First Car

[DunsanyBen]

Heya lads

I've been a big big fan or the Ae101 shape corolla's for many yrs but i cant decide which engine size to go for where-as Reliability and tuning avialability , my brother says go for the 1.3 but i would like a 1.6 or even a 1.8gxi ,i am going to convert it to a van as i'm a panel beater and will be collecting parts (plus it's good insurance wise ) ,i've been looking everywhere for the 2.0DX but none came around so now i'll have to go for petrol which i dont mind i would apreciate every bit of help

Cheers in advance ;)

[Boro Sera]

Hi mate and welcome.

Sorry, I know very little about Corolla's ( the numbers you quoted mean absolutely nothing to me ) but there are some much more helpful people here who could answer your questions.

Meantime, sit back and relax.

Rich

[DunsanyBen]

Thanks a mill ,well it's between a 1.3, 1.6 1.8 or 2.0deisel 93-97 shape ! hope that helps

[4afte]

i'd go with a 1.3 if all your doing is collecting parts in it. they are very good round town, spritely performance on the motorway and will make your fuel last for ages ;)

[DunsanyBen]

Thats sound thanks a milllion,is that the same engine u'd find in a starlet .just thinking about spares if need be the case the engine had "pop'd its clogs" so to speak

[4afte]

yep its the 4E-FE engine, they're quite good found in both the corolla and starlet

[Pompey Gaz]

i got the 1.3 and its alright. lol is nippy when it needs to be and isn't bad at cruising on the motorway :) but it's insurance group 9, l0l i love mine though and am sure you will too :)

[ae92gti]

Ben, you have private mail.

[DunsanyBen]

Cheers lads ,.just wondering how do i go about legally converting a car to a car van and being able to get the car registered as a car van ,example ,1.8 gxi car van ,how do i go about this ! as the insurance quote on a 1.8 carvan is 1,905,Happy days ! :D But how

[Flynn2]

Hello and welcome. I love that shape Corolla as well. I think you will find that they diesel has excellent economy and is extremely reliable. My father has one which has not broken down in 8 years and he does 300 miles a week so they are extremely reliable. The diesel would only be slightly better because they retain their value more and there is a small chance that you might be able to save some money by using a bit of vegetable oil with fuel prices rising like they are.

[DunsanyBen]

Cheers lads ,.just wondering how do i go about legally converting a car to a car van and being able to get the car registered as a car van ,example ,1.8 gxi car van ,how do i go about this ! as the insurance quote on a 1.8 carvan is 1,905,Happy days ! :D But how

[DunsanyBen]

I'm alright without the vedgey oil thanks but i've been lookin for the 2.0d xl for months and no sign ,i've only got 2 and a half to spend but and want a white or black corolla ,cheers for the comment

[Pompey Gaz]

can have mine for £300 lol just needs a bit of bodywork on the front end and new drivers side light

[Flynn2]

Wow I don't know how you can give away something so good looking for £300 And DunSanyBen I missed the first bit about converting it to a van, seems a shame to covert such a nice looking car into a can

[DunsanyBen]

Ha eh well ya see its all about insurance ,i am goig to need it as a van to get parts as i'm a panel beater ,plus it'll be lighter and as a van ,it drops an amazing 1000 yoyo's so as it's my first car i want sumthing nippy ,i can get a 1.8 l petrol car van under a provisional for an amazing price ,so .... and i dont like people **** about in the back of a car so two seater all the way

[ace-'rolla]

go for the 1.3!! super reliable, i bought mine and took it to france a month later, and 6 months on, its never missed a beat (kinda boring actually, all i do is put oil and petrol in it) pretty good on juice and plenty fast enough. 1.3 16v all the way!!

[DunsanyBen]

cheers man ,tis between a crashed 1.3 in black or a stunning 1.8gxi ,but its all about money at the moment ,the 4a-fe's burn plenty of oil i hear ,where-as the gxi will have the vroom but will take all my dosh sniff sniff ,

i looked up car van conversions and i copied this bit of equip i got this randomly from a conversation so waffling will be present

first ring the tax office they will tell every thing u need to no

i rang them at the start of the year was goin to convert a gt starlet yeah u herd me rite :)

First u take out the back seat and put in a floor, basically so that the seat can't be put back in. Then it has to weighed and a man from the tax office has to look at it to make sure that its done rite and you dont have to do anything to the rear windows.

I think thats pritty much all u have to do. check it out with ur insurence first, the convirtion mith have to be put down as a car modification, after that sign a few forms an u have yourself a corolla van.

i bought a golf van 1.9Dsl cus it would cost me an extra £1000punt to drive a golf car 1.9Dsl an i'll tell u what the tax is next week cus mine is up:(

[4afte]

thats funny, when i was driving round in my mum's rolla (4E-FE) it consumed no oil what so ever. was in it for only about 6 months tho and that includes enthusiastic driving

[T600]

Welcome Ben. Good choice of first car, and the Van conversion sounds like a good idea. Can't help you with that, but post the info if you find out what is required.

thats funny, when i was driving round in my mum's rolla (4E-FE) it consumed no oil what so ever. was in it for only about 6 months tho and that includes enthusiastic driving

I believe ours may have used some oil once; 1998 I think it was, could have been 1999. But the level had clearly dropped a millimetre or so below the maximum mark. Or perhaps we just checked the level when the car was on an incline? ;)

[DunsanyBen]

Thats grand then ,but i'm crazy for the gxi ,its a stunning cr and will be drivin wit care as its takeing me a long time to !Removed! up wit the goods and dont want it the far side of a ditch ,lol ,ah when my brother had his glanza she was fine mechanicly so ,seems 4e-fe is a great base ingine

[ace-'rolla]

mine burns about a liter per 1000 miles, but stem seals are pretty shot, which explains that...

[DunsanyBen]

sorted but i just have a thing fo rth e1.8 and if i can walk my way through the insurance with the car van i'll be happy as larry ,cheers again lads for this advice its truely apreciated