Not a classic, but an old favourite...
If you don't feel the need to read through my ramblings, scroll down for photo's and video's.
I remember the cool feeling I had, when I passed my driving test all those years ago. There was a completely new world of freedom… the elation appeared endless. For most of us, it was also a time where we finally had freedom to do all the things adults enjoyed. If there was to be a downside, it’s the fact that it was also the time where we had little money and a busier schedule, either working, studying or both. As years rolled by, the elation subsided and we accustomed ourselves to our wheels and took them for granted… driving became an automatic phenomenon.
But the fire was re-ignited when we bought a “new” car, whether it was newer, faster, more luxuriously appointed or just plain cooler. But, again, this fire subsided when our “new” (secondhand) car began to lose its lustre and show its true colours.
I acquired my first truly new car in 1998, sure I had owned virtually new cars with insignificant mileage, but not something brand new, squeaky new with my name in the service/warranty book in the glovebox. My new car had that often talked about “new car smell” and a mere nine kilometres on the odometer. I returned to studying as an adult and needed some reliable and economical wheels. It came in the form of a Toyota Starlet Life.
In the mid nineties, Daewoo, Kia and particularly Hyundai cornered the small car market. Hyundai led by a comfortable margin, with their brilliantly styled and marketed Excel… A nice shape, available in a host of fashionably retro and modern colours, the Excel could be owned for $13,990 “drive away, no more to pay.” They sold very well and Toyota wanted a slice of the action.
Although unknown to us here in Australia, the Starlet was very familiar to the Japanese, being around since the early 1970’s. The latest model, the EP91 hit our shores in 1996, but was priced un-competitively… so once again, Hyundai maintained the lions share of the market. Toyota then reduced the price of their little car, in line with the Korean offerings and sales escalated, if not because of what the car could offer, but the solid reputation Toyota cars have always had. Then they offered free air conditioning, certainly the best value car I had ever seen.
I looked at a couple of small cars and flirted with the notion of a Mitsubishi Mirage… that was before I went to the Toyota dealer. What they offered me couldn’t be topped. A new Starlet Life for $13,990 drive away with free air conditioning – I wanted “Bojalais,” (I think that’s how they spelt it), a dark metallic green… but there’s more. The salesman told me they had a red one ( perhaps a trifle feminine?) with the Power Pack which I could have for $14,600 (the Power Pack option alone was $1440). So I took it. The Power Pack option included the sports dash with tacho, central locking, electric mirrors, power steering and one or two other features. I loved this car, but only had it for three years as my family was expanding. I passed it on to my mother with 50,000km on the clock. She bought a new AE112R Corolla in 2001, which she decided she didn’t like and wanted a smaller car, so we did a swap with a very minor cash adjustment (I’m always indebted to her).
Since then, the Starlet was used predominantly for canine transport for the next thirteen years and despite every intention to keep its condition well, the interior copped a thrashing from the dogs, although in all that time it never missed a service. Sadly, on the 22nd December 2014 it’s time on the road had expired, in the form of a cyclist (with no helmet) who collided with the car head on. Although the bicycle was a twisted mess, it didn’t do much damage to the front of the car. However, the thick-set man riding it did – he went straight across the bonnet and into the windscreen, pushing it down to the top of the steering wheel and pushing the turret (roof skin) back. Although allegedly being silly and incurring the wrath of the three police officers in attendance (they were lovely to mum) the poor guy suffered a head injury and was carted off to Hospital (hope you get better soon).
Mum? She was fine… she didn’t see him coming, according to witnesses, he flew out from behind a parked SUV and was on top of her before she could have possibly seen him… So she reversed the car and parked it, then became annoyed that her beloved Starlet was ruined.
Suzie and I handed over our spare car, an EL Futura to mum to get her mobile again. She had no issue driving the car, but parking was another matter – there was about another four feet of car behind her that wasn’t there in the Starlet, so I looked for another car immediately. She wanted another Starlet. There are plenty of little Toyotas available at very reasonable prices, but finding one of this model with power steering is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
No surprises when the insurance notified us that the car was a total loss, but I did enquire whether or not we could keep the wreck. After a small deduction from the pay out figure, its fate was decided – our little Toyota was coming home. On Monday the 29th December, we attended the holding yard where the car was situated and I had a good look at it. Even if I could repair it, there was no guarantee that re-registration wouldn’t be virtually impossible, given that it may have been entered on the WOVR (written off vehicle register). On the off-chance that the car is categorised as a “repairable write-off, it would need an expensive and very extensive check over to assess repairs and identities of all parts used, in the form of a VIV check – not going down that road, I wanted to avoid the point where sentimentality goes too far and stupidity takes over.
