May buy another Corolla

[patcal]

Hi all,

Since my son just got his license, I am going to give him my 90 DX. He gets all the work I have put into it. I am thinking about a newer Corolla but have some questions.

1. Are the 7th & 8th generation models any quieter on the road? This is my number one question. My 90 is reliable to a fault but it does get a bit noisy on the road.

2. How about mileage? I average 27MPG with the automatic. I drive hard. Any specs on the 93-99s?

3. What about maintenance costs? I know they are 1.8 instead of 1.6 liters. Also they use 14" tires instead of 13.

Any comments are welcome. Thanks.

[RobMilkshakes]

I've yet to be in a 7th gen, but the 8th gens are a bit quieter

I honestly dont know about milage, but should be rather close

well a few 7th gens are the 7a-fes and the 8th gens are all 1.8L 1zz-fe. I deal with parts availability and prices everyday for work so as far as that, the prices are still rather low.

[Kiwi-Corolla]

A lot of 7th gens also come out in 1.5L (5A-FE) and 1.6L (4A-FE). My 7th gen with a 5A-FE gets around 36mpg if I treat it nicely. It's a 5-speed manual with 60,000km on the engine.

I've never driven a 6th gen personally so I can't comment on the road noise, but my 7th gen sounded very quiet when I had the stock 14s on.

[Donald]

Does your automatic have overdrive? If not, that is probably your main source of noise (I think)

A 5spd (except for the GT-S) or auto with overdrive will drop the engine RPMs a bit and make cruising a bit more tolerable.
The RPMs in 5th gear in the GT-S is like 4th in the sedan.

We only get the 4A and 7A in the US, no 5A.

[zythr]

That's nice what you're doing. To try to answer your questions

1- The 7th and/or 8th generations are a little quieter, because they cost more than your 90. Main sources of noise is the engine and the road travelled. The 1.8 has been described as being a little loud on acelleration and boomy. Road noise would be more noticeable in the wagon then the sedan, but still much better than the 90.

2-If you get the 1.8 liter (recommended) with the 4 speed auto, your mileage will be much better. Check the website fueleconomy.gov for more mileage info. Of course your mileage will depend on how well the car has been maintained.

3-Maintenance costs will be about the same. The only addtional cost would be checking the air bag every 2 years. I've also read the 1.8 may be an oiler burner as it gets older.


In summary, get the 1.8 liter, even if you don't opt for the auto. HP was slightly reduced in 95-97 but torque was raised slightly in the same years. Dual air bags were standard starting in 94 and if I'm not mistaken, Toyota went back to using Timing chains in either 98 or 99 and later models along with the VV-TI system. Good luck and I hope this info helps.

[RobMilkshakes]

the first years of he 1zz are sometimes know for a little oil consumption.

Toyota did use a timing chain in the 1zz, and the VVTi came a little later. earlier engines did not have vvti

[SCT]

Wouldn't this be better suited in the 7th or 8th gen Corolla forum?

Anyways, my sister has a 1996 Corolla, and it's pretty quiet still. She has almost 200,000 miles I think. And it has been very reliable, I don't remember anything major with the car other than a shop having rear-ended a box truck with it and killed only the hood. Other than that, it's just as reliable as my AE92.

If it makes any difference, my AE92 and my sisters 96 corolla were bought brand new. VERY RELIABLE CARS.

[1990rolla]

buy my 90 dx its going to be up for sale soon lol

[patcal]

Thanks for all the info. Sorry if I was in the wrong forum. This is the only forum here I come to. The oil burning would bug me because my 90 does not use any between 3000 mile changes. Still, all good info to know.

[zythr]

One other thing, some if not all of the later models, (93 on up) have weaker front and rear bumpers, compared to your 90.

[patcal]

That's OK. That is what insurance is for. I am mainly looking for a little more comfort, quiet & maybe room while keeping the reliability of my 90.