 minor parts for a car that has over 200 grand on the motor is great. The dash is getting some cracks due to me treating this car like crap. I never do any regular maintenance but it still runs great. When I can afford to treat my little economy car to a treat I do it with full flushes on all or most of any fluids it contains but other then that just tires, brakes, caps, plugs and wires every now and then with occasional oil changes about 5,000 miles give or take a thousand miles but the thing keeps on tickn
Modestly one of the best
first car, 10/20/2008
1990 Toyota Corolla Deluxe 4dr Wagon
0 of 3 people found this review helpful
Nothing glamorous about this car, but it continues to be a pleasure to own. I marvel at this piece of engineering. It has a strong, quick engine, it is agile, gets great gas mileage, and needs little in the way of major repairs (knock on wood). Concerns are that it tends to run hot, so you have to pay attention to fluids; and it is a compact car so big people are not terribly comfortable. I bought the floor model, which was made in Japan. I "only" have about 190k miles on it, so it sounds like it is easily good for another 75-100k.
how much
overtimeman, 01/11/2003
1990 Toyota Corolla Deluxe 4dr Sedan
0 of 3 people found this review helpful
good body good condition, good motor am/fm radio
VICK's
Vick GTS, 07/30/2004
1990 Toyota Corolla GT-S Sport 2dr Coupe
0 of 4 people found this review helpful
I Love my Corolla GTS. Mines is no longer stock tho. The more I fix it up the more I love it. Fast and fun, great on gas, expensive to replace parts (Performance in my case)haha...
Great car
gallantronx, 07/19/2009
1990 Toyota Corolla Deluxe 4dr Sedan
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
I bought this car in 2006, it had 155990 miles on it and I used it to run errands and go to school to get my GED which I received in 2007. After that my mom used it on the paper route which she still has; the car got thirty-five MPG which is great for a car. The tie- rods went out first then the CV Halfshaft but all in all a fairly reliable car that does not use oil. Because of this car I decided to become a mechanic, this is the easiest car to work on - suspension, steering and Oil change. It now has 205,567 miles on it and I hope it makes it to three hundred thousand.
Still Ticking!
letigre, 05/23/2006
1990 Toyota Corolla Deluxe 4dr Sedan
0 of 1 people found this review helpful
I bought my Gold DX in 1990 & it has 292,000 on it today (23MAY06). I just put new tires on it & plan to run the wheels off it (well past 300,000). It is worth very little to anyone else, but it has been the best car I've ever owned.