Toyota Corolla

coolguyky7 · July 2002

There is a Corolla/Matrix owners club.

behhpp · July 2002

I think that a 2003 Corolla topic would be good, and was disappointed to see it eliminated by the host.

mralan, I have only driven 250 miles in my new Corolla, and it was all city driving with the AC running at all times, and I got 28 MPG. Maybe others with more miles under different conditions will comment, but that is what I got.

jrct9454 · July 2002

Our '03 LE automatic now has about 3300 miles on it, and we have been averaging about 29-30 mpg in short-runs around the suburbs for shopping and such, and 32-35 mpg when it has a chance to stretch its legs. I would say overall right now is about 31-32. I put synthetic oil in it at 2500 miles, but there is still some breaking-in to be done. It has become noticeably more willing to rev and a bit quieter in the last 1000 miles or so.

Also [knock on wood], our NUMMI-built car [March] has had none of the interior noises that have plagued some others on the board. About the worst thing I can dredge up is that when the interior gets really hot from sitting in the sun, the inside mirror likes to vibrate at speed. I've tried tightening the mounting as much as I dare, and now tend to ignore it if it happens. Otherwise, we are very pleased with the car in just about every respect.

coolguyky7 · July 2002

I just noticed today that the 1996 and 1997 Corollas have different door panel designs. What is up with that? Why would Toyota have changed it in that model's last year of production? The 1996 has a padded area just below the window and has more cloth. The 1997 model is more like the 1998-02 generation door panel design.

sandman46 · July 2002

I noticed that also after I'd bought my '96. Like the '97 door panel much better, a more integrated look IMHO. Oh well, can't have everything.
On a side note, rented a '02 Camry this weekend, AWESOME!!!!!

The Sandman :-)

coolguyky7 · July 2002

I think the 1997 one looks more modern but the 1996 seems a little more upscale and I'd say it is since there was some decontenting in models...particularly the new 1997 Camry.

alpha01 · July 2002

Very true. There is a marked difference in interior design and quality between our leased 1997/2000 Camrys and the 2002 that we purchased earlier this year. I feel the new one has been significantly recontented, and the older cars rival.. sad to say... GM in execution. For example, the sunglass holder in the 02 deploys with smoothness befitting of a Lexus, and has a gear hinge design. The same sunglass holder inthe 2000 practically falls out of the ceiling when you try to use it. In addition, after 35,000 miles the adhesion on the ugly black plastic surrounds on the gearshift and dimmer switches is becoming loose, and the latch on the center armrest literally broke off in my mom's hand.
I'm glad Toyota has picked up the pace in terms of interior design quality.. they really fell off there for awhile.

I'm sorry for that slight digression, but I thought it was warranted given your talk of decontenting.

Also- in 1997, the US Gov't mandated side impact protection standards, which, I am assuming, neccessitated Toyota's reinforcing the door structures- that probably has more to do with the different design than anything else.

~alpha

corollarocks · July 2002

Here's an update for those of you who still
have your mysterious 'dashboard' sound. I originally posted in MSG 1822 about the
rattle which sounded like it was coming from up near the windshield on the right and left side.

It started when I had 200 miles on the odometer and it was most noticeable when I was driving
slowly over bumpy/washboard surfaces.

Well I finally took it in today to get the
oil changed at 2000 miles. I gave them
a printout with some of the other solutions
I had seen on this board, including the one
where they replaced the crash panel insulation.

While this is only based on today's drive home,
the sounds are gone. Here is the diagnosis
that was printed on my invoice.

"Found strut top mounts rubbing around the bolts
and the fender. Applied foam tape around top
of the strut top and around studs to prevent rubbing fender."

If there are any further developments, I'll post again, but as of now the cabin is tranquil.

terceltom1 · July 2002

Just in case your wondering the headlights can not be turned off in the "01","02" or the "03" Corollas. By the way, Lucky, What branch of the military are you in?

jrct9454 · July 2002

Those of you with noises from what sounds like the dash area need to pay attention to the above post - I would call this a breakthrough kind of insight on the part of some technician, or perhaps the factory has figured out the problem. In any case, this is not an intuitive solution, and is all the more important for that reason.

canc · July 2002

I had the opportunity to sit in a new, fully loaded, Corolla LE with leather last month. My dealership had it in the showroom, so I tried it out. I was surprised how much headroom there is compared to my previous Corolla. The leather is great, and is not the "leatherette" found in VWs. It also had the electrochromic mirror (in a Corolla?) and chrome door handles, plus wood trim. It honestly looked like a little Lexus. I didn't sit in a new Corolla with cloth seats yet, but from what I could tell, this one had very supportive seats. The gauges though are a bit slanted compared to the previous gen. Corolla, and so I had to get used to it a bit. There's also a bit less leg room, but is insignificant.

