Cannot remember the last time I seen one of these apart from seeing some at the festival of the unexceptional videos maybe! Realible and well built transport.
They aren't bad, are they? I saw another one in the wild the other day. Would prefer a few more features than this base model, personally, but it was still pretty good.
A colleague at work had an executive model in the late 80s , a really good looking car and a surprisingly good drive . I often see a similar Mazda 626 of the same vintage in my area .
We do like the GL Executives on this channel, sir! Most agreeable... I agree, even this base model is quite smart and nice to drive. We like Mazda 626s as well.
Very popular as taxis in the Midlands back in the 90s. MR Lloyd strange spec, the Peugeot 405 GLD had manual windows and mirrors, but had an electric sunroof and central locking too.
Got a 1984 Carina II and it is as reliable as a 1980's Mercedes. Smooth 1.6 carb engine (8V), good view, excellent build quality. So, an excellent 'no budget' choice indeed.
Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting! Yes, the Carina IIs were very well made for something from the mid 1980s. These engines were very reliable for their time.
I remember the 2.0 had the oil filter up front & very easily accessible. On my lift back, I once got a 3 seater settee in the back, with the boot tied down on top. Toyota called the Sunroof a 🌙 Moonroof
Yes, the boot on these looks absolutely huge! The "moonroof" was invaluable on the day we were filming, as there was no air conditioning in the 31C heat...
A most interesting car. Thanks for this video. In New Zealand this was called a Corona (Except for the odd Japanese Import - usually diesel - called a Carina, which had wider headlights.). We never had a 1.6 one, just 1.8 and 2.0 petrol. Used to be very popular and common here, now very rare since the punitive WOFs on pre-2000 cars kicked in.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting Not now... Especially given the current Government wants to modernize all New Zealand vehicles and make everyone go electric...
These old japanese cars come from an era of well built.. easy to drive.. comfortable chariots,the nissan bluebird and mitsubishi galant were other nice offerings but a long while since ive seen one of these nor an early corolla.
Oh yes, we absolutely loved this old Carina II! They aren't exactly common, so I was grateful to have had a go in this. A Nissan Bluebird is on my radar for Sensible Secondhand Classics, and would love to do a Galant as well.
Looks nice and ith those wheels on it I reckon. It always amused me how cars back in the 90's made a big show of being 16 valve too! I always remember looking longingly at my neighbours Nova in the 90's with its shiny '16v' chrome decal on the back, so I guess they were doing something right. It certainly sounded cool when I was a kid! 😂
The standard wheels it came on had pretty dangerous bald tyres, I had these laying around with plenty of tread and they have a 20mm wider contact patch too, improved the drive a lot in my opinion
my parents old neigbourghs had an Carina II 2,0 GLI in gray but I think it's wierd that GB didn't get the 1,6 with a fuel injection because by october 1st 1990 there were enacted new EU rules that demanded catalyst converters and the XL wasn't a cat
It was actually January 1993 which mandated catalysts in the European Union for Euro I emissions regulations. Lada, for example, actually didn't introduce fuel injection, for example, and tried running catalysts on cars with cars with carburettors, which didn't go well. Nissan also had a few cars with catalysts and carburettors as late as 1994 (I drove one on the channel last year). Those were more successful, but by the time that Euro II regulations came in for 1997, all Nissans had fuel injection, and Lada had pulled out of the UK market. Thank you ever so much indeed for watching!
What could Ford, Vauxhall and Rover do other than hate this car. It was roomier and quieter than a Sierra. It was better equipped and tougher than a Cavalier. It was far more modern and a smoother drive than a Montego and less expensive while having more standard equipment than a Rover 600. Only in 2.0 litre form would the Sierra, Cavalier or Montego offer a genuine rival. The Carina will always be a better drive.
It wasn't bad, sir, was it, sir? Not sure if it was roomier than a Sierra, as I didn't manage to get in the back. The 600 was sold alongside the Carina E, but I suppose that this may have been a better car than one of those.
All of these type of cars are great and I've had a handful of them. However, the only downside to cars of this generation is the low safety rating - if in accident it would be lethal 😞
The power output of this Carina really brings home just how backward that 1.6 Cavalier truly was. Toyota were a very conservative and conventional engineering company at the time, and even they were putting out 1.6 engines with near-100bhp output, with carb. These, Bluebirds and Accords of the era were light-years ahead of the European stuff of the time for reliability and build quality. Take the rust out of the equation and they pretty much run indefinitely.
