I've seen so many of these retro vids now, along with so many of these comments, that each time I watch a new one and he yet again bemoans the lack of those gauges, it gives me a small laugh!
This is the car I learned how to drive. Ours was silver. It would do 115 - 120 mph as the state trooper told me. I even took my drivers license test in this car. It was small and light and at the time it would out run most of the other imports. It had a lighted orange power mode button that raised the transmission shift points. 15 years later and 262,000 miles it shot a rod through the oil pan, probably at 7k rpm, when my sister let her boyfriend drive. We left it where it died and said our goodbyes.
I so wanted one of these back when they were new in 87. This and the Civic SI were the my favorites back then. Ended up with an 87 SI. Man I miss that car, or maybe I just miss that time.
i miss both sir. the all trac celicas prelude si’s and even the se-r sentras were incredible examples of why japan was destroying american cars back then.
The thing is, even if you had one now, it's not the same unless everything is rebuilt. Even then, it just won't fit the bill. We all have love for our first cars, but trying to recapture that is like getting back with an ex girlfriend. The magic is gone. I'm almost 40 now, getting a handy in a movie theater is not my idea of a good time, but when I was 16, one hundred percent.
I bought a red FX16 GTS new in 1986. I ended up putting 330K miles on it until I sold it for $1200.00 in 2000. I did swap out the engine around 250K when the original developed a rod knock. It liked to burn exhaust valves, too. I was driving it 1K miles/week and found Yokohama Y388s were excellent tires for it. I still have the original engine from that car and may put it in my '63 MG MIdget.
But the big thing is that these were real fun cars and cars that had reliable engines and quick. But the tesla is just junk you cannot compare that in way with these gems these had engines those dont have anything other then a stupid electric motor and a big battery. No real fun not reliable at all and also no mechanical stuff which means you cant fix at home it's made to be taken to dealers and cost you a kidney.
I used to have one of these, though it was the 8 valve carbureted version of the 4A. The 4AC. The handling was incredible. You could just toss it into any turn and it would stay planted. Tons of body roll, but honestly it made it feel more fun. You always felt like you were going faster than you really were. Agile, that's the word I would use to describe it. Very flickable. So long as I was going downhill on mountain roads, I could keep up with BMW's, Mercedes, anything until the brakes faded and I'd have to back off. And as they say, it is much more fun to drive a slow car fast than it is to drive a fast car slow.
@@twincammike8329 false, crashing into the wall would inevitably have lowered the number of fx16 gts's on the road, thus making it harder for people like me to find my parts. If anything, as a thief, he played it smart and eventually made it out with out dying, hats off to you sir
@@twincammike8329 you're not a very intelligent human being, are you? We're not talking about morals, we're talking about skill level, the only good serial killer is a dead one, but Jack the ripper was a very skilled killer. And you don't know the reason he became a car thief, nobody just boosts cars to make money for fun, those that do, are more than likely very in debt, to some very bad people, I've had family members who have had lives ruined because the Mob pulled a favor for them and they were forced to sell drugs for the rest of their lives under the mobs eye, he could've gotten a helping hand with financial debt, or had to pay protection, or was falsely accused of doing something and couldn't find any other work, you have no idea. And regardless of your opinions, because they don't matter, and they are ABSOLUTELY worthless in the grand scheme of things, his... Particular... Set of skills that he had developed have clearly kept him alive, and potentially out of prison, whether you agree with it or not (and trust me, that doesn't matter, your opinions aren't fact) he was a good thief, and he played it smart
Love these engines and love the interiors of these cars speacily the seats, that was qulity at it's best now its junk nothing like it. And engines now days are just not upto the standards, these engines were bullet proof reliable and the cars themselves, this is why I love these cars.
I've pretty much only had older Hondas and Toyotas. I wait for the oil pressure light to come on, and I add oil. That's 100% of the maintenance needed, and I sold all of them running perfectly well at over a quarter million miles. Maybe one oil filter change after 100k. Plugs and wires here and there. Never had any engine issues and I drove all of them hard.
4AGE is a terrible platform. No idea why I refuse to swap it out for a k24. Getting gapped by Priuses is not fun. As far as quality goes these weren’t terrible but not nearly as good as you make it sound. Maybe brand new they were fantastic but having been in the gts and multiple MR2’s the interior isn’t all that. As far as bulletproof can’t disagree too much however I currently have a blown one in an AW11. Almost all 4AGE guys I know have also blown theirs. If the motor is healthy it will sleep at redline all day but these engines also can’t handle any boost. You don’t have many options for more power with the 4AGE. Spend a lot of money and gain like 100 hp tops or spend a little money (still like $2,000) and make like maybe 20-30 more. Honda b16 came with 150 hp and makes 300 with ZERO effort. Still keeping mine though……,.
