Toyota Corolla (AE86) review: what's all the fuss about?

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86Austin@reddit

No classic car is “worth the money from a price to performance ratio.” It’s vintage technology.

The fuss is that they were once a cheap car that had great potential and could be cheaply and easily modified for grip driving, drifting, and styling options were plentiful.

It’s ok that it costs classic car money now, given that it’s almost 40 years old.

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I think the vintage 911 is a decent comparison, however in the mid-late 80s when these cars were new, a 911 was ~$45k and a Corolla was ~$10k. People expect the Corolla to be cheap because... well it's a Corolla. Vice versa with the 911.

I do agree though that an old car that becomes appreciated years later is just going to be more expensive. Supply and demand. I think it's just hard for people to accept that a 40 year old Corolla is now worth more than a new one.

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MagicTriton@reddit

It’s just like the MX5, at some point in time they were cheap as peanuts and you could buy one, weld the diff, crash it, go buy another and repeat the cycle.

Then drift tax and Instagram happens, so we have 12k mx5 and 50k AE86

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tetsmon@reddit

Question - were they ever actually "special" though? how did it compare to other dirt-cheap RWD cars of the era?

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Opoc_X1337@reddit

We gotta thank an anime for making us need to pay 40k+ for what is essentially a 40yr old corolla

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Professional_Dot7128@reddit

Anime hype and nostalgia

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FearlessTomatillo911@reddit

They were popular because they were a cheap car that was fun to drive and easy to drift, now that they have a significant initial d tax they are not anywhere near worth it.

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Shaojack@reddit

Cheap, very lightweight, pretty good weight distribution, and rear-wheel drive.

They certainly aren't cheap anymore though.

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airfryerfuntime@reddit

They're lightweight because they're cheap shitboxes. And they have the same weight distribution as any other compact cheap shitbox from that era. They're not sports cars.

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Seffuski@reddit

Still got twice the HP of my compact shitbox lol

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airfryerfuntime@reddit

What do you drive? An air cooled VW Beetle? Because even the top spec in the US only made 112hp.

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Seffuski@reddit

I misremembered the actual numbers, but it's a cheap Hyundai that makes around 80hp. So not quite "half" tbh

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goaelephant@reddit

misremembered

... forgot?

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RunninOnMT@reddit

Other compact shitboxes from the era were fwd and had much worse weight distribution. The entire corolla line went to fwd with this generation EXCEPT for the ae86. So even at the time it was somewhat different for still being rwd, and it was a deliberate choice made by Toyota with performance and handling in mind.

It’s still a shitbox of course and not some great performance car. But it deserves its flowers for doing what it did.

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goaelephant@reddit

Kind of like E30s, they were nice $2,000 to $5,000 cars back in 2005-2015 era but with people asking $12,000 to $20,000+ for an automatic 325e with over 200,000 miles its no longer worth it. People are asking E46/E90 M3 & E60 M5 money for them.

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rudbri93@reddit

and, like many cars of the era that have gone up in value recently, at one point was pretty cheap to pick up right?

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Previous_Platform718@reddit

and, like many cars of the era that have gone up in value recently,

Yeah people aren't wrong about the "tofu tax" and Initial D fans increasing the price, but that's not the entire story. Basically every "drift" car from this era is overpriced now - S-chassis rolling shells are going for 10k+. Even NA Miatas are getting expensive.

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xXxDickBonerz69xXx@reddit

I remember cosmetically rough but mechanically sound NAs going for $1500 all day😭😭

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untrustableskeptic@reddit

Sheesh. I had two S13s that I practically gave away. I bought my 93 Coupe for $500 and my 91 hatch for $900.

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Girth_Brookss@reddit

I had the option to get a clean s14 with a blacktop sr20 for 7k back in the day. Bought an Eclipse GSX instead. Fun car but In hindsight was a terrible choice.

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Bonerchill@reddit

They were $4k for a clean but sunburnt GT-S when I was interested in them.

Now they’re like $15k.

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CorrectCombination11@reddit

I blame everything on weebs.

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SirLoremIpsum@reddit

Not a bad approach to most things in life

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peanutbuttahcups@reddit

https://youtu.be/dNF5sic8WHo?si=-btbxu8rIbHaQKRq

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Flexuasive@reddit

It was also just a really good, fun vehicle, designed relatively tastefully.

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BWFTW@reddit

It's also like 2100 pounds with a massive after market. There is genuine reasons outside of anime hype that they are so revered.

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Zappiticas@reddit

Also 4age’s screaming to redline sound incredible

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VirgoJack@reddit

Fun? No, they were sharp looking but slower than Christmas. I've driven farm tractors with better clutches.

