As some of you know, my 1981 Toyota HiAce project originated in Georgia after arriving by way of Panama, courtesy of a service member. Georgia in general is hiding a fair amount of project car treasure, aided by military transplants, a significant port of entry and plenty of rural areas undisturbed by suburbia. Find this rusty but rare 1975 Toyota Corolla SR5 here on eBay where bidding is under $1,000 and there’s less than a day left.
This Corolla, at first glance, doesn’t appear too rusty. But look closer and you can see it blossoming in many places. For the Corolla enthusiast, the intact tail lights, bumpers, front grill and window glass may be reason enough to bid on this real-deal SR5, but I suspect at the current price, someone sees potential to bring this car back to life. It’s just too much money for a pure parts car, in my opinion. Those are old-school Georgia license plates, and likely worth some money, too.
There’s plenty of surface rust and more terminal corrosion is found in the lower sills and rockers. Floors may be soft too, but it’s impossible to tell here with the carpets in place. The interior looks pretty beat, with torn up seat upholstery and a worn steering wheel. Door panels are better than expected, as is the dash and thankfully not-stolen gauges. The presence of a manual is a major bonus for a restorer or parts hunter. Carpets look quite tired and could used replacing.
The seller notes someone stole the radiator off the motor, and the lack of an oil cap is never a good sign due to the potential for both water and contamination to gain entry. Somehow, I doubt the current seller is too worried about the health of the motor given he is quite up front that this is a project with missing parts that hasn’t run in quite some time. But bidders don’t seem to mind, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see it fetch over $1K due to hungry bidders looking for a complete SR5 parts car.
If you need motivation to buy this car… here are a couple pictures of my ’73 SR5 we did in 2016 in Kirker Mandarin Pearl …(almost done)
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.new custom interior… actually, we just had the seat inserts replaced, the rest of the seat and door panel vinyl material (and carpet) is original
..and it’s a TwinCam with dual carbs… ..no, I did not do the engine compartment…removing the engine, etc to do it right would have cost as much as the exterior of the car . We did do the underside of both the trunk and hood.
………………………………….sorry, the car is now in Germany
Beautiful Butts county !!!! Plate worth maybe $5
The SR5 wasn’t any rarer than any other Corolla of the day. But any Corolla of this vintage is a rare piece today.
These were great cars. Back in the day everybody I knew seem to own one. Lots of memories seeing this one.
The current bid is meaningless if its on eBay. People sandbag until the last hour. You need to watch the watch list, or who’s watching. If that list is big, then its more than likely good for the seller because of the frenzy that happens in the last couple minutes.
Agreed. Often the high bid is meaningless, too, as a lot of people end up being non-payers.
My second favorite Corolla, but I like the sedan version better than the coupe. I really have a soft spot for old RWD Corollas, but don’t tell anyone I’m supposed to be a Datsun guy even though I own a AE86-GTS. (number 4 on my Corolla list) Mostly because you just can’t find this vintage Corollas for sale anymore.
I seriously can’t keep the designations straight though. This is an E37? The sedan is a E51? Don’t even get me started on Toyota’s engine numbering system….
Winning bid:US $900.00
[ 24 bids ]
Butts County, Georgia, well known for speed traps on I-75.The last registration sticker is either 1988 (red) or 1989 (I think black is the correct color for ’89). That’s a long time for a ’70s Toyota to sit. Prepare for rust.
As a long time Georgia resident, I’d prefer that you not tip off people to the number of interesting project cars lurking on the red clay among the pine trees…
this car was full of rust, on the floor pan