1995 Toyota Starlet Review

One of my favourite cars ever is a throw-away econobox. Why? Find out in this video.

[cribs]

To anyone who owns this car…. NEVER sell it!!! Mine would only start for me, with the right feel on the choke, and drove through any field I chose to avoid traffic. Sadly my rear suspension mounts rusted and I lost her 😭. I now drive a 300hp four wheel drive Seat Cupra station wagon and let me tell you, the Starlet is the only car I dream about.

[ad]

This video made me buy one lol, i'm now a proud owner of a 1994 1.3 12v starlet with only 84k kilometers on the clock :D

[ciremai]

I got a JDM EP82 imported to the USA as a daily, its a 1993 model which is right before they detuned the 4EFE for emissions and it's a blast! 30 years old and starts right up in the -20 Fahrenheit winters we get. I wish it was a more popular car for people to import

[taymot]

They are used for slalom-racing – on curvy roads in the Black Forest you beat everybody. Because it corneres fast and easyly and is very easy to drive. It only starts shoving over the front wheels and you can steer it with throttle. Easy to drive, fast, great on corners and reliable – what do you want more?

[aggelostse]

i am 19 years old and my first car is a starlet ep81 1992, my dad bought it for me for 1000euro, with 220.000km, in the price are included new tires and a new battery, for the next car i want to buy something more beatiful and rwd (i want to have a bit more fun), Iswore that i will never sell my starlet, even my dad loves the starlet more than his hyundai elantra, love your video <3

[NickEgberss]

Last weekend I bought a 1993 starlet with a automatic gearbox, I'm using medication so no manual drive for me, but I was looking for a cheap and most of all reliable car with a automatic gearbox and just like you say in the video; everyone who wrenches on cars says the starlet is indestructible, and yes mine has a view dents and scratches and some rusty spots, but it always runs and sounds so happy with 171000km on the clock. I'm going to drive this little starlet around till I can't anymore 😊. Sorry for the bad grammar, English is my second language.

[JulianZwemer]

Sinds 2 maanden heb ik ook een Starlet uit 1995 and I love it!

[dead_dove]

I've had mine for 9 years now and by far the thing I love the most is just how satisfying it is to start. Intake - Compression - Start. Every time, 1 turn of the crank shaft, every time. These things are just too reliable.

[kevssss]

Great review, got pretty deep when comparing cars to friendships but I couldnt agree more. A couple of weeks ago I bought a beautiful white 97 Starlet with 114 k km in great shape and so far im loving it, driving it over 100 kmph starts to get me a little bit nervous tho haha.

[stefa]

I bought my starlet literally from an old lady in the village. It was 28 years old at the time and it ran but it didn't like it. I could feel it vibrate, I had to do some oil changes in the first month because it had been standing still for more than 10 years. It was outside so it's paint is worn and it has some rust spots. I currently have it 3 years and added another 50.000 km to it and it still runs. At first I had to nurse it and drive slow and break softly. But after a while it got used to driving again. Now my max speed in it is a 162 km/h (speedometer goes to 190). I have upgraded the sounds system for a modern one, upgraded the stock 8cm front speakers and added some sick ass rear 20cm speakers. I upgraded the seats to foldable race seats. Added sound panels and anti vibration panels. Replaced the steering wheel with a race wheel. Next up on the list are sway bars and coilovers which are currently ordered and getting made. I plan on putting in a turbo because kits are available and if it makes it to 40 years old (mines a 1992) then I will have a pro repaint it. If it isn't my daily driver anymore I will slap on bigger rims and a body kit to finish it but sadly I cannot do that for regular road use.

[MarcFromNijmegen]

Man I have been googling for videos like this as I have been driving my garage's loaners as they fix my porsche turbo. It is a great little car, direct, light and as you said, the gearbox is a joy. It's rusty, done 400k km and the mechanics have been using it as their shop bitch for years it looks like. I love it, I crave it..

Also I love that you, a fellow detailing and car guy, are maybe 20km away from me experiencing the same feelings for this underrated little gem.

[jampstudios]

Got one! Love it! 400.000 km and Zero issues!❤

[bluemoondiadochi]

Well, 4 months after my first comment I find myself posting again, as both an update and correction of my old comment if you will. Because, I bought a 1995 Toyota Starlet with 1.3 engine some 3 days ago and frankly, couldn't be happier.
I managed to get a gem with low mileage and good body work, and that's great. but I would add some things that are not mentioned in the review that surprised me:
its very comfortable, in both suspension and in seats. in fact, seats feel even more comfortable over time, and on longer trips, than they seem when you first sit in them.
back windows open at a tilt and this allows a very cool breeze through the car, so I for one didnt feel the need for an airco. sure, some 3-door cars have this feature, but i've never had one that did before, so im super happy with it.
its also very maintenance friendly, for example you can remove hand break cover to wash it.
overall feel is one of quality. they didnt joke around building this car.
mechanics is simple.

toyota starlet is a gem of a car. we often end up equating price of something with value of something. toyota starlet is one of those cars that you pay little for but which gives you a lot of value through reliability, ruggedness, low running cost, accessible mechanics.
this is especially important for people who, like me at the moment, dont have that much money, so we dont have much buffer or wiggle space. in such situations, having something practical that you can rely on and that gives you a lot while asking very little is just an asset you need.


i just finished cleaning it and washing and polishing it. over coming months and year i look forward to ironing out all the bugs and quirks this car has, and sitting on it and seeing it's price go up. as for it's value? it's value to me is already astronomical!

So thanks for reading. And i guess i can say: buy a Starlet while they're still around and reasonably priced. they're being sold into export left and right, so get yours while you can. You might find it dearer than you think.

[treeskier]

Excellent review. I’ve been looking for a used Miata to import from Japan but I keep coming across these inexpensive Starlets. Maybe I’ll get one of these instead. Looking for a cheap fun to drive second car and the Starlet has 4WD which is kind of cool. The Miata when I add all the port fees becomes as expensive as they are in the states. Maybe I’ll get a Starlet!

[joelbolks]

P8 1995 automatic here, absolutely love it!

[jestempiotrek]

This review rules. So does the car. I guess. I want one now. Thank you!

[dquad]

We still have a lot of KP6* Starlets here in New Zealand. They are just as bulletproof but a lot more fun than these, being rear wheel drive

[yodoji]

Is it worth to buy 1991 starlet four door at around 3k USD? Thanks

[Kevyn.oschmann]

Welke producten had je gebruikt om de lak terug te krijgen? Heb onlangs ook starlet gekocht!

[koen]

Echt top auto heb er ook een p9 dan ben zelf bijna twee meter maar pas er net aan in rijdt goed en dat schakelen is echt nog prima voor zo oud bakkie. Vorige eigenaar is er nog mee naar Italië mee geweest.