Yes, the 1990 P10 Primera that I reviewed back in 2019 (which had the engine out of a Bluebird) felt really far ahead of something like a Sierra, sort of similar to one of these, actually. The 1.6 Cavalier I drove recently was a bit slow, would have preferred a bigger engine. Just need to drive an Accord and a Bluebird now. The chronic rust was a bit of a problem!
I like the ’unburstability’ of the these Carina II s. Handbrake notwithstanding on this example of course. Curvy dashboards like this started appearing on Japanese cars around 1987.
I had one and used it as a towcar 35,mpg towing a caravan. I was really bland and blew up 600 miles from home towing the caravan. Rac fitted a new hose and all good , boring but decent. If your rev it it picks up at 6k revs till the limiter soon after
That's quite a convenient repair! Yes, they were seen as being quite bland at the time, I think. I would now like to try a 2.0 GL Executive and see if that does pick up at 6,000 rpm.
Oohh.. this is a difficult one.. this carina 2. Or the carina E.. what do i like more… i think this car have more karakter. But the carina E is more a pretty car… i do think cars from the 80s and 1990 to 1991 have more karakter than the modern cars… This was the rival of the mazda 626 1991. Even that’s hard to choose
Yes, similar dashboard to that generation of 626, isn't it? I did quite like it. I prefer the design of this to a Carina E, but that isn't too bad either. Lots and lots of character to this one.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting i have that the same with the 626 from this generation. I like the 2 later 626’s allot. But the 1991 626 is also the one with allot of karakter. It’s like they put more attention to it. Inside and outside
The GL models had 4 elec windows and more velvety seats, i preferred the shape of this model than the carina e, which had an awful back end! Many family and friends had these cars and they also were very popular (along with the bluebird) as taxi/minicabs........................when they were 6-7 years old!! (thats saying something).
Yes, for some reason this is a more aesthetically pleasing design, isn't it? I do like a bit of luxury, and this was well appointed, but a GL Executive would have been nice. They did seem to be a few around back in the day, didn't there?
Not all GL models had electric windows though, as my old saloon had colour coded bumpers but still windy windows. This one however has neither but I like it 🤷♂️
@@B8zey155 ok...................as far as i can remember E reg, F reg, and G reg 1.6GL's that family and friends had all had elec windows (uk spec)...........
@@trabali5168 I know, it was very strange, it was a 1989 F646 SWS The one in this video is mine now, it's much less rusty but I do wish it had electric windows. It's a decent car and hasnt let me down once though.
Cannot remember the last time I seen one of these apart from seeing some at the festival of the unexceptional videos maybe! Realible and well built transport.
Indeed, sir! We do very much like these, although I would prefer one of the GL Executives I saw at Festival of the Unexceptional.
A friend mine had a saloon version and I drove it a few times. Very nice to drive, comfortable and a nice torquey engine. Deadly reliable too!
They aren't bad, are they? I saw another one in the wild the other day. Would prefer a few more features than this base model, personally, but it was still pretty good.
A colleague at work had an executive model in the late 80s , a really good looking car and a surprisingly good drive . I often see a similar Mazda 626 of the same vintage in my area .
We do like the GL Executives on this channel, sir! Most agreeable... I agree, even this base model is quite smart and nice to drive. We like Mazda 626s as well.
Very popular as taxis in the Midlands back in the 90s.
MR Lloyd strange spec, the Peugeot 405 GLD had manual windows and mirrors, but had an electric sunroof and central locking too.
When I sold my Executive back in 1997, the phone went mad with Leicester taxi drivers, as the Executive was their holy grail
@@badbooks476
I can well believe that 👍
Did you just refer to a forbidden fuel vehicle, sir?
We do like the GL Executive, sir...
@@lloydvehicleconsulting forgot the GL bit Sir, taxi drivers did like petrols back in 1997
Always remember them as taxis and all in that same colour seat fabric has stood the test of time,excellent work sir.
Yes indeed, sir! That fabric does seem to have held up quite well, doesn't it? It was a challenging filming session, but we made it through there.
Always quite liked that shape Carina
It's pretty brilliant, isn't it?
@@lloydvehicleconsulting it's a nice design almost European, I now remember a next door neighbor had one in the same grey colour too
@@stuartsaunders4518 , yes, it certainly is pleasant and modern for the era.
Got a 1984 Carina II and it is as reliable as a 1980's Mercedes. Smooth 1.6 carb engine (8V), good view, excellent build quality. So, an excellent 'no budget' choice indeed.
Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting! Yes, the Carina IIs were very well made for something from the mid 1980s. These engines were very reliable for their time.
Not seen one of those for a very long time.
My friend's dad had the later Carina E as a company car.
That is right, the Carina II is quite rare these days! I remember the Carina Es as well.
