So what if it’s an auction flip and you’re technically the third owner. You can be the owner that cares.
VIN: 1NXBA02E2VZ514748
Browsing Facebook earlier yesterday and an interesting barn find of a super ordinary car was making the rounds, this 1997 Toyota Corolla in Bright Ivy Pearl for sale in Brentwood, CA for $7,800 (Facebook marketplace ad linked here.)
It’s a barn find because the odometer only reads 31,848 miles.
In 2023, this 8th gen Corolla (we’re on the 12th gen already,) a full 26 years old, has less miles than most cars still making payments on the road today.
Here’s a screenshot of the ad, a gallery of photos from the listing, and a photo of the VIN for posterity’s sake.
![](https://tiremeetsroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/1997-Corolla-for-sale-ad.jpg)
![](https://tiremeetsroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/1997-Toyota-Corolla-barn-find-scaled.jpg)
![](https://tiremeetsroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Corolla-Vin-2-rotated.jpg)
I plugged the VIN into Google and according to VehicleHistory.com this Corolla recently sold on Copart for obviously less than what the seller is selling it for.
![](https://tiremeetsroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Corolla-sales-history-Copart.jpg)
Your guess is as good as mine, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he doubles his money.
In this new and used car market where everything is overpriced (this listing included admiteddly,) it’s hard to find basic, honest-to-goodness, point-A to point-B transportation.
That’s exactly what this Corolla is and, it doesn’t get any more bare bones than this.
This is a base standard Corolla (three trim levels were Standard, DX, and LE) which means it’s got the base 1.6L four cylinder that puts out 100 HP and 105 lb-ft paired to a three-speed (yes, only three speeds) automatic.
![](https://tiremeetsroad.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/97-Corolla-Engine-bay.jpg)
It’s so bare bones, it’s got 14-inch steel wheels with hubcaps in the truest sense of the word, not plastic wheel covers.
I actually can talk about the driving experience of this Corolla, as my family owns its Geo twin, the 95% identical Geo Prizm with the exact same engine and transmission.
When I say this is point-A to point-B transportation, it’s literally that, and it excels at it.
It corners soft and pillowy, the engine provides barely adequate power, and the three-speeds means a decent city driving experience, but you’re definitely in the upper power/RPM band on the freeway.
Inside, it’s spartan with comfortable seats and basic but durable touchpoints everywhere.
The only redeeming quality about this Corolla/Prizm is it starts every single time, without fail, and provides a consistent, albeit boring, driving experience.
And if something fails, parts are readily available, cheap at any auto parts store.
An alternator, water pump, or a full set of belts? All found within the hour for less than $100.
Despite it being 26 years old, besides refreshing all the fluids and swapping out anything under the hood that can get brittle, if you need deadset legendary reliability for under $10,000, you can’t go wrong with this Corolla.
My sister owned one of these in white. And yes, it literally was a car to get you from A to B… that was it lol. The color on this one is particularly charming.