$13K fully loaded was pretty pricey in '87 for an economy car. My mother bought a brand-new VW Jetta in '85, only two years earlier, and spent under $9K for one that was decently equipped for the day. The base-price of this Toyota was far more in line with the average for the time. I can understand why Motor Week complained about the prices of the options.
I had the 1989 AE92 FWD GTS COUPE version of this line. It was the Blue top 4AGE, the previous owner was a Toyota tech and swapped it for a 1.8 7AGE with the 1.6 large port head with TVIS induction. The added cubic inches and higher compression head really made the engine scream above 4500rpms. It would rev to 7K all day.
Toyota never made a 7age, only a 7afe. The g heads were a joint venture with yamaha for performance, the f heads were for economy. But i guess putting a 4age head on a 7a block does make it a 7age in the end. Makes for decent little "stroker" engine.
I had this car exact same red here in Tijuana México, i put a flowmaster exhaust and it was so loud had to take it off because my daughter was a baby she's 21 now, loved this car.
Honestly, Toyota knew exactly what they were doing when they created this legendary hatchback. I always thought that there should've been an all wheel drive version of the FX-16.
My mother owned the base model FX, a great little car, she still misses it to this day, it was the car I learned to drive a manual transmission in It was a big upgrade from her unreliable Oldsmobile Omega (the small redesigned car)
I usually despise hatchback cars but I have always loved this one. It may be the only hatchback car I have ever liked starting from way back when they first appeared.
My first model car brought in 1995 or 96 I was 18. Damn good in performance & on the pocket it once blew a tire right in front of the Sears tire store as I drove by and they were only $20 a piece.
@@justsumguy2u lmao. Do you actually qualify a car as good or bad based on the 0-60??? Cuz if so, I'm not gonna bother continuing responding lmao. There's so much more to a car than 0-60 times
@@gabrielladavidson2938 When it comes to a car labelled as a performance car, absolutely. If it's slow, what's the point? Speaking of points, I think you're missing it here. I would consider cars like the Camry and Accord to be great cars, even though they are slow---they aren't being billed as performance cars, so they're not expected to be quick
@@justsumguy2u do you do any kind of actual fun driving? This is a serious question, cuz like if you're a kid or someone who doesn't drive, I can see how stats on a paper would mean so much. But assuming you do drive, I don't think 0-60 is the end all be all. Of course, it's important to some degree, but the GTI (considered the hallmark hot hatch, of course) had a 0-60 of about the same (or possibly a little slower.) This was pretty fucking solid then, and for meaningful grip driving, when you're hardly going in a straight line for more then 45 seconds, your 0-60 hardly matters. It's more about rev limits, efficiency of the transmission, solidness of the chassis, and "mashibility" of the pedal box, lmao. It knocks all those things out of the park. It just has that 80s toyota magic about it. If you're not familiar then there's nothing I can do to change that ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
CC, Almost a quarter century before bankruptcy GM knew Toyota made much better cars. They were so arrogant they never did take on the lessons learned at NUMMI. BTW I drive an excellent 05 Vibe made in that plant.
Its amazing that Toyota's leadership, discipline and partnership with workers turned that factory into possibly the best in the country. GM workers that transferred changed drastically from the rust belt plants
If i ever see one, im going to buy it. Hopefully it's a GTS. You can put headers, turbo, intake, all types of go fast stuff to make it a serious sleeper
This car was and still is the bees-knees of hot hatches! It has the 4age (enough reason right there) but it goes further with it's more 80s than the rest timeless goodness when compared to the other hatches from that time. It's a still alive and always will be Corolla that was made in the era of quality right before every car manufacturer started "cutting cost" for higher profit margins. I've owned both the FX and the FX16 and would trade a Lamborghini any day of the week just for another FX 😆 In my opinion it really was the best for too many reasons and more and it's crazy how overlooked it is sometimes but at the same time I'm glad it's still super affordable today and just another reason more why it's just too awesome of a car ✌️😁 The only thing it's missing is a voltmeter and oil pressure gauge but other than that it's PERFECT ⭐
Had an '87 base FX16. Everything that the GTS had except for the extra body cladding, color coding, wheels,etc. Loved the car. I even sourced a GTS rear spoiler to add to it. Got to tour the NUMMI plant but way after the production of the FX.
