1997 Toyota Corolla Consumer Reviews

We've owned this car since March 1, 1994. It was my daily, then my wife's when she got too pregnant to walk to work, then back to me until 2003. Then my mother-in-law had her out on Lopez Island in the Pacific Northwest until 2019, in-between loaned out to my brother-in-law as well. Now back in the midwest with us for the past 5 years. It has definitely had regular maintenance, and a few things have worn out earlier/more often than you'd expect--like the alternator, or oddly, the rear taillight bulbs burn out frequently. If you see one of this generation on the road, 50-50 odds one of those bulbs will be out :) Probably the most expensive repair ever was just before returning her back to Wisconsin from Olympia Washington when the electronic ignition control module went out--repairing that probably cost about the same as the value of the car, but I'm a softie and this car is like family. Then drove her through the mountains across I-90 back to WI with no issues. Now 177k miles, only minimal surface rust (despite 9 years in high salt use areas), original engine and trans, most of the suspension is still original, the interior rattles but shows more like a 5 year old car than 30 years. The seats/fabric are still firm and as comfortable as ever. Even where I live with frequent salting of the roads, I still regularly see these on the road--I suspect this generation Corolla may be one of Toyota's most durable and reliable cars ever. Would love someday to see if there's data to back up that hunch. Bottom line, if you want a cheap 90s econobox, hard to beat one of these

Extremely reliable, incredibly low fuel consumption at highway speed At 188,000 Kilometres needs a new steering rack (leaking) and a few bushes etc.. Only other major expenditure has been new air con compressor. We kids bought it for Mum many years . I now have it and it is a keeper. Main thing with it as with any vehicle is to keep up with regular maintenance.

Good condition. Needs a little work. 102,000 miles. New tires. runs well. reliable transportation.

This car is nothing special to drive, you can definitely tell that you are in a 1990s economy car. The main benefit of the 1997 Corolla is that it is extremely easy to repair and built with such great quality and so few common problems that you won’t need to repair it often. You’ll be pleasantly surprised that parts for these cars are dirt cheap and you can have it repaired almost anywhere. If you want a car that can potentially see 500,000 miles and get great gas mileage all the way there, get a 1993-1997 Corolla. It is worth avoiding the 3 speed auto version of this car and finding a 4 speed auto or a 5 speed manual.

The best little engine. Other than normal parts wear, and a problem with body rust, and a door not working, 😂, it is very dependable, great on mileage, and no power windows which is fantastic. It's at 200,000 miles and still going strong. It's 29 years old.

I got this car as a gift (Freebie) from my lady friend's sister when she got a new car. It sat under an Oak tree and once I cleared the acorn shell pieces out from under the hood area,washed and waxed it, it looked great! I have had it 5 years and it now has 140,000 miles on it. only things replaced by her or myself is the radiator,condenser for the air conditioning,a new alternator, and now a new battery this last week by me. Of course i have put a new pair of tires on the front. This little car has a fine heating and air conditioning system. It came with electric windows and door locks too. It is superb on gasoline mileage with 4 cylinders and a 750 rpm engine at idle.The 4 plugs were the easiest to change by me in all my years of light car mechanical duties. The plugs set in the bottom of a 8 inch well chamber that perfectly fits the diameter of the plugs socket on the wrench. You hit dead center on the plug with the socket putting it in or taking it out. It took me 20 minutes to remove ,gap new plugs, and insert the new plugs. I have only had to change one turn signal bulb on front left. All electrical works fine throughout. If you can find one from a decent weather area that isn't rusted out after 30 years, grab it!! It has a 13 gallon fuel tank that lets me get about 420 miles per tank full, highway. (PS.. The very thin radio antenna is super long at full extraction but I have it clipped down to roof edge and it works just fine.)

This car is simply the best car to have around, either as your daily commute car or as a backup car. Its one of the most reliable cars I know. it's been in my family since 2007 and the only major repairs that we did on it was to replace the water pump and the radiator. besides that its still perfectly fine and it runs like new. the fuel efficiency is on another level, I swear you can fill up the car with change but still make a lot of miles on it.im never selling this car, as a matter of fact, I want another one just like this one. i almost forgot to mention the comfort, its above average and the performance is quite surprising when considering the engine capacity.

I got a ‘95 Corolla as my first car. With some quick fix ups here and there, she was the best car I’ve ever had. Totaled it a few days ago and I’m heart broken. Nothing ran like my Corolla did. She probably could’ve outlived me.