Looking to buy a 1991 Toyota Corolla. Is it worth $5k? 40,000 original miles. Zero rust, perfect paint, interior is extremely clean that looks like it came off the assembly line. Runs perfect as well. Do you think it can be used as daily driver?
Depends if it was maintained properly… mechanically! Paint and interior have zero impact on reliability. Verify the miles are real and have a mechanic give it an inspection.
Do you think it can be used as daily driver?
It depends. I daily drive a car not much newer than that and it has a lot more miles. (Like well over 300,000 more.) However I do most of my own repairs and maintenance. So if something goes wrong I just fix it myself, the only cost being for parts.
A 35-year-old car is going to have deterioration from age even if it has very low mileage. If you have to pay a mechanic every time something goes wrong the repair bills can add up fast. (That is, if you can find a mechanic willing to work on it. Many will not work on pre-OBD2 vehicles.)
That 40,000 mile figure is suspiciously low and should be verified. Also if you decide you want to proceed you need to have a good mechanic check the car out before purchase.
