I Will Survive: 1984 Toyota Corolla LE

At first I was afraid, I was econofied,
Kept thinking I could never live with my engine turned to its side
But my front wheels plowed so many miles thinking how you did me wrong
And I grew strong
And I learned how to live with bronze
And my plastics black
My seats are tan
I seat as many people as your crummy old van
I should have changed my steering lock, I should have made you leave your key
If I'd known for just one second that you'd try to hot wire me
Go on now, go, slam that mint condition door
Just do some front-wheel peel now
'Cause you're not rear drive anymore
Weren't you the one who tried to hurt me with a slide
Do you think my interior would crumble
Did you think my clearcoat would lay down and die?

Oh no, not I, I will survive
Oh, as long as I know how to change gears, I know I'll stay alive
I've got all my clutch to slip
And I've got all that 4A torque to give and I'll survive
I will survive, hey, hey...Find this 1984 Toyota Corolla LE offered for $4200 in Portland, OR via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

Shingijutsu Jidai Wa Toyota: 1984 Toyota Corolla SR5 AE86 Hatchback

I've got to admit that I don't know why Toyota  two different cars with the AE86 platform in Japan, first the Corolla Levin that was sold at the Toyota Corolla Store  and then Sprinter Trueno that was sold at Toyota Auto Store...this setup is literally foreign to me...so I'll just start across the Pacific where Toyota dealers sold something called the Toyota Corolla DX, SR5, and GT-S...which was equally at home on a daily commute or doing Initial D style drifting. Find this 1984 Toyota Corolla AE86 Hatchback offered for $6000 in South Bay Los Angeles, CA via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

Rare JDM Wagon: 1992 Toyota Corolla Van

This next car REALLY stretches the limit of what you consider an appreciating classic car.  It isn't fast, and it isn't really noticeable (most of the mindless automatons driving around in their beige pods won't blink twice at a Corolla wagon...even though it was never sold here in this generation and is the only one you'll ever see) and there are thousands of cars that offer more daily driver usability...but...BUT...this is an all-wheel-drive and manual-gearbox equipped Corolla imported from Japan with right-hand-drive and it will win all the street cred you can use at the next Japanese classic car show. Find this 1992 Toyota Corolla Van offered for $8500 in Seattle, WA via craigslist. Tip from Erik202.

Rotary Swapped: 1981 Toyota Corolla

The 4th generation E70 Toyota Corolla was the last RWD platform that extended across the entire Corolla lineup (the AE86 "Hachi-Roku" coupe remained RWD for the next generation, but within a few years everything was front-drive, understeering, no-fun, appliance-city).  The Corolla was a simple economy car with no particular designs on world domination, but it was cheap to buy, cheap on fuel, cheap to insure, but most importantly: it was reliable....which we are going to throw out the window like a used microwave with this next feature, because it is now powered by the spinning thing known as a rotary. Find this 1981 Toyota Corolla with rotary swap offered for $11,000 in Philadelphia, PA via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

Hachi-Go: 1987 Toyota Corolla SR5

The AE85/86 generation Toyota Corolla built from 1983 to 1987 was the last truly great economy car to come from the biggest auto maker in the world.  No one will ever buy a Prius years from now for its driving experience or consider picking up a modified RAV4 to turn back to stock, but the 30 year old Corolla is a different animal at its core.  Find this 1987 Toyota Corolla SR5 offered for $4000 in Denver, CO via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

Unlikely Survivor: 1982 Toyota Tercel Corolla

This next car comes from tipper Matt C who writes: I don't know how or why somebody managed to keep a 1982 Toyota Tercel in such good condition; most Japanese cars from that era would at least be showing some interior wear beyond the steering wheel, or faded or dinged paint. Plus, this one is an SR5 with a manual transmission, and period-correct rocker panel graphics. Find this 1982 Toyota Tercel Corolla offered for $2900 in Marietta, GA via craigslist.

Mid Week Match-Up: Pi Day Special

Happy Pi Day to all math nerds out on the web. That's affirmative, today is Pi Day -- 3.14 -- a nicely rounded version of the irrational number that was closely approximated with polygons by the Greek mathematician Archimedes around 250 BC. We are going to celebrate Pi Day with a special edition of the Mid Week Match-Up...where we look for the best car for a nerd.

Turbo Sleeper: 2009 Toyota Corolla

Sometimes a car is so plain that it's worth writing about. If you were looking at a stock 2009 Corolla then this would not be one of those times. This particular appliance has a few secrets under the hood however, in the form of a retrofitted turbo kit and a beefed-up slushbox to handle the immense torque cranked out by 1.8 liters of boosted fury. Find this 2009 Toyota Corolla with turbo kit for sale near St. Louis, MO for $9,000 via craigslist. Tip from JG 750.