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EpicLegendX@reddit

The AE86 wasn’t trying to be anything special. Much like the GR86, the AE86 was a parts bin econobox special designed to offer cheap fun behind the wheel.

If you scaled HP numbers up from the 90s, the AE86 would roughly have the same amount of power that the GR86 does.

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JesseWest@reddit

To each their own. When i had a chance to drive one i found it was so much fun to drive.

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Flexuasive@reddit

Road-dependant, Speed =! Fun.

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DarkMatterM4@reddit

I had more fun driving a GT-Apex AE86 Trueno than an R-34 GT-R 🤷

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mettaxa@reddit

AE86'S (and other cars like 240's and e30's for that matter) were cool when you could pick up a decent one for $2k.

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Tough_Steak@reddit

UGH. WEABOO. WEABOO WEABOO WEABOO WEABOO.

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DarkMatterM4@reddit

YOU DON'T LIKE THIS CAR!

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Tough_Steak@reddit

YOU NEVER DID. YOU LIKE A CARTOON. A BOOOOOOOOORING CARTOON.

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DarkMatterM4@reddit

The funny thing is that dude got the last laugh because real AE86 in that shape are 60k now.

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Tough_Steak@reddit

Yep, that is the Initial D/Weeb tax for you.

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ItsReallyS13Silvia@reddit

In 30–40 years, people will be saying the same about the GR86 when cars in collector condition will cost more than whatever the baby M car is at the time.

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TurboFucked@reddit

I bet 95% of the price premium of the AE86 is due to anime. That's something the 86 doesn't have and likely won't.

There are lots of other cars from the 80s that are forgotten about. I mean, nobody is pining for Mitsubishi Starions. But those were 2700lb, RWD, with turbo engines and had solid motorsports chops back in the day.

Same reason a Mk4 Supra is 100+k but a clean 3000GT is like 25-30k.

That's what makes car prices so difficult to predict - you never know what cultural zeitgeist is going to propel a mundane car into the spotline. Imagine if the most desirable 2010s car in 30 years is the Genesis Coupe because it's featured in a popular 2040s TV series.

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icos211@reddit

Nobody wants Starions because everything about it except the body design sucks ass out of the box and is impossible to improve without major overhauling as the pieces you get are basically impossible to upgrade and need to be completely replaced root and branch for big, big money and work (ask me how I know). FB and FC RX7s are dealing with 30-40+ year old rotaries, and Mk3 Supras can only be had in the states with a 7M, usually NA unless you get the top trim with the GTE, but then you still have a 7M and not a JZ, and it's more of a GT car. 3000GT is FWD except for the top trim, as are DSMs (and most all of them have been destroyed by cheap owners anyway). All of these are also not as well supported by the aftermarket as the AE86 has been. So if you want a RWD JDM car, especially for drifting, and are tight for cash it was probably the best out of the box option, and still might be to a good extent along side the S chassis (which also had the issue of only getting KA24s in the US), so there sure can be a good bit of organic non-media driven reason for price inflation as they get harder to find.

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nabilhasbulah@reddit

That's something the 86 doesn't have and likely won't.

I wouldn't be so sure...The GT86 is in MF Ghost, and the GR86 is in the new Subaru and Subaru manga. All by the same author if Initial D.

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LuckySlushy1600@reddit

i dont think they are anywhere near as big as initial d

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jkggwp@reddit

It’s about delivering Tofu

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thetimechaser@reddit

As someone who's owned many of these and currently drifts a heavily modified one and recently sold a street build resto-mod one of the closing statements really hits home -

"But the AE86 of your imagination exists only in your imagination."

The reality of these cars especially on American roads is they are severely underpowered and their handling is underutilized on our high speed, straight and wide roadways. This is the big reason I let go of my restored one and kept the track car. They're just simply an unpleasant car to drive over 50mph particularly if you don't have corners to carve. In Japan, there are still more then 10K road registered and when you drive around there it's easy to understand why. Non-expressway speeds typically don't exceed 35-40 mph, roads are tight and outside of the city there is LOADS of curvy routes as necessitated by the geography. A perfect environment to actually enjoy this car in stock-ish form.

The real appeal with this chassis to me is the challenge. You really need to ring its neck to get it to do what you want, drive with extreme momentum (even at 200hp), and give it exaggerated inputs. I've drifted pretty much all the common chassis except for BMWs and Mazdas and keep coming back to the Corolla BECAUSE IT IS FUN AS HELL. That's really it.

Anyone getting into these in 2026 based on hype and nostalgia alone is going to be severely disappointed. I've chatted with a few importers about these and while they do see them going to new money hype people they said a lot of them are actually older (50+) folks who owned them in the past, moved on from the hobby, but now have money to go back and relieve their younger years.

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Defenestrationgame@reddit

You should have written this article

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Bonerchill@reddit

I’ve never drifted a car with more than 125 wheel horsepower.

