1999 Toyota Conquest Buyer's Guide: Specifications, Maintenance, and Pre-Purchase Advice
The Conquest debuted locally on the fifth-generation Corolla platform (E80) before transitioning to the beloved E90 architecture in the late 1980s. Toyota South Africa recognized a winning formula: straightforward engineering, rugged suspension valving for regional asphalt, and parts interchangeability that fleet mechanics could manage blindfolded. By 1999, the Conquest shared showroom space with its stripped-back sibling, the Tazz, yet retained dedicated trims for private buyers seeking small comfort upgrades.
Its durability created an unusually sticky ownership cycle. Families kept them for twenty years. Couriers turned them into lightweight haulers. Enthusiasts built street-tuned project cars. That wide utility created a polarized market today: pristine, low-mileage commuter cars sitting right alongside abused beaters barely held together by aftermarket wiring harnesses.