97 Corolla 1.6 Auto... CE

[TotallyStockCustoms]

My last car was a 99 Chevy Prism and I really loved that car. It was the LSi with all the opions except the automatic transmission, The 1.8 liter and 5spd manual made it quick and fun to drive. It had 213,000+ miles on it when it was involved in a freeway accident... Now it's totaled, but I found a 97 Corolla for a price I couldn't turn down. It needs some work, but nothing major. It's the slow combo: 1.6 and the automatic... It's even the 3spd! Oh well, I hear those are very reliable trannies, and I can't complain about the gas mileage, even compared to the 99. Of course I miss the more responsive drivetrain of the Prism, not to mention the fold-down rear seats, extra power accessories, sunroof, and all that, but the Corolla is alright in stop-and-go as well as any lane but the fast lane on the freeway! Haha...
I do have a problem with the steering wheel locking mechanism, and if anyone has information on how to replace this piece, I would love to know!!!!
I live in Southern California in Ocean Beach, San Diego. It's great here... Going to miss the sunroof now with summer coming.

Ryan

[silver04rollas]

Welcome to TN.

Nice reading history of your car ownership. I could imagine a 3 speed auto on a 1.6 liter engine will not do much in terms of get up and go. Do you have any plans for your car?

[TotallyStockCustoms]

Well, I've had my share of fun cars, so this one will probably end up being the opposite.... ...But reliable!!
The only plans I have in order for this car so far are:
Window tint all the way around... I like to have sun-strips on the top and bottom of the windshield in addition to all other windows...
Stereo system... No subs, just nice speakers and deck....
Factory alloy wheels. I actually want to use the Prism ones because I like their look.
Sound dampening materials here and there to bring noise levels down to more Lexus-like levels (hopefully)
Maybe some small red LED's under the seats/dash/etc to gently glow at night. I liked that setup in my old Volvo wagon years ago...
Other than that, I'm just looking at normal maintenance-type stuff, like replacing all of the vacuum hoses, flushing all the fluids, and some other little things.
Of couse clean the inside until it looks nicer...
That's about it. I don't see the point in intake or exhaust or anything on such a car. My old car was much faster to begin with.

[-SCWEET1-]

Welcome!!!!!!

[MR2Jedi]

Welcome to TN...!