By the time the third-generation E30 Corollas came out in late-1974, the company had it down to a science. They’re still ridiculously crude compared to what we have for new car choices today, but there’s something about a simple car that turns me on. Especially one that a person would never consider using as an all-year daily-driver, but just a little weekend car. This 1975 Toyota Corolla is on Craigslist in Duluth, Minnesota with an asking price of $4,995.
This car is literally three blocks from me right now, I have to check it out tomorrow, being a huge vintage Toyota fan. My first car was a 1971 Toyota Corolla 2-door wagon and I’ve been looking for one for the last decade. They literally don’t exist anymore. I haven’t seen one for sale in years and years.
The seller says that this car is from “from Colorado where it lived its life in a rust free area”, but you can clearly see rust on both front fender bottoms, hopefully that’s fixable without it being so invasive that structural work has to be done. If worse came to worse, there are a few sources for replacement fenders.
There is basically no information given about this car other than it came from rust-free Colorado and it’s in “excellent” condition. I will check it out, and as with any vehicle, I would highly recommend a personal visit if at all possible. Or, Barn Finds has an inspection service with local folks all around the US and Canada if you ever need anything looked at by fellow car guys and gals. This car sure looks great, body-wise, other than those rust spots on the fenders. I would source some OEM rims and caps. I’m not normally a fan of slotted mags, but I have to admit that they don’t look too bad on this car.
Well, the driver’s seat is far from being in “excellent” condition but if that’s the only trouble inside the car it’s a very good thing. 42 years has a funny way of turning formerly supple things into brittle reminders of their former self – humans included. This interior really does look good to me other than the driver’s seat. My ’71 Corolla wagon had a funny (not ha-ha funny) flaw: there is a pulley under the passenger side dash where the clutch cable wraps around and goes through the firewall. Every couple of months, the pulley on my car would bend, but thankfully it never left me stranded. I always made it home so I could take of off, bend it back, and weld it yet again. Then, a month or two later, it would bend again. Sigh..
There are no engine photos of this car, but it should have Toyota’s 1.2L 3K inline-four with around 55 hp. I say, with around 55 hp.. tap, tap, tap, hello, is this thing on?.. Yes, friends, that’s not a lot of power, but this car weighs under a ton. Ok, I can’t lie, it’s not a lot of power. Ha, I still remember my car and how really slow it was, especially on hills. I kept waiting for something to kick in but it never did. Of course, I was used to driving my dad’s 1970 Olds 90 with a 455, that probably wasn’t a good car to come from and expect loads of power from your Corolla. Have any of you owned an E30 Corolla?
I love the cheeky look of period slot mags on 70’s economy cars, it’s like seeing a chihuahua with a spiked bulldog collar. The lemon-yogurt yellow is perfect as well. Too bad about the fender rust, it’s probably from crap clogging up the cowl and not draining properly….could be a lot more that you can’t see. With the rust and ripped seats, I think it’s priced a little high for what it is. But cute as a bug’s butt, indeed.
The aft-wheel fender rust is due to the lack of protection from “wheel throw”…. not drainage. Wheel throw build-up was common due to the lack of fender well protection. That coupled with thin metal and sub standard stamping for high production numbers which fed the high production, low profit numbers. Two variables feed corporate coffers….
1: Low production/High cost/marginal sales
2 : High production, Low cost/high sales
Unfortunately, the later prevails.
Yea, the rust on the fenders is all-to-common, and drainage/debris is the key. Look at ANY subaru from the 90s/2k, open the door, look at the openings in the fender-to-body, and get a coat hanger…or air if you got it.
It’s cute but “excellent “? Come on. It would be fun to drive around because it’s rare, especially in Minnesota.
Kinda reminds me of the 20k 89 Sentra coupe that we bought off my brother-in-law. The rear brakes seized and he said take it ! For $200.00, I flat-beded it home and freed up the E Brake. Drove it as a work car for the next 4 years…needless to say, the brother-in-law was salty. It didn’t have the cool slots though :(
I’d rip this coupe back and forth on I-71, to and from work with no problem….at 70 mph, with half the fuel bill that i spend now.
