(first posted 8/20/2013) The good old Toyota golden years, when the Corolla could still got one’s blood moving instead of inducing narcolepsy. If it wasn’t the legendary AE-86, or the offshoot MR2, there were other goodies too, if a bit more obscure. Like this Corolla FX16. The hot little rwd Corollas coupes had been kept on after the first fwd sedans appeared in 1984. but in a brief two-year window before the next generation arrived, Toyota also sent us its first hot fwd hatch, the jdm/euro style FX16. And it acquitted itself just fine. With the immortal 4A-GE engine under the hood, this was Toyota’s answer to the VW GTI, even if a very brief one. And quite a good one too, at that.
I suppose one could say that the FX16 were the equivalent of the Honda Civic Si hatchback that was “imported” from England for a few years recently, from 2002 to 2005. The euro-style hatchback was not really part of the US Corolla tradition, and the stubby FX only lasted a couple of years before the next generation (E90) swept it away again. But it left an indelible (literally) impression.
These were the glory years of the hot small four cylinder engines from Japan, when Toyota and Honda competed with hi-po engines, not hybrids. The 4A-GE spun out all of 112 hp in US tune, but then these cars were light, and the frame of reference was different. And although they obviously had no future as drifters like its rwd Corolla brothers, the FX16 largely resolved the big concern about handling: would it be ruined by going to wrong wheel drive?
The answer was no, and quite enthusiastically so. It wasn’t exactly the same as the classic rear-wheelers, but highly competent and amusing indeed. These cars were very happy indeed carving through tight canyons and such. If one was looking for a perfect blend of an affordable dead-reliable and efficient commuter car combined with weekend fun, the FX 16 was as good as a choice as there was at the time.
Corollas of this vintage are legendary indeed for their ability to keep going, and not show it. This interior typifies that: twenty-five years old, and looking mighty intact still. That’s what makes them nigh-near immortal; at least on the West Coast. I challenge anyone to prove that there was a more all-round reliable and durable small car than the E80 Corollas. Maybe the Civic.
And in the case of the Corolla FX16, the fun factor is as strong as the durability factor. If only that were a bit more so today.
One of the few Toyotas I’ve yet to own. I looked at a Starlet a while back but it needed too much work for the asking price. Can’t wait to move back to Eugene where these dinosaurs still roam!
i was wandering what a 87 corolla fx16 would be worthe
I’ve got a 1987 Toyota Corolla GTi 16. I was told it could be the only one in North America. My question is, what is something like this worth? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Jeff
How much you asking for and where are you located ?
I love my little 87 FX-16… daily driver still purrs sweet and loves to cruise the highway… 257K miles and still going strong.
I own a red 1987 Toyota FX 16. I bought it new and it is the only car I have driven for 28 years. It was driven quite a bit until my husband passed away in 1993. I drive very little, It only has 87 thousand miles. Love my Lil Red.
Still have the fx?
Mrs. Walters, if your little red Toyota Corolla is available for sale I would love to see if and possibly buy it. My name is Hollie and my number is 832-494-8612 Thank you!
I have an 87 fx 16 would you like to buy it? lbuc1947@gmail.com
Have you sold it yet?
I still have my fx 16. Just got it back on the road. How much you give me for it?
I have one for sell I’m in mn it’s all original except the alternator that I just put in a few days ago
I would like to discus more about your car before I purchase
Please forward infor to marcuswoon@yahoo.com
Thanks
That’s what I thought, the FX series and the closest thing to it at the time was the Civic based CR-X.
Too bad that Toyota and Honda to a lesser extent today don’t exhibit the fun factor of these older subcompacts.
I had a 1983 Civic 1500DX with the 5spd hatch and even with 67HP, it was one fun little car and it got me through 6 years of reliable ownership and lots of driving. Put some 70K in that time frame. The only thing that upset the apple car was it got rear ended in late summer of ’97 and it soldiered on for another year or so before I sold it in late 1998 leaking water and the car being a tad stubborn when cold upon first start up.
I still see these from time to time up this way but not too often as most by now have either been worn out or totaled or something in the intervening years. I still see plenty of Toyotas from this vintage and a bit earlier a fair amount around here still, thanks to a lack of rust.
