30 years on....E10 Corolla passes MOT with no advisories

[NeilMH]

Thank you Toyota for making such a great car. Another MOT clocked up with no issues.

I may be looking at this through rose coloured specs but it seems to me that my 1.6 Exec Auto is going as well as ever. Great engine, super smooth auto box, superlative ride quality.

I got a lift to the garage in a Renault Kadjar yesterday - thinking French car must have good ride quality - nope - bone jarring - I guess the big issue is the weight and having to have elephantine suspension, whereas my Toyota weighs about as much as an Amoeba's beret label. Having said that the build quality and interior of the Renault was significantly better than French cars I recall from earlier eras. Let's hope my other E10 passes later this year.

[Eddiefh]

My brother has live in oz for around 20 years and he’s used e10 in his petrol Nissan pickup for the last 19 years he’s a miner and does a month on month off so for 30 days pickup stays at home and doesn’t move a inch . Think uk salts more of a issue than 5% more ethanol than standard e5 

[NeilMH]

1 hour ago, Eddiefh said:

My brother has live in oz for around 20 years and he’s used e10 in his petrol Nissan pickup for the last 19 years he’s a miner and does a month on month off so for 30 days pickup stays at home and doesn’t move a inch . Think uk salts more of a issue than 5% more ethanol than standard e5 

Sorry - in my case the E10 relates to the model number of my Corolla - I always use E5 petrol.

[Mooly]

11 hours ago, NeilMH said:

Thank you Toyota for making such a great car. Another MOT clocked up with no issues.

Good to hear. These older cars are really the ones that absolutely nailed Toyotas reputation for bullet proof build quality to the mast. 

 

[Rhymes with Paris]

Yeah, I agree, the heyday of quality build seems to be 90s 2000s for Toyota, probably Honda too.

Great to hear about these older cars still going strong, and maybe even less trouble than their modern counterparts.

Anyone else think that the perceived decline in build quality is due to a general increase in don't give a stuff attitude on the part of the factory personnel,or a maximum profit philosophy from the manufacturer, for lower quality and cost.

Having said that, I still think that the main weak link in the chain from factory to user are the dealers, the same as it was in 1989 when I bought my only brand new car.

 

 

[NeilMH]

11 minutes ago, Rhymes with Paris said:

Yeah, I agree, the heyday of quality build seems to be 90s 2000s for Toyota, probably Honda too.

Great to hear about these older cars still going strong, and maybe even less trouble than their modern counterparts.

Anyone else think that the perceived decline in build quality is due to a general increase in don't give a stuff attitude on the part of the factory personnel,or a maximum profit philosophy from the manufacturer, for lower quality and cost.

Having said that, I still think that the main weak link in the chain from factory to user are the dealers, the same as it was in 1989 when I bought my only brand new car.

 

 

I'm not sure if I have the defintive answer to this but when I bought my first brand new Corolla Liftback in 1993 it was much more expensive than its competitors. There are now a plethora of competitors and huge numbers of model derivatives and I do recall the efforts Toyota made to be the largest world manufacturer overtaking GM I think it was - so I guess that you put all that together and I guess it means that they are built to a cost and a price, whereas at the time they were so much better made than their British equivalents that they were able to charge a premium price and sell in lower volume. Just the quality of the plastics alone is very noticeable and things like a stainless steel exhaust which is still going strong.

 

[NeilMH]

Just looked up the price for a Corolla Executive 1.6 Auto in the August 1992 price list - £13,814 before adding metallic paint! My recollection is that was a lot of money then. Even on the basic Gli model the Autocar road test included a positive of "build quality" but a negative of "price". 

[Rhymes with Paris]

12 minutes ago, NeilMH said:

Just looked up the price for a Corolla Executive 1.6 Auto in the August 1992 price list - £13,814 before adding metallic paint! My recollection is that was a lot of money then. Even on the basic Gli model the Autocar road test included a positive of "build quality" but a negative of "price". 

Yes, that would be a lot of money then, to compare my 1989 Citroen AX diesel was £6250 then,a budget car, I truly wish that I had bought a Subaru justy instead, but the dealers may have been just as bad.

I reckon as long as underside rust can be controlled, there is no reason why these excellent cars and engines cannot be kept going indefinitely, subject of course to the legislation.

[FROSTYBALLS]

Today's equiva!ent of £13,814 in 1992 is £36,576.

[Rhymes with Paris]

Is that about on par with the current corolla prices?

[NeilMH]

I think the range is £30k to £36k? (which came as a surprise to me as I've not bought a new car since 1992!

[NeilMH]

27 minutes ago, Rhymes with Paris said:

Yes, that would be a lot of money then, to compare my 1989 Citroen AX diesel was £6250 then,a budget car, I truly wish that I had bought a Subaru justy instead, but the dealers may have been just as bad.

I reckon as long as underside rust can be controlled, there is no reason why these excellent cars and engines cannot be kept going indefinitely, subject of course to the legislation.

Good point as the Mayor of London is currently trying to price me off the road 🤣

[Rhymes with Paris]

Ah, you'll be in the mayor's fan club then, like Cyker 😂

Still, when he is swanning around in an armour plated V8 range rover on taxpayers money,why worry?

Us commoners will have to be content with getting to the doctors and Waitrose in 20 and 30 year old Toyotas😉.

Personally, I like having a clear conscience.