1998 Toyota Corolla

Here is my 1998 S reg Toyota Corolla S hatchback for sale, this is without doubt a special car and perhaps unique for the model/ mileage/ history – 1 former keeper, 38, 900 miles from new, FULL Toyota service history from the supplying dealer.

I want to point out that being a late 1998 car this was made in Japan and has the J chassis number to prove, not a UK built car which started in 1999.

The car was collected at Abbey Toyota, Surrey, new on Christmas eve 1998, I understand the purchaser bought it upon retirement. It then stayed in her care, registered at the same address for the next 26 years, going back to Abbey Toyota every single year for servicing - without fail - despite covering no more than 2, 000 miles in any single year. I bought the car from the first owners family after, now being in her 80's, she had decided to stop driving.

I have 3 keys (all with supplying dealer keyrings still), complete bookpack, fully stamped service book with 26 stamps and detailed invoices from 2008, all three V5 documents the car has had as DVLA changed style over the years, Toyota case for the original Toyota face off stereo, and the unused toolkit/ jack/ spacesaver spare. The car still wears it’s Abbey Toyota rear window sticker, Abbey boot sticker and 'made in Japan'/ Toyota club windscreen stickers, as well as its dealer numberplates. Both front and rear plates have actually been replaced over the years due to aging, but of course they were replaced by Abbey! The car remains under Toyota club membership with the original owner with documents present to transfer over. It’s even still under Toyota breakdown cover until March 2025, which I assume has also been renewed every year.

The last service was completed at Abbey just over a year ago in December 2023 at 37, 004 miles, in recent years it’s had a new battery (Toyota of course) among some other smaller items. It’s had 2 x cambelt changes, the first in 2009 and then the second in 2016, at 26, 444 miles. The MOT was done last month and therefore expires December 2025. It's worth noting that as far as I can see, every one of the 26 services recorded included an oil change.. it is perhaps not surprising that nearly 2, 000 miles since the last service the oil still remains golden.

Everything on the car works perfectly, from the electric sunroof to all the dash lights to the rear washer, apart from the remote part of the central locking, which is only because the car was fitted from new with a Piranha proximity alarm system, this is still all fitted but was turned off at the control unit (done via a key) a few years back after the indicators stopped flashing upon arming, which is documented on one of the services. But no doubt this or the original Toyota central locking could be reinstated if you wished, I've been happy using the key in the lock.

The car was ordered in ‘S’ specification, the colour is lucerne silver metallic (option) over shadow grey cloth, the latter being the same interior as found in the G6 and G6R that followed, which is pure 1990s, and was factory standard on the S model. The car is also fitted with the optional mudflaps.

The ‘S’ uses the same 1. 3 16v engine and seats/ door panels as the G6, but does without the 6 speed box, aircon and ABS, resulting in a weight of almost 100kg less, tipping the scales at 1040kg. Yet it still retains some good spec, as an example;

Electric tilt and slide sunroof (or moonroof in Toyota speak)

Electric front windows with auto up/ down on drivers side

Speed sensing PAS

Central locking

Driver and passenger airbags

Height adjustable seat belts driver and passenger

Height adjustable drivers seat

Drivers foot rest

Tilt steering column

Digital clock

Rear spoiler with high level 3rd brake light

Twin retractable front cup holders, rear cupholders in rear door cards

Centre armrest/ console with storage, sunglasses holder with storage, vanity mirrors in sun visors, coin holders

Courtesy lights front and rear

Rev counter, water temp gauge, fuel warning light, door open warning light, headlights on buzzer and so on.

It's a very well engineered car, with the 1. 3 16V DOHC 4efe engine, a strong bodyshell with a number of safety features for the time, and a good suspension set up, with McPherson struts all round, multilink rear end and anti roll bars front and rear. I actually bought the car with the intention of using it as a base for building something along the lines of TTE/ WRC spec. In many ways it’s the perfect car for this, but from the moment I got it I was charmed by its history and the way it drives, and I simply can’t bring myself to make any big changes. So instead my plans changed to doing my bit to preserve and revive, and maybe one or two special touches to do it justice.

I’ve given the car a very thorough clean inside and out, albeit no pressure washers/ steam cleaners/ machine polishers have been used.

The interior is superb with minimal wear as per the pictures, sitting in the driving seat and looking around it’s easy to think you’re sitting in a close to new car, it really feels like going back in time and can’t help but make you smile, made all the better by the perfectly retro trim. The cigar lighter is present and unused, the headlining immaculate. I’ve fitted a new set of tailored mats which fit great, I could of got a cheaper option but the car deserves quality! Other than that its completely original inside.

Externally the car isn’t perfect, but still very presentable and most importantly honest, with no dodgy repairs or significant damage, it has benefitted significantly from the hours I’ve spent decontaminating and cleaning. The worst defects are the scuffed front wing on the drivers side (occurred around 2016 as noted on a service) and a scuff to one corner of the rear bumper. It could be made excellent with little effort, it will just come down to preference, and originality is mine for this car. That said, I have had a PDR company come and remove parking dents from both rear quarters and doors, which has also really lifted the cars appearance. I had them do this without removing interior trim, to avoid the risk of any damage.

The underneath is in great order, and most importantly not rusty, it’s not had any welding and doesn’t need any. The original undertrays etc remain in place along with the original exhaust. I’ve cleaned out the arches with the wheels off and am currently in the process of applying Lanoguard just to help with preservation, this is just a clear protectant which lasts 6-12 months, so nothing is being covered up. The minimal mileage each year and not having been forced into use for commuting over the years are what I believe have kept it as clean as it is.

I also got hold of a special set of wheels to help set the car off. They're actually from a 10th anniversary Mazda MX-5, but small jap cars of this time all shared the same 4 x 100 stud pattern and 54. 1 centre bore, plus very similar widths and offsets, so the Mazda wheels are more or less identical to optional Toyota alloys/ G6 alloys of the time and bolt straight on. They’re 15 x 6” lightweight aluminium wheels made by Enkei, and came on the MX-5 in chromed finish originally with suitably finished centre caps. My wheels retain the original centre caps which are in great condition, but otherwise have been fully stripped, powercoated black inside and out and then had the faces taken back and hand polished to the current finish. They were then wrapped in Michelin Pilot Sport 3 tyres which still have excellent tread. When I bought the wheels I was told they’d been built for a show car originally and cost £1200 to put together with the tyres. I do have the original 14” steel wheels and the original wheel trims which will be included, albeit they could do with a couple of new tyres and the trims are starting to show their age.

To improve the drive even further, I've had a 4 wheel alignment carried out using a Hunter machine, done by Tyresmart in Witham, where I take all my cars. This is something I always get done as can make such a difference! Of course this means the steering wheel is dead straight and the car tracks perfectly.

Lastly, after finding the auxiliary belts for the PAS and alternator were looking a little tired (they were original Toyota items), I've replaced both with new Continental belts. I have kept the Toyota belts anyway which will go with the car.

The car drives really well, very smooth with no knocks or bangs, crisp gearchanges and strong brakes, the ride is superb, and there is an overriding sense of quality, with the smoothness of the engine transferring through to the rest of the car.

I’ve been getting a lot of enjoyment out of the Corolla, and have done 1200 odd miles in it myself, I just can’t help but take it out, in fact I’ve got close to having covered more miles than in any single year previous! Which is why I’m getting it up for sale now. On top of the mileage, the service has always been done in Dec/ Jan every year, with the last service done December 2023, it would be due again now, and I thought I’d advertise it at this point in case the new owner wanted to keep the Toyota servicing going in line with the rest of the history.

Any questions please get in touch