Model: Toyota Corolla 1.3 GL, (EE80)
Year: 1985
Mileage: 52,385 miles (will rise slightly as its driven daily, but I only do around 12 miles a day)
MOT: September 2016
Description/Condition:
I originally bought this car as an impulse buy from eBay, as I had an itch for something retro and random, and this came up for sale literally just a few miles down the road. I went to view the car before bidding, and was pleasantly surprised with its condition, so much so that I went home and made sure I won the bid.
I am not going to lie and over exaggerate the condition of the car, as it is a 30 year old car, but it really is in good condition for its age. I have driven the car daily since I bought the car around 2 years ago, and the only thing that has gone wrong is the clutch slave cylinder which died on the first time I took the car out! At that point I wondered what I had got myself into, but that is history and since it has served me every day!
The main point that sold me on this car was the history that came with it. The car was bought new in Southend-on-sea all those years ago, and has stayed in the area since. The first owner had it for 2 years, and then was sold to a dear old gentleman that bought the car in 87. He then went on to own the car until 2006! The car then sat for a number of years (for reasons unknown, perhaps because the old boy passed away) until the guy I bought it from bought it. He bought it through word of mouth, and chanced his luck hoping it was an ae86, but obviously wasn’t so he sold it on to me.
The dear old gentleman that owned it for most of its life obviously loved this car to bits, and as you can see from the photo, it has so much service history and paperwork it’s unreal. It’s like travelling back in time reading through all the history, starting from the purchase receipt, all the old mot’s, nearly all the old tax discs, receipts, newspaper cuttings, brochures, warranties etc. and to top it all off, a little handwritten book of everything he ever had done to the car, it’s pretty damn amazing.
He had most of the optional extras fitted including the steering wheels, the rev counter, spoiler and bumpers from an AE82, it also had some retro graphics when I bought it which I removed. (You can see slight paint fading where these were).
Since owning the car I have serviced it regularly myself including oil, filter, plugs, and coolant. The last time it was serviced was early this year, so it will probably need doing soon, but I only do roughly 3500 miles a year. It’s sitting on a lowered set of springs, and literally last weekend I replaced all four shocks and top mounts with KYB items. The suspension is now the best it has felt since I have owned it, and I also straightened up the alignment. At the same time the clutch was also replaced as it was on its last legs, so the new clutch has only been in a week. I bought a set of new XXR wheels when I first bought the cars which are still in fairly good condition; there is just a little corrosion. I also painstakingly sourced a set of original ae82 side skirts to finish it off. Other than that, all I have done is maintain the car to serve me well.
Once again I won’t pretend the car is perfect, and I don’t want you to imagine turning up to a pristine car. It has minor marks on the paintwork, some fading where the graphics used to be, some paint chips here and there. Importantly, the car is structurally rust free, and there is only a couple of minor areas of cosmetic rust if I am being picky. I have been underneath this car only recently getting the shocks and clutch done, and it really is an honest car, it just has 30 years of wear and tear as you can imagine. It still has the original tape deck stereo, and whilst the speakers are fine, the radio reception isn’t very good at all.
To sum it all up, this is a 30 year old 1.3 Toyota corolla, and it is what it is. It’s not fast at all, it doesn’t like to carry lots of passengers, it doesn’t handle particularly well if you are used to newer cars, it has brown interior, and a tape player.. But it is something different and you will not see another like it, it looks pretty cool in my eyes, it’s got tonnes of history, and its super reliable and cheap to run. It has a genuine 52,000 miles with all the paperwork to back it up. It starts fine every morning no matter how cold, if anything it only ever rarely has problems with warm starts, which is solved with some throttle pressing. It would make a great first car, or ideal to put in a 4age perhaps... I will honestly be sad to see this go, and it is the longest I have ever kept a car somehow! But I have spent the last 2 years saving for a wedding and a house, and now that I have both and have a baby on the way, it’s time to get something more modern and safer again. I hope that someone can keep it going, and look after it the way I have, and the guys before me.
(Please note, I will not be breaking any parts from this car, so if you want the spoiler, or side skirts etc, you will have to buy the rest of the car too! I have a few spare parts that will come with the car, like the original steel wheels that will come with the car too)
Pics:
Location: Southend-On-Sea, Essex
Price: £1500
Contact details: either email me at lloydbernasconi@gmail.com , or phone on 07914495955. I am more likely to answer my emails during work hours. The car is available for viewing most weekends and most evenings, contact me for more details.
