In those days, Toyota (and most other Japanese automakers) released their cars in Japan a full model year sooner than in export markets- the 80-series ran from 1983 to 1986 in Japan, 1984 to 1987 in the US. 1984 models were 8-valve only.
DO NOT buy one sight unseen. They. Rust. Everywhere. Get a good look underneath, pass a magnet wrapped in a rag over the sides to look for Bondo, and look under the carpets, in the trunk and so on. Basically, double up on all the usual used-car precautions, especially if you've never bought a car this old before.
8-valve AE85s were "Corolla SR5" (Wikipedia mentions a "Corolla Deluxe Coupe" but I've never seen one); 16-valve AE86s were "Corolla GT-S". No matter- at this point, a solid shell is more important than anything else. Scraping of 20 years of old undercoat, cutting out rust (not to mention previous owners' patchy "just get it through one more inspection" repairs), and welding in new metal is pure hell, engine swaps are much easier. This only sort-of applies to automatic cars- if it's a nice solid shell, go for it but be aware you'll need a complete manual parts car for a transmission swap.
If there's a club active in your area, consider joining before you buy- this gives you access to knowledge that can really help.
Springfield, VT to host Simpsons premier- all I can say is WOOHOO!
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