My wife drove my 2006 Corolla 1.8 LE automatic and liked having it at her disposal.
It now has 60K miles on it.

I normally drive a large truck so I bought myself a 1993 Corolla 1.6 Base 5-spd. with 120K miles on it to drive when I don't have to take the truck.

The 2006 was in an accident so I bought a 2013 for us / her to drive.

The 1993 now has new brakes, drums, rotors, bearings, and lines, new clutch cylinder and line, new Michelin tires, new front axles, and new struts all around. Also a new cam timing belt, water pump, A/C compressor, and all new A/C system seals. Also new idler assemblies, hoses, and external belts. Oh; and the struts are almost new too.

The 2006 is all original except that I recently replaced the brakes all around. It will need tires in another season or so.

The body shop guys have finally gotten around to fixing the 2006. It's very nice, well cared for, shows well. KBB has the 2006's value at about $10,000.

KBB has the 1993's value at about $1800.

There is no question that the 2006 is the better, quieter, smoother car. But . . . I did originally select the 1993 for myself precisely Because of it being inexpensive, simple, and basic with fewer things to break down. And the 1993 is filled with new parts whereas the 2006 is not: almost everything is original on the 2006.

They both run like fine watches but I can get only $2000. for the 1993, whereas I can get $10,000. selling the 2006. <g>

My question for you is: if it were you, knowing all of the above - which one would you sell, which one would you keep, and why?

PHM
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I say keep the 93. Neither car has any warranty left to speak of, unlike the fresh '13. Yes, the 06 is a nicer car in general, but it's now been in an accident. Not knowing the history of the 93, I'm assuming it has been lucky enough not to be in one, and it's basically been refreshed. Parts for it should still be readily available and quite cheap, and it's a simpler car from before electronics and digital everything took over for mechanical and analog components.

If you can get up to that $10,000 even after the car's been hit, I say that's the better route. Helps you take a very good chip out of that new car cost, too. Your wife, and occasionally you, get to make use of the new car, you still have your truck, and you have a reliable gas sipper in the 93 that doesn't have potential issues with ECUs for multiple systems, airbags, bad power window switches, etc.

 

I had a 2006 Corolla LE with 5 speed manual trans for about 3 years. Nice car, great with gas. I maintained it myself and never had any problems. Whoever bought it from the dealership in Delaware a month ago is very lucky!

My opinion is to keep the 93! You don't seem to have any need for the 2006 and if you maintain it well the 93 should give you no problems at all. So between two equally reliable cars I would take the 10k over a newer style. Also nobody wants an automatic!

 

it's all twisted with me -

I had two large trucks: 7.3 liter Powerstroke Ford diesel vans. They got 10 mpg. I drove them for work and wanted a better mileage CAR for just me driving around and for longer trips: 100 miles each way to my boat, maybe to Florida, etc. So I bought the 1993 Corolla. And I like it.

But since then I sold the big Fords and bought a 2009 Tacoma. Which is a delight to drive and gets 20 mpg. So . . . . the original 'justification' for the 1993 Corolla is mostly gone. <g> Although I do like driving the little guy; five speed and sticky tires and so forth.

Which means that Another option is to sell the 1993 Corolla AND the 2006 Corolla and use the proceeds (and insurance savings <g>) to pay for the fuel cost difference between the 30+ mpg Corolla and the 20 mpg Tacoma. <g>

Sometimes it's not easy being me! <g>

But thanks for helping me.

PHM
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I can almost guarantee that little 1.6 does better on gas than the 1.8 auto. Back then people weren't seeking high mpg even though the little economical imports provided that in spades. You could get darn near 50mpg out of a CR-X 25 years ago in less efficent, cheaper gas days. Was that ever lauded back then? It sure would be now if you could find a CR-X that hasn't rusted apart or been mutilated by some kid who wants spoilers on his spoilers and to have tucked tires. And no car these days will accomplish that kind of economy without the help of electric motors unfortunately.

If you don't need added comfort and bells and whistles of the 06, stick with the 93. The Taco's a great truck, but 20mpg still isn't a good feeling as gas prices climb ever higher...though it's still better than 10mpg or single digits.

You could sell both, but it's still handy to have a little car around when you don't need to take the truck to run an errand or something like that and the wife has the '13 (my guess is it's her car and you just get to drive it once in a while, right? ).

I'm still in the 93 camp. If I were in your shoes that's the way I'd go. Take the ~$10k and put it to better use either getting rid of the new car debt (if there is any) or put it toward something to make more money off of the money.

...I wonder if TRD made a supercharger for those Tacomas? Is it that 4 liter V6? :clap:

 

if you could find a CR-X that hasn't rusted apart or been mutilated by some kid who wants spoilers on his spoilers and to have tucked tires.

