found ae86 w/ rust is it worth it?

[tracek180]

i have a an 04 corolla s and new to the ae86 world. i am really interested in buying one and found one that runs good, over 280k miles and has some rust. 1984 hatch. body looks to be in good shape. original motor. can anyone give me some things to look for or stay away from thanks in advance for any help.

[REN69]

84 = SR5 with a 4AC motor, automatic most likely... stay away from it unless you got the time and money to swap motor, transmission and suspension.

what you want to find is an 85-87 Corolla GTS, comes with the 16V bigport 4AGE 110-120hp, sportier suspension and nicer interior. The GTS is a better car to start out with, but either way good luck finding one that's cheap or in decent condition. Most of the ones I've seen are overpriced and if they're already worked on, most likely out of your reach. Thank Initial D for this.

[519]

my friend bought a GTS 86 corolla for about $2800 CAD. It had over 200k but the body rust was horrible. Outside body looked okay but omg under the car was something else. If you hit the bumper lightly, rush flakes fall LOL. He spent over 3k already trying to get it certified. So watch for the body rust. I'd say thats the most important thing after its running state.

[DRIFTASSAULT]

body rust is a minor concern for the 86....you should check these areas for any 86 no matter how clean or how dirty: If GTS, front left strut tower, at the bottom, look for rust holes starting just above the frame. On any coupe check the area in the trunk where the jack and tools, rear strut towers for coupe and hatch, the 5 mounts for the rear axel on the chassis, i could go on for ever. dont' expect a 20 year old cadadian car to have no rust.....

[thumper]

be patient and keep looking
i found my 84 coupe with no rust and 87,000 original km from the original owner and all service records it is 5 spd and mint shape i got for 1000 cnd it did take 2 yrs to find though so there is still some good ones out there i am in the process of swapping motors and suspension now plus a ton of other parts

[REN69]

Originally Posted by 519

my friend bought a GTS 86 corolla for about $2800 CAD. It had over 200k but the body rust was horrible. Outside body looked okay but omg under the car was something else. If you hit the bumper lightly, rush flakes fall LOL. He spent over 3k already trying to get it certified. So watch for the body rust. I'd say thats the most important thing after its running state.

0wn3d by Initial D tax.