Weren’t the 1987 Toyota Corolla FX/FX16 Front Wheel Drive 3 Door Hatchbacks based on the 4 Door Sedans and 5 Door Hatchbacks (much like the badged engineered Chevy Novas) which were phased in back on 1984 and NOT Rear Wheel Drives just like the AE-86 based 2 & 3 Door Corolla Coupes?
Yes; is that not clear in the article?
“The hot little rwd Corollas coupes had been kept on after the first fwd sedans appeared in 1984. but in a brief two-year window before the next generation arrived, Toyota also sent us its first hot fwd hatch, the jdm/euro style FX/FX 16”.
Pedro,
Don’t know if you were aware but by the mid 1980’s, with very few exceptions, almost all small A through C segment cars were FWD, heck even some D segment (mid-sized cars) were FWD but even there, RWD were still common with the likes of BMW etc and some American muscle cars.
I saw one of these in the last week…remember wishing I’d had the camera along. It was red too – I suspect a high percentage of them were – and looked to be in decent shape.
I test-drove one of these when I bought my ’87 Celica GT, and it was a hot little street-fighter. A little too punk rock for me, I was in love with that sleek Celica.
Interesting dynamic for Toyota at the time, offering Celica, Supra, MR2, AE86 and FX16 all at once. I’d like to see how they saw the different drivers these five different cars would appeal to. Must have been some ferocious inter-team battling.
This FX16 has quite a bit of shine for a 25-year-old red car. Another benefit of Eugene’s persistent overcast.
I drove a red FX16 a few times years ago, “punk rock” is definitely the right adjective. A blast when you’re in the mood to play, but a real drag when you have to get somewhere and you have a headache and a whiny passenger.
The only Toyota I really would love to own is the 2nd gen Supra. The couple I’ve driven were really nice cars.
Concur, those Supras were almost proper pony cars…
I bought a new ’83 GTI, and figured out a few years later that the FX16 was a better performer.
I saw one of these in the past year sitting outside of a tuner’s shop. It was in similar condition to the one above, but it wasn’t clear if it is still in use or not. It had about 280,000 miles showing on the odometer though, so I suppose it can be forgiven if the CARB SMOG check assault on our property rights rendered it a yard ornament.
Car and Driver has their original test of the FX16 available on line. It is worth a read because it shows that people were starting to figure out that Toyota had engineering chops that GM and VW could only dream of even 25 years ago.
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/car/archive/toyota_corolla_fx16_gt-s-archived_road_test
Oddly enough these were not sold in Canada. Considering we generally like small cars and hatchbacks it is a curious omission.
This body and chassis was sold ( and built?) until a few years ago in South Africa. Called the Tazz, it was Toyota’s cheapest offering, competing against the VW MK1 Golf-based CitiGolf. It scored over the Citi by being offered with air conditioning, but from what I remember of renting them during visits to Cape Town, the chassis was a real dog to drive. I’d like to know what Toyota did to the FX16, besides the 112 h.p. engine, to make this hatch “Hot”.
It’s all in the details, like the quality of the shocks, tires, etc., which were all top notch for the US built FX16. Read the C/D review of it that CJinSD linked to a couple of comments up.
The Corolla was built globally in many variations; the FX16 was one of the very best, within the Corolla family as well as against the competition.
Nope, the tazz was based on the corolla AFTER this one, the 88 model. And while the rental spec might have been dull, the tazz sport was a fun little car. My wife had one up until a few months ago when we replaced the tazz with a jazz…. ( honda fit )
What a difference styling makes, I’ll bet that is not much heavier that its contemporary Civic, but it looks much heavier than the slim little glass box 84-90 Civic 3 door hatches, I always liked the clean looks of that generation Civic, this is ok, but it looks like a Japanese copy of a Golf GTI.
The later E90 was available with 2.0 Corona engine to continue the hot hatch theme but probably only JDM, some have emigrated to Gods Green island however.
A high school friend had one of these, in the ubiquitous Toyota SunFade Red. Absolutely bulletproof – I still see it around town years after my friend got rid of it. But, gosh, what a dumpy-looking car. My dad’s ’88 Civic DX hatch looked positively sporty next to these, even though the paper differences were minimal.
