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I'm in a unique situation here. Unfortunately the area I live in is sparsely populated and there's only one toyota dealer here. The next dealer is about 90mins away, and thats a long drive considering there's nothing between here and there. So my dealer has me in a tight situation. I really don't have time/money to go all the way down there. We will see.
Also, is it not customary to ask for an itemized list of everything his is charging me for? I just want to compare his numbers to mine. He's been reluctant to do so since my email 2 days ago. I've already test drove, and he could probably tell I was pretty serious about this car.
MM
Ford and Mercury salesmen at the show rooms took my printouts and after disappearing for what seemed to be an eternity came back and made me a counter offer of $3000 over invoice price. Another just told me that they couldn't sell me the car for the price I showed them. I got up and walked out.
It was only this particular Toyota dealer that offered me the closest price to TMV. Perhaps because in the process of defecting to Toyota I changed tactics and decided not to walk cold turkey into a show room. I let Edmunds and Cars.com put me in touch with dealers.
I didn't feel the need to haggle for the Corolla as the price given to me seemed fair, according to Edmunds.
Chasing the absolute cheapest price it becomes after a while an issue of diminishing returns. My time is worth something. I've read posts on the Edmunds' Honda threads and people seem to be stepping over each other to see who gets the lowest price below invoice. Let's get real here; Honda and Toyota sell a hell of a lot of vehicles and don't need to sell at a loss.
In my case, I bought a car $18000 OTD price nicely equipped plus good options included. Not to mention the electroluminescent dashboard, wood touches and window etching, this one free.
The manual says 11 but then it also mentions 13.
What's Imperial gallons?
Also, I saw a post above hinted at this question...curious what the answer is.
I recently bought a new 2004 LE automatic Corolla, Anyone know how it compares to the 2005?
Roughly, 1 US gallon = 3.8 liters = .8 Imp gallon
I went and test drove the Focus and the Neon today (the neon just happened to be parked next to the focus).
How is it that the performance differs so much between engines. I realize that the Corolla has a 1.8 L, but the Focus and the Neon both have 2.0 L. How is it that the Neon had the best acceleration out of all three? Coincidentally the Corolla's engine had more pick up than the Focus's 2.0. *giggle*
Anyone care to comment?
~alpha
ALPHA 1: is there a link to that article? Or perhaps you could give me the issue its in and I can pick it up.
It totals to some $212.74.
I have another question also. Tax/Registration total up to some 600+ dollars. How should I handle this amount when I'm negotiating and considering how much I want to pay? Any advice?
MM
Documentation fees may be negotiable. $212 seems high (in my area it's usually $75). Ask the dealer what the fee is for. If it's to take documents to the courthouse, tell them you'll take them yourself (if you're willing to do that) if they waive the fee, see what they say.
...and I will do that. If they are not forth coming then I may have to reconsider where I'm shopping.
MM
However, the price of the car remains negotiable. You might be able to get them to take $212 more off the price you negotiated if you make it clear this is deal-killer. They are not likely to offer this to you, but may go for it if you demand it.
OTOH, if you want to avoid that whole issue, just figure out your price and say this is what I'm paying you out-the-door. Then you can let them figure out how to allocate the money. It makes no difference to you as long as you are happy with the OTD price.
Nov 2002 Car and Driver
Ford Focus ST manual 4 door
June or July Car and Driver, cant remember which.
~alpha
MM
The seat and driving position seemed very uncomfortable; the back of the seat seemed too hard, and the seat seemed too short, to where too much of my thighs were hanging off the end of the seat, and I'm only about 5'8". My back and legs both hurt after I got out of the car at the end of a 20-minute drive, although at least part of that could've been from the tension of doing a test drive.
As I've read in many reviews, the steering wheel seemed to small and too far from the seat / too close to the dash.
The acceleration was good, but seemed kind of jerky at times, although that could've been because I wasn't used to the feel of the pedals.
There were lots of positives about the car too, but I'm thinking about my concerns.
My question for anyone who owns a 2003 or 2004 Corolla is whether you noticed the same comfort issues at first, and whether they persist or go away as you get used to the feel of the car.
The salesman said I could take the car out all day by myself if I want, so I'll probably do that in the next few days to get a better perspective.
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks!