...I wonder if TRD made a supercharger for those Tacomas? Is it that 4 liter V6?

hahaha spoilers on spoilers I gotta look that up for my Xrs!

Agreed with your whole post though.

I'm right over the bridge in PA, if your selling the 93 let me know, I'd consider buying it.

 

I could see selling both of them, newer trucks really have better mileage now days.

IDK though I could see after putting all of that effort into fixing up the 93 that you might want to keep it around to get your money and time back out of it.

Coincidentally, I have a 2005 and used to have a 1993. Both generations of corollas were really good and really reliable. I havent had to do anything but standard maintenance on my 2005. The paint is much better than the 93 and I havent had any problems like we did on the 93 as far as paint.

 

Unlike most the others I would keep the 06. The 93 hasn't bottomed out in value for the most part so now would be a good time to sell it.

The 06 is much more reliable than the 7th Gen Corollas and those Corollas are insanely reliable as it is. Expect the 93 to burn oil, need a timing belt, need a clutch, and start having electronics issues (like TPS, IACV, distributor, or sensors), A/C problems, and other non major parts to fail as it ages. Its also less safe, slower (especially since it's a 4AFE 1.6 vs. 7AFE 1.8), and less refined.

The 06 parts are pretty much just as cheap and being a low maintenance high interval car it costs much less to maintain properly. The 06 is actually easier to work on too if something were to go wrong.

They are both great cars but if you can afford to keep one and need like the option to keep it another 10 years the 06 is a better choice by far in my opinion.

I also doubt you will actually get 10K for the 06 especially if previously wrecked. Expect somewhere around 7-8k depending on options.

I vote for the 06 in your shoes.

 

True the 06 has a chain instead of a belt, but how about the electronics that drive the throttle?

 

I agree with hardtopte,keep the 2006 Corolla!

Even though you have done a lot of maintenance to the 1993 Corolla,the 2006 is still newer which means less wear on the engine and body.Also,the 2006 Corolla has more space,power,and safety.

 

I sure can see it both ways - I'll tell you that! <g>

I like the 2006 for what it is and I like the 1993 for it is. Which is simple basic and cheap. <g> And I do also like that the 1993 is a stick - that way no one can ever ask to borrow "the spare car". <g>

I think I like both of them better than the 2013 Corolla LE. It sure doesn't seem worth what I paid for it. <g>

PHM
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What is the point of the car?

You currently have 4 cars correct?

What do you need vehicles for and how many do you need?

Do you have plans to replace the Corolla with something better in the near future (lets say 5 years?) Compared to an 06 a 13 is a better car. Compared to an 09 and 06 is a better car. The question is how long do you need anyone of the 3 Corollas for. If its for the long haul (say 10 years) keep the 13 and ditch the others. If its for 5 years keep the 06 and ditch the others. The 13 won't pay for itself in 5 years and the 06 is paying for itself now. The 93 is going to start costing money within that time frame.

I wouldn't have ever purchased the 13.

If you don't need 3 cars don't keep 3 cars.

 

It's a no-brainer decision really.

Keep the 93 since you already invested a lot of money into new parts for it. A little money goes a long way to keep these cars running. I know since I've owned my 97 since new and it just rolled over 186k miles a few days ago.

Sell the 2006 since you'll get more money for it. Use that money towards keeping the 93 running and whatever other financial obligations you may have.

 

I would definitely keep the '93. The drop in value of the '06 alone over the next few years will be more than the parts will cost to keep the '93 on the road. Plus the '93 is a 5-speed, which in my mind equates to a simpler vehicle that is more reliable and more understandable. I drive a 9th gen (2005) because I only own one vehicle and I need it to be 100.0% reliable, but the reality is that it's always cheaper to keep an old car on the road than a new one due to depreciation.

The '06 is on the brink of being worth a lot less. If you're going to sell it, now is the time. Think about it... over the next 5 years, are you better off having $1600 in your pocket to pay for parts for the '06, or having $10,000 in your pocket to fix the '93?

The 2013 would not have been my first choice. I think a CPO 2011 would have been a better value. Nobody is sad to see the 10th generation draw its final breath... it has been outdated for a long time.

 

What is a CPO 2011 ?

The 2013 came about because I was paying $560. a week for a rental car for the little woman to drive. Hell; two months of that and I would have paid out 25% of the cost of the 2013 and had nothing to show for it. Better to give Toyota $20K for a car than give Enterprise $5K for nothing.

What is a CPO 2011 ?

PHM
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My wife drives the big car with stability control and a bazillion airbags.

My beater is an old Volvo with 200K and a stick shift, so of course I'd keep the older Corolla with the stick shift.

Our 2003 Corolla automatic -- that we keep as a spare and so that my daughter who can, but won't drive a manual transmission -- has a car to drive when she visits -- has optional ABS and optional side airbags.