A trip down memory lane. I bought a new FX16 GTS in the fall of 86. I really enjoyed that fun little hatch of a car. I bought it rather than a GTI because I wanted Toyota reliability. It eventually became our SCCA ITA race car. Funny thing 31 years later & I'm driving a GTI. :p
Maybe things are coming full circle with Toyota as they have released a new Corolla hatch/sedan that is far sportier than anything in decades. Hopefully an upgraded engine option is in the works for the new Corollas. As for VW, they are still at the opposite end of the reliability spectrum after all these years.
It shares a lot of suspension geometry with the MR2, which was designed in collaboration with Lotus. A fully independent rear suspension was a big deal back then, most hatches had solid rear axles and leaf springs.
If you didn't like the price, and were willing to go with a base model, you could head over to the Chevy dealer. The Nova was the same car, from the same factory. Plus, because dealers couldn't give them away, they offered huge discounts.
@@applepoop10 the only parts that make them different from the standard, garbage, 7afe powered one is the body kit, and the intake manifold that goes on the MR2 powertrain so it can fit in the bay.
Hey, since you folks are doing the 1987 thing, any chance you have a reviews on '87 Crown Victoria's? The 351 model? That car is special to me. Come on, I never ask for anything!
Mine was a 2 barrel good sir. Believe it or not they're pretty common in Canada and pop up on kijiji every now and then for around $1000 in pretty good shape (!). I'll check my vin but I believe it was P74. Before it blew up I swapped out the intake and carb for an Edelbrock RPM set up that really woke the ol girl up!
What the heck!!, every video from these guys laments a lack of oil pressure gauge and voltmeter! I was an ASE tech back in the early 90's, there's a good reason manufacturers rarely put those gauges in cars, what would the average person do with that info?? Would they know that 10.9v at idle and only 11.9 at cruise was too low a voltage? No, the car comes in when it can't start. My modern truck has these gauges and in the 10 years I've had the truck I rarely look at them! I look at my fuel gauge though!
I remember at TV ad for this car, where the FX-16 is lumbering down a drag strip and a guy shrieks "What does it have under the hood?", implying that it was some kind of rocket. You know it was the dark age of cars when the FX-16 was considered "fast". Today a car that "fast" is considered a dog.
"If this is a high performance car, why doesn't it have a oil pressure gauge and volt meter?" Because it has nothing to do with performance. Why was motor week so obsessed with these gauges? They moan about it constantly back in the day, luckily they finally stopped. Took them YEARS tho.
i went from the 87 fx gts to a 2011 yaris sedan and the yaris is more fun. 400 pounds lighter. 4;10 gear same horsepower, better twin cam system, much better gas milage.
2011 Yaris is ~2300 pounds. There's just no way this small 30-year old Toyota is 400 pounds heavier. Actually, it's probably even a bit lighter than your Yaris.
This car sells for $32,000 in 2023 after inflation adjustment. That's just ridiculous. You can get a modern WRX or a GTI for that much money (assuming the dealer doesn't screw you over with markups).
do i see a strut tower brace at 1:56? Back in those days, these are the same price as the integra hatchback, which is is a much better looking car and is a more complete package for a sporty car. Then a couple years later came the 89 civic si hatchback for less money, so this did not turn into a sales hit for toyota.
The FX has better styling though. It's 100% 1980's funky and boxy. The civic Si might be a better car, but the FX was more comfortable in its own skin. It owned that look. It wasn't even trying to look good. I can respect that over a car that is trying too hard.
I'd gladly pay $13,000 for a brand new car today 😆. All the emissions and safety regulations, plus the BS fees car makers and deals come up with have driven new car prices to crazy levels today.
Now the the Toyota 86 is going away, Toyota may want to bring back a hot hatch based on the current Corolla Hatchback. Hopefully, it won't have a CVT, however.
They already did. Welcome the current GR Corolla. It has 300hp from a turbo 3 cylinder engine with a 6-speed manual only. Not for me but others will like it.
im a big yota fan and prefer them to honda most the time. but when it comes to fwd 4 bangers them hondas were always better performers and looked better too.
Back when Toyota called every other car they made a.... Corolla. Wake up call. 2019 base model Jetta... 140hp/180 torque and costs 16,9xx, just $3000 more than that.
@@robinbrown5793 I would settle for a regular FX also but still can't find one of those. Part of the negatives of living in Minnesota. They've all rusted out by now up here.
@@palebeachbum oh yeah, but I'm assuming you've seen the engine bay of a turboed mitsubishi. Specifically the Starion lmao. Those things are a nightmare
@@gabrielladavidson2938 Always wanted a starion because of the styling. Such a damn cool looking car. Almost bought one, but I got talked out of it. Saw one at a gas station a couple years ago and pulled in to get gas even though my tank was mostly full just to check it out and talk with the owner. You really don't see them around these days.
