Toyota is a pretty buttoned-down car company. Most of its economy cars are designed to be user-friendly at the expense of fun, but there have been moments in its history when it let its hair down just a little. Today, we’re going to look at two such vehicles – even though one is disguised as a Pontiac.
Looking at yesterday’s results, as of this moment, we have a first – a legitimate 50-50 tie. Half of you prefer the rusty stoner van, and half of you want the funhouse Charger. I guess that means it falls to me to cast the tiebreaking vote.
I chose the Charger. I do appreciate a good old van, but if I were ever to get one, it would be older than this one and look less like an HVAC company’s cast-off. Besides, the smell of certain recreational substances turns my stomach, and I have a feeling such a smell would be unavoidable in that van. The Charger is very near my old stomping grounds, actually; I used to live just down the road in Little Canada. I’d stop in at my favorite hobby shop on the way.
When you think “Toyota Corolla,” you probably picture a four-door sedan, likely in silver or white or beige, with a sensible automatic transmission. They are excellent cars. They’re not much fun, though. You can get a fun Corolla, of course, and you could get one in days past as well. It’s just that most buyers didn’t go for them. Today, we’re going to look at a couple of older models that could be quite a bit more entertaining than the average rental-spec model.
1989 Toyota Corolla GT-S – $4,700
Engine/drivetrain: 1.6-liter DOHC inline 4, five-speed manual, FWD
Location: Fort Worth, TX
Odometer reading: 214,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
The seller of this car says he’s selling it for his daughter, “for safety reasons.” It took me a minute to understand that; it’s not that unsafe of a car – oh wait. He’s talking about Craigslist crazies. Yeah, that makes more sense. Then the question is, why is she selling it at all? It’s a pretty cool little car, and it appears to be in great shape. I guess people sell cars for all kinds of reasons. Oh well, her loss is someone else’s gain, even if it is a little pricey.
The AE92 Corolla GT-S is the sportiest version of the E90 era Corolla. It’s front-wheel-drive, unlike its famous predecessor, though it does have Toyota’s excellent 4A-GE twin-cam engine. This one has a five-speed manual, which is definitely a plus in my book. This car with an automatic is just another Corolla. It runs and drives “excellent,” the seller says, despite its advanced mileage. It also has four brand-new tires, so it should be ready to go.
Inside, the heavily-bolstered bucket seats and red stitching on the steering wheel and shift boot set it further apart from lesser Corollas. The round white shift knob isn’t stock, but it is cool. Everything looks to be in good condition, though I don’t know whether that dash cover is preventing sun damage or hiding it. The air conditioning works fine, which is a nice bonus on a car this old.
It’s pretty racy-looking outside for a Corolla, with its factory body kit and white decals. This is also the only way to get pop-up headlights on a Corolla this age, and pop-up headlights are still cool. It’s in good condition, but it looks like there’s a little red overspray around the headlights that might indicate some previous repairs. It’s worth asking about.
2003 Pontiac Vibe GT – $3,995
Engine/drivetrain: 1.8-liter DOHC inline 4, six-speed manual, FWD
Location: San Diego, CA
Odometer reading: 215,000 miles
Operational status: Runs and drives well
New United Motor Manufacturing, Inc. – NUMMI for short – was a former GM plant operated as a joint venture between General Motors and Toyota from 1984 to 2010. The site is now a Tesla factory, cranking out Model 3s and Ys in the same buildings that once churned out GTOs and Chevelles. In between, as NUMMI, the factory produced Toyota Corollas of several generations, and a bunch of GM-badged cars that were more or less Corollas, including the Chevy Nova, Geo Prizm, and this car, the Pontiac Vibe.
This is the sporty version of the Vibe, the GT model, which is powered by a Toyota 2ZZ-GE engine making 180 horsepower and sending it to the front wheels through a six-speed manual transmission. The seller says it runs and drives great, and has all new brakes. It has a lot of miles on it, but that’s not uncommon for these cars – though I’ve never seen one with 300,000 miles on it. (Nor has anyone; the odometers of these famously stop at 299,999.)
The Vibe’s interior is pretty much identical to the Toyota Matrix, only with Pontiac logos on it. It’s in good condition, especially for the mileage, and the seller says the air conditioning compressor was just replaced, so it stays nice and cool in there. Everything else works just fine, too.
The Vibe has just enough differences from the Matrix outside to make it its own thing. It’s unmistakable for anything but a Pontiac, and personally, I’ve always liked the Vibe’s styling better than the Matrix’s. This one is in decent shape, with just a little faded paint to show its age. Black isn’t the best color for these, but it does wear it well.
