Toyota Starlet 1.3i Sport. A lustrum full of fun and confidence

Auto Motor Klassiek » Articles » Toyota Starlet 1.3i Sport. A lustrum full of fun and confidence
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The sounds of Waterstad FM reverberate from the tinny speakers in the Starlet. A beautiful, watery sun boosts the mood aboard the 27-year-old Toyota. I'm having a good time in the dog-loyal Japanese, who is celebrating a real lustrum with us this year. The day couldn't start better.

The red Toyota has passed the periodic inspection again without significant technical hassle. Of course: some particles can get a bit worn. Or they are affected by the brown monster, which sometimes retires off-duty parts. Despite some anti-rust treatments and repair work, which went well thanks to Auto Verhaag, the necessary in-house industry and the damage repairer on the corner, rust remains a point of attention in a car of 27 years young. The sills have been addressed, and now the chassis beams were asking for a little help and a fresh coat of tectyl. Nothing new under the sun, but keep up with it. If you don't, things will quickly disappear from you.

However, in terms of technical reliability, the Toyota Starlet cannot be kept up with. Few modern cars are as reliable as this Toyota, which has defined the definition of technical quality for almost 260.000 kilometers and 27 years. Also during the turn with MOT at the extremely expert men of Auto Verhaag it turns out again. A check on valve clearance is for the shape, because that phenomenon hardly occurs. The oil is still nice and clean, the coolant comes back neatly through the engine and radiator after every lap, where not a drop of condensation is visible. Or an oil film, which can indicate starting problems with the head. None of that.

The thermostat had come to an end, the cooling water temperature gauge fluctuated quite a bit between 50 and 90 degrees. A new part costing less than two bucks ensures that the temperature management of the extremely strong 2E-E twelve-valve remains stable, and thus unnecessary engine wear is prevented, insofar as wear of this Toyota technology is possible. It is exactly as Daniël Verhaag put it so beautifully: “Invest in the Opel? From now on, don't do it anymore, spend that money on the Toyota. And then you're left with too." Ron Moës has also told me several times. And I listen to them, I take them very seriously. Because business sense.

Of course there is fresh fruit in the form of oil and a few filters. And speaking of fresh: the technique feels fresh, shifting is still precise and without noticeable play, De nothing to worry about just keeps doing what it has to do. Extremely sober, without tempting him, but he does his job faithfully. And speaking of dog loyalty: the Starlet likes to be let out every now and then. Just stretch your legs, and after a good warm-up show how fit he still is.

I wrote more often about my Toyota Starlet 1.3i Sport. He regularly helped us out, especially when the car for daily use had cures. Yes. I had that at the Citroën, who after more than two hundred thousand indicated that he had had enough and that he wanted to celebrate his retirement Eastwards. That goodbye was hard. The Lancia? Admired up to and including, until suddenly a quote of €4.000 in repair costs came up. Even with his Dutch pension now, he is spending his days in Greece. And the current family car? The Opel has just completed 150.000 km, drives excellently, but again it is the technology that will not prevent an early goodbye. The cake is done, already. Don't think I treat the cars like an animal. On the contrary. Maintenance, keep the liquids at the right temperature, you name it: I have cherished every four-wheeler I have since obtaining my driver's license, certainly in a technical sense. Not only in word, but also in deed.

I certainly do at the Starlet. The hassle-free has of course taken some money out of the budget last lustrum. Especially for regular maintenance, with the occasional repair of wear parts, or the renewal of a piece of brake line. Yes, during the first year some deferred maintenance had to be fixed. With love† But other than that, this little thing is so good, and no car so far has given me more pleasure than the Toyota. Not only because you can always rely on it, but also because of the firm and playful behavior he shows along the way. It's on the way, with the 27-year-old also whistling along.

Recently I noticed it again. A glowing engine management light from the family car directed me toward the Starlet, 60 kilometers away for an appointment. The light was annoying, the prospect of a nice ride with the Starlet was not. The sun shone peacefully, the Toyota crowed with joy, skipping its tight damping to the beat of a beautiful day ahead. With the anti-establishment that is establishment in everything. Because the Starlet puts almost every fellow road user in the shadow of its compact dimensions in terms of reliability.

In all his modesty he still makes me happy. He always offers a solution. And is more than a reservist. Ordinary. Because he does what is asked of him. And he likes to do that, as long as you give him a little TLC. He is twenty-seven years young. And well on the way to the international classic age. With ease like you rarely see. He still has so much to do. He's ready. This Toyota is far from ready for a tone lower. The Starlet is my best buy ever.

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9 comments

  1. Until last December a Subaru Forrester from 1999 (without Turbo) driven with 479.000 km. Unfortunately I put him in the crash barrier through my own fault and it was over for this Primal Jap!
    The current petrol costs and our retirement behavior have made us decide to continue driving (max 3-4 thousand per year) with our second car a Daihatsu Cuore from 2004 with now 176.000 km
    Both cars have always been well maintained and drove/drive without any problems.
    Nice detail, both neighbors drive a large (petrol) Audi and sometimes have some expenses (smiles!)…

    • They are certainly as reliable as a Toyota,.. besides they have been working together for decades 😉 What can possibly be remarked on is due to the users, especially the sporty variants cause problems according to the users, ... or are they abusers ?

  2. I am suddenly very curious whether the Subaru's and Daihatsu's are equally reliable, because they are now both under the wing of Toyota?

  3. Peter, I also had a corolla from December 1998. Admittedly one with the ancient naturally aspirated diesel engine. Very reliable car, 4 people learned to drive and that thing kept going. Said goodbye in November 2019 after 230.000 km of driving because it was becoming increasingly difficult to avoid the LEZ zones. The car went on the boat to which country? Now a Toyota Verso 1,6d engine developed by BMW (mini) and the PSA group. Already 4x oil smell in the interior, each time remedied by replacing a seal of the injection of the same cylinder. Garage doesn't know a solution. The car has only 125.000 km. This is no longer Toyota worthy!

    • BMW and PSA would do better to put a Toyota engine in one of their models. But Toyota also has its lesser models, unfortunately.

      My Corolla (gasoline) has now completed over 218.000 km and does not seem to have any intention of stopping anytime soon.

    • Toyota has stopped developing diesel technology, the last version genuine Toyota diesel that is still available in the Netherlands (1 and 2 GD-FTV, 2.8 and 2.4 liters) is in the Hi-Lux, the rest is indeed purchased from third parties.

  4. I couldn't have said it better. I used to buy a different car every 10 years because the costs were too high. But in 1990, after purchasing my Starlet 1.3 XLI, a much more reliable car came and after 32 years I can now say: great, what a reassurance that thing is in my costs, I do all the maintenance myself, tires, battery, oil change and what is usual and it continues to drive like “new” after 177000 km. Other manufacturers can learn a lot from Toyota 🤗🤗

  5. I now have a 1998 Corolla, with more or less the same engine, I thought. Runs pretty nice and cheap so far. It also seems to be very rusty.

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