MotorWeek: The world's most voltage meter-loving car series!
Don't forget the oil-pressure gauges. ;-)
Yeah haha but it does come in handy ;3
I've seen so many of these retro vids now, along with so many of these comments, that each time I watch a new one and he yet again bemoans the lack of those gauges, it gives me a small laugh!
@@ZIGZAG12345 They also like jet engines, apparently.
And they were so worried not to make any Japanese maker look better than American makers hahahaha
This is the car I learned how to drive. Ours was silver. It would do 115 - 120 mph as the state trooper told me. I even took my drivers license test in this car. It was small and light and at the time it would out run most of the other imports. It had a lighted orange power mode button that raised the transmission shift points. 15 years later and 262,000 miles it shot a rod through the oil pan, probably at 7k rpm, when my sister let her boyfriend drive. We left it where it died and said our goodbyes.
You should've saved it!
should have given it to me, I would kill to have one of these
🤨You could have replaced the engine
I so wanted one of these back when they were new in 87. This and the Civic SI were the my favorites back then. Ended up with an 87 SI. Man I miss that car, or maybe I just miss that time.
i miss both sir. the all trac celicas prelude si’s and even the se-r sentras were incredible examples of why japan was destroying american cars back then.
The thing is, even if you had one now, it's not the same unless everything is rebuilt. Even then, it just won't fit the bill. We all have love for our first cars, but trying to recapture that is like getting back with an ex girlfriend. The magic is gone. I'm almost 40 now, getting a handy in a movie theater is not my idea of a good time, but when I was 16, one hundred percent.
@@nutbastard yeah that is why I bought a brand new WRX a couple years ago. Hell of a lot faster right out of the box.
My first car 87 fx16 in all black. Didn’t realize these were made in America at the time. To this day, this was my favorite car.
I bought a red FX16 GTS new in 1986. I ended up putting 330K miles on it until I sold it for $1200.00 in 2000. I did swap out the engine around 250K when the original developed a rod knock. It liked to burn exhaust valves, too. I was driving it 1K miles/week and found Yokohama Y388s were excellent tires for it. I still have the original engine from that car and may put it in my '63 MG MIdget.
FX16 Corolla is 1.6 108hp, 96 LB- FT torque, great perfomance good economy
Fun fact - the manufacturing plant that made this car was eventually sold to Tesla Motors in 2010...
Thankyou
But the big thing is that these were real fun cars and cars that had reliable engines and quick. But the tesla is just junk you cannot compare that in way with these gems these had engines those dont have anything other then a stupid electric motor and a big battery. No real fun not reliable at all and also no mechanical stuff which means you cant fix at home it's made to be taken to dealers and cost you a kidney.
That’s really cool
@@hassankhan384 It's like a parasite using toyota's name lmao
Its strange that a plant that was renowned for it's quality control is now churning out some of the worst quality vehicles in it's class.
What if Maverick drove a Corolla in Top Gun instead of a motorcycle..same movie? "I feel the need, the need for reliability and great gas mileage."
Faux Craig Singhaus good one.. 😂
lol
Lol
I used to have one of these, though it was the 8 valve carbureted version of the 4A. The 4AC.
The handling was incredible. You could just toss it into any turn and it would stay planted. Tons of body roll, but honestly it made it feel more fun. You always felt like you were going faster than you really were.
Agile, that's the word I would use to describe it. Very flickable. So long as I was going downhill on mountain roads, I could keep up with BMW's, Mercedes, anything until the brakes faded and I'd have to back off.
And as they say, it is much more fun to drive a slow car fast than it is to drive a fast car slow.
I have an AE82 sedan and I totally agree that for a small economy car they handle really well and are super fun to drive.
When I think F-14 Tomcat, I think Corolla.
cluck cluck?
😀
I feel old now... and I'm just 21! These old Retro Reviews bring back memories of MotorWeek (I started watching the show back in 2011).
beautiful Corolla 4age motor
It would still run perfectly if you found one today.
Drive a FX16 on track-days. Can confirm, still runs perfectly.
looking for one want to do pro solo time attack had a SR5 Corolla gts same engine love these series Toyotas
When i was a car thief. The FX16 was my casing car. They were invisible to the police but could out run Atlanta city police cars all day long.
@@twincammike8329 false, crashing into the wall would inevitably have lowered the number of fx16 gts's on the road, thus making it harder for people like me to find my parts. If anything, as a thief, he played it smart and eventually made it out with out dying, hats off to you sir
Sam Streeter I wonder if he stole your car would you be still saying hats off to you sir..I don't think so..dumb Ass..
