Enthusiastic by Toyota Corolla

Which Corolla to buy ? .. must change. I have rented a Corolla Ascent (Limousine) 12/2004 (VIT?) in my Australia vacation and am thrilled. Comfort, technology, performance, consumption, everything has tuned. Now at home, my Golf II Match ’85 is ready to replace *sniff*; it was not bad. It should be a used Corolla from ’98 with automat and climate. Where and how can I get information about the model variants/engine types/strengths and weaknesses etc. ? a read a little to be able to share, or ? fun aside, just want to know what can be bought with good conscience. Thanks for info links etc. Greetings, Andy