Still driving a 96' carina e, getting it inspected for 2 more years in a week or so. hoping to keep it alive til it's 30years :)
@@Brzeczyszczykiewicz1 , Carinas are getting rare now, I hope that yours passes its inspection.
I remember the 2.0 had the oil filter up front & very easily accessible. On my lift back, I once got a 3 seater settee in the back, with the boot tied down on top. Toyota called the Sunroof a 🌙 Moonroof
Yes, the boot on these looks absolutely huge! The "moonroof" was invaluable on the day we were filming, as there was no air conditioning in the 31C heat...
@@lloydvehicleconsulting we are certainly spoilt with AC on modern cars
Indeed, sir!
A most interesting car. Thanks for this video. In New Zealand this was called a Corona (Except for the odd Japanese Import - usually diesel - called a Carina, which had wider headlights.). We never had a 1.6 one, just 1.8 and 2.0 petrol. Used to be very popular and common here, now very rare since the punitive WOFs on pre-2000 cars kicked in.
Ah yes, sir! The good old Warrant of Fitness. I gather that many older cars don't stand up well to those.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting Not now... Especially given the current Government wants to modernize all New Zealand vehicles and make everyone go electric...
What a surprise, sir...
These old japanese cars come from an era of well built.. easy to drive.. comfortable chariots,the nissan bluebird and mitsubishi galant were other nice offerings but a long while since ive seen one of these nor an early corolla.
Oh yes, we absolutely loved this old Carina II! They aren't exactly common, so I was grateful to have had a go in this. A Nissan Bluebird is on my radar for Sensible Secondhand Classics, and would love to do a Galant as well.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting Bluebird like a sofa on wheels..keep up the good work.
@@darthgardner , thank you, more No Budget Reviews episodes coming soon!
Looks nice and ith those wheels on it I reckon. It always amused me how cars back in the 90's made a big show of being 16 valve too! I always remember looking longingly at my neighbours Nova in the 90's with its shiny '16v' chrome decal on the back, so I guess they were doing something right. It certainly sounded cool when I was a kid! 😂
Yes, the wheels actually suit it quite well. People loved showing off that the car had a 16 valve engine, didn't they?
The standard wheels it came on had pretty dangerous bald tyres, I had these laying around with plenty of tread and they have a 20mm wider contact patch too, improved the drive a lot in my opinion
@@B8zey155 , the current wheels suit it very well, and it does drive well on them!
Your neighbour loved an engine swap or fake badges then, no Nova’s came out the factory 16v
@@Leathersladekitchen it might have been fake or it might have said 12v or something? It impressed me at the time either way 😂
Not seen one of these for many years, great condition
It is indeed quite a rare car now! It was most enjoyable to drive too...
The gentleman creates nice reviews
Thank you very much indeed for watching and commenting.
my parents old neigbourghs had an Carina II 2,0 GLI in gray but I think it's wierd that GB didn't get the 1,6 with a fuel injection because by october 1st 1990 there were enacted new EU rules that demanded catalyst converters and the XL wasn't a cat
It was actually January 1993 which mandated catalysts in the European Union for Euro I emissions regulations. Lada, for example, actually didn't introduce fuel injection, for example, and tried running catalysts on cars with cars with carburettors, which didn't go well. Nissan also had a few cars with catalysts and carburettors as late as 1994 (I drove one on the channel last year). Those were more successful, but by the time that Euro II regulations came in for 1997, all Nissans had fuel injection, and Lada had pulled out of the UK market. Thank you ever so much indeed for watching!
Marvellous video once again sir! keep up the good work
We aim to please, sir! More nostalgic No Budget Reviews coming up soon.
Lovely car, alot more modern than the previous generation Carina II, which was a rebadged Corona for Europe, I miss my 1989 Carina II
Yes sir, it was pretty good, actually. The lack of handbrake makes for interesting driving in traffic, though...
@@lloydvehicleconsulting Character building Sir
@@badbooks476 , my clutch control certainly improved. sir...
@@badbooks476 i drive a 1987 toyota carina II DX now
@@tommymack3210 Wow credit to you, proper engineered to last and fix with spanner’s rather than a computer
just purchased a 1992 GLI version today, so if you want to try the GL version with the injected 3SFE 2.0L come to Switzerland ;)
That's ever so kind, would love to travel to Switzerland at some point! Sounds like a great car too.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting offers there anytime :)
@@tramlink8544 , thank you ever so much indeed!