Look at that interior. The shift boot. The driver’s seat. Is there anything out there being made today that one would think will still be in this good of shape 25 years from now?
Well, I don’t know for sure about anything made today, but the interior of my ’98 Frontier (built in Nov. 1997) looks as good at that Corolla’s. We’ll have to see in only 11 more years!
I think this is my neighbor’s car, now driven by their high school age son.
Is it a “hot hatch” like the GTI?
I think my Fit is about the closest thing to it today.
Bravo!!
One of the greatest cars I should’ve bought. Back in 1987 I wrecked my Cordoba and had to go rental until my insurance money came in for the wreck. I rented an FX and LOVED IT!!
What a great car.
So, what did I replace the Cordoba with?
A 1982 Buick Riviera. The second WORST car I ever had. My 74 Comet was the worst.
i am an Idiot!!
Hi. My father recently passed away and now I have an 87 corolla gt-s. FX16. Dad was a master mechanic/machinist and had installed a new engine last year. You could probably drive to china if needed. The vehicle is grey and has a CLEAN TITLE. If interested, I can be reached at 650-518 0350. I am in redwood city, ca.
Hello,
I know this was posted back in August, but is the car still available?
If so, how much are you asking for it?
Thanks for your time, I look forward to you reply.
Jesse
I am interested in buying this car let me know if your still salad and how much is it
How much you asking for, how many miles on it body and motor, automatic or standard and where exactly are you located at ?
The change in character was one more example of the Japanese misreading of the American market. They came out with the big-car-feeling Camry; and while it persuaded a whole satchel of former American-car owners, with numb steering and mushy ride, it wasn’t what Toyota’s customer base was looking for.
But Toyota, in Japan, couldn’t see that.
So…what’s followed is ever-more efficient interpretations of the small-car format…banana-shaped, to cheat the wind; electric power steering, for the geek factor and to avoid power losses off a hydraulic pump. Drive-by-wire because that’s where we’re heading for with emissions-standards requiring car computers…just do it. And of course, a ton or so of bags, buzzers, beams in doors.
What all that did, of course, is turn a zippy little car into a ponderous, numb travel chamber. Buyers still want it, because it delivers on value. But enthusiasts, or even people who want a responsive car, have to shop elsewhere.
Generally, these days, at the used-car lot.
1980s Hot Hatches. If you can find them, you can’t beat them! It’s a shame that a few midwest winters turned them to dust.
Many were also wrecked, which accounts for much of the attrition of many varieties of “hot” cars.
A buddy of mine had one of these. Sweet little car. He totaled it by running a red light and t-boning another car. Oh, and the other car was being driven by a sheriff’s deputy. Oh, and he was upside-down on his loan on the FX16, so his insurance check didn’t pay off his note. I’m sure Johnny wasn’t the only Einstein who found a creative way total one of these.
My good friend Keith had one of these, but not long. I guess I should give a little history about his previous cars. His first was a Fiat X1/9, then a Scirocco, an Olds Starfire (with Buick V6), Thunderbird Turbo Coupe and finally this FX16.
He had a white one, and the few times I drove it, I thought it OK. When I drove the car, I had just recently gotten my Mercury Capri 5.0L Sport Coupe, after having traded my Trans Am for it. I was a little power drunk with having access to those V8s, the DOHC motor may have had it’s charms, but I couldn’t see it.
One day, a new CRX shows up in my driveway, and who pops out but my buddy Keith. Normally, he’d beat the car to death and then get a new one, but this was maybe a year later and the littlest Honda had taken the FX16s place. I really don’t remember why he got rid of it so soon, but I thought the CRX a better choice.
The problem with these cars in the rust belt, especially in the metro areas that use tons of salt, is the body would disintegrate around the dead reliable mechanicals. It was into the 90’s before this changed.
The interior and exterior on that car is amazing. The lack of rust in your neck of the woods always amazes me.
These were fun cars. The fastest I have ever driven was behind the wheel of this FX16. Seen here @ one of the many rallys it was entered in. Currently my DD is a Scion xD which really reminds me of these cars.
Why do you think I drive a gen1 xB? Same hp; same weight. It’s the closest thing to a “classic” Toyota of the era.
