Toyota Carina E Hatchback (1992 - 1997) 1.8 CDX 5d (1996/N) Owner Review
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Summary
What does this car say about you?
To most people it probably says you are old and poor but for those who know the Carina well it says you know there is no cheaper way nowadays to buy a practical, reliable car with good economy that will go on forever.
What do your friends / family / neighbours think of the car?
I think they knew I'd bought it because I was cheap!
Would you buy this car again and why?
At this point no because they are getting pretty old now. The equivalent Avensis would be the obvious replacement if you wanted the same sort of car.
What are you likely to buy next?
This was replaced by the Toyota Starlet because my wife needed a small automatic.
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Buying experience
Type of dealer you bought from?
Didn't buy from a dealer
Did you buy this car new?
No
What price did you pay?
£1,150
When did you buy the car?
September 2005
Did you get a good deal and why?
I bought it privately and think it was a decent price. When I sold it 3 years later it was only for £200 less so depreciation is practically zero.
Is there any special reason why you bought this car?
We had a Clio that was written off by a 4x4 that hit us at 5mph, so we wanted something bigger and more reliable.
What was the dealer like?
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Driving it
What's it like to drive?
It was a genuinely lovely car to drive, whether around town, on country roads or cruising down the motorway in comfort for hour after hour in comfort. I can see why they were so popular with taxi drivers.
What's it like to park?
Power steering helped and all round vision was excellent but it was a big beast to manoeuvre in tight spaces. The size also meant that there were often spaces on the side of the road where a mini would fit but the Carina was too long.
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Living with it
Have you had any problems with the car?
The car was generally very reliable except for the driver's side front electric window that broke three times. This is a common problem with the Carina. I did have to change the battery at one stage but that was
What's most practical about your car?
It had a massive boot that made shopping so easy.
Favourite gadget, option or accessory?
Probably the electric sunroof, though I tried not to use it too often in case it broke!
