I want to buy an AE86 but can't find one....what should I do?

I get a ton of email asking if I know where to find a Corolla GT-S AE86 to buy, so I decided to create this little flow chart to help you out. That way, I don't have to email you back and ask for the details, and then you don't have to email me back and tell me that you want to find a white/black hatchback with a straight, rust-free body, under 100,000 miles, for under U.S. $1000, in your home town. Now we can both skip all that hassle....just answer the questions and work your way through...you will be driving off in your new AE86 before you know it!

1) Does the thought of spending a lot of time and money fixing an older car scare you? We are talking about everything from sloppy door hinges to severe body rust, leaky seals, broken window cranks, bad wheel bearings, blown transmissions to worn valve guides, worn-out shocks, worn-out upholstery all the way down to that little crack in the dash, or that little creak in the interior. Does this scare you or appeal to you?
SCARES ME: go to 13 APPEALS TO ME: go to 2

2)Have you seen Corolla GT-S's driving around the street in your area?
YES: go to 3 NO: go to 10

3)Do you have your heart set on a hatchback?
YES: go to 9 NO: go to 4

4) Can you dedicate several hours a week for the next six months plus several thousand dollars to finding a Corolla GT-S?
YES: go to 5 NO: go to 13

5) Do you regularly check the classified section of the forums at www.club4ag.com?
YES: go to 6 NO: go to 7

6) Diversify your search. Read the local newspaper classifieds daily. Check the "Parts and Repairs" section as well as the "Cars for Sale" section. Some papers also have a "Cars Under $1000" which is a great place to find slightly older cars that might not otherwise be in the paper. Pick up the local AutoTrader on the morning that it comes out, and call about any Corollas that same day. In any of these listings, it may be worth a phone call about a "1985-1987 Toyota Corolla." If the ad says 4dr or automatic, you know it is not a GT-S for sure. If the ad doesn't specify, call to ask. I don't give away what I am looking for too fast, you might cut yourself out of a deal if you sound anxious; I start with "Is it a two-door or a four-door?" and if it is a two-door, then "5-speed or automatic?" Then I will ask if it is an SR5. There are some non-car-people out there with GT-S's...and more often than not they view their cars as just a Corolla. Walk and bike around town as much as possible, varying your route. The slower pace allows you to really scour the streets for Corollas. They may not be for sale, but you can always leave a polite note expressing an interest in the car, "if it should ever come up for sale" and then wait for a phone call. Remember the part about how this could take months? I know of six Corolla GT-S within a mile or mile and a half of my house from just walking to work, walking to the store, walking around exploring in my spare time, always looking in driveways, and at cars parked on the street. Make a habit of swinging by the scuzzy, cheap used car lots in your area once a week or so. If you are so inclined, it may be worth checking out some tow/impound auctions, too. I haven't found any GT-S's worth having this way, but some people I know have seen the occasional rough, beat-up Corolla GT-S pass through this type of auction. Go to local motorsports events, you never know when you may run into a racer with an AE86 for sale. If not, at least you get a fun day at the races or autocross. Look at www.autotrader.com online to try and find Corolla GT-Ss outside of your immediate area. Post a wanted ad up at www.club4ag.com in the classified forum, and consider taking out one in your local paper, too. I can guarantee you will get results quickly with an ad that reads something like this, "Wanted: AE86 GT-S in good used condition. Year, color unimportant. Coupe or hatchback OK. Body must be straight, must be in decent mechanical shape. U.S. $3000 cash waiting for the right car. Can travel up to 1000 miles from (insert your location here)" When all else fails, wait until tomorrow and then check back at www.club4ag.com again. Good luck, you are on the right track.

7) Do you have it stuck in your head that you can't/won't buy a Corolla GT-S from an enthusiast?
YES: go to 8 NO: go to 11

8) Consider buying from an enthusiast, or else budget even more time, energy, and longer travel. Check the ads at www.club4ag.com. Buying a Corolla GT-S from a fellow enthusiast may cost a little bit more money, but you can usually count on getting a few mods with the deal, and possibly a better maintained car than the $500 beater Corolla some grandma is unloading because she doesn't drive it much anymore. The enthusiast's used cars are usually easier to find, also. You pretty much have to luck into a Corolla GT-S for sale from a grandma, and that can take months to years. Go to 11

9) Finding a hatchback will take extra money and extra time, perhaps even several hours a week for an entire year of long, hard searching, plus several thousand dollars and a willingness to travel. Can you live with this?
YES: go to 4 NO: go to 13

10) Can you travel to the West Coast for a couple of weeks?
YES: go to 11 NO: go to 12

11) Look at the ads in local newspaper classifieds, the local AutoTrader and similar weeklies, and in the forums at www.club4ag.com and start contacting sellers to arrange viewings and testdrives! If this doesn't work for you, go to 6

12) Find a trustworthy, car-saavy buddy or an acclaimed car-buying service on the West Coast and pay them to find you a car. If not, go to 13

13) You are not ready to buy a Corolla GT-S. No offense intended, but your priorities are unrealistic. You need to widen the scope of color/bodystyle/condition/price of the GT-S you are looking for. You need to either dedicate more time, money, energy, and travel to this project, or else go buy yourself some other kind of car. Thank you and have a nice day!

Got to Club4AG right now to look at some ads

If you are running out of patience looking for an AE86, why not consider broadening your search to include some other cars that can offer a similar experience:

Toyota Corolla AE71
Toyota Corolla TE72
Toyota Starlet KP61
Toyota MR-2 AW11
First-gen Mazda RX-7 SA22C
Mazda RX-3
Early Mazda Miata
Nissan 240SX S13
Datsun 510
Datsun 210
Any hardtop four-cylinder Alfa Romeo (Gulia, Alfetta, etc)
Mitsubishi Starion/Dodge Conquest
RWD Isuzu Impulse
FIAT 124 or 131
BMW 3-series E30
BMW 2002

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