The Corolla would probably outlast the Civic. Civics have a nasty habit of rusting out around the rear wheel wells. Atlhough the newer models of both cars don’t seem to be as well built as the older ones, especially in the interior.
Oddly, I bought my very first new car in late 1986, and cross-shopped this against a Golf GTI. The only thing I can recall about the experience was the utterly clueless Toyota salesman (in Bellevue, Washington) having near-zero knowledge of what he was selling. He was so fixated on the number “16” that he claimed at first that it was a “sixteen cylinder engine” which I found highly amusing. When I corrected him saying it only had four, he then said it had “sixteen valves per-cylinder.”
Honestly I thought it was an ugly car when compared to the VW. Since I was trading in my 6 year old Rabbit Diesel, which had run flawlessly for 150+k miles, I went with the GTI. Sadly it was the flabby Mk2 model then, but it still did me good with 100k trouble-free (though sadly NOT speeding ticket-free) driving.
I would have also looked at a Honda, had the Honda dealership not treated me with sneering disdain a few years before when I requested a test drive of a CRXsi. I’ve never looked at another Honda again ever since.
Chuck, I bought my first new car about a year before you, and got a black 85 GTI (first year of the Mk II). I enjoyed it, but mine must have been more troublesome than yours, as I had numerous warranty repairs during the first two years, including a water leak that kept soaking the rear floor that they could never solve. Mine was good for an indicated 114 mph flat out. Yours?
After 2 years, I stumbled across a 66 Fury III sedan with an honest and genuine 20K miles. I bought the Plymouth, sold the GTI, and solved 2 problems: No more payments, and got a much more reliable car.
Also like you, I went into a Honda dealer. After about ten minutes and not a single sales person coming up and asking if they could help me (nobody had another customer) I gave it ten more minutes. With no human contact at all, I walked out and that was it. I was not about to beg somebody to sell me one of his cars. I have gone to dealers for Honda parts, service and one new car since, but never at that dealership.
Chuck, the level of service at the Bellevue Toyota dealer hasn’t changed much in the intervening 25 years.
The dealer gave my dad one of these to drive in 1993 while they were getting his new truck ready, I rather liked it.
No one mentioned my GT-S!!! It had 185/60HR14s, firmer suspension, and a red stripe all the way around the beltline, which looked awesome on the woite paint. The FX16 GT-S had 110 hp as opposed to 112 (I had an automatic, and after having an AE86 for two years the FX felt lethargic on take-off, but soon got its breath once I was rolling). Wonderful little car. And built at the NUMMI plant, to boot.
Here it is…..
Nice car! The white paint with the red trim, alloys and monochrome bumpers is very sharp. What year is it? I had to add a red pinstripe to my white V50 last year. It looks good, but it took me most of a weekend to put it on.
Hi, I’m back. 1987. It was a real screamer, even with the automatic, once it hit 4800 rpm. Below that, it was in Camry territory, though. I traded it in on a Nissan Sentra SE-R when it had 83000 miles on it. Little did I know that I probably could have squeezed out another 200000 from it, but I was scared someone would screw something up when the timing belt was changed. Too OCD, I guess. Still am, a little.
i used to own one of these…pretty much nothing could beat it in a race, even in the stock trim…one time i raced a monte carlo ss and blew the doors off it, my corolla hit 147 mph at 7000 rpm in fourth gear…unfortunately, the car ended up having electrical problems with the ignition and the parts were either non-existant, or cost way too much to afford at the time, so i had to trade her
Great memories. This was my first car. Bought it spring quarter of my senior year at Virginia Tech with my job letter from IBM as my only credit documentation. I made one huge mistake by letting the dealer put in an aftermarket ASC sunroof. That was the only part of the car that gave me any trouble in over 5 years and 115k miles of ownership. I sold it for $2400 to a guy who exported it to his dealership in Costa Rica, said he’d probably get 10k for it there. I bet it’s still soldiering on in Latin America.
It easily reached 40 mpg on road trips, btw. Maybe because I was young, but the buzziness mentioned above never bothered me on my routine 3.5-4 hour trips to visit my gf.
I bought an 87 FX-16 for $650. Some minor issues, but overall a good deal.