@@twincammike8329 I didnt say I approve of what he did and I didn't say it was morally right, I just said he's a good thief
Sam Streeter the only good the thief is a dead thief.....
@@twincammike8329 you're not a very intelligent human being, are you? We're not talking about morals, we're talking about skill level, the only good serial killer is a dead one, but Jack the ripper was a very skilled killer. And you don't know the reason he became a car thief, nobody just boosts cars to make money for fun, those that do, are more than likely very in debt, to some very bad people, I've had family members who have had lives ruined because the Mob pulled a favor for them and they were forced to sell drugs for the rest of their lives under the mobs eye, he could've gotten a helping hand with financial debt, or had to pay protection, or was falsely accused of doing something and couldn't find any other work, you have no idea. And regardless of your opinions, because they don't matter, and they are ABSOLUTELY worthless in the grand scheme of things, his... Particular... Set of skills that he had developed have clearly kept him alive, and potentially out of prison, whether you agree with it or not (and trust me, that doesn't matter, your opinions aren't fact) he was a good thief, and he played it smart
The rear wiper sure looks appealing dragging slowly across dry glass.
Makes me cringe everytime...
Love these engines and love the interiors of these cars speacily the seats, that was qulity at it's best now its junk nothing like it. And engines now days are just not upto the standards, these engines were bullet proof reliable and the cars themselves, this is why I love these cars.
I've pretty much only had older Hondas and Toyotas. I wait for the oil pressure light to come on, and I add oil. That's 100% of the maintenance needed, and I sold all of them running perfectly well at over a quarter million miles. Maybe one oil filter change after 100k. Plugs and wires here and there. Never had any engine issues and I drove all of them hard.
4AGE is a terrible platform. No idea why I refuse to swap it out for a k24. Getting gapped by Priuses is not fun. As far as quality goes these weren’t terrible but not nearly as good as you make it sound. Maybe brand new they were fantastic but having been in the gts and multiple MR2’s the interior isn’t all that. As far as bulletproof can’t disagree too much however I currently have a blown one in an AW11. Almost all 4AGE guys I know have also blown theirs. If the motor is healthy it will sleep at redline all day but these engines also can’t handle any boost. You don’t have many options for more power with the 4AGE. Spend a lot of money and gain like 100 hp tops or spend a little money (still like $2,000) and make like maybe 20-30 more. Honda b16 came with 150 hp and makes 300 with ZERO effort. Still keeping mine though……,.
wow this review is more professional, fluid and informative than most modern reviewers
Probably because it was broadcast on TV and not on youtube.
HIGHWAY TO THE DANGER ZONE
mipmipmipmipmip something something danger zone!
GONNA TAKE YOU RIGHT INTO THE DANGER ZONE!!!!!!
Mine is the same red, loaded model. Still runs like a clock.
Do you still have it? I have one and need parts.
I would take a 16v GTI, but these were pretty cool. The rear end was made fun of at NUMMI by the workers; "Is that the new Gremlin??"
5:09 The man wants his oil pressure gauge, goddammit!
$13K fully loaded was pretty pricey in '87 for an economy car. My mother bought a brand-new VW Jetta in '85, only two years earlier, and spent under $9K for one that was decently equipped for the day. The base-price of this Toyota was far more in line with the average for the time. I can understand why Motor Week complained about the prices of the options.
One of my favorite 80s cars! Thanks for sharing and check our Sushpants's FX16 on TH-cam.
I had the 1989 AE92 FWD GTS COUPE version of this line. It was the Blue top 4AGE, the previous owner was a Toyota tech and swapped it for a 1.8 7AGE with the 1.6 large port head with TVIS induction. The added cubic inches and higher compression head really made the engine scream above 4500rpms. It would rev to 7K all day.
Them pop up headlights. So damn cool. I had a 1990 Corolla SR-5 in red, same style, crappier tune with the 4AFE. Still tons of fun though.
Toyota never made a 7age, only a 7afe. The g heads were a joint venture with yamaha for performance, the f heads were for economy. But i guess putting a 4age head on a 7a block does make it a 7age in the end. Makes for decent little "stroker" engine.
I like how the driver has to hold his neck at an angle so that his head doesn't bump the sunroof lip
Amazing!!.Cleanest 4AG engine ever seen. Reminds of the Toyota ads. Clean shiny zinc bolts and components.
I had this car exact same red here in Tijuana México, i put a flowmaster exhaust and it was so loud had to take it off because my daughter was a baby she's 21 now, loved this car.
Honestly, Toyota knew exactly what they were doing when they created this legendary hatchback. I always thought that there should've been an all wheel drive version of the FX-16.
Clearly right from the height of the Top Gun craze.