An all-around great car that would beat the pants off a Civic EX.

alpha01 · July 2002

Can anyone explain the scarcity of the 2003 Corolla right now? Between the 3 dealerships closest to my house, there are about 10 TOTAL in inventory shown online. When called, one said the online listing was a day old and they actually were completely out for the moment. THIS IS CRAZY-its a compact mainstream sedan! Are suppliers not able to keep up, is there just too much demand- what is going on? Prices need to come down from MSRP, even carsdirect.com is listing the Corolla OVER MSRP and its been on the market nearly 6 months already.
I'm not in the market, but I do think its a great car- but worth ordering at MSrP- I find hard to believe.
~alpha

btw- The dealers have more Matrices on the lots than Corollas.

corollarocks · July 2002

A follow-up to my previous post. While I
was very relieved that they didn't have
to disassemble the dashboard, I have been
thinking about this. Now I really don't
know about the mechanicals of cars.
A strut is like part of the suspension
working with the shocks..right ? :-)

Maybe someone can help me out here but
do "strut top mounts" normally make contact
with other vehicle parts..like fenders ?
Maybe there was some foam there initially
to cushion this. I'm just concerned that
there shouldn't be any rubbing at all
with or without a foam cushion. Any opinions ?

thanks

jrct9454 · July 2002

I took a look at the mounting position on the struts on our '03 LE. There is a lip around the sheet metal of the body opening where the strut top is located that, if things were moving ever so slightly under stress, I could see might make some noise. There already is some foam there at the side that faces the dash - this is very hard to describe in the absence of a diagram - and it's possible that the REAL solution was just loosening and then retightening the bolts that hold the strut to the body, which they presumably had to do. Anyway, it is not beyond belief that this could be the source of some of the otherwise unexplainable noises from what seems like the dash area.

Ours, as I have said repeatedly, does not have any such noises, so this is all speculation on my part. It just wouldn't surprise me if the techs in your case made a little discovery that might apply more widely.

corollarocks · July 2002

I agree..I wonder if there was a tech bulletin
on this one. When I made the appointment,
I asked the service advisor if there was a tech
bulletin for dashboard problems and she said
there wasn't, although this wouldn't be under
that category. :-)

corollarocks · July 2002

While I was waiting for delivery of my Corolla
back in May, I would drive to the dealers lot,
and the back lot where the new arrivals are
kept a couple of times a week, just to see
if there were any sitting around. They only
have one LE at the dealer for test drives
and i have never seen any others on the
main lot. The ones that would arrive in
the back lot were always gone the next
time I went ! They seem to either be
pre-sold or sell immediately after they
arrive. :-) That has not changed even
now in late July. They must be selling
like hotcakes..I do remember reading that
Toyota was going to be assembling them
in Japan and shipping them over because
the US/Canadian plants can't keep up.

While I'm sure they can be had for under
MSRP, I wouldn't be holding my breath
for any rebates or low interest rate loans. :-)

jmatero · July 2002

I live in Westchester, NY and there are few if any on the roads around here. On top of that, I've been to 5 dealers now (2 in Connecticut) and there are NONE on the lots. None... not even one to look at or test drive. None. I asked and the answer is always the same.. 'We can't keep them in... and the ones coming in are spoken for'. That being the case, I'm sure they're going for retail+. However, the lots are FILLED with Matrix vehicles. They are even marked down on some lots. That being the case, Civics and Elantras are selling for way under invoice, have the first year bugs worked out and have low financing so while I would love to even TEST DRIVE a corolla, I think it's out of the question. I've read on a number of sites including this one and carpoint.com that there have been a number of quality issues with the body and dash along with unexplained noises driving owners nuts so a second year buy is probably the way to go anyway.

8u6hfd · July 2002

One of the reasons was the "look". THe integrated design of the 1997, gave it a more upscale, high quality look to it.

alpha is also correct in the 1997 side impact standards, which as why, according to Toyota they dropped the wagon in 1997.

jrct9454 · July 2002

I think it is clear that Toyota has seriously underestimated demand for the Corolla, or more likely, between them and GM, overestimated demand for the VibeTrix. On the West Coast, Corollas are not as scarce, but compared to what I would expect for inventories, there is a noticeable lack of Corollas, and a noticeable surplus of Matrices.

Once again, I suspect that the American public just refuses to behave the way the marketing gurus think they will or should. This business of chasing the next hot trend is always a dicey affair, and in particular, pandering to the age group that everyone "wants" is bound to leave some products out in the cold. Nobody seems to want me as a customer [56, car nut, buys and trades frequently, but likes a lot of different cars, not just what "boomers" are supposed to like], so my opinion can hardly matter...but here it is, anyway: the new Corolla is the class of this class, and after 5 months of ownership, the decision feels better every day.

