Need advice, possible '99 'Rolla VE purchase

[87Camry5Speed]

Well gang my time may have come to rejoin TN, but as a Corolla owner and not a Camry owner this time. (Had '87 and '95 Camrys in the past)

What I looked at today...

'99 Rolla VE
No power accessories
3-speed auto- no O/D

114K on body, orig motor let go and was replaced with a 77K j/y unit. Had a CEL during the test drive but no obvious leaks/misses, current owner runs a body shop and he literally just got it together as far as the motor goes. Checking codes tonight

Trans shifted out fine, it likes to hold those gears out though (it's not O/D)

Interior OK overall, door for storage cubby in center of dash was broken but that's nit-picking

Drove fine overall, I was honestly surprised with the pep this car had up to 55 (as far as I took it up, it's the end of the month ). In a lot of respects it felt like my gen2 Camry but with an automatic.

Body is a little rough, door dings, some dings in roof, I think it'll come back nicely with clay and wax.

He wants 2500, there's a few odds and ends he's going to fix at his expense before letting it go (including the CEL). Overall I think it's a fair deal, all the work was done by a reputable local shop.

Any input is welcome. What I especially want to know, if you have a non-O/D Rolla. how loud do they get at highway speeds (75-80). I expect it'll be a little monster in the snow, really it's not a bad little car but any input is

[dgoodhue]

I would pass on it, but I am anal. Premature motor replacement, dings/scratches, OK interior, it sound like the previous owner didn't take car of it. Its priced cheap though.

[87Camry5Speed]

^^my dad works at a Toyota dealer, he says there have been problems with the 1ZZ's not just in these but the Celicas too... I'm not insanely picky on condition, I care more about mechanical condition. I'm looking to move out of the house in the next year or so, so I need something cheap to run and good on gas. Hence me consider ng this particular car.

[MysticHalo]

Now this is just my personal opinion, but I would pass on it just because it's a VE. Now I understand if you only have $2500-$3000 to spend, this seems like a good deal, but couple it being a VE with the fact that it's had the motor replaced, I'd say your money can be better spent. I have NEVER seen a VE kept in good condition. People get them because they can just want the cheapest thing possible, and despite it being a Toyota, the VE is made MUCH more cheaply than the CE/LE/S models.

I think you'll wind up putting as much money into it as you spend on it initially. I've had a lot of friends take what they thought were good deals similar to that and wind up spending more money than they paid for the car, PLUS having it break down on them when they'd had it for less than a year. This has happened to THREE of my friends.

Ultimately, it's your decision, but I honestly think you can find something better.

Good luck!

[87Camry5Speed]

Hey gang, still waiting to hear on the CEL... I have read that the '99s were singled out for having faulty fuel injectors, which would cause both the rough idle and the CEL it has


I figure, well it is almost 8 years old, and Corollas don't get treated like Ferraris- they're driven daily, interiors get worn (though the one on this VE is, overall, still really nice), door dings happen, and whatnot. Other than the rough idle and the CEL it felt peppy and drove out pretty nicely. As I mentioned, a bit like my gen2 Camry.

More to come when I hear more about the car.

[87Camry5Speed]

Decided not to go for it on this one... owner never got back to me... anyway, I've been informed of a 5-speed VE that I'll investigate further ASAP. Silver, interior is said to be nice, more details as they come.

[AERIUS]

That CEL could get pricey.....mine was on ('00 LE 5-speed) and I spent quite a bit to get it off, and both inspections passed.....new cat, new injectors, new rail, all new coils, new plugs....FYI if you really want a sweet 5-speed that HAS been kept super nice, mine happens to be 4 sale :

http://www.xceedspeed.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=60339

(scroll down a bit for the really good pics)

...and I would agree about the nicer models being generally kept up better - I am the 2nd owner of mine but I'm here to tell you the 1st owner BABIED the thing.

Going back even further, I used to have a '94 DX 5-speed (w/ the then-optional 1.8L) and it was also kept up amazingly well by the original owner. Over 200k miles and it looked like new inside & out. These are just great cars