Why can't you find these quirky cars anywhere but 87 S- 10's by the thousands.
My mother owned the base model FX, a great little car, she still misses it to this day, it was the car I learned to drive a manual transmission in
It was a big upgrade from her unreliable Oldsmobile Omega (the small redesigned car)
Rumor has it, John is still searching for that ever elusive volt meter.
This is an awesome little car.
Loved the music in the background at the beginning :
HIGHWAY TO THE DANGER ZONE
GONNA TAKE YOU RIGHT INTO THE DANGER ZONE.😎👍
We got the 128hp in Ireland.. good for 135mph..not bad for it's time..still faster than most suv crap around today.
That was the revised AE92 GTi-16 not the AE82
I usually despise hatchback cars but I have always loved this one. It may be the only hatchback car I have ever liked starting from way back when they first appeared.
My first model car brought in 1995 or 96 I was 18. Damn good in performance & on the pocket it once blew a tire right in front of the Sears tire store as I drove by and they were only $20 a piece.
Yeah I loved the cheapness of 13" tires. Full set for around $150 installed.
I had one, totally enjoyable, and reliable
Wish I could find another one. Miss mine so much
Another GTI with a Japanese accent, except this one was built right here in the USA. In Fremont, California, to be exact. AND another firm ABL car!!!!
Those were dismal times indeed when a hatch was considered "hot" with a 0-60 of almost 10 seconds. I do like the seats, though.
Yeah, it's very clear you've never driven one of these
@@gabrielladavidson2938 So? I've driven plenty of other cars that did 0-60 in the same amount of time---slow is slow
@@justsumguy2u lmao. Do you actually qualify a car as good or bad based on the 0-60??? Cuz if so, I'm not gonna bother continuing responding lmao. There's so much more to a car than 0-60 times
@@gabrielladavidson2938 When it comes to a car labelled as a performance car, absolutely. If it's slow, what's the point? Speaking of points, I think you're missing it here. I would consider cars like the Camry and Accord to be great cars, even though they are slow---they aren't being billed as performance cars, so they're not expected to be quick
@@justsumguy2u do you do any kind of actual fun driving? This is a serious question, cuz like if you're a kid or someone who doesn't drive, I can see how stats on a paper would mean so much. But assuming you do drive, I don't think 0-60 is the end all be all. Of course, it's important to some degree, but the GTI (considered the hallmark hot hatch, of course) had a 0-60 of about the same (or possibly a little slower.) This was pretty fucking solid then, and for meaningful grip driving, when you're hardly going in a straight line for more then 45 seconds, your 0-60 hardly matters. It's more about rev limits, efficiency of the transmission, solidness of the chassis, and "mashibility" of the pedal box, lmao. It knocks all those things out of the park. It just has that 80s toyota magic about it. If you're not familiar then there's nothing I can do to change that ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I sorta want one now, in 2023. But I got a Mustang 5.0 with 300 lbs of torque for the same price back then.
MacPheresons front and REAR. DAMN!!
This was my first car. It was silver but was an automatic. Very good car just was on the slow side. I can't believe how much it was back in the day.
All time favourite car
A sporty 1.6L just made a comeback recently…
Remember NUMMI? Its where GM went to learn how to match Toyota in quality. And like most students and algebra, promptly forgot everything.
CC, Almost a quarter century before bankruptcy GM knew Toyota made much better cars. They were so arrogant they never did take on the lessons learned at NUMMI. BTW I drive an excellent 05 Vibe made in that plant.
Its amazing that Toyota's leadership, discipline and partnership with workers turned that factory into possibly the best in the country. GM workers that transferred changed drastically from the rust belt plants
my first car :)
and your last, most likely
Such a great car
i like how he can shit on cars and not skip a beat
If i ever see one, im going to buy it. Hopefully it's a GTS. You can put headers, turbo, intake, all types of go fast stuff to make it a serious sleeper
Dashboard is perfect, nothing wrong with that!
Miss my '87 gts
This car was and still is the bees-knees of hot hatches! It has the 4age (enough reason right there) but it goes further with it's more 80s than the rest timeless goodness when compared to the other hatches from that time. It's a still alive and always will be Corolla that was made in the era of quality right before every car manufacturer started "cutting cost" for higher profit margins.
I've owned both the FX and the FX16 and would trade a Lamborghini any day of the week just for another FX 😆
In my opinion it really was the best for too many reasons and more and it's crazy how overlooked it is sometimes but at the same time I'm glad it's still super affordable today and just another reason more why it's just too awesome of a car ✌️😁
The only thing it's missing is a voltmeter and oil pressure gauge but other than that it's PERFECT ⭐
It is the best hatch back. Better than that crappy VW Golf anyways.
