I'm familiar with the 2.4 low tension ring issue, but what's wrong with 1.8 head gaskets? We have 3 1.8s in the family ('06 Matrix, '07 Matrix, '07 Corolla-zero issue so far (knock on wood), although SLLC coolant seems to cause WP seal leakage.
Advice for Reliable used car
- Thread starter cls1989
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First I'm hearing too of the Corolla having head gasket issues. The Prius had a different 1.8 and there was a bad generation that had bad head gaskets--but I'm pretty sure that is a different engine family.
Around here the 1st gen Matrix is probably the best used car value available with a manual transmission, often being sold by the first or second mature owners and maintained! Not prone to rust and pretty simple cars. Toyota did manage to mess up the early 1st gen manuals but 2006+ they should be good, and its easy to detect on a test drive anyways.
I always had a soft spot for those, but never owned one. Toyota was really cool at the time. I loved the Celica during that time as well. I still remember going to the dealer with my grandpa when he was considering an Avalon and I had just recently gotten my driver's license, standing on the showroom floor and seeing a top trim Celica and Matrix side by side with leather and manual transmissions. I still see the occasional Matrix, but I haven't seen one of those Celicas in years.
We , you , an all of us are at the mercy of a guessing game trying to find a used car.....buying a used car is like buying clothers for a neighbor................its a guessing game, that said, I have acquired a 2006 , chevy 2500, 6.0 liter engine, automatic truck..it has 300,000 miles on it and runs great, air works, radio and cd player works and the transmission shifts great....its getting about 12 mpg in town, lol. Its my son in laws dads truck,,,its something to run around in, but not really a daily driver, but if u want to pull alot of weight, it will do that....................life goes on....................................PS------------ good luck on ur quest for a daily driver....
All 3 of those vehicles you got are in imo the great years. The 1zz fe in those is the same as what I got in my Corolla. They’ll run forever and be limited by the instrument cluster maxing out at 299,999
The 2zr-fe introduced in the gen 10 Corolla / gen 2 Matrix / Gen 2 Vibe was the one I referring to having head gasket problems. ToyotaNation has a bunch of threads on this topic - it seems like most of them happen past 150k miles.
Imo, the gen 9 Corolla / gen 1 matrix / gen 1 vibe with the 1zz or the 2zz were the best of the lineup. Just my personal preference would be to find one with side airbags. People can’t seem to drive these days…..
Older Lexus 350 variants (2009 and down) are good for approx -400000 miles with minimal maintenance (NA, not hybrid, not AWD)
These will be under $10,000 but you will need to find ones that aren’t rust buckets and do the usual car stuff to avoid the odd Xmsn issue (semi rare). High miles usually isn’t an issue but again, gotta make sure none of the normal wear and tear you check every car for is in check
These will be under $10,000 but you will need to find ones that aren’t rust buckets and do the usual car stuff to avoid the odd Xmsn issue (semi rare). High miles usually isn’t an issue but again, gotta make sure none of the normal wear and tear you check every car for is in check
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