The wheels alone probably cost more than what I paid for the car.
dude, if you ever want to sell it or trade it, im interested…email jason at jpoonilikit@aol.com…i got a 1997 grand am gt id probrably let go for the toyota
If i do ill let you know
sweet, i used to own one the fx 16’s, and unfortunately had to trade it due to it breaking down and me needing a car fast…been kicking myself ever since for that mistake….Grand am is a 1997 GT two door coupe with the 3100 v6 in decent shape, 91,000 miles and loads of new parts on it…it would be funny if the one you just bought is the one that i had to trade 6 years ago lol
It’s possible. I’m from California. What state are you from?
hey trevor, im in pittsburgh pa…let me know if youre interested in selling the corolla bro, email is jpoonilikit@aol.com
I drove an extremely rusted out of these in Chicago around 1996 – I loved every minute that I was behind the wheel.
I bought the first 87 FX-16 on the lot and still have it. It has indeed great handling and pep and that has saved my butt more than a few times over the years. It has a great feel for the road and that is something that few cars in its class today can make claim to. I maintained it well, and it only has 135,000 miles on it, and I expect it to carry on for some long time. Though parts may take a few days to get, not so much in Southern California. They only projected to manufacture 50,000 of these over a two year period but it was revised for a short time for the South Africa and Australia market a few years after US production, renamed the RUNX. I just could not restrain myself from buying one of those rare emblems on eBay!
I recently had the car repainted in Dupont’s Hot Rod Black (a matte finish), stripped off the decals and emblems, popped it a bit into the 21st century. Very cool, even the local Toyota dealership was wowed over. Folks have even asked me if it is one of those retro re-issues.
The Chevy plant in Fremont, California where they were produced is now exclusive home to Telsa!
Luckily for me, I still own one of these unique beauties. The picture was taken 2wks ago. I still see a couple every now and then in NC but I’m the only one with the gts. Pretty quick, but I’d like to have a 4age silver top or maybe a 2zzge. I am power hungry now and need more power.
I first bought my car in the summer of 2009 b/c I needed a car to go back to school after getting out of the service. I decided to type corolla fx16 gts in craigslist and it popped up. So I went to test drive it and took her home with me. Drives like a champ. When I bought her in 2009, she had 174k miles. Now, 3 yrs later, she has 196k. And she’s running even stronger.
A month ago, I went to wal mart to shop. When I came back to my car there was a note saying that if I want to sell her, then for me to call them. I was happy to know that there are still people out there who likes these vintage items.
My interiors are still really clean and I plan to do more work to the car. Maybe give it a nice paint, new struts, drop about 1 1/2in and many more. I’d like to keep her forever.
Awesome story! I had an old fx model that got smashed by a teenager on her phone but before that I also had someone leave me their buyer info 😊 I also got that one on Craigslist ☝️😲 The previous owner told me that his teenage son didn’t like it so that’s why he was selling it. The car had previously been sitting in a swamp for years before being recovered.
Not even a year later I see an fx16 go up for sale and I bribe the owner to hold it for me while I drop everything and drive 800 miles to California to pick it up the next day!
I spent around 5k restoring it so far and I plan to drop even more in the future. No regrets, no other car, just me and my fx16 now and until the day I die ha ha ha!
I had to say goodbye to the wrecked fx but before I let it go to junkyard heaven I took as much as I could and slapped it on the fx16 so it could liv on through this current chariot of awesome.
I bought an identical one recently here in FL, it’s near perfect bodywise and the bumper is red also in GT-S trim. The ground effects are red also, pretty cool looking overall. It appears that the red one posted is a GT; hence the lack of ground effects.
The interior is immaculate also, what a find! The only drawback is the auto trans. It even has the Eagle GT tires that these came with.
The head gasket was blown and I now have $900 into the head; I bought the car for $375. The old guy whom owned it said it’s damn fast! I should have the head back soon, I will likey also have the block gone over as #4 cylinder has some pitting. I’ve read that the 4AGE is not able to be overbored. Anyone know about these?
gasparillagarage@aol.com
Glad to hear that you got a hold of one. Really hard to come by now a days. I got mine for $1,700. I thought it was a great deal b/c nothing was wrong with mine. Mine is a 5 speed manual trans. It’s pretty sweet when the butterfly valves open at around 4,500rpm. Not only that, but redline at at 7,500rpm. During the time this engine came out, it was more sophisticated and had higher redline than most vehicles at the time. The t-vis that came with the engine is what people now call “(toyota) vvtl-i and (honda/acura)vtec.”