Admittedly, the prices on both of these are a little steep for cars with more than 200,000 miles on them. But we all know used car prices aren’t what they once were, and the ‘Toyota Tax” is definitely a thing. On the plus side, these are both cars that thread that difficult needle of being reliable but also fun to drive. The choice is yours: Do you prefer the flashy two-door coupe, or the handy hatchback?
It’s a tough choice, but if I had to choose a car and had the money for only one, I’d take the Vibe. I’m very familiar with it + the 2ZZ is a hoot.
Dammit, the more I think about it, the more the AE92 is appealing. That 4A-GE is unmatched.
When NUMMI first started producing cars I was working at a GM dealer in Southern Illinois. One of my jobs was checking in the new cars as they came off the transports. Most of the transports were old junkers that the drivers cussed on a regular basis but one day a brand new truck showed up. I complimented the driver on his new truck and asked how he managed to get it. He told me that the company had bought a fleet of them to haul the new Toylets from California!!
This needs a “both” option. I could find teens who need these cars.
The Vibe/Matrix is a great car, though the rear window on the second gen is ugly as sin. Super practical though, and durable. However, that Corolla with the pop-up headlights is truly desirable. 🙂
A clean red GT-S coupe?
This is a no-brainer.
That Vibe is a bit more practical and ought to be fun, but I’m going with the cool factor. A Corolla GT-S with a stick that’s in great shape is a very tough item to beat in a SBS.
If I’m going sporty I want the dress the part. So Carolla. That Pontiac is just too much socks with sandals for me
Once again, both is good.
Sadly had to vote for the Corolla, drove one in the early ’00s helping a friend car shop and it was a zesty little thing and imo in 2026 feels more special than the Vibe. My wife had an ’05 Vibe base model when we met in 2019 that we only just sold last year, and they’re great little cars but I’m not wholly convinced that the Celica drivetrain is enough to make up for its rubbery steering, spongy brakes and overly sensitive gas pedal, though I’d love to be proven wrong! The funny thing is before we met I’d been low key shopping for a Vibe GT because they seem so great on paper. More importantly at 6’5″ I never quite fit right in the Vibe, and my fuzzy memory of the Corolla doesn’t include me not fitting in the Corolla. Really can’t go wrong here though, this was a harder choice than these usually are.
Shame on you for making us pick between these two.
Pontiac Vibe. The GT has the same drivetrain as the last Celica GTS, which had its own version of variable valve timing, which means you can wind this out to the 7700rpm redline just for fun (which I did.) Plus, the surprisingly restrained styling makes this a total sleeper Hot Hatch.
Vibe. While the Corolla is cooler, the Vibe is 14 years newer, plus I had a Matrix and I wish I would’ve kept it. And FYI – the Matrix was officially the Toyota Corolla Matrix as listed on the owners manual.
As with the Opel and Civic the other day, I cast a vote for the Vibe, not against the Corolla. I’d love to have that AE92 in my driveway, too, but a Vibe GT’s actually on my list.
My partner’s first car was an AWD – the slowest version of these – and I was unfortunately responsible for its demise a decade ago; the quick model here would make an excellent daily and a practical kid shuttle when the CR-V’s in the shop, with a hint of bonus nostalgia. I wish it was Neptune Blue with unpainted cladding, like that one was, but our fashion sense is similar enough to Adrian’s that I’d be just fine with black.
How is this that close? I’d buy that Corolla tomorrow. It’s so clean and clearly the better car. For no other reason than pop up headlights
This is a “both” day.
Tough choices here. A 4A-GE or a 2ZZ? I went for the Vibe because the 2ZZ-GE really sings. It was designed in conjunction with Yamaha and has an 8,200 rpm redline.
However, my inner weeb really wants that GT-S and would probably re-trim it to be a replica of the Sprinter Trueno from some terrible anime that no one else but me watches called Initial D. Won’t be an exact match as the car from the anime was an AE86 and not an AE92 – but the engine is the same.
I’d happily take either or both, so the answer today depends on what I want the car for.
If I’m looking for a radmobile to attract attention at C&C, take to RADwood, and proudly park in the Popup Zone at my own events, the AE92 takes the cake.
The Vibe would make a rather excellent, practical and fun budget daily driver.
This is the first BOTH day for a long while. But since I had to choose, much as I love wagons, I already have two much nicer ones, so the GT-S it is for a little high-revving ’80s fun.
That GT-S seems super nice for the price too. Could probably flip it on BaT for stupid money after a good detailing.
Vibe. It’s actually useful as a car, and the manual makes it fun.
Corolla GTS for me… I love how these look and this one is in excellent condition for the money.
But really, I’d want both.
Pop up headlights! This has to swing it for Autopians.