Great little car in new zealand its called the fx-gt. owned one . fun little car
I NEVER TAPPED SO FAST YES YES YES
i had the corolla gts.
i miss that car.
Had an '87 base FX16. Everything that the GTS had except for the extra body cladding, color coding, wheels,etc. Loved the car. I even sourced a GTS rear spoiler to add to it. Got to tour the NUMMI plant but way after the production of the FX.
Funny that the Corolla still makes kinda close to that amount of power! Though that was the high performance engine in the 80s by the looks of it .
A trip down memory lane. I bought a new FX16 GTS in the fall of 86. I really enjoyed that fun little hatch of a car. I bought it rather than a GTI because I wanted Toyota reliability. It eventually became our SCCA ITA race car. Funny thing 31 years later & I'm driving a GTI. :p
Maybe things are coming full circle with Toyota as they have released a new Corolla hatch/sedan that is far sportier than anything in decades. Hopefully an upgraded engine option is in the works for the new Corollas. As for VW, they are still at the opposite end of the reliability spectrum after all these years.
Less than 10 sec for 1987 is quick!
They used to go by the nickname, the pocket rocket. I member those 80's.
Toyota Corolla is the goat of cars
108 horse power LOL, but my goodness was this car so much fun to drive and actually very reliable .
this is probably the only review I've seen with somewhat positive comments about this vehicle's "chassis tuning"
It shares a lot of suspension geometry with the MR2, which was designed in collaboration with Lotus. A fully independent rear suspension was a big deal back then, most hatches had solid rear axles and leaf springs.
Can you guys post up a review of the 3rd gen Celica's, you hardly see those and they are pretty cool cars
I'd like to get one and swap a 20v 4age in it. would make a nice little hot hatch lol
touge volvo85 Awhh what I'd do for a 4a-ge 20v silver top...
touge volvo85 why blietop aint cutting it for you?
If you didn't like the price, and were willing to go with a base model, you could head over to the Chevy dealer. The Nova was the same car, from the same factory. Plus, because dealers couldn't give them away, they offered huge discounts.
My Pontiac Vibe, from the same factory, was a bit cheaper than the Matrix as well.
Any Regular Car Review fans here? 3:55 U H O H S N A P O V E R S T E E R
Brown
A E S T H E T I C
kz1000ps Wich oversteer is best best oversteer?
My oversteer is best because S N A P O V E R S T E E R
The current Corolla hatchback seems to be the spiritual successor to the FX16! I want an automatic FX16 right now!!! It would be a great first car!
Expensive back then, cheap as hell now, if you can find one, I traded an Xbox for mine
Sam Streeter they’re far from cheap!
They are extremely rare to find nowadays, and they still hold their value.
@@applepoop10 I can find em all day in the midwest for $3k-$5k, so they are AWFULLY expensive
@@applepoop10 the only parts that make them different from the standard, garbage, 7afe powered one is the body kit, and the intake manifold that goes on the MR2 powertrain so it can fit in the bay.
@@sammy13ificationable you said they were cheap as hell :D
Que lindo aros originales bellísima 🇨🇷🇨🇷☝️👋👋
Reminds me of the MG Mini Metro.
Should have picked this over my 87 Celica ST.
I'm waiting for them to review a car that has an 8 track.
AE82 in the house.
Hey, since you folks are doing the 1987 thing, any chance you have a reviews on '87 Crown Victoria's? The 351 model? That car is special to me.
Come on, I never ask for anything!
I believe the 351 was only available on the police cars.
Nah, that's a common misconception. I owned a carbureted 351 civilian Crown Victoria
I never knew you could get a 351 Crown Victoria sometime after the 1980 model year, was it a 4bbl or a 2bbl?
Mine was a 2 barrel good sir. Believe it or not they're pretty common in Canada and pop up on kijiji every now and then for around $1000 in pretty good shape (!). I'll check my vin but I believe it was P74. Before it blew up I swapped out the intake and carb for an Edelbrock RPM set up that really woke the ol girl up!
Would love to see some more retro Hyundai/Kia reviews like the sephia, rio, Or Hyundai XG
I have two NUMMI factory cars. 1987 Chevy Nova and 1997 Geo Prism
What the heck!!, every video from these guys laments a lack of oil pressure gauge and voltmeter! I was an ASE tech back in the early 90's, there's a good reason manufacturers rarely put those gauges in cars, what would the average person do with that info?? Would they know that 10.9v at idle and only 11.9 at cruise was too low a voltage? No, the car comes in when it can't start. My modern truck has these gauges and in the 10 years I've had the truck I rarely look at them! I look at my fuel gauge though!