Since I got mine, I’ve replaced clutch, valve gasket, spark plugs, spark plug wires, water pump, timing belt, and stock intake to a short ram intake. It’s ok! I’ve raced and beaten several cars around the 140hp range. The 4age blue top engine is only rated around 108hp.
I just purchased an 1986 FX16 for $450.00 in Maine. Blue in color and very little rust. Needs a fuel pump relay which will be put in next week at a local import repair shop who will give it a complete once over as well. I Amtrak in and will be driving it 1500 miles back home. Looking forward to it.
Hi Hi I am trying to find out If You are still
Hi Hi I am trying to find out If You are Still Selling Toyoda crolla FXAnd how much you Want for it
Just picked a 1987 FX16?GTS on Craigslist, a little rust, 131,000 miles. Inside looks great and it sounds good. New tires on tomorrow. Should be fun.
Woudn’t that be an S-TG 61XF alloroC, according to your picture? And actually, also according to that picture, the wheels tell me that it is NOT a GT-S. No 14″ aluminum wheels. Doesn’t even look like it has the 4A-GE engine to make it the FX-16. Looks plain enough just to be a plain 70hp FX. Show proof wtherwise. I had a GT-S.
i have a 87 fx16 when i got it it had a blown head gasket it had set for 7 years i have replaced the head gasket and fuel pump and the injectors but i need some one to help me with the timing marks i lined the cam up on the center on top and the crank on top dead center and sill can’t get it to start up not sure if i have the dastributor set rite so if some one could help me out it would be apperciated greatly. i have had several people try to buy it but i want to drive it
I have owned a few FX16 GT-S’s in the past and my wife currently owns a 85 Corolla DLX 4 door hatchback with the FX16 GTS interior and front clip. We need new headlights, corner lenses, and front bumper. If anyone has a broken down Corolla FX, FX16, or FX16 GT-S or a parts car and would like to sell these parts please email me at airjer18@gmail.com
Also there is a forum online dedicated to these cars at AE82.net
That looks good! What are the taillights, all-red late Nova ones?
I have decided to sell my project FX16 GT-S car in rust free Florida. It looks like the headline car except it has full red ground effects. It’s on Ebay now and includes two manual transmissions with all parts required for a conversion (as my car is an automatic) and also a complete extra 4AGE 16 valve engine.
It is currently disassembled enginewise, though the head is completely rebuilt and the rest of the car is as built, and almost like new!
941-830-3137
gasparillagarage@aol.com
I want this car to go to a Corolla enthusiast; I have too many projects and a full schedule!
gasparillagarage@aol.com
I recall one of the magazines blasting this car over unpredictable handling — apparently it was not C&D after reading that. Maybe someone at R&T or Automobile got on the wrong end of “but we found it was much too easy to induce sharp oversteer by braking hard and long into a corner. In fact, the transition from under-steer to oversteer caused by overenthusiastic use of the brakes caught us by surprise the first few times”. But that’s me trying to remember an article I read a quarter century ago so get out your salt shaker.
It was Car and Driver, and it was in a hot hatch roundup. IIRC, this car finished something like 6th out of 9 or so exactly because of this handling quirk. They also said it was a delightful car that would finish much higher if it weren’t for this “blot on its resume”.
I clearly remember those details because this review came out just as I was getting ready to buy my first car. This review put me off the FX-16 at first but I test drove it anyway and found the handling to be just fine for my kind of driving. I concluded the C&D testers were much more aggressive with it than I would ever be, bought the car, and never had a problem with the handling.
In profile, it’s the gen II Gremlin if there ever was one!
Absolutely. I once drove right next to an elderly man driving the gremlin next to my fx in a grocery store parking lot and I said in amazement to myself, “Is that an corolla fx!?!?!”
