“I still drift my 2008 Toyota Yaris.”
A woman says she pulled her 1997 Toyota Corolla “out of retirement” after a year just to see how far $10 worth of gas would get her.
TikTok user @adnama993 shared the experiment after bringing the high-mileage Corolla back into rotation. “We’re about to find out what $10 does for the tank,” she says, showing the fuel gauge sitting on empty.
According to @adnama993, the car had been parked for about a year before she started driving it again.
“It’s been sitting for a whole year, and she started right up btw at 350k miles,” she added in the text overlay.
She then filmed herself at a gas station where regular was listed at $4.07 a gallon.
@adnama993 put $10 worth of fuel into the Corolla and started it back up.
The result: a little less than a quarter of a tank. As of this writing, her video has 25,900 views.
What Does $10 Buy In A 1997 Corolla?
Ten dollars doesn’t buy much gas at $4.07 a gallon, but an older Corolla can stretch it farther than plenty of larger vehicles. For example, at the price shown in @adnama993’s video, $10 would buy roughly 2.5 gallons of regular gas.
A 1997 Toyota Corolla holds about 13 gallons, according to TheCarConnection. It lists a 13.2-gallon tank for the model and says the car was rated at roughly 25 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway. That means a couple gallons can still go a decent distance here, even if it doesn’t look especially dramatic on the gauge.
The Corolla also uses regular unleaded gas, not premium. That matters because part of what makes an older economy car attractive when fuel prices are high is that there’s no need to pay extra for a higher-octane grade.
Of course, the needle landing just below a quarter tank shouldn’t be treated as a precise measurement of how many gallons went in.
Fuel gauges are meant to give drivers a general indication of what’s left, not function like laboratory instruments. AAA cautions drivers against leaning too heavily on dashboard fuel estimates because readings and range calculations can vary with driving conditions and style. The group recommends refueling around a “quarter of a tank.”
That advice is especially relevant here because @adnama993 started with the gauge already sitting on E. AAA says regularly running a tank that low can also increase the risk of fuel-pump damage.
So the Corolla’s gauge may not tell viewers exactly how much $10 bought. But it generally suggests that an older compact that runs on regular gas can still go relatively far on a small fill-up.
Viewers Compare Notes
Many viewers were impressed by what $10 did for the Corolla.
“40 for a full tank…. Send her my way,” they said.
Some people used the clip to compare gas prices where they live.
“$4.09, girl, my area is $4.33,” one commenter wrote.
“[Arizona’s] gas is $4.57,” another said.
Someone else was shocked by the price shown in the video.
“As a Californian, I’m jealous of those gas prices,” another viewer added.
“Yo, your gas cheap at [expletive] where is that?” a second commenter asked.
Others compared what they’re spending to fill their own cars.
“$50 was half tank this week in my 02 Odyssey… $100 to fill in a Honda is lame,” one person wrote.
A diesel owner offered a different tradeoff.
“Hell yeah my Jetta is a diesel, and the fuel is so high right now, but I get 500 miles or more a tank,” the viewer said.
Plenty of commenters also took the video as another argument for hanging onto older cars.
“Have 94 Honda Civic LX 5-speed,” one person wrote.
“I still drift my 2008 Toyota Yaris, [expletive] new cars and their loans,” another viewer said.
“Drive that thing until the wheels fall off,” someone else added.
One commenter pushed back on the idea that the Corolla’s apparent range had much to do with tank size.
“That’s because back in the day gas was cheap and went far, doesn’t mean the tank is smaller,” the viewer wrote.
And at least one person thought Toyota itself should see the clip.
“I hope @Toyota USA sees this,” the commenter said.
Motor1 has contacted @adnama993 via TikTok direct message. We’ll be sure to update this if she responds.
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