So I acquired a replacement Starlet locally for mum with a RWC and went to VicRoads to transfer it over and settle all fees due. I then bought it home to fiddle with it. It had just had an engine and air conditioning service, so the oil, oil filter and air filter element were new, I replaced all drive belts, the cam belt, front disc rotors and brake pads. I also removed all power steering components from the original car and fitted it to the new one. I then had four new Yokohama tyres fitted and a front end alignment carried out. The spare wheel rim was damaged, so I swapped that as well, replaced one or two dash knobs and topped it off with a new set of wheel covers. A phone call to arrange insurance and the car was ready for her.
Driving this little car reminded me of our sad little wreck when I first got it… the nippiness, ease of parking, the seven dollar fuel bills, the happy sound of its little 1300cc engine and the smile it put on my face. My goodness, they’re a terrific and fun little thing. What am I going to do with the remaining parts bounty I have? Well, in a few days I had the damaged body stripped of every nut, bolt, clip, hose and trim piece. I’ve even removed some welded panels, so it really just looks like an empty cage. If you ever feel the need to strip a car down to nothing, get one of these, for 95% of the car, all you need is a cheap 3/8 socket set and a #2 Phillips head screwdriver.
I then I found a run down old EP91 Starlet with some panel damage for a reasonable price and...
I'm sure you can figure out where this is going.
If you don't feel the need to read through my ramblings, scroll down for photo's and video's.
I remember the cool feeling I had, when I passed my driving test all those years ago. There was a completely new world of freedom… the elation appeared endless. For most of us, it was also a time where we finally had freedom to do all the things adults enjoyed. If there was to be a downside, it’s the fact that it was also the time where we had little money and a busier schedule, either working, studying or both. As years rolled by, the elation subsided and we accustomed ourselves to our wheels and took them for granted… driving became an automatic phenomenon.
But the fire was re-ignited when we bought a “new” car, whether it was newer, faster, more luxuriously appointed or just plain cooler. But, again, this fire subsided when our “new” (secondhand) car began to lose its lustre and show its true colours.
I acquired my first truly new car in 1998, sure I had owned virtually new cars with insignificant mileage, but not something brand new, squeaky new with my name in the service/warranty book in the glovebox. My new car had that often talked about “new car smell” and a mere nine kilometres on the odometer. I returned to studying as an adult and needed some reliable and economical wheels. It came in the form of a Toyota Starlet Life.
In the mid nineties, Daewoo, Kia and particularly Hyundai cornered the small car market. Hyundai led by a comfortable margin, with their brilliantly styled and marketed Excel… A nice shape, available in a host of fashionably retro and modern colours, the Excel could be owned for $13,990 “drive away, no more to pay.” They sold very well and Toyota wanted a slice of the action.
Although unknown to us here in Australia, the Starlet was very familiar to the Japanese, being around since the early 1970’s. The latest model, the EP91 hit our shores in 1996, but was priced un-competitively… so once again, Hyundai maintained the lions share of the market. Toyota then reduced the price of their little car, in line with the Korean offerings and sales escalated, if not because of what the car could offer, but the solid reputation Toyota cars have always had. Then they offered free air conditioning, certainly the best value car I had ever seen.
I looked at a couple of small cars and flirted with the notion of a Mitsubishi Mirage… that was before I went to the Toyota dealer. What they offered me couldn’t be topped. A new Starlet Life for $13,990 drive away with free air conditioning – I wanted “Bojalais,” (I think that’s how they spelt it), a dark metallic green… but there’s more. The salesman told me they had a red one ( perhaps a trifle feminine?) with the Power Pack which I could have for $14,600 (the Power Pack option alone was $1440). So I took it. The Power Pack option included the sports dash with tacho, central locking, electric mirrors, power steering and one or two other features. I loved this car, but only had it for three years as my family was expanding. I passed it on to my mother with 50,000km on the clock. She bought a new AE112R Corolla in 2001, which she decided she didn’t like and wanted a smaller car, so we did a swap with a very minor cash adjustment (I’m always indebted to her).
Since then, the Starlet was used predominantly for canine transport for the next thirteen years and despite every intention to keep its condition well, the interior copped a thrashing from the dogs, although in all that time it never missed a service. Sadly, on the 22nd December 2014 it’s time on the road had expired, in the form of a cyclist (with no helmet) who collided with the car head on. Although the bicycle was a twisted mess, it didn’t do much damage to the front of the car. However, the thick-set man riding it did – he went straight across the bonnet and into the windscreen, pushing it down to the top of the steering wheel and pushing the turret (roof skin) back. Although allegedly being silly and incurring the wrath of the three police officers in attendance (they were lovely to mum) the poor guy suffered a head injury and was carted off to Hospital (hope you get better soon).
Mum? She was fine… she didn’t see him coming, according to witnesses, he flew out from behind a parked SUV and was on top of her before she could have possibly seen him… So she reversed the car and parked it, then became annoyed that her beloved Starlet was ruined.