Later I would identify the car I witnessed on a segment of Jay Leno’s garage where he and a Doug puppeteer showcased the iconic car from the past. I was jealous of it because it was even smaller than my fx. I might have traded the old man at the time to.
Glad I didn’t though. I’m a super fan of fx16 and there will never be a good enough substitute.
I got one of these as a rental from Enterprise back in 1989. With that company you occasionally would find unique cars, and I was shocked that they had a car available with a stick. They were equally shocked that I was willing to drive a manual in L.A. (I guess most of their customers weren’t), so were more than happy for me to take it (IIRC, they priced it in their lowest price band just to get someone to have it). That car was a blast to drive! Didn’t care much for the looks (it was white, which didn’t help), but the interior was very nice and high quality. And, DAMN was it quick.
These corollas and all corollas untill the mid to late ninties had the same issue rust would start in the dog leg or around the spot where the rear bumper met the wheel well and once started it was impossible to stop. My brothers and grandfather all had ae86 corollas with these issues as well as my 81 tercel and later my 91 corolla sedan. Road salt and salty moist air usually got them long before their mechanicals where worn out.
In 1986, Car and Driver reviewed the FX-16. In 2009, it reviewed the Corolla XRS sedan.
Here’s a comparison of the results —
FX16 GT-S / Corolla XRS
BHP: 108 / 158
Torque (lb.-ft.): 96 / 162
0-60: 9.8 seconds / 7.9 seconds
70-0: 206 ft / 175 ft
Skidpad: .77 g / .84 g
Price (2009 dollars): $23,500 (apx) / $22,755
The new car is better than the old one, it’s our expectations that have changed. Today, the Corolla would be compared (unfavorably) to the likes of cars such as the Mazdaspeed3 and Focus ST, which didn’t exist in the old days and that few people buy now.
Toyota hasn’t lost anything, it just hasn’t ventured upward into the compact high performance space where very few car buyers bother to go.
yes, those are nova taillights. Were now looking worldwide for regular corolla taillights to red out and install.
Some for sale locally 4k was the most optimistic one search trademe nz your bound to find some we are littered with Corollas.
I recently Just bought 87 fx16 gts. Its a great little car, I’m just not to familiar with “imports” I’m from Louisiana. I bought it for 950, I figured it was a good price for a running vehicle. I’m like one of the posters, I’m moee power hungry, mostly bc I came from a mustang gt to this. If anyone has any taillights or marker lights the would like to sell, let me know.
would you consider selling yr corolla fx16 if so contact me at 336-328-7351
I have an 87 Toyota Corolla FX16 GTS 5 speed that needs an air intake hose. If anyone has one they are willing to sell PLEASE contact me!
Logan I have a set of tail lights email me at rsribniak@yahoo.com
These were seriously nice sporty cars that were generally overlooked at the time. I very nearly bought a white one. I’d been looking at it for a week and when I went to buy it it was unavailable for some reason. Don’t remember if it was a test drive or what. Anyway, in a fit of annoyance I bought choice #2 that day…a 1987 Honda CRX Si…which certainly wasn’t a bad alternative! ^_^
We have a 1988 FX16, without GTS trim, manual transmission, with 207k on the odometer for sale. This is the last of a series of FXs that I owned since 1992 and I’ve decided to take it off the road because of the body deterioration. Our local body shop said that it could pass inspection with some welding and shaped sheet metal for about $900. He also put it on a lift and confirmed that the uni-body frame was strong; there were a couple of weldable holes in the floor, about one inch wide but other than that all was good.
Obviously for basic transportation, the money is better invested in a newer vehicle. Know, however, that this has been my everyday vehicle for the past decade and has been regularly maintained. Repairs were done as needed by a mechanic who specializes in Toyotas.
The engine is the standard FX16 AGELC DOHC engine which has 80k- 90k miles on it, and was put in the car 40k- 50k miles ago. It’s very strong although right now it’s been leaking some oil. Our mechanic has diagnosed it as needing a valve cover gasket and an engine pan gasket. (We didn’t do that repair because it didn’t make sense until got the body evaluation for coming annual inspection.) The clutch and transmission are also in good shape. The interior is OK, a couple of tears in the seat fabric, and it shows the general wear of its age. It also has the custom fit GTS front seats.
