Is it a bad idea to daily a car from 1989? (lemmy.world)

submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

32 comments fedilink hide all child comments

I have a coworker who's looking to sell his car, a 1989 Toyota Corolla. I know the basics of looking after a car, but a car that old is almost foreign to me, because I'm from a state where cars rust out.

I figure Toyotas are pretty reliable and so is the 4AG engine, but I don't want to end up with another money pit. What should I look out for, or should I just avoid it altogether?

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[-] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

I daily a ‘93 Miata. It’ll likely kill me in an accident due to no safety features. Anything rubber has a potential for failure with age. Belts, hoses, seals, gaskets, may leak and require service. It’ll take more maintenance than a car from say, 2005. That being said - I’ve never been stranded. Maintenance is dead simple, this era of basic EFI is dead simple. No stupid electronics, space under the hood to work. It’s totally doable for a daily as long as rust can be kept at bay and you have some mechanical knowledge. Put a new stereo in there and drive it!

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Honestly, a 93 Miata is probably one of the safest old cars on the market. I've seen multiple Miata owners come away from head on collisions where the doors still open and close

[-] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

If the wheels stay on the ground, that is. They have little rollover protection.

this post was submitted on 20 Jul 2023

26 points (93.3% liked)

Cars - For Car Enthusiasts

3857 readers

59 users here now

About Community

c/Cars is the largest automotive enthusiast community on Lemmy and the fediverse. We're your central hub for vehicle-related discussion, industry news, reviews, projects, DIY guides, advice, stories, and more.

Rules

Stay respectful to the community, hold civil discussions, even when others hold opinions that may differ from yours.

This is not an NSFW community, and any such content will not be tolerated.

Policy, not politics! Policy discussions revolve around the concept; political discussions revolve around the individual, party, association, etc. We only allow POLICY discussions and political discussions should go to c/politics.

Must be related to cars, anything that does not have connection to cars will be considered spam/irrelevant and is subject to removal.

founded 1 year ago

MODERATORS

[email protected]