Suzie and I handed over our spare car, an EL Futura to mum to get her mobile again. She had no issue driving the car, but parking was another matter – there was about another four feet of car behind her that wasn’t there in the Starlet, so I looked for another car immediately. She wanted another Starlet. There are plenty of little Toyotas available at very reasonable prices, but finding one of this model with power steering is like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
No surprises when the insurance notified us that the car was a total loss, but I did enquire whether or not we could keep the wreck. After a small deduction from the pay out figure, its fate was decided – our little Toyota was coming home. On Monday the 29th December, we attended the holding yard where the car was situated and I had a good look at it. Even if I could repair it, there was no guarantee that re-registration wouldn’t be virtually impossible, given that it may have been entered on the WOVR (written off vehicle register). On the off-chance that the car is categorised as a “repairable write-off, it would need an expensive and very extensive check over to assess repairs and identities of all parts used, in the form of a VIV check – not going down that road, I wanted to avoid the point where sentimentality goes too far and stupidity takes over.
So I acquired a replacement Starlet locally for mum with a RWC and went to VicRoads to transfer it over and settle all fees due. I then bought it home to fiddle with it. It had just had an engine and air conditioning service, so the oil, oil filter and air filter element were new, I replaced all drive belts, the cam belt, front disc rotors and brake pads. I also removed all power steering components from the original car and fitted it to the new one. I then had four new Yokohama tyres fitted and a front end alignment carried out. The spare wheel rim was damaged, so I swapped that as well, replaced one or two dash knobs and topped it off with a new set of wheel covers. A phone call to arrange insurance and the car was ready for her.
Driving this little car reminded me of our sad little wreck when I first got it… the nippiness, ease of parking, the seven dollar fuel bills, the happy sound of its little 1300cc engine and the smile it put on my face. My goodness, they’re a terrific and fun little thing. What am I going to do with the remaining parts bounty I have? Well, in a few days I had the damaged body stripped of every nut, bolt, clip, hose and trim piece. I’ve even removed some welded panels, so it really just looks like an empty cage. If you ever feel the need to strip a car down to nothing, get one of these, for 95% of the car, all you need is a cheap 3/8 socket set and a #2 Phillips head screwdriver.
I then I found a run down old EP91 Starlet with some panel damage for a reasonable price and...
I'm sure you can figure out where this is going.
The poor little car after it was hit.
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Preparing a replacement Starlet for mum.
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A quick "How To" where we look at a low cost way of attending to the filthy seats.
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We got hold of another little EP91 Toyota and stripped it down in this chapter.
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12/1/15: Below, illustrates the stage the car is presently at... beneath the dirt, this car was in great condition, so anything usable has been retained.
13/1/15: Despite my fondness for older cars, my son Charlie needed a simple beginning to pick up a few skills... what better way than to be responsible for this little beast. This is a run down little car that the previous owners' daughter scraped along a low retaining wall. It opened it up like a can opener. We will repair this and give this tired old car a full restoration. Why bother? Because Starlets are simple, cheap and fun. Charlie will learn a lot and it will give me an easy break from the XW restoration you can see elsewhere on this site.
It's difficult to admit failure when we apply so much to our hobby, but the restoration of this little silver car didn't prevail. The reason? Well, I had the opportunity to acquire a 1957 Plymouth Belvedere (found elsewhere on this site) and so a lack of physical room presented a real issue. The tough decision was made at the end of 2016 to cull the shell from this car... I don't wish for it to sound dramatic, but aside from the damage to the side, the shell itself was flawless. You see, I absolutely hate waste and this car was wasted, but I retained many parts and learned a lesson about my son. He wasn't interested in playing with cars, so my attempt to keep his interest piqued had failed... never mind, maybe I should have tried something else.
Moving on to a different front... Life throws odd things from time to time and although some appear inevitable, they still manage to take us by surprise. My mother sustained a nasty fall in May 2016 and found herself in hospital and rehabilitation for the following few months. Even now, in September 2017, her mobility has been compromised severely due to the injury to her knee.
I began to drive my mothers cars periodically to keep them running while she was recovering. She advised me that the Starlet that I had fitted power steering to was surplus to her needs and she was ready to cull it. She offered it to me and no surprises... my son had taken a liking to it as well. So, he began to rack up his 120 hours of learner driving experience in the car and I was out and about doing the work run, the take-away food run and all the rest of the errands I do. Yes, I loved the car, but was about to lose this one as well... my son wanted it for his first car, as he was turning eighteen in about six weeks. This meant returning to the large Commodore wagon as the daily drive and as lovely as it is, I had grown accustomed to the little Starlet. So I went looking and found a cracker... take a look, it's all there on the following page.