Toyota Corolla Problems

YOU can't expect a cheapie to be ultra-reliable, no matter what the brand. The best approach is to look at the established brands -- Toyota Corolla, Mazda 323, Ford Laser and Nissan Pulsar -- and pick the car in the best condition. Concentrate on the popular Japanese brands, but keep an open mind on other makes.

NORMALLY the timing belt would be changed at 150,000km, but there's usually a time period specified as well as the distance. Your car would have exceeded the time limit, being nine years old. I would definitely change the belt.

YOU'RE right to look at Toyotas for their renowned reliability. The car has average kilometres for a 10-year-old model. If it's in good condition, is safe, and has been well serviced, then consider it. Old Toyotas tend to battle on if they've been well looked after.

HOPE you have kept careful records of your dealings with the dealers. If not, start now and write down what you can remember of the events to date because you are going to have to tackle Toyota head-on with this one. It might be worth your while to seek out other Corolla owners and compare notes, and our readers might be able to help here. You could also drive similar cars to see if the noise is normal. But contact Toyota's Customer Assistance people directly and ask their involvement in solving this problem. If need be, demand a Toyota person drive your car.

I WOULDN'T buy the BA Falcon with the dedicated LPG system. It's old LPG technology and suffers stalling, stumbling, surging and lack of performance unless it's well maintained. A better alternative is to buy a regular BA wagon and have it converted to dual fuel using one of the latest gas-injection systems that have no drive-ability problems. I get too many complaints about the Falcon to recommend it. The VZ wagon was available with a dual-fuel LPG system developed by IMPCO and using a gas-injection system. That is a good way to go, but I wouldn't recommend buying a VZ wagon and having it converted, because there are said to be problems with the regular Alloytec engine when running on LPG. The Mazda6 is a good car with a good reputation for reliability, as is the Corolla, and I'd be happy to buy either.

Toyotas are generally regarded as more reliable than any other car on the market but, like any other car, they can also break down. The Astra is a good little car, but the cam belt needs to be changed about twice as often. Other than that there is not a great deal of difference in running costs. As for fitting into them, sit in each and decide.

I HAVEN'T heard of a widespread problem. Does it stall when it is at idle or when you're taking off? It's hard to comment without seeing and driving the car, but I wonder if it's a question of becoming more familiar with it. If you think there is a problem, get your dealer to drive it, and perhaps drive another Corolla Ascent to see if it has a similar problem.

IT'S certainly an option. If you bought a two or three-year-old Falcon for $15,000 and installed a gas-injection system you would have $19,000 or so invested in it, against the cost of the Corolla or Mazda. The cost of running the Falcon on gas would be a little less than the cost of running the small car so I would believe you would be in front. Think also of buying a used E-Gas Falcon, which might be an even better bet.

THE rearview mirrors you refer to are common today and, though you might feel they're dangerous, they do provide a wider view of what's behind and beside your car if you take the time to get used to them. There is no safety problem as such, as there might be if your brakes or steering were defective, so there's no need for a recall. Besides, it's something you should have picked up on when you test-drove the car before you bought it.

ALL cars, including Toyotas, have problems at times, even the best in the world. Toyotas are generally reliable and the problems they have don't seem to be major ones.