Is there a reason that I don't see a bunch of E100(AE102) Corollas built to be a "fun" car?

There should be a reason that I must be missing right? This is me "armchair building" a car while I'm over here enjoying my AW11 but wishing I had a little more storage space and a backseat for my kiddo in the "fun car".

They seem dirt cheap, can even be had in wagon form, parts are easy to get, and (I'm theorizing here, I've never done it) take your pick of 4A based powerplants to choose from. Even easier since you don't have to convert a FWD to RWD like in the AW11s. I've stuffed a 20 valve in an AW11, one AE86, and one FX16, a more modern chassis might have some more complicated wiring, but I'm sure it's not impossible.

From a quick web search and one forum post (so, pretty much an expert), it sounds like the 8th generation shares the same underpinnings, which gives you some basic suspension upgrade options. And I'm not talking about a competitive track car, just a fun commuter runabout that can handle itself and not be a wallowing boat at an AutoX or on a weekend cruise that makes all of the right noises.

They can even look downright cool on the right wheels and cleaned up. I'd never expect it to deliver the same feeling that the AW11 does, but it seems like they could still handle themselves out there in the world if given the chance. I believe in you, little econobox.

If it's anything like other Toyota's of that era, the steering feel is terrible, the brakes are insufficient and the handling is mediocre. 
They do look ok with wheels and proper stance but most cars do. 
The equivalent Mazda 323 or Protege was more fun to drive 

There was a tnia instructor that had one at njmp last year.

There is a manual 4afe powered one near me for cheap I have been contemplating for rallyx instead of using my Fiat 500 and it's tempting. On paper the 4AFE is not that far off from my 4AGE FX16 but I know the reality will be different. 

I also think a 5efe powered Tercel would actually get you better HP to weight than a E100 but it's also small bore long stroke so probably not very fun to drive ? And I'm not sure in the handling department. 

I think I would go with a E90 Geo Prizm GSi (factory 4age) sleeper 

The problem is for the same money you can buy a similar vintage civic or integra.  They have a more sophisticated suspension design and offer far more options in the powertrain department.

If you want to be different and have a 90's econobox buy a g20 or a protege.  Those Corollas epitomize beige appliance in my opinion.

rust?

pimpm3 (Forum Supporter) said:

The problem is for the same money you can buy a similar vintage civic or integra.  They have a more sophisticated suspension design and offer far more options in the powertrain department.

If you want to be different and have a 90's econobox buy a g20 or a protege.  Those Corollas epitomize beige appliance in my opinion.

This... I had a very pleasant 1990 Geo Prizm Lsi for many years as a daily. The 4Afe and 5 speed wiith a few mods to make it a bit more fun. springs, wheels/tires, strut bar, MOMO steering  wheel just mostly stuff I had laying around left over from my Civic track car project. Took the Prizm out on track at CMP once. It lasted 3 laps before I went off in 12 because the brakes said Ba-Bye from  heated drums. I stuck to taking the Civic on track from then on.  Neat car but other econo boxes from the era are more engaging.  Maybe if I had a Gsi I would think different.

Not a E100 owner but I bought an AE110 brand new in 2001. they have similar underpinnings, I know when I bought a new set of wheels at the dealership for this car another salesman bought the original wheels (factory alloys) from me and installed them on his ae100. From 2000 and up they had standard VVTI which gave a 5 hp bump but the real benefit was it didn't run out of breath over 4500 rpm like the ae100 engines did and it made them significantly faster as a result. Mind you they were never fast, just faster than the previous gen. koni yellows are available for the AE110 and really make it handle well. I ran in H-stock auto-x for four years in the early 2000's and was able to take home the regional championship two of those four years with that setup. Better brake pads also make braking much more positive.

There used to be a pretty busy forum full of 8th gen enthusiasts, but I think it went away about 10 years ago.

The stats that convinced me to purchase mine were the weight and the power.  2400lbs and 125 bhp 125 ft-lb. If you get wider tires like I did, the stock springs are a bit soft and you should either cut or roll the rear fenders to prevent contact. If you want to lower it, I recommend H&R sport springs, and that's what I have installed currently. I also think the best looking FWD Corolla is the 2001-2002 model, period. I am biased though. They got to be too bulbous with the redesign in 2003.