4WD Oddball: 1988 Toyota Sprinter Carib

This next car comes as a tip from Matt C who writes: If you're importing a JDM car, you could go for the performance cars they never sold here, like a Skyline GTR. Or you could get something that was too cute or tiny to sell here, like a Honda Beat or Autozam AZ-1. But this guy went for something REALLY unexpected: Find this 1988 Toyota Sprinter Carib offered for $7000 near Atlanta, GA via craigslist.

Beigefish: 1980 Toyota Corolla TE72 Wagon

The E70 generation of Corolla was the last to be sold as rear-drive only with all bodystyles featuring North-South engines and the power sent to the correct end of the car. The subsequent generation was split by Toyota between two platforms, with the AE86 coupe/fastback being RWD and CE80 / AE82 (everything else) being WWD. So if your heart desires a 'rolla wagon for drifting or proper burnouts, this is the newest version available.  Find this 1980 Toyota Corolla TE72 Wagon for sale in Whitefish, MT for $5,000 via craigslist. Tip from FuelTruck.

SamuR5i: 1974 Toyota Corolla SR5

The E20 generation Corolla was introduced in 1970 as a replacement to the original E10 Corolla. It was available in several body styles including a 2-door or 4-door sedan, 3-door or 5-door wagon, 3-door or 5-door van, and a 2-door coupe/fastback...the latter is the one you want.  Find this 1974 Toyota Corolla SR5 here on eBay bidding for $17,100 reserve-not-met with 2 days to go, located in Tehachapi, CA.

#89 of 110: 2001 Toyota Corolla Sportivo Turbo

For whatever reason, in the USA market, the modern Corolla is this terrible bottom feeding econobox that makes driving a Matrix look like fun.  Sure, you could get the 2ZZ-GE engine in the 05-06 XRS trim, but to get the really fun stuff, you need to head across the ocean to a former British penal colony known for its deadly flora & fauna.  Find this 2001 Toyota Corolla Sportivo Turbo offered for $5,400 AUD ($4143 USD) in New South Wales, Australia via carsales.com.au. Tip from Michael B.

Sorry Low Mile AE86: 1985 Toyota Corolla SR5

The E80 generation Toyota Corolla isn't a car that gets your motor revving, except maybe AE86 3-door hatchback version that kept rear wheel drive setup (the 4-door version went to a fun-killing transverse engine front-drive layout in 1983) from the previous generation.  This next Corolla might have the fun-killing automatic transmission, but it has an eye opening 6,686 miles on the odometer.  Find this 1985 Toyota Corolla SR5 offered for $11,995 CAD ($9,266 USD) at a dealer in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Tip from John.

The Full FX: 1987 Toyota Corolla FX-16

Who says that the only factory 4A-GE powered cars that you could slam backwards through a guardrail were the AW11 MR-2 and AE86 GT-S? Known for its hop-scotchy and tail-happy ways under trailbraking and throttle lift, the AE82 chassis FX-16 was Toyopet's not-very-FWD-feeling answer to the Golf GTi. Find this 1987 Toyota Corolla FX-16 GT-S, now with supercharger and a 6-speed for sale in Vallejo, CA for $5,000 via craigslist.

Appealing or Appalling?: 1992 Toyota Corolla All-Trac Wagon

The Toyota Corolla fell off the DT radar around the time that Toyota transferred it to front-wheel-drive, but there are a few notable exceptions, including the AE94 AllTrac Wagon version.  Find this 1992 Toyota Corolla All-Trac Wagon here on eBay bidding for $4,000 buy-it-now or make-offer with 1 day to go, located in Elmo, MT.

Survivor Sedan: 1975 Toyota Corolla

The third generation Toyota Corolla isn't going to get you front row parking from the valet at a trendy club in Hollywood-- but you might get a few thumbs up in Long Beach...particularly if you head down to the Queen Mary during the annual Japanese Classic Car Show.  Find this 1975 Toyota Corolla offered for $3,000 in South Los Angeles, CA via craigslist.

A Collection Japanese Classics from Matt

This collection of cars comes from Matt C who writes: You've done them for vans and land yachts of this period - here's a round up of Japanese econoboxes from the late '70s and early '80s, many in better shape than these have any right to be.  What could be better than a collection of Japanese econoboxes on a Thursday afternoon?

Almost A Classic: 1980 Toyota Corolla TE72

The E70 Corolla was the fourth generation of Toyota's best selling subcompact, and the last to retain a conventional longitudinal front engine rear-drive setup (with the exception of the AE86 "Hachi-Roku" coupe).  It will be miserably slow with a slushbox, but somehow, it still manages to ooze cool.  Find this 1980 Toyota Corolla TE72 offered for $3,000 in North Bend, WA.