Corolla 81'

Im about to purchase a mint 81 corolla 2 door , is there anything I should know about it before I purchase it. it only has 60k original miles. and great body.

Does it have Limited slip?

no LSD look for rust

Timing belt may be due to be changed at 60K, an added expense.

Check the CV boots and see if they are torn - or grease has been thrown over the underbody in the area of the CV joints. Expensive repair.

Check the color of the ATF. If it's really dirty, it may have never been changed and you may have a potential problem there. If it's mud, don't buy it. If it's just reddish brown, get it flushed as soon as you can. Make sure it shifts smoothly, quietly, and without a jerk. May indicate a problem.

Pull the oil filler cap and see if there is bright shiny metal visible or are there extensive black deposits, indicating a lack of maintenance. If there is alot of black crap visible, don't buy it. Check for oil leaks under the engine and transmission.

Have the brakes checked and see if they need to be changed. That will be an added expense after you buy it. Tires are costlly also.

Make sure there is no smoke or steam coming out of the exhaust, either when just starting it or after it is hot. May be a sign of having been overheated of other serious problem. Don't buy it.

Check the coolant to make sure it is pretty red or green. No foam, bubbles in the overflow tank when the engine is running, or discoloration. If there are foam or bubbles - don't buy it.

Engine should run smoothly and quietly, no jerking, hesitating, or "Check Engine" light showing. Check recent emissions results if available.

Car should have no vibration at any speed. If there is any vibration, see if there is a bump in one of the tires. Anything else - don't buy it. If one of the tires has a bump, get it replaced as soon as possible. Take the cost of 4 tires into account if they are pretty used. You don't want one new tire on a set of badly used ones.

Bounce the car front and back separately. If it doesn't stop bouncing immediately, you may need to buy a set of struts. This can be expensive. There should be nothing wrong with the struts at 60K. May indicate that the car has been abused (or the speedometer has been rolled back).

Check under the car for shiney welds or new parts that may indicate the car has been extensively fixed because of a collision. Also check the dashboard and see if it has a VIN in front of the driver, indicating it has been replaced - check the VIN against the title. Don't buy it if anything is wrong.

If you don't know the car's history, check CARFAX.com for history. Only buy it if it has a squeeky clean history.


There are other cars available that don't have potential serious problems. Don't take chances if there are unknown costs after the purchase. Don't buy it if there is any doubt about it's condition. Have a mechanic look at it - it is worth the money.

ok if its an 81 Corolla it doenst havea timing belt it has a chain(have to tkae the whole front of the engine apart to chek) also its RWD so it does not have CV boots it has a solid axle rear also even if tis does have discolored coolant, metal in the engine or bad ATF due to lack of maintence its a COROLLA trust me it will not die so but it anyway. i literally tried for 10 mins and redlining burnouts to blow an 81 corolla and nothing will do it i took the radiator cap off to see if it would over heat and trust me these do not die. i drove mine aorund with a rod knock for 2 months. if it does need an engine they are maybe 100 dollars and with proper tools a swap can be done in maybe 2-3hours(so easy to work on) and its even easier if its automatic.

also this car has no ECU so there is no check engine light and the struts cost maybe 70 bucks and take an hour to change but a 60K i can almost gurantee this thing has not been abused at all. good lcuk man

Thanks for the clarifications. My response was a general one for anyone with any year of car, not just the OP.

not a problem

uhh you do not have t take the front of the engne off i have one and it took me 1 hour to cahnge the timing cahin. and you dnont have to cahnge the cahin till about 80k. these cars are good the motors are awesome.. i have 220 k and still whooped an lancer es"s ass

dude you do have to take the front cover off to change the timing chain. i mean there is no otehr wway to do it. i mean you have to remove the radiator, belt, hoses, and a bunch of other stuff jsut to do it (ive done it a couple of times) im sorry but man there is seriously no other way to do it. but the timing chainms dont ever go out i have 300000+ mileas with the factory chain