Ordinarily, Toyota Corollas are not high on any enthusiast’s list, if they’re there at all. But… have you ever thought to yourself, “gee, I’d love to have a first-generation MR2, but two seats is not enough!” Well look no further, because this particular Corolla is basically the MR2’s drivetrain packed in a small hatchback. Does it drive better than a contemporary GTI? No idea, but having a revvy Yamaha-developed four-cylinder under the hood is worth a lot by itself. You can find our first 1987 Toyota Corolla FX16 GTS for $1950 in Fremont, CA.
The first generation of Corollas to move away from the rear-wheel-drive format, this was the most sporting of them all. It’s got typical GTI-type spec, including a faster engine, sports seats, upgraded wheels, and body kit. This particular car has been fitted with BMW bottlecap-style wheels, which look surprisingly decent on it, but really the original steel or alloy wheels found on an MR2 would be cooler. What about the teardrop wheels from a late first-gen MR2 for that real VW copycat look?
The car is said to be in superb condition, with a recent smog check. It’s not clear how oxidized paint is superb, so you might want to keep an eye open for other ways the seller may be liberally interpreting the condition of his car. It’s also never been in an accident, though it has a salvage title. A history report is available, but the seller does not elaborate on what it contains to tell you why the car is salvaged.
Under the hood looks clean but not too clean. Factory strut braces are pretty neat. What would you do to make the engine compartment shine like it deserves to? Perhaps polishing the cam cover and giving the engine a thorough cleaning would do the trick. The car has about 260,000 miles on it, so you’ll want to look for signs that the car has had all its major and minor services on time.
Not a bad interior, particularly at this price range. The seating materials don’t appear to be original, but what they chose is tasteful and appropriate. Probably grippy when you’re hitting a wicked hairpin, too. It’s interesting to see how Toyota resisted the temptation to put secondary controls in weird little pods or on the steering wheel spokes like many of its Japanese competitors.
And if that wasn’t enough, there’s another 1987 Toyota Corolla FX16 GT-S down in Norwalk, CA for $2200. The white color and the 3-spoke wheels work pretty well on the car, but unfortunately, it’s lost some of its cool 1980s stickers proclaiming the awesome technologies contained within. With a mere 212,000 miles, it is said to run well but need paint and TLC. Who knows what that implies, b but since it runs well and has a new muffler, it could be anything!
Tags: corolla, Feature, fx16, gt-s, hatch, hatchback, toyota
Rusty But Trusty 
February 15, 2015 at 2:33 pm |
from the picture you have, the front seats belong to an FX16 GTS.
The cloth pattern looks like the original factory one.