The attention you have to pay to momentum preservation and weight transfer is so incredibly fun to me.

A lot of my driving is on great roads in 60ish horsepower cars with swing axles and steering boxes. With a tactile car, speed doesn’t matter.

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Not_Daijoubu@reddit

Honestly, the most fun test drive I had in a modern car was in a shitbox 6 speed Mirage.

May have hated it long term but it was just so... outdated in driving character and had to be pushed to get to even 40 mph. Nothing was egregariously bad - it just owned up to being a shitbox giving it all to get from point A to B.

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thetimechaser@reddit

Hell yeah brother, slow car fast FOREVER

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patrido86@reddit

False. My daily is a vehicle that does 0-60 in less than 4 sec. I’ve had my AE86 for over 15 years and still driving it in my local twisties multiple times a week.

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Gunslingermomo@reddit

What do you think about the GR86? Named after the AE86, it's designed more intentionally as a sports car but there seems to be a focus on things that also made the older corollas fun.

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thetimechaser@reddit

They're fantastic. The rear suspension geometry is a little wonky once you get serious about modding for drifting but there is plenty of aftermarket support around to overcome it.

The newest gen makes great power but knowing what I'll do to one I think buying a 1st gen salvage title one for cheap and dropping in a turbo'd K24 is basically the closest thing you can build today to what a Nissan Silvia S16 would have been.

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Gunslingermomo@reddit

I think you're right, 1st gen with a Honda drivetrain is the perfect solution. I hear the steering feel is a little better in the first Gen, a Honda stick shift can't be beat, and revving a K series is a joy. The first gens should be easier to swap with the analog gauges and the ECU. The kit to swap it is like $10k but only $5k for the K24 and another $5k to build it out. If you could find one with a blown motor for $5k you'd be set for under $30k.

You can see my flair, I got a BRZ tS and I love it. It's perfect for my use case, I commute through the canyons 3 times a week and it's downhill at night. The tS is pretty neutral, the GR86 is a little more tail happy than I'd like for canyon driving but for most people it's perfect.

A lot of people have had good luck doing forced induction on the FA24 but for drifting I don't think it would be up for the job. It's pretty quick stock though, same quarter mile as an S2000 and a little faster around a track partly due to more torque and shorter gearing.

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kimbabs@reddit

This is the real take.

I feel the point was it was a cheap, light, easy to modify f/r RWD platform that could be optioned with an LSD. It worked great in Japan because it was cheap there and there was lots of parts options and widely available at launch. It's what the Nissan 240SX was here in the 2000s years later once you started being able to pick them up used for like 5K or under (impossible now)

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enhancedgibbon@reddit

I drove a sprinter trueno with a 4agze. Panda colour. It was cool as hell and lots of fun, very tail happy but easy to catch and correct. Not the fastest thing, but impressive for an unmodified mid-80s car. This was 20 years ago though, not sure great it'd feel in 2026.

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ggtsu_00@reddit

The car just looks really fucking cool. That's the reason why this car even got its own manga/anime.

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DrinkRedbuII@reddit

I like the R30 Skyline more

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Chillwindow@reddit

I drove one. Nice size of car, I wish more were this size. No turbo and the engine revs nicely. Pedals are close together that we all like. The biggest problem is being 6 foot one my knees were up against the dash. In a Clio or golf this doesn't happen.

Overall it was a really good car to drive but let's not pretend they built better cars overall back in the 80s we just stopped making NA RWD hatchbacks.

It sounds silly for me to point this out but it's an eco box so an M3 will run rings around it in every way. Don't get me started on R34 GTRs either.

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Jamaican_Dynamite@reddit

They were dirt cheap (like $500 usd) econoboxes that you could tune and flick around. Keyword, "were".

Also they practically rotted sitting still, like everything else from the same era. Looking at you for the same reason Datsun. Hence why outside of a show you rarely see these anymore.

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Logical-Vermicelli53@reddit

It’s like skylines. In Australia GTST skylines were relatively cheap. When a 33 GTST was 15k and still offered good and at the time reliable performance it was a slam dunk.

Now 15 years later they’re 50k and mostly absolutely destroyed.

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Jamaican_Dynamite@reddit

No joke. If we got OG Skylines in the US like everybody else did back then, they'd have the same reputation the G35s and G37s do right now.

"Look at all these Edgars doing donuts in these clapped out Skylines." - Half of everybody on this site.

Speaking of which, I guarantee surviving Gs, Qs, and Zs will be the next things to skyrocket in price in 10 years.

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Logical-Vermicelli53@reddit

That’s exactly right and that’s how they were largely viewed here too. Most 32 and 33s were clapped out, poorly modified often with peeling paint and broken body kits, huge front mount intercoolers and large cannon exhausts. Often used for very poor standards of driving.

