The fact that Eugene is crawling with cars like this is what really inspired Curbside Classics. There’s a guy down the street that’s had a similar Corolla Liftback ever since we moved here in 1993. And they soldier on, and on, and on. But not just for the occasional run to the coast or hot springs, which are a bit too far for the old Schwinn Varsity or Peugeot 10 speed. Many are still in front-line working capacity, like this one, as a view inside will attest. Maybe it’s the spiritual power being channeled by the graphics on its side; is that the god of automotive immortality on the front door?
Maybe. Or is it Jim Morrison? Or? Whatever, or whoever, it seems to be working, as this 36 year-old Corolla looks to be in rude health yet.
I caught it at Mike’s Bargain Shed or something like that, where undoubtedly one can buy remaindered wood and wood products cheaper than anywhere else in the country, given that giant Seneca Sawmill is up the road less than a mile, as well as all the other mills in the vicinity. Lane County is one of the country’s powerhouses for wood products. We grow Douglas Firs like the Iowans grow corn; it just doesn’t get harvested quite as often (about 20 years, give or take).
And yes, it’s here to buy wood. But no rack on top? Not needed, as a glimpse through the back window makes clear: this one has been converted to a one-passenger micro-van. I’m tempted to do that with my Xbox. When in Eugene…
And it has a tow bar too, for when the hauling gets serious.
Like far out, man. Now I want to go listen to some Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem.
Farm out, dude.
You can pretty much do that with an xb with little effort. Pull the headrests off the passenger seat & passenger rear seat, pull the front seat all the way forward & recline it flat. Without the headrests you will have enough room to fold the rear seat down too and be able to load stuff from the hatch all the way to the dashboard.
Aha! It does fold forward, but not very far. This is why I keep CC going; to learn new things. Thanks.
My old Malibu Maxx used to be able to do that, the front passenger seat folded flat, and with all of the other seats down, we could put 8 foot lengths of lumber (or whatever else) in the car with the hatch shut. It was really very handy…
I could put 8′ lumber into my ’85 Honda Prelude with the trunk shut and the rear and passenger’s seat folded down.
And the thing is, this car will run forever too.
Sure will, the body looks good on that one, which is obviously well looked after. Smart owner. Really rare to find one so old that is not rusty, it is was like 37 years ago!
My wife brought a ’75 Corolla hardtop into our marriage. It was a true hardtop, one step below the top-of-the-line SR-5. It even had a 5-speed, my first experience with one. Zackman — I think (but don’t remember for sure) that the rear windows rolled down!
Performance-wise, it was a slug compared to my zippy ’75 VW Rabbit 2-door. But as is true today, the Rabbit often wouldn’t start in adverse weather, while the Corolla didn’t miss a beat. The best example of this was during the January ’77 blizzard in the Indianapolis area, where we were living at the time. Both cars were parked outside our townhouse, and both engine compartments filled up snow because of the fierce winds. (The MG across the street had a snow-filled interior.)
The next day, neither car would start, but after brushing off the snow as best as we could, my father-in-law took off the Corolla’s air filter, put some starter fluid in the carb, and it started right up! With my Rabbit, the timing belt was not fully enclosed as in today’s cars. Snow had gotten into the belt housing, and the belt slipped a few notches when I tried to start it. (I wouldn’t find out what the problem was until it was towed to the dealer.) Meanwhile, the Corolla just went about its business!
I did a CC about my 1974 Corolla a while back and this brings up so many memories of the raging controversy as to whether it would actually start in Montreal winters.
In the winter of 1975 we had a wicked blizzard that knocked out the power and hence the block heaters. We had a 1970 Pontiac in the family too, and getting in going required loads of ether, pouring gas down the carb, the lot. Even this was often unsuccessful.
It was my job to get the Corolla going. Remember that? Getting cars going after storms? I pumped the gas pedal twice, like it said in the manual for extreme weather, and turned the key. The starter worked at like 1/4 speed but after like less than two seconds the 2TC fired right up and set to a perfect fast idle. This after working on the Poncho like an hour.