That's how I know I belong here, I modded whats basically a grandmas car and I'm still enthusiastic about it almost 20 years later. Last weekend I put new motor mounts in it, the originals were trashed. Also, only buy the 5-speed. The automatics are just plain boring.

gunner (Forum Supporter) said:

Not a E100 owner but I bought an AE110 brand new in 2001. they have similar underpinnings, I know when I bought a new set of wheels at the dealership for this car another salesman bought the original wheels (factory alloys) from me and installed them on his ae100. From 2000 and up they had standard VVTI which gave a 5 hp bump but the real benefit was it didn't run out of breath over 4500 rpm like the ae100 engines did and it made them significantly faster as a result. Mind you they were never fast, just faster than the previous gen. koni yellows are available for the AE110 and really make it handle well. I ran in H-stock auto-x for four years in the early 2000's and was able to take home the regional championship two of those four years with that setup. Better brake pads also make braking much more positive.

There used to be a pretty busy forum full of 8th gen enthusiasts, but I think it went away about 10 years ago.

The stats that convinced me to purchase mine were the weight and the power.  2400lbs and 125 bhp 125 ft-lb. If you get wider tires like I did, the stock springs are a bit soft and you should either cut or roll the rear fenders to prevent contact. If you want to lower it, I recommend H&R sport springs, and that's what I have installed currently. I also think the best looking FWD Corolla is the 2001-2002 model, period. I am biased though. They got to be too bulbous with the redesign in 2003.

That's how I know I belong here, I modded whats basically a grandmas car and I'm still enthusiastic about it almost 20 years later. Last weekend I put new motor mounts in it, the originals were trashed. Also, only buy the 5-speed. The automatics are just plain boring.

I'm just saying...

Didn't think I had any pics besides my avatar and the one in my GRM garage but I managed to find one on my hard drive.

Edit: I forgot about the TRD rear lip spoiler I bought on a corolla forum back in like 2006. It was the right color and everything. Because race car. ;)

I dig the E36 M3 out of that. A modest car with lowering springs, wheels, and a rear spoiler and now you have a nice driver that turns heads.

I feel like the fact that a car feels like an appliance and is generally regarded as a lackluster vehicle hasn't ever stopped any GRM'er from flogging the living crap out of it. It almost feels like one of the core values of the magazine.

I've driven a few Civics from that era, nothing totally stock, but I gotta think that a factory 94 Civic sedan is pretty boring. I guess they have the upper hand of suspension design, but I wonder when that really starts to matter in this particular case of armchair building a car. Suspension go fast bits are more plentiful, sure. But do we need billet rear control arms and double front wishbones to have fun?

Gunner, I saw your post come up in another thread when I was researching this, thanks for chiming in!

A cheap beige appliance wagon with room for kid cargo, ITB's, flatter cornering, and Toyota reliability, maybe that's just the "working from home with my 8 month old now for three weeks" brain talking, but that sounds pretty damn good.

They are not all bad. In South Africa the AE110 was available with the 20V 4AGE. In production  car racing it was pretty much evenly matched with the Honda civics.

It's nice to see the love for the 8th gen. I always felt like there should have been an XRS version in 2000 and up in the U.S. I actually traded a 99 civic sedan for it. It was a 5 speed as well, GX I think? It was the 105 hp version. What kind of made me laugh when I learned it, was that excluding the Si the highest power civic was 125hp just like the corolla. The reason I didn't buy an Si was that at the time (in 1999) they were 2 door only and we were pregnant with our first child so I needed a 4 door. Anyway, What I figured out owning both cars within basically the same generation of them is that Hondas are very precise machines that are well built. Toyotas are overbuilt machines that are engineered to last a long time. Both are designed to be easily worked on by the average home mechanic in their driveway. I really don't feel like the suspension design is that superior in the honda with the double wishbone up front, at least in the civic. Maybe much more horsepower would change my mind.

When I rolled the fenders for the bigger wheels more than 10 years ago, I cracked the paint and now have rust in the rear fenders, which is giving me an itch to cut them up and install those black ABS flares. We shall see.