What are your options? For example, I would rather daily an '89 Corolla over a '01 Kia.

What is your budget for maintenance? There will be nuisance items go like seals and gaskets due to age, even if the engine runs strong.

What is the price? For a car that's almost 35 years old, it better be low.

If you have a low budget, don't have a crazy commute, and can get a couple years out of this car for a couple grand, it could be exceptionally wise decision compared to a $600/mo car payment.

So I dailied an ‘86 for a long time. It’s a money pit. A delicious delicious money pit that you’re going to remember for the rest of your life.

If you crash it you might die tho.

Bad idea safety wise, sure

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!

I daily a car from 1968. If youre mechanically inclined and very intimately knowledgeable about the specifics of the car it shouldn't be too big of a problem. Carry some basic tools, the jack for the car, and some spare belts, fuses, and other small maintenance items in the trunk and have a tow company number handy. Always factor in extra time before going anywhere incase of a problem (ie, always be early).

Once you work on the car enough you can get it to be decently reliable as long as you take care of the maintenance properly.

If you can do basic maintenance to the car like changing belts, hoses, filters, etc it's really no big deal. I used to daily 1959 pickup truck, now I'm in an 81 jeep. Old cars are a lot of fun and the mechanicals on them are way simpler than what you'll find in a modern car. They do have their drawbacks though. Safety is probably the biggest one, airbags and crumple zones weren't really a thing pre-1990's. They will also get worse fuel mileage and are generally slower and less comfortable. But the look cool, and have a personality that most modern cars are lacking.

theres nothing wrong with an 89 corolla, assuming its been taken care of. id rather have that than some cars a decade newer honestly.

the questions that you should think about are whats the gas mileage. how far is your commute, and can you afford anything more fuel efficient and/or safer . the corrola shouldnt be terrible but depending on the price you might could get something safer and more fuel efficient. but your commute might be short enough for that not to matter at all for all i know.

It can be done but I wouldn’t recommend it. Almost everything on a car ages over time, from copper switches oxidizing to rubber rotting out. Things constantly need work or replacement. Baselining a vehicle like this for daily use should mean replacing almost everything that tends to die from age on that vehicle. Faded/brittle radiators, hoses, belts, certain sensors, overflow tanks, rusty areas, etc.

It’s absolutely doable for someone that loves a specific car and has the drive/knowledge to make it reliable. However, it’s a lot more work than a newer car so it’s not a very practical choice.

Here's the problem... cars need maintenance. Parts wear out, they need replacing. Doesn't matter what make or model they are, things will go wrong. Plastics get brittle, rubber deteriorates and metal parts like bearings wear out. That's the nature of the beast and don't let anyone convince you otherwise.

The problem with such an old car is that you can't just run into Autozone and find a new gasket or bushing or other parts. Generic stuff like bulbs and oil is of course available, but you will be waiting for things to get shipped to you for a lot of parts.

If yiu had some other form of transportation and your commute was short, then by all means buy it as long as you understand part availability could be a little delayed versus a more modern car.

Also keep in mind that 80s and 90s era cars are hot right now due to nostalgia so the resale value for them has gone up considerably in recent years. If you're into that era car and yiu don't mind wrenching yourself, consider the car, but you will pay a premium.

You should only consider driving an old car as a daily driver if you also want to make a hobby out of keeping it on the road. If you are not prepared to do the vast majority of your own mechanic work then you should stick to a newer car. Old cars break... alot, and sometimes in weird ways. As a person who grew up working on cars with my dad I have always done my own work and personally prefer the older cars which have relatively simple systems that are easier to troubleshoot and maintain. If you are comfortable getting dirty and are mechanically inclined and have or are willing to get the basic tools needed then by all means drive an old car.

It was reliable like 25 years ago. Now it's an old car that needs all the rubbers replaced. Also japanese cars rust like hell, this one no exception. If you are into cars, and like to repair by yourself, it's great. If you need a commuter, just get something from 2000's, price will be the same.

I also recommend against this. It's a great car that CAN be very dependable, but it takes a person who really wants it (meaning really likes it or old cars) to own it. It's the kind of work, if I may make a judgement about you based on what you posted, that you probably aren't up to. If recommend a modern equivalent of this car. Perhaps even a newer Corolla.

The year doesn't really matter, it's about the model and build quality, as well as how well it was cared for.

My 2015 Jeep is a pile of shit. Issues after issues after issues and it has 100K kilometers on it. Extremely unreliable. Meanwhile my old Chevy Silverado with 500k kilometers on it was rock solid until I gave it away.

Depends how it was taken care of. I daily a 1991 Honda Accord and it's the most reliable box I've ever sat inside. But it was a grandma car that was maintained religiously.

It's true that toyotas hold up better than most, but only if he's put the money into it so far for proper maintenance, like all the fluids, any remotely rubber components, shocks, ball joints, etc. Otherwise you're gonna be in for a lot of mechanical trips for squeaks and leaks beyond just changing the oil like I do.

Before you buy, have it inspected by a mechanic you trust. If they say it’s OK, then it probably is.

What's your budget?

How much has the car been driven recently? Did they just pull it out of storage, got it running and put less than 100 miles on it?

There’s a lot of age related problems that are going to start showing up rapidly if that’s the case. But if the car has been driven on and off every month or so then I would expect an avalanche of issues to show up at once.

I’d personally find something newer as a daily driver. Keep in mind just how hard finding parts for such an old car will be.

From someone that daily'd a 2006 GTO for a few months - I'd recommend against it.

I fucking adore older cars (preferably 85 to 2010) - almost the perfect blend of tech and mechanical elements without being too overly reliant on tech. Fuck touch screens.

However, dailying something that old will definitely be a little bit more challenging than something newer. Sure, it can be cheap to replace parts on an old Toyota, but then you'll need to start looking at your time as a resource. Like how often are you going to want to keep working on it as parts inevitably fail due to age?

It's all up to you, really. If you're in a good spot to be able to make it work then more power to you - but always look at time as a resource as well and recognize that an older car will definitely be biting into your time. Personally, I wouldn't go older than 2003 for a daily.

I have an older Honda. It’s getting hard to find parts, especially OEM. I’d do some research on both those and labor for common failure points. I’d also recommend you find out as much as possible about the car’s history and use. Cars that sit will rot. If all that checks out I’d pay to have an independent mechanic do an inspection. Don’t let money change hands until that is done.

You could turn it around and sell it for a mint, assuming its in good condition.

Where do you live? I think in countries where there are slower speeds on average (looking at you Asia) it might be worth bringing this car back from the brink, but if you regularly travel on a freeway I wouldn't compromise on the safety features that newer cars have.

I'd love to have a Volvo or a Saab from the 80's or 90's, but it would require lots of maintenance and since the gas price here in Finland is so high, it would cost a fortune to drive it due to the fuel economy.