I haven't driven a MatVibe, because I hate the way the Matrix looks with the silly "mandatory option" ground effects, and the tests I've read in any case suggest the ride is too rocky for my tastes. But I sure like the idea, and the first manufacturer that makes a true wagon in this class the combines the refinement of the current Corolla with a hatch body is going to get my money. Unfortunately, the Matrix is not it, and I think the market is already speaking...

alpha01 · July 2002

Your posts are always a delight to read. Informative, insightful, unbiased and seemingly written as if you had an MLA handbook in your cerebrum somwhere.

Thanks
Joe

jrct9454 · July 2002

...f--- with a lot of very expensive experience...

rsparrow · July 2002

...What do you think of the current Corolla hatchback models available in the UK?

http://www.toyota.co.uk/cgi-bin/toyota/bv/frame_start.jsp?id=200_NCSTR_COROLLA

Sometimes I wish they would just bring those over here.

jrct9454 · August 2002

...would be my model of choice, if it were only offered here.

Speaking of misplaced marketing, and how wrong they can be on these matters, rumor has it that the IST will be one of the cars coming in next year as part of the Scion startup. I would love to try one of these - a 3 or 5-door hatch, just a bit smaller than the Corolla, very handsome and with a good range of engines [at least in Japan]. Now I'm supposed to be too old and stodgy to be interested in this car, and I guess I'll have to wear earplugs to get past the rap music in the Scion area of the dealership, but if the IST is part of the Scion lineup, I want to try it.

This is not to be confused with the perfectly silly BBX rolling phone booth, which will be the other Scion car, and I predict, a total bust with every demographic.

jrct9454 · August 2002

...I notice that the EU Corolla won the annual award from What Car? magazine [the link above] in the UK. This mag is a sort-of cross between Consumer Reports and Car & Driver in the UK, and their opinion matters to a lot of people.

jrct9454 · August 2002

http://www.toyota.co.jp/Showroom/All_toyota_lineup/ist/

This is the link to the Japanese Toyota site that shows the IST. Ignore the Japanese script and navigate around the site, and you'll get some good indications of what the car looks like and the Japanese market engine choices.

They get 1.3 and 1.5 liter engines, but rumor has it that the 1.8 from the Corolla / MatVibe will easily fit and could be the powertrain that will be offered in the USA.

Anyway, in the absence of a proper Corolla hatch, this looks like an interesting alternative to me, if it actually shows up next year in the Scion lineup.

canc · August 2002

Canada won't get Scion cars...

2003corolla · August 2002

I just took my 1999 Corolla into the dealership for an oil change. The dealer rep told me to have the 30k check up at a cost of around $480.00 bucks. Should I get this service or wait until a later mileage? (this is a leased vehicle)

thanks

Andy

8u6hfd · August 2002

wait on it. If anything they'll replace the spark plugs, if they are not platinum plugs, and the air filter.

canc · August 2002

WHAT?! What will they do for that amount? I'd be interesting to know. Is this regular maintenance or do you have anything more to do on the car that would add to the price?

I know that my Mom's 2000 Corolla has iridium spark plugs that only need to be changed every 196,000 kms. (not miles, but that's a long time anyway), so the spark plugs shouldn't need to be changed.

I also know that some dealers in the US have "internet coupons" you can print out and apply as discounts on your service visits. Maybe that'll bring the price down a bit.

mcdawgg · August 2002

At 30,000 miles on a '99, just replace PCV valve, air filter, flush and refill cooling system, and replace spark plugs. That's it. Even if you had the dealer do all this for you, it shouldn't be over $200. Even if you are not mechanically inclined, replacing the air filter and PCV valve is REALLY easy, no tools required. If automatic transmission, replace transmission fluid (add another $60).

canc · August 2002

I don't even think changing the spark plugs is even necessary at this point. Like I said in my previous posts, the Corolla uses iridium spark plugs.

8u6hfd · August 2002

Iridium hasn't introduced to the Toyota enigne lineup until MY 2000. Chances are, he may be running copper or platinum. There should be a sticker in the engine compartment which tells you what kind of plug is in the car.

if the first letter part number (Denso) starts with an "I", it's iridum. "P" means platinum. If there's only one letter, then a number, it's copper.

canc · August 2002

How different are Denso made parts compared to, let's say, Delco (GM)? The reason why I'm asking is if a Toyota ever stalls on the side of the road, and the Toyota dealership is 6000 miles away, but there's a GM dealer around the corner, would it matter much to have GM/Delco parts rather than Denso?

mcdawgg · August 2002

1999's have copper plugs - should be changed at 30,000 miles.

canc · August 2002

thanks mcdawgg!

8u6hfd · August 2002

Don't know the how the Delco spark plugs are. They may be found in the Prizm and the Vibe, but I'm not sure about this.