They absolutely had a similar reputation as to probably how you’d view a 2000s Mustang or Camaro now.

I’m not sure what happened to them all but they were super common too, there was a time when the r33 GTST was one of the most common cars on the road.

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takoriiin@reddit

People bought it because of an anime

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Bonerchill@reddit

The Corolla GT-S is a genuinely good tactile experience.

The Aveo is like shitting in one hand and clapping.

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takoriiin@reddit

Don’t underestimate pop culture.

That Corolla was just nothing but a rustbucket until Tsuchiya hooned it + Initial D happened. Might be a really good driving experience but that’s not what’s in everyone’s minds when they bought that prior to those two happening.

Another thing would be that renewed interest towards Pontiac Aztek thanks to Breaking Bad. Not everyone wants them but those who know are suddenly taking interest. Not as wide as the Trueno’s appeal for sure but the interest buildup is happening despite what the car really is for the worse.

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Upstairs-Box-1645@reddit

Other than the anime, 0 things special about that car

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FishyBusiness420@reddit

Rings laaaaaad

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s3cf_@reddit

it's a very good car for what it is

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funked1@reddit

The best hot hatch in 1985 was the Civic SiR.

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DarkMatterM4@reddit

This man likes cool vibrations.

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funked1@reddit

I had a spiky flat top and drove chicks to New Order concerts.

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PowerSpool@reddit

Yes the commuter hatchback is just a commuter hatchback the anime that gets this car its hype even tells you that but then shows you it can be more just like every other commuter thing. You like the base of what this car can do the same rally cross guys like the Honda Fit or even the Chevy Sonic.

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JARDIS@reddit

The Gran Turismo generation grew up and now all of these low price, good fun cars are status/nostalgia cars and the price reflects the emotional appeal rather than the raw performance they present.

Look at shitty coupes from the 70s and you see the same thing because of the emotional connection that the young drivers in the 70s had with those cars.

Is a 1970s Holden Monaro or Torana a AUD$200,000 car performance wise? Fuck no, they drive like a boat. Is someone willing to pay $200k to feel special and relive their youth? Apparently they are. Does it make sense? No it's an emotional decision.

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HalfBad@reddit

I'll speak out someone whose had one for along time. Many people don't understand that the AE86 represents a whole era of car that is hard to replicate now, MR2,supras, mustangs, S-platforms, due to safety standards.

Its' light like 900 kg, revs to 7500 redline, Manual, RWD, has hydraulic steering, no abs, no crumple zones, no airbags, no traction control, no stability control, handbrake. Pop up headlights!

You feel everything in this car, you hear everything. To be crude, It's like sex without a condom. It's visceral and fun. It puts you very close to the road.

You can take the car apart with two socket wrenches. You can actually work on the car and it's fun. No digital stuff, no special tools. The engine bay has lots of room to work on.

It also has alot of character and is just a very endearing car, its' why many owners wont' sell them. it's friendly and fun.

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LogicalEgo@reddit

It's time for companies to re release retro remakes of classic cars. Give me all the 80's style with modern takes.

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DarkMatterM4@reddit

You can buy a brand new AE86 chassis on Temo or some shit.

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emp_mei_is_bae@reddit

Levin > Trueno

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DarkMatterM4@reddit

You're insance sir. Pop up headlights are cooler than any other type of headlight before or after.

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V8-Turbo-Hybrid@reddit

Cries for AE85

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orangebikini@reddit

The AE86, or Corolla GT as people would have said here, was a very popular Group A rally car in its day. My father drove one when I was a kid in the 90s, until he changed to a Sunny GTI-R.

They were so popular as rally cars that you almost never see them anymore in historic events, they all were driven to pieces. Coincidentally I was standing next to one just today. Most of the Group A AE86s you see are two door though, instead of the liftback that's more famous on the internet.

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ItsReallyS13Silvia@reddit

Basically the Japanese Ford Escort RS

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kimbabs@reddit

The point of the AE86 was that it was a light, cheap, RWD, 50/50, modifiable platform able to be optioned w/ an LSD meant for cornering. MSRP new was something like 12K for a desirable trim (~24K today), but as low as 10K. The AE86 in the article didn't even have an LSD. It was a budget car, released 40 years ago.

For more context, the MX-5, the other flag-bearer for a cheap RWD platform, released in 1989 (years later) for ~14K USD (can't find the japanese MSRP). The 240SX (also years later) was something like 10K more and would be like 45K today.

It's funny, because I feel what the AE86 was to Japan is what the 240SX would be to a similar scene in America in the 2000's once you started being able to pick one up for like 5K. You could see them everywhere in amateur racing and drifting for awhile.

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