Should I buy a 1997 Toyota Corolla?

I currently drive a 2000 Ford Taurus. It runs, but lately I've been having a lot of problems with it. Little things here or there break on it, and it costs a lot of money to keep running. I don't like the car. It's too big, gets only 17mpg in the city, and its a very difficult car to drive. It currently has about 130K miles on it.

I test drove a 1997 Corolla. Now, this is a 17 year old car. I get it's old and a little clunky, but I Really like the car. It gets about 24mpg city and 31 highway, it handles and drives really nicely, and I just like the overall look and style of the 90s Japanese compact cars.

I'm looking at one that is $3000. It has 136K miles on the odo, and looks to be in really good shape. I hear these are very reliable cars, and frankly, my Taurus does not have a good reputation from the beginning.

Financially and logically I know it's a bad decision. I could get probably $1500 for my Taurus (it's rusty, has no A/C, and scratched) if I'm lucky. It wouldn't be enough to pay for the Corolla. Plus, I'm buying an older car with more miles. But I just like the car better.

Should I buy the 1997 Toyota Corolla even though it costs more money than I can get for the 2000 Ford Taurus? Should I just stick to the Taurus, or dump it and buy the older Corolla?

There's SOMETHING wrong with the TAURUS as if tuned the right way should get about 30 MPG on highway and about 25 in city! USE FUEL EFFICEINT tires on it! The RUSTY Taurus is TPICAL and why they are not worth much as they rust! BUICJK S do the SAME THING and so do CHEVIES of that year! All DOEMSTIC cars used the SAME supply of IRON WORKINGS! ANYWAYS if you LIKE the TOYOTA check it over for rust as well as JAPANESE cars rusted even WORSE in many years! The TAURUS won many awards and has MANY patents on it! I LOVED my old Taurus but it ALSO rusted away! FUNY THING is it rusted where it was RUST PROFFED first. AMERICAN STEELS were All Very weak and most were recycled BADLY! This is why I turned to AUDI that will NEVER RUST! TOYOTAS are known for their longevity and fuel mileage. You can find MANY GREAT used ones on CARGURUS or CARS.COM! I LIKE the Ford for its SIZE and SAFETY in crashes! IT even beat a few BENZ cars for that one! It is ALSO more efficient than the same in a BUICK! An OLDER Corolla can have SMALL bits of engine wear in it! A ATUR%US is NOT very difficult to drive as it was BASED on AUDI, HONDA and BMW designs! IT DRIVE like a BMW if the right tires are used on it. ANYWAYS< get what you LOVE and enjoy it! All CARS cost big dollars when they BREAK down or need TIRES and wear items! NO CAR lasts to 200k without SOME ATTENTION!

Stephen A. Smith

Before you do anything else, do not just assume that this particular Corolla is in good shape. You need to actually have it inspected by a mechanic. If everything checks out, then you can decide to bite the bullet, sell your Taurus and purchase the Corolla. Remember, while Toyota's and Honda's have stellar reputations and are known for their reliability, as used cars, ANY used car actually, how the specific car was maintained by previous owners is of paramount importance. Any car can be abused or neglected and that will hamper the cars reliability or involve you in costly untimely repairs.

Don't assume. Don't rely on your limited car knowledge or "it feels good, it drives nice" opinions. Get it inspected by a professional. Look at the Carfax report. Make an informed decision.

Well check then think