What could Ford, Vauxhall and Rover do other than hate this car. It was roomier and quieter than a Sierra. It was better equipped and tougher than a Cavalier. It was far more modern and a smoother drive
than a Montego and less expensive while having more standard equipment than a Rover 600. Only in 2.0 litre form would the Sierra, Cavalier or Montego offer a genuine rival. The Carina will always be a better drive.
It wasn't bad, sir, was it, sir? Not sure if it was roomier than a Sierra, as I didn't manage to get in the back. The 600 was sold alongside the Carina E, but I suppose that this may have been a better car than one of those.
All of these type of cars are great and I've had a handful of them. However, the only downside to cars of this generation is the low safety rating - if in accident it would be lethal 😞
Oh, I tried not to think about it when driving. Thank you ever so much indeed for watching and commenting, these are rare cars now.
The power output of this Carina really brings home just how backward that 1.6 Cavalier truly was. Toyota were a very conservative and conventional engineering company at the time, and even they were putting out 1.6 engines with near-100bhp output, with carb.
These, Bluebirds and Accords of the era were light-years ahead of the European stuff of the time for reliability and build quality. Take the rust out of the equation and they pretty much run indefinitely.
Yes, the 1990 P10 Primera that I reviewed back in 2019 (which had the engine out of a Bluebird) felt really far ahead of something like a Sierra, sort of similar to one of these, actually. The 1.6 Cavalier I drove recently was a bit slow, would have preferred a bigger engine. Just need to drive an Accord and a Bluebird now. The chronic rust was a bit of a problem!
Agreed, strange that Mid 1980’s mk2 Astra 1.3 carb engines were 75bhp
@@badbooks476 , yes, it does seem a bit unimpressive, doesn't it?
I like the ’unburstability’ of the these Carina II s. Handbrake notwithstanding on this example of course. Curvy dashboards like this started appearing on Japanese cars around 1987.
We do like them, sir! I need to drive a more luxurious model for the full experience, though.
I had one and used it as a towcar 35,mpg towing a caravan. I was really bland and blew up 600 miles from home towing the caravan. Rac fitted a new hose and all good , boring but decent. If your rev it it picks up at 6k revs till the limiter soon after
That's quite a convenient repair! Yes, they were seen as being quite bland at the time, I think. I would now like to try a 2.0 GL Executive and see if that does pick up at 6,000 rpm.
They make peak power at 6200 rpm and they dont have a limiter 🤷♂️
2.0 exec probably doe shave a limiter
@@B8zey155 , that sounds interesting...
Oohh.. this is a difficult one.. this carina 2. Or the carina E.. what do i like more… i think this car have more karakter. But the carina E is more a pretty car… i do think cars from the 80s and 1990 to 1991 have more karakter than the modern cars… This was the rival of the mazda 626 1991. Even that’s hard to choose
The dashboard looks almost the same as the mazda 626 from 1991 it’s like they share the dashboard
Yes, similar dashboard to that generation of 626, isn't it? I did quite like it. I prefer the design of this to a Carina E, but that isn't too bad either. Lots and lots of character to this one.
@@lloydvehicleconsulting i have that the same with the 626 from this generation. I like the 2 later 626’s allot. But the 1991 626 is also the one with allot of karakter. It’s like they put more attention to it. Inside and outside
@@jdnrotterdam2150 , we do like Mazda 626s on this channel. We may actually have one coming up soon...
@@lloydvehicleconsulting o dear Christmas is early than!
I have never seen any appeal of Toyota's apart from the wonderful MR2 a real ledgend in its own right. And the hil lux truck .
We should probably try to get one of those MR-2s on the channel at some point....
The GL models had 4 elec windows and more velvety seats, i preferred the shape of this model than the carina e, which had an awful back end! Many family and friends had these cars and they also were very popular (along with the bluebird) as taxi/minicabs........................when they were 6-7 years old!! (thats saying something).
Yes, for some reason this is a more aesthetically pleasing design, isn't it? I do like a bit of luxury, and this was well appointed, but a GL Executive would have been nice. They did seem to be a few around back in the day, didn't there?
Not all GL models had electric windows though, as my old saloon had colour coded bumpers but still windy windows.
This one however has neither but I like it 🤷♂️
@@B8zey155 ok...................as far as i can remember E reg, F reg, and G reg 1.6GL's that family and friends had all had elec windows (uk spec)...........
@@B8zey155 , GL Executive it is for me, then!
@@trabali5168 I know, it was very strange, it was a 1989 F646 SWS
The one in this video is mine now, it's much less rusty but I do wish it had electric windows. It's a decent car and hasnt let me down once though.
This car should have been cleared out first, in respect to your viewers.
Best ever I've ever owned.
It's sometimes not possible for a variety of different reasons.
Nic car
Glad you enjoyed it!