The only thing missing is the v-tec vvt
They weren't out yet.
"Nifty pull handles on the seats." Or, more accurately, Oh sh!t bars for back seat passengers!
They come in handy in this thing 😂
I remember at TV ad for this car, where the FX-16 is lumbering down a drag strip and a guy shrieks "What does it have under the hood?", implying that it was some kind of rocket. You know it was the dark age of cars when the FX-16 was considered "fast". Today a car that "fast" is considered a dog.
"If this is a high performance car, why doesn't it have a oil pressure gauge and volt meter?" Because it has nothing to do with performance. Why was motor week so obsessed with these gauges? They moan about it constantly back in the day, luckily they finally stopped. Took them YEARS tho.
What an awesome little car. I wish Toyota would put a fun engine into the Yaris. I mean, they did for non US markets but we got screwed here.
i went from the 87 fx gts to a 2011 yaris sedan and the yaris is more fun. 400 pounds lighter. 4;10 gear same horsepower, better twin cam system, much better gas milage.
2011 Yaris is ~2300 pounds. There's just no way this small 30-year old Toyota is 400 pounds heavier. Actually, it's probably even a bit lighter than your Yaris.
yaris is a sub compact and corrolla is a compact. the fx 16 gts actually had a hood... not much of a hood on a yaris.
This car sells for $32,000 in 2023 after inflation adjustment. That's just ridiculous.
You can get a modern WRX or a GTI for that much money (assuming the dealer doesn't screw you over with markups).
4age ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
If only it had the Turbo from the Starlet
Variable valve timing, no gov, w/ the 4speed auto tranny on turbo. 200 mph easy
do i see a strut tower brace at 1:56? Back in those days, these are the same price as the integra hatchback, which is is a much better looking car and is a more complete package for a sporty car. Then a couple years later came the 89 civic si hatchback for less money, so this did not turn into a sales hit for toyota.
The FX has better styling though. It's 100% 1980's funky and boxy. The civic Si might be a better car, but the FX was more comfortable in its own skin. It owned that look. It wasn't even trying to look good. I can respect that over a car that is trying too hard.
I'd gladly pay $13,000 for a brand new car today 😆. All the emissions and safety regulations, plus the BS fees car makers and deals come up with have driven new car prices to crazy levels today.
Will this drink regular ?
Now the the Toyota 86 is going away, Toyota may want to bring back a hot hatch based on the current Corolla Hatchback. Hopefully, it won't have a CVT, however.
They already did. Welcome the current GR Corolla. It has 300hp from a turbo 3 cylinder engine with a 6-speed manual only. Not for me but others will like it.
im a big yota fan and prefer them to honda most the time. but when it comes to fwd 4 bangers them hondas were always better performers and looked better too.
But can you delivery tofu in it?
Fun cars are cars that scare the shit out of me from power and hugging curves. Only hot hatch i seen that my come close is now Focus Rs
For the same money as an lx5.0? That's why the lx5.0 is now a legend and these are very minor footnotes
Back when Toyota called every other car they made a.... Corolla.
Wake up call. 2019 base model Jetta... 140hp/180 torque and costs 16,9xx, just $3000 more than that.
finally
I have been looking for an FX16 for years. I'm starting to think I'll never find one.
Those were rare cars with limited production run. Bummer😞
I have a 1988 FX 5 speed but not the FX16
Love it to this day. Only 98,000 miles on it and bought it new🙂
@@robinbrown5793 Wow! That's barely broken-in!
@@robinbrown5793 I would settle for a regular FX also but still can't find one of those. Part of the negatives of living in Minnesota. They've all rusted out by now up here.
@@hectorsantiago5350 Only drove car out of town twice to Atlanta and New Orleans. Lol
The Mitsubishi Mirage Turbo hatch was waaaaay more appealing than this when it came out 2yrs later.
But not close in reliability
But then you had to work on a turbo'd mitsubishi
@@gabrielladavidson2938 Mitsubishi made excellent turbochargers. They were used by different manufacturers, including Volvo. Bulletproof.
@@palebeachbum oh yeah, but I'm assuming you've seen the engine bay of a turboed mitsubishi. Specifically the Starion lmao. Those things are a nightmare
@@gabrielladavidson2938 Always wanted a starion because of the styling. Such a damn cool looking car. Almost bought one, but I got talked out of it. Saw one at a gas station a couple years ago and pulled in to get gas even though my tank was mostly full just to check it out and talk with the owner. You really don't see them around these days.
We had one in high school. I don't remember the car being fast and it was not very reliable.