1998 Toyota Corolla, between 200-300 thousand kilometers, $2200 - Should I buy?

Question

I found out about it when I went to get a replacement certificate from the driving school. They said the chief driving instructor is selling ones of the schools cars. They were really nice and talkative and gave a good impression. It is e-tested and safety certifified already so I wouldn't have to worry about that and pay money to get those things done or fix anything. But I told the woman that it has high milage and she said they keep strict maintance standards for school cars and assured me that they will last years to come with no problems at all, despite the high milage. She said it could last up to 500 000- a million kilometers maybe. This is in Ontario. So yeah... please tell me if this is the car for me. If its worth buying for that price. Or if it will be too risky. I ain't got much money, am trying to buy my first car, and like going on loooooong trips. I told them that too and they were very positive about it. I'll probably see it sometime this week and make a decision. Thanx

Answer 1

There's always a risk with high mileage vehicles no matter what the lady tells you.

If she has all the maintenance records, look over the maintenance records of the vehciles. At almost 300K km, the car's timing belts should have been changed out multiple times. Find the car that had it's timing belt changed out most recently. Typically the timing belt is recommended to be replaced at approximately every 100K.

I also recommend taking the vehicle to a second mechanic and have them run a compression test to determine the wear and tear on the rings and valves. This will cost a little, but it will help ensure that you've got a good engine instead of one on it's way out.

Make sure the transmission fluid looks clean (bright red) and is at the proper level.

For $2200 US dollars it's not a bad price for the vehicle.