The copper plugs Toyota uses (from Denso, which Toyota partly owns), are the "U" groove. The Accel U-groove performance plugs sold in autoparts stores are very similar.

canc · August 2002

What about other parts?

8u6hfd · August 2002

Everynow and then, since the NUMMI days, you'll find some AC Delco parts make its way into Corollas.

coolguyky7 · August 2002

The second to last generation of the Tercel in some countries was known as the "Corolla Tercel" with "Corolla" printed in a small size above the "Tercel."

8u6hfd · August 2002

The tercel was originally called the (Corolla) Tercel in the US.

silvercrown · August 2002

A short while back, I posted a message on the "Help Me Choose" board regarding advice on a buying a small car to possibly replace my 2000 Camry V6 to reduce my expenses. I was thinking about a Civic or a Protege (neither of which I have test driven yet). A couple of people suggested the Corolla. I rejected that idea because I haven't really been a fan of its looks in recent years. The older ones were okay, though.

I am driving a 2003 Corolla for today (while my Camry is having its 30K maintenance and yes, it is pretty expensive, but they do a lot of stuff) and all I can say is: dang, this is a Corolla? I haven't driven it a whole lot, but it has really impressed me so far. It is very roomy for a small car, it handles well and accelerates like it has a V6 engine or something. The ride is also very smooth, not quite like my Camry, but very close considering its size. The interior is very nice, it's nicer than my car with wood trim and a higher quality cloth upholstery. Double Dang. :-)

As is my prerogative, I have changed my mind about the Corolla. If I ever decide to buy a small car, it is at the top of my list, based on my experience today. Plus, it has leather and alloy wheel options that still have a TMV under $18K. It is not only like a baby Camry, but approaching a baby Lexus with more luxury than you would expect. Triple Dang.

Even the styling, which is very similar to the new Camry, seems to work on this car. Personally, I'm not fond of the Camry's new styling, but it actually looks pretty nice on the smaller Corolla. It's actually kinda cute. Or maybe my opinion has been swayed by how nice it is otherwise.

I was not prepared to like this car (quite the opposite, actually) and it has exceed all of my expectations. Maybe I'm easy to please (NOT!) but I like this car. It is not my father's Corolla. LOL

I'm leaning toward refinancing my Camry and keeping it. I think it would be too costly to try and trade it. But my next car just may be a Corolla. Especially if it keeps getting bigger and better over time.

jrct9454 · August 2002

patches69 · August 2002

I am curious whether the noise returned or did they REALLY fix it. I have had my car in to the dealer 3 times, and they still can't find the source of the noise. But mine is somewhat random and so they can't tell whether they fixed it when the car is at the shop although as soon as I get in, it makes the noise (a knocking or a rattle, sometimes loud, sometimes like a low clicking) which is on the passenger's side. It is driving me crazy. I am going to tell them about your situation and ask them to work on that. But I did want to see if your car has continued to be quiet.

Thanks for any information! I don't know what to do next, but I know I am very unhappy with the car making this noise. As I have said before, it ruins the car which would be great without this problem.

Patches69

corollarocks · August 2002

Hi..Just got back from a long weekend
at the shore :-)
Yes..the rattle sound is gone. :-)
I don't know if the technicians
just figured it out or there was
a tech bulletin, but no more noises.

I would definitely print out the diagnosis
from my previous post and let them see
if that may be the problem. Good luck !

corollarocks · August 2002

I have the 5-speed transmission,
and when it was new I was getting
32-33 average per tank. At the
last fillup, now with over 2000 miles
on the odometer, I got over 35 MPG.
That's pretty darn good considering
I have been running the air conditioning
constantly this summer. :-)

nhepker1 · August 2002

Well corollarocks, maybe you'll have even more to look forward to. I've got 60,000 miles on my 99 and my average gas mileage jumped to 38 mpg a couple of months ago. I had been getting 33. If this keeps up, I'll be getting better mileage than an Echo or Prius

coupe3 · August 2002

I think it is better than American Version.

http://www.toyota.com.cn/g/g01_02_07_07.html

britton2 · August 2002

has been as stated on sticker - 30-32 MPG in the city for the most part, although one time I got 34 MPG - mine is a 4-speed auto - no rattles or other unwanted noises - have had the car for 16 months and am very pleased...still prefer the new styling of the '03 though!

8u6hfd · August 2002

That is the previous generation Corolla.

There are 2 primary "Asian" versions of the Current Corolla floating around. THe Japanese one is shared with the European market (except for the hatchback, which has its own french styled front), and others.

The US shares the Thailand styled Corolla.

dudleyr · August 2002

Anybody know of a good low pressure Toyota dealer in the D.C. area?

Toyota Corolla

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