I recall it was so cold the gear level felt like it it was in cold tar, I could hardly move it. After 10 minutes, it was even kicking out good heat from the heater. That Corolla was great little car.
Thats not a 1975…The body style originated in 75, but this one is 1977- 1/2 thru 1979.
The 75 -77 had a black fascia on the instrument panel, the one pictured has grey. Also the th louver on the hood on the drivers side on 75-77 was a cut out with a black grille inserted. This one appears to be a louver integral to the hood. My Dad had both a 75 2 door deluxe and a 77-1/2 wagon
Thanks; I wasn’t in the mood to refresh myself on those details that particular evening.
Re: capabilities of the scion.
I’m still learning what I can do with a cube. I don’t think I can carry 8 foot long wood but I know I can fit a trailer hitch. Intend to anyway and will make a small trailer (or modify a bike trailer) to carry stuff. I am told it is rated for 2klbs in England. I know I beat up a 79 datsun and couldn’t kill it. It didn’t even have a God of Longevity painted on the door.
Maybe my Nissan has some of that DNA for toughness. Oh well. So long as the truck continues to work I just get to think about stuff like this and not do it.
1975 Honda Civic hatchback.
Remove passenger seat backrest.
Fold down rear seat.
3/4-inch plywood running from firewall to rear of the tiny car.
One 4×4 at firewall to hold up that end of the plywood.
Use sheets tucked into roof where headliner tucks into roof to cover windows.
3-inch foam rubber for mattress.
Home sweet home.
I did exactly this to a Rabbit Diesel I took to the Arctic so I could work and go fishing! It was like 6’4 with that set up.
do you think whoever owns this car smokes pot ,lol
The Nissan dealer lent me a Cube to drive while my car was being serviced. I was amazed at the interior space, relative to it’s overall size, how well it drove and how inexpensive it was. I felt perfectly normal as I drove it, but pretty embarrassed when I got out and saw in clown like appearance. Too bad Nissan didn’t make it look more like an Xbox
At a certain age I quit worrying about looking like a clown. Now I just worry about keeping it going. The cube is doing that quite well.
I had a ’77 Liftback that I used as my touring vehicle on a trip to Mexico in 1991.
Took the front passenger seat out entirely. Built a plywood platform shaped like the floor and elevated it with strategically placed and fastened blocks so that it was dead even with the folded rear seat.
Put in an air mattress and sleeping bag.
This served as my camper for the entire trip.
The mattress and sleeping bag combo made for a really comfortable arm rest while slowly following crapped out Mexican trucks making their laborious way up and down the switchback roads that penetrate the endless mountains of central Mexico.
A couple years later I sold the still strong Corolla to a local youth.
He destroyed it within a week.
If it wasn’t for the new crops of testosterone-addled youth that continually enter the population base every year, Detroit would have probably gone belly up decades ago.
Nice find, but I can’t help but wonder if you got any pictures of that “Smurf Blue” ’78-’80 Volvo 240DL seen in the first photo.
No, I don’t stop for those. If I did, I’d never get anywhere! There everywhere. But good noticing; I wondered if anyone would.
You should take a week’s vacation here (or a long weekend), and compile the CC Complete Volvo Chronicles. Seriously. I’d put you up.
Seems very strange to see one of these without a couple different-colour panels, alloy wheels worth 3x what the car is, and a sewer-pipe sized exhaust out back!
Haha, how very true. Don’t forget the roof rack with 80s BMX on the top as well!
Had the misfortune of watching TV yesterday and saw the track and field tryouts were being held in Eugene. Think this was one of the limo fleet that was carrying those folks around.
“Maybe it’s the spiritual power being channeled by the graphics on its side; is that the god of automotive immortality on the front door?”
Late again, I know, but I have to say, I laughed out loud at that one!