My own view is that in order to get the amount of room in the back seat that this car now has, they fiddled the front seat positioning in a way that causes some people to have real problems with the pedal vs steering wheel compromise.
So, yes, some people don't fit in this car. You are obviously one of them.
I quickly got used to the driving position, and was comfortable for the trip. I agree that the seat bottom is too short, but did not notice the back of the seat being too hard.
The seats are leather, so that may be the difference.
I have since forgotten about the unusual seating position, and I think the car is great overall. My only other complaint would be more sound deadening, but I have that complaint about every card I drive. For an economy car, the Corolla is very quiet.
I have not noticed any jerkiness in the acceleration, but the torque does come on noticeably at about 3300 rpm or so.
There is so much good about the Toyota Corolla that it's hard for me to find faults with it. Perhaps you should, budget permitting, consider the Camry.
Currently I am looking at 2 dealers in my "local" area (and by that I mean within 90 mins of my location; which results in only 2!). In any case I emailed the dealer that was 90mins away and he's the one who told me about the 212 dollar "Dealer Documentation Fee." So I decided to email the Toyota dealer closer to me (17mins) and ask him about it as if I had just heard about it and didn't know anything. Well he emails me back and says that they (the local dealer) don't charge a documentation fee even though others might. All they charge is 28 bucks for paperwork. HOW surprised was I?
Well I can tell you which dealer I'm going with. Plus the location of the other dealer makes going down there and paying an extra 212 dollars just not worth my time.
MM
MM
Why? Did anything change?
Currently I have about 2200 miles on my car. Is it because my car is new? Will my mpg improve as I get more miles?
I don't know if this is a good price, since i have nothing to compare it with.
It is Drk Blu, and has a sunroof, a/c, am/fm cass/cd, cruise, keyless entry, it has power everything Anti-Lock Brakes; Air Conditioning; Cruise Control; Compact Disc Player; Passenger Air Bag; Rear Window Defroster; AM/FM Stereo Cassette; Power Door Locks; Sunroof/Moonroof; Tilt Wheel. Let me know what you all think.
Thanks
~alpha
Let us know what happens!
Will that effect my mpg significantly?
Too many other variables for this to matter much...
In anycase my question regards the manual transmission on the corolla. How does the shifting feel? Is it tight and responsive or slow and mushy? I've already been for a test drive but the dealer only had automatics. I guess manuals aren't that popular in this class.
MM
I have a corolla and it will be my last one.
Thanks.
If you feel like you can help, please do so. If not, there is no reason to respond. Just skip it; why waste your time??
Okay, back to the discussion at hand now ...
I don't know what year your Corolla is from, but bumpers are generally expensive to replace. Especially, if there is damage beyond the bumper. How did the other vehicle smash into your car?? Front, side? Was it only the bumper that sustain damage?
You don't need to take it to the dealer for the repair.
I don't about Texas but here in NY is illegal to drive without insurance. I believe you should contact your insurer even if you don't file a claim but just to see what they say. I'd also consult with a lawyer. Do you have witnesses??
I needed a new rear bumper, luckily that was all I needed to make the car whole again. As I remember, the total cost was $496.00 plus the 3 day rental car. As my deductible is $500., I had no choice but to eat the cost of the repair.
It's very unfortunate that so many in this country will not take responsibility for their actions. I know I was quite pissed for awhile, but since I was not hurt, just rattled a bit, I just wrote the whole incident off as another life's lesson learned!
Very sorry to hear of another person having a similar problem though. Good luck.
The Sandman :-)
If you mean 2004 S vs. 2005 S I believe they revised the front and exterior body trim, and updated the interior. Otherwise I really dont' see any difference. There might be some minor component changes. I wish they would have put all 4-disc breaks and a telescoping steering wheel and some improved seating adjustments.
Speaking of which, and off topic, I was looking on the Toyota's web site investigating the "features" section on the corolla. They had a little Flash animation describing how the seating adjustments in the new corolla seemed almost "endless." This gave rise to a small chuckle considering they were referring to the back seat folding down to accomodate extra cargo. Which is all fine and dandy but hardly seems to offer "endless" possibilities *giggle* I think that versatile would have been a better choice. I mean what kind of garbage do they think they can push...sheesh where's a competent art director or marketing person when you need one. *just thought I'd sardonically point that out.
MM