If it didn't have those options, I probably would have already replaced it. If you can get $10K for the '06, I'd take the money and run.

 

Are you looking for less headache in the future, or more $$? If it's more $$ then sell either the '06 or the '13. I assume you didn't pay cash for the 2013, therefore are making monthly payments on it. You won't get 10K for the '06 being that it's got an accident history, fixed by insurance or not. If you are looking for more headache, keep the 20 year old '93. I've done that over the past 15 years of my life, and it gets old really fast. Even with Toyota's. The money you will put into it in the future may just exceed the value of the car, and by the sound of all that you've already done to it, it probably already has. Radiator here, oil leak/burn there, more oil leaks, more gaskets going, wheel bearings. All that stuff gets expensive and time consuming, even if you are a DIY kind of guy.

It all comes down to what you really want, a beater to get from point A to B or a somewhat nic(er) car with more power and most likely less headache. Hope that helps and if not, well I tried

 

.... If you are looking for more headache, keep the 20 year old '93. I've done that over the past 15 years of my life, and it gets old really fast. Even with Toyota's. The money you will put into it in the future may just exceed the value of the car, and by the sound of all that you've already done to it, it probably already has. Radiator here, oil leak/burn there, more oil leaks, more gaskets going, wheel bearings. All that stuff gets expensive and time consuming, even if you are a DIY kind of guy. ....

Here's my thing with that, jburner: while it may not necessarily be at that point just yet, the '06 is going to soon be that 10+ year old car that's going to start needing things that aren't just freak occurences.

So sure, it's nicer, has more power (going through a slushbox), but it's also been in an accident. While it's not worthless because of that, he'll still get more money for it now than he will later in the car's life, and he doesn't absolutely need either car.

Like you mentioned, he's likely already put in close to, if not more, than the 93's worth in parts, so since that cliff has already been leapt off of, might as well ride it out because you're not going to get anything more for it.

And despite the newness of the 06, I'm pretty sure we can all agree that cars from within the last maybe 15 years have gone down steeply in reliability and part lifespans (in the name of automakers profitting from more parts sales). Maybe it's not quite bulletproof, but I'd feel the 93 is much more robust than the 06, even if it's less refined. That's how I felt about my '89 Sentra. Circumstance/Life had other plans at that time, but if I hadn't ended up needing a car at a time when I didn't have the means and knowledge to fix the Sentra, I'd still have it today and probably have never bought my 03. That little car was a trooper.

 

Unless you're really tight on money, I'd sell the 93. The 06 will last you much much longer for years to come. 200,000 miles will be nothing for those relatively new cars. New parts or not, the 93 will never be up to par with the 06 in every aspect.

 

How's the mileage between them? The 06 is far superior in refinement and NVH...but if you're willing to accept an older style of ride and safety concepts in exchange for terminally low running costs and better visibility, then you can bank ten grand from selling the 06 and drive the 93 for another 180K miles (AKA until you get thoroughly tired of it) and have more savings toward something else. Two grand is a joke, you probably put more than that into parts and maintenance already.

I'd keep the 93 because I know the platform inside and out, the pre-gunslit-window-style visibility is nice for a tall guy, and because the extra money would make a massive difference in my life (out of work since December). To me, trading off a few MPG and modern power would be worth it for something that's a lot easier and cheaper to wrench on.

 

The 1993 has 125K miles - the 2006 has 65K miles

Even the 125K miles isn't really a factor to me. I seriously doubt that I would ever put another 100K on whichever one I keep and either one would do that fairly easily I think.

I'm not sure what I've spent on the 1993 - let me think here:
Tires - $500.
Wheel covers $35.
Timing belt job - maybe $250. with everything
A/C compressor - $75.
Compressor oil - $10.
Seals - $5.
Refrigerant - $25.
Brakes - $500. maybe: rotors, drums, shoes, pads, lines, cylinders, calipers, etc.
Struts - I just can't remember - maybe $500. ?
Axles - $150.
Exhaust - $100.

I'm sure there's more I've forgotten - odds and ends and all that - but between $2000. and $2500.

It's funny you mention the head room - the 1993 seems to be fine but I can hit my head in the 2006. <g>

BTW: the 1993 gets a few More mpg than the the 2006 does. <g>

What do you do for a living? December was a long time ago.

PHM
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What the heck kind of rental car were you getting for that kind of money? Wow.

CPO is Certified Pre-Owned. They were basically saying you could get a used one that's certified by Toyota, so it'll have a bit of warranty intact. It tends to cost a bit more than one that's not certified, but it's because that certification is supposed to signify that they've thoroughly gone through the car and addressed any issues before offering it for sale at that slightly higher price.