Hmmm....

[jersep]

I got a decision to make...

I bought a 1988 Corolla 3 months ago. When I bought it the guy told me that it needs shocks which explains the rattle when I press on the brakes and the horrible ride.

However today I noticed the tires are very worn on the inside but have plenty of tread on the outside. Could this be a sign of a bigger problem?

The clkutch went out today and I'm deciding whether to pump more money into it or just try to sell it for a few hundred dollars.

One more thing, when I turn the engine off it sputters a for a few seconds occasionally. Is this a big deal?

Thanx for helping a newbie!

[REN69]

its a sign of very BAD alignment.. sounds like you need the new suspension and alignment on top of that.

As for the sputtering.. it's carburated, sounds like the timing is off too.

[tashirosgt]

This reminds me of my '90 Prizm. When I bought it, I noticed one wheel looked bent. It turned out the strut was bent as if the car had run that wheel into a ditch. The tread on all the tires was worn down to the steel belts on the inside. But only the passengers side front strut was bent. My theory is that instead of fix the strut, the owner had kept rotating the tires until they all had their turn at the problem area.

[freakinbox]

could be bad alignment, or maybe wheel bearing, tie rod ends? Jack it up and wiggle the tire from side to side and see if there is any movement, not steering movement. Then do it from top to bottom and check for movement.
if it's carb'd and it sputters don't worry, not such a big deal. Both mine and liters cars do it