My very first car was a 74 corolla and I’ve been trying to find one for the last few years now! My heart skipped a beat when I saw this baby pop up today…so tempting, but I really want a 74. Let us know how she looks in real person!!
Hi, Charles. Well, it’s definitely not rust free.
It looks pretty straight but there are a few things lurking. I’d be so far under the asking price that it would be an insulting offer.
Yes, unfortunately it snowed (and ice / freezing drizzle) in Duluth today.
Hey Scotty, your funny flaw in your Corolla was due to financial expediency on the part of Toyota. The car was originally engineered to be right hand drive, and the pulley setup for the clutch was the cheapest way to adapt it for the left hand drive market. It was cheaper than re-engineering the bell housing to swap the clutch actuating fork to the opposite side.
That’s Mensa stuff right there, Adam! I didn’t even think of that, thanks for the info.
Cool car ,in 1975 when guys were in there big gas hog family cars in a line waiting at the gas station the man that bought this car just drove past them laughing 👍
At the time…he drove past hoping not to get his butt kicked. :)
That’s how it was in Cleveland….
Ya in my small town I don’t think the oil crises affected any one ,same thing with the great depression,my great grandpa said we your to poor to notice ant change.
The Corolla driver probably had to fill up just as frequently thanks to a smaller tank, but each fill-up stung a bit less.
Still the case today, I think. My 2017 Civic has a (12) gallon tank but is giving me between 38-40 mpg, so while I still fuel up every (400) miles or so I do it for about $25.
I’d put an small block Chevy in it ,,,not really but a hoped up 22r could be fun😁
I had one for 6 or 7 years, used it as year-round, daily driver. Did that well. Even made some high miles road trips in it. Something that under powered is curiously entertaining to drive. Makes you think ahead. But, with a need of rust repairs and upholstery work, it’s not worth over $1,500, max. (Sold mine 2 decades ago and by then parts for that little engine were already hard to get from Toyota. There might be a real issue with keeping it on the road now days.)
My friend had a 74 SR5 version of this car. He beat the living daylights out of it and it kept driving. With the unlimited slip differential he would waste a tire about every 13k miles. A lot of fun was had with that car, some of it legal.
To the author, if your looking for a 71 wagon there are, plenty for sale. I live in Central Florida Tampa area, and seen a few here recently.
Growing up my family had several of these in the 1970s, My wifes family had Ol’ Yeller, a Mustard Yellow wagon. GREAT cars, the bigger motors and 5 speed is the way to go but excellent little cars. We have a 2004 Corolla LE and I like to lecture the dealership people on this, especially if a crowd is around. We have had a TON of recalls on the 2004 and it has a engine issue nobody can solve. The ONLY thing it does that is superior to the 78 Wagon my wife used to have is the headlights are better. We got better mileage, less road noise, handling comparable, AC was WAY better, cost less to buy and maintain with the wagon.
So, Modern Toyotas can suck it. Been trading on their name for too long.
Old Yeller was still running when we last saw it, and over 300,000 miles, Our 2004 is a POS.
Will all this said, if anyone knows of a 74 coupe out there, I’d be really interested!! As long as it runs, I’m in!
Thanks!
I had a ’77 coupe with a 3KC engine in it and a 5 speed. It would top out at about 83MPH with a tail wind. It was SLOW with a capital S. It did however get 38 MPG on a long trip.
High School buddy had a 1977 in 1982. 1200cc’s, Cragars, skinny fronts and wide rears. Felt faster than it was, of course.
I think this one has a 1600 (2TC) in it.I believe that the
1200s didn’t have the hood vents.
I “restored” and flipped an identical car in the early 80’s. Door bottoms were rusted so badly I had to replace both of them. This was built before Toyota wrote the book on rustproofing.
This car has a 2tc and by no means was in excellent condition. I didn’t list it but the people selling it listed it in excellent condition. It was like new underneath and yes the fender was full of mud and leaves. Find me one for less money in better condition.