Year: 1985
Mileage: 52,385 miles (will rise slightly as its driven daily, but I only do around 12 miles a day)
MOT: September 2016
Description/Condition:
I originally bought this car as an impulse buy from eBay, as I had an itch for something retro and random, and this came up for sale literally just a few miles down the road. I went to view the car before bidding, and was pleasantly surprised with its condition, so much so that I went home and made sure I won the bid.
I am not going to lie and over exaggerate the condition of the car, as it is a 30 year old car, but it really is in good condition for its age. I have driven the car daily since I bought the car around 2 years ago, and the only thing that has gone wrong is the clutch slave cylinder which died on the first time I took the car out! At that point I wondered what I had got myself into, but that is history and since it has served me every day!
The main point that sold me on this car was the history that came with it. The car was bought new in Southend-on-sea all those years ago, and has stayed in the area since. The first owner had it for 2 years, and then was sold to a dear old gentleman that bought the car in 87. He then went on to own the car until 2006! The car then sat for a number of years (for reasons unknown, perhaps because the old boy passed away) until the guy I bought it from bought it. He bought it through word of mouth, and chanced his luck hoping it was an ae86, but obviously wasn’t so he sold it on to me.
The dear old gentleman that owned it for most of its life obviously loved this car to bits, and as you can see from the photo, it has so much service history and paperwork it’s unreal. It’s like travelling back in time reading through all the history, starting from the purchase receipt, all the old mot’s, nearly all the old tax discs, receipts, newspaper cuttings, brochures, warranties etc. and to top it all off, a little handwritten book of everything he ever had done to the car, it’s pretty damn amazing.
He had most of the optional extras fitted including the steering wheels, the rev counter, spoiler and bumpers from an AE82, it also had some retro graphics when I bought it which I removed. (You can see slight paint fading where these were).
Since owning the car I have serviced it regularly myself including oil, filter, plugs, and coolant. The last time it was serviced was early this year, so it will probably need doing soon, but I only do roughly 3500 miles a year. It’s sitting on a lowered set of springs, and literally last weekend I replaced all four shocks and top mounts with KYB items. The suspension is now the best it has felt since I have owned it, and I also straightened up the alignment. At the same time the clutch was also replaced as it was on its last legs, so the new clutch has only been in a week. I bought a set of new XXR wheels when I first bought the cars which are still in fairly good condition; there is just a little corrosion. I also painstakingly sourced a set of original ae82 side skirts to finish it off. Other than that, all I have done is maintain the car to serve me well.
Once again I won’t pretend the car is perfect, and I don’t want you to imagine turning up to a pristine car. It has minor marks on the paintwork, some fading where the graphics used to be, some paint chips here and there. Importantly, the car is structurally rust free, and there is only a couple of minor areas of cosmetic rust if I am being picky. I have been underneath this car only recently getting the shocks and clutch done, and it really is an honest car, it just has 30 years of wear and tear as you can imagine. It still has the original tape deck stereo, and whilst the speakers are fine, the radio reception isn’t very good at all.
To sum it all up, this is a 30 year old 1.3 Toyota corolla, and it is what it is. It’s not fast at all, it doesn’t like to carry lots of passengers, it doesn’t handle particularly well if you are used to newer cars, it has brown interior, and a tape player.. But it is something different and you will not see another like it, it looks pretty cool in my eyes, it’s got tonnes of history, and its super reliable and cheap to run. It has a genuine 52,000 miles with all the paperwork to back it up. It starts fine every morning no matter how cold, if anything it only ever rarely has problems with warm starts, which is solved with some throttle pressing. It would make a great first car, or ideal to put in a 4age perhaps... I will honestly be sad to see this go, and it is the longest I have ever kept a car somehow! But I have spent the last 2 years saving for a wedding and a house, and now that I have both and have a baby on the way, it’s time to get something more modern and safer again. I hope that someone can keep it going, and look after it the way I have, and the guys before me.
(Please note, I will not be breaking any parts from this car, so if you want the spoiler, or side skirts etc, you will have to buy the rest of the car too! I have a few spare parts that will come with the car, like the original steel wheels that will come with the car too)
Pics:
Location: Southend-On-Sea, Essex
Price: £1500
Contact details: either email me at lloydbernasconi@gmail.com , or phone on 07914495955. I am more likely to answer my emails during work hours. The car is available for viewing most weekends and most evenings, contact me for more details.