This could be a project car or it could be purchased simply for the engine which is the same one that Toyota had in the MR2 of that era. To revive it, know that there are FXs on craigslist that have reasonable bodies and sell for $500- $1000. (They’re obviously not available all the time but seem to come up every couple of months or so.) For either purpose, know that the car in it’s current condition is fully driveable. We’ll also include with the car a minor collection of FX parts that have accumulated over the years.
It doesn’t make sense for us to revive it but we’d much prefer it went to someone who will appreciate it and allow it, or its engine, to serve a new owner for many more years. There aren’t very many of these left on the road and of those that remain, they deserve to go on as long as they can.
Please email us with any questions and we’ll respond as soon as we can. Thanks.
Although at the time I was working just a few rewear exits of Interstate 880 from the factory, I had completely forgotten that these were built at NUMMI in Fremont. With all due respect to GM A/G Bodies, Pontiac Vibes, and Tesla’s, I think these are probably the coolest cars ever built there.
A decent B- effort from Toyota during a time when most of their products were well above average. The FX16 had a great engine and transmission, paired with average brakes resulting in a not so nice oversteer/understeer transition exasperated by excessive body roll. They were swift, but not easy to drive swiftly.
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a15141439/toyota-corolla-fx16-gt-s-archived-road-test/
There was a later large comparison test of something like 10-12 competitors C/D did after that review that placed the Corolla dead center mid-pack for the same reasons. The engine was the car’s saving grace that earned it that ranking. They also weren’t cheap relative to their peers, NUMMI built nonwithstanding.
Many years ago, I think about 1993, I was working in a language school in rural Japan. The job entailed a lot of driving to both corporate and branch schools. There were days I spent four hours bombing around rural Japan. Much of it at night in winter. Being so young at the time I didn’t think I’d get hopelessly lost. In fact, I only got lost once and that was my first week.
There was a pool of cars to use. My favourite was a commercial Corona wagon, with a big diesel but one was a Toyota FX-16. I got it a couple of times and the motor was just a hoot! I can recall running it up to redline, where it made beautiful sounds. Too bad it was an automatic.
Oh man that would be a dream for me, to be in Japan during their automotive golden age. There’s a ton of nostalgia by car guys in the Siberian part of Russia for these glory days: after the collapse of the Soviet Union an absolute gold rush started in the far Eastern ports as used cars from Japan started to trickle and then rush in. The early entrepreneurs took trips over to Japan to find and buy cars, load them on any sort of boat (oftentimes fishing vessels) to bring back over. At some point in the 90s it seemed like well over half the male population in the Siberian Far East was involved in some stage of the used JDM trade: selling cars and parts and service, car runners arriving from the Western parts of Siberia to buy a car to drive back across thousands of treacherous kilometers to resell in Krasnoyarsk/Novosibirsk/etc for a healthy profit and repeat the process. There was a lot of criminality and recklessness, but many miss the quality of the cars and the profits of those wild 90s. The cars are considered notably worse quality now and I’d be inclined to agree.
This was a terrific little car.
It was practical, quick and a blast to drive.
I kind of thought of them as the Gremlin to the Corolla’s Hornet – a small car with the trunk lopped off of it.
So, with FWD, it did have a weight imbalance issue that was brought about by the fun twin cam engine getting your blood pumping, but then needing to cut a curve. That light, nearly non-existent rear end wouldn’t follow sometimes.
The older rear drive Corollas, sold at the same time as the FX-16, handled better in these situations.
Lust? Over a Toyota? That’s hilarious. The only Toyota I ever even thought for a second about owning was the heavily modded Supra a guy in Columbus was selling years ago. It was scary fast. Over the years, Toyota, excepting some Lexus models, has been an unending snoozefest.
My first car, 1987 Corolla FX. Fire engine red that ended up being pink from being faded. Had her for 13 years and only needed front axel replaced. Bought her brand spanking new on my minimum wage Roy Rogers Restaurant pay, no money from mom n dad!! She survived 3 of my 5 babies and then she retired! LOVED that little tank, best car I had. I’ve owned nothing but Toyotas all my life. My Toyota now is a 2011 Highlander and she just hit 280,000 miles and keeps on chugging along!