Toyota Carina II - saved from scrappage / export. Happy Ending

[Dick Cheeseburger]

Peak Toyota era right there. Excellent purchasing.

My fiancée had a G plate Corolla when we met years ago. I'd bet money if she'd abandoned it in a field at that point and tried to fire it up now, that 'Yota lump would still fire up with minimal fuss. They got everything so right at that point. 

 

[DoctorRetro]

Just now, Angrydicky said:

Love it! Looks familiar too, I'm sure I've seen it driving about.

Local reg, which garage supplied it new? Fosters or Essex Park maybe?

I've seen it about too, it's always been in Southend I believe

2 owners from new

[DoctorRetro]

7 minutes ago, tooSavvy said:

Clean as a Clean Thing.... MOT

Photos of the under crackers....

Check A .... The pressed steel rear track arms

Check B .... Fuel pipes just infront rear n/s tyre

Good Catch m8

It seems very solid underneath at first glance. Will have a proper look at the weekend

[High Jetter]

My 1991 one went off the road 2003/4 according to DVLA. That didn't have the A/c or Econ buttons. Really pleased you have saved this for the AS community.

[dollywobbler]

This thread brings satisfaction. 

[Floatylight]

2 hours ago, wuvvum said:

HFM???

How else do you think he keeps a CX on the road...

[Tadhg Tiogar]

21 minutes ago, Floatylight said:

How else do you think he keeps a CX on the road...

It's not SM money, though....

[DaveDorson]

That looks like an excellent daily driver 

[yes oui si]

😍

Small flat panel immediately below the stereo - cupholders? 

[DoctorRetro]

6 minutes ago, yes oui si said:

😍

Small flat panel immediately below the stereo - cupholders? 

No, really wide ashtray unfortunately

[yes oui si]

Boooooooo

[Sheefag]

2 hours ago, St.Jude said:

What's the ECON button do?

My 1990 Australian imported Mazda 626 estate had A/C with an Econ button.

It reduced how often the A/C compressor engaged and drew power from the engine. It was more about marketing than anything else.

[sutty2006]

Great save! 

[DoctorRetro]

What a day. Totally knackered now!

A massive thanks needs to go to my long suffering fiancée for actually fronting the money so I could pick this up today, otherwise I might have missed out ...

I didn't ask her to, it was her idea!

You know that feeling when you've found 'the one'? 😁

Anyway, off to bed now. I have to show my 'appreciation' 😛🤣

[Wilko220]

3 hours ago, DoctorRetro said:

 

I really do miss the days when a car manufacturer would just randomly plaster something like “16 VALVE”  on a dashboard to fill some space 

[St.Jude]

4 minutes ago, DoctorRetro said:

What a day. Totally knackered now!

A massive thanks needs to go to my long suffering fiancée for actually fronting the money so I could pick this up today, otherwise I might have missed out ...

I didn't ask her to, it was her idea!

You know that feeling when you've found 'the one'? 😁

Anyway, off to bed now. I have to show my 'appreciation' 😛🤣

Can we swap wives?

Just for the appreciation of cars. Nothing else. I don't own a goldfish bowl.

[17-Coffees]

This is outstanding and amazing, the saving it & the car! I love it! 🤩

[sutty2006]

27 minutes ago, DoctorRetro said:

 

You know that feeling when you've found 'the one'? 😁

'
 

You’ll fit right in with that carina that’s for sure.

 

Ahhh.....

[High Jetter]

44 minutes ago, DoctorRetro said:

Anyway, off to bed now. I have to show my 'appreciation' 😛🤣

Ya dirty booger!

[Tadhg Tiogar]

46 minutes ago, DoctorRetro said:

.... massive thanks needs to go to my long suffering fiancée for actually fronting the money so I could pick this up today, otherwise I might have missed out ...

I didn't ask her to, it was her idea!

You know that feeling when you've found 'the one'? 😁...

Might have to be a budget AS wedding as well....

[DoctorRetro]

2 minutes ago, Tadhg Tiogar said:

Might have to be a budget AS wedding as well....

That's the plan!

[Tadhg Tiogar]

5 minutes ago, High Jetter said:

Ya dirty booger!

As long as the single piston doesn't seize, resulting in FTP, sure be grand....

[Sheefag]

In the very early 90's, my now Wife wrote off her '83 1.6 Stanza and replaced it with a 1.6 Carina.

It was light years above the Stanza in every possible way (particularly handling, the Stanza was, and proved, downright fucking dangerous) and despite being the model before this one, it confusingly was also a Carina II.

[wuvvum]

Yeah, I liked the Stanza I had, but it never felt entirely stable when cornering hard.

[Sheefag]

I'd driven some real old dogs before and have done since but the Stanza was, and remains, the only vehicle that I'd qualify as a really bad and dangerous car.

It was a seat of the pants thing, that feeling in your arse when the back of a car steps out, the Stanza would give you that at fairly modest speeds.

The unwary would try to correct the non existent skid only for the car to pitch the other way and the next thing is you're dealing with driver induced snaking and not knowing how the fuck you got there.

The 988cc Cherry N10 estate that my wife had before the Stanza, defined underpowered but the grip and handling were just immense and encouraged you to just drive it flat out. It was overall, a great car and the Stanza which replaced it, was meant to be a major step up - it certainly looked like it.

The Stanza was a very pretty, comfortable and well equipped car for the time but the 1.6 I drove fairly regularly when it was still a young and low mileage car, was dreadfully underpowered, brakes were poor, the steering was horribly heavy and there was something downright wrong and dangerous about the rear suspension setup. It was just a bad car.

The Carina by contrast felt like several decades of time-travel forwards in performance, comfort and engineering integrity.

[BL Bloke]

Well done saving this, it looks like a good 'un. 👍

[Jim Bell]

That looks handsome and a half man. Well saved. 

[DoctorRetro]

Footnote to this story.

It's now MOT'd for 12 months and only advisory was the front number plate!

Definitely a happy ending!