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. Tha

Answer 1

I think you've posted this message at least a dozen times. However, most in the US don't work in km. So to translate, 200K km-300K km is approximately 120K - 180K miles.

For a typical Corolla of that age, the mileage is not excessive. Again $2200 US dollars is reasonable. I'm not sure of the exchange rate, but I believe if you are quoting $2200 canadian dollars, it would be closer to $3000 US dollars. Either way, not an unreasonable cost for a used car.

The problem is you don't seem to know anything about cars, and if you don't, the only way to increase the chances of finding a good car is to get it mechanically tested by someone of your choice. As in my prior message, get a compression test. Both Dry and Wet. These numbers can tell you an enormous amount of information about the condition of the rings and valves of the engine. It's the safest way to determine if the car is worth purchasing.

And I also stated, most toyotas recommend a timing belt change at 60K miles (approx 100K km). This is CRITICAL! Determine when the timing belt was last changed out. Otherwise to be on the safe side, change out the timing belt after you purchase the vehicle. Last thing you want to do is be on a "long" trip and stranded somewhere because the timing belt broke.

Answer 2

Yeah, i would go ahead and buy it. Since it was used for drivers ed or something along those lines it was kept in pretty good condition. You know the car wasn't beat and the mileage isn't really all that bad and the price is very good. Go ahead and buy i think it would be a good decision especially for your 1st car.