Toyota Corolla

patrick45

From looking at the pictures of the Japanese version of the Corolla, it appears to be a winner. I certainly hope the version for the U.S. is exactly the same or at least close to it. It is very attractive. The interior appears to be dramatically upgraded from the current version. In fact, the interior looks very Lexus-like with the two tone dash and attractive gauges. I'm very much looking forward to the debut of this all new 2003 Corolla.

coolguyky7

Ha, they are both nice cars....but I don't want to only drive a HUGE SUV or a stick shift car.

nofeer

On the same page they talk about a hybrid minivan. I have trouble with the mm to inch conversion, but i wonder if it's coming over here and what size is it compared to other US minivans, and acceleration. some are rather slowwwww. i'd get a hybrid if reasonable room, and acceleration. I sat in the prius, and was impressed, but didn't drive it.

jrct9454

It's smaller, and no, don't hold your breath.

There is the perception that the US market will not support more than a handful of models with overall lengths of less than 190" or so [Camry / Sienna size], especially in Minivans. The list of interesting cars from all countries that I would like to see here, but never will, would cover enough paper to sink a ship from sheer weight.

Remember, Toyota wants to source the vast majority of the cars it sells in North America, from plants in North America. And that will always limit the choices you see here...

gsbhasin

Hi people,
I got a 2002 Corolla. The maintenance manual suggests 5,000 miles interval for cold weather or unpaved or trailer usage. It suggests 7,500 miles otherwise.

I am in Los Angeles. I use the freeway to work in uncongested hours.
Is it really required to do the 5,000 mile service? Or is it that a waste of money?

jrct9454

...stick with the 7500 schedule.

patrick45

Does anyone out there have any idea what the 2003 Corolla will look like for the North American market? I went to the Toyota of Japan website and it only provides what the Corolla looks like for their market. Did the 2003 Corolla ever appear at any auto shows in the past couple of years. Does anyone know of any websites where there might be some spy photos of the all new Corolla? Any information or input would be appreciated. Thanks!

jrct9454

Go back about 100 posts and read forward; we have had this discussion, probably multiple times over, but certainly in the past 10 days.

Look at the front of the Toyota Matrix; look at the Japanese/Euro version. Between the two of them, that's close enough...

coolguyky7

I think that the new Corolla will look ALMOST EXACTLY like the Japanese one. I have this 2002 Car Preview magazine. It had the 2003 Corolla, which looked exactly like the Japanese one. It's really nice!

patrick45

What's the full name of this car magazine where you saw a 2003 Corolla for the U.S. market? Is this publication still available at bookstores/newstands do you think? I have yet to have someone show me what the North American Corolla will look like. You'd think since the all new 2003 Corolla is supposed to debut sometime in January or February 2002 that there would be some photos floating around out there. That's only 2-3 months away. Thanks for any information you can provide.

sandman46

Help! The headlights on my '96 DX have that yellow film to them. Is there any way to clean them up so they look like they looked when new? Any help would be appreciated as I want to clean the car up. Thank you all in advance for any solutions to this annoying problem.

coolguyky7

It is called Consumer Review Car Preview 2002. It had other editions in past years. It does have the 2003 Corolla in it and it matches the current Japanese one. This magazine has usually been pretty close to what the real cars end up being like.

britton2

Check out carcareonline.com - they have a lot of great products and the people who answer the phone have always been very helpful - I think you can buy a plastic cleaner to clean your headlights - Meguiar's makes one and so does Plexus - another helpful site is properautocare.com - one of these 2 companies ought to be able to help you

ravvie4me

Yes I would say the 2003 Corolla has a Euro-look to it. The taillights look like a VW Jetta almost. It certainly does look good, the Corolla, I mean!

Where did you get that book? At a grocery store or from something like Barnes and Noble?

-RAVvie4me

ravvie4me

Consider how long many have waited for official pics/details of the 2002 Camry to appear. Probably less than a month before official intro date. Don't expect Toyota to do any different with the 2003 Corolla.

-RAVvie4me

coolguyky7

Yes, I got mine at Walden Books but I've seen them at Barnes and Noble also.

jeprox

i assume u have the plastic type.
if they are turning yellow, u have to sand them down with the finest sandpaper and buff them again.

try a small area before u proceed.
a friend of mine have the japanese version of integra headlight lense which is plastic and that's what he did. sanded the whole face, used a buffer with some kind of buffing chemical. end result was excellent! looked like brand new!

amz997

I saw a ad in paper for 2001 Corolla LE with sunroof for $11,000. The car has 11K miles..
is this a good price for the car?

canc

Is anyone here a Corolla owner and over 6'3"? I'm 6'4" - 6'5" and wondering if I'm the only one around that is this tall and can comfortably fit in a Corolla...

dave594

I'm 5'10" and my legs can barely fit comfortably in my Corolla with the seat all the way back. Maybe my legs are long, but I've never had any problem with any other car. Right now my right leg gets cramped after a bit of driving, but it's more a nuisance than anything else.

desertguy

Canc - I'm only 5'9" BUT, I often get in my Corolla with a straw cowboy type hat on and it sticks up an additional 6 inches and I can still feel a couple inches between the top of the hat and the headliner.

dave594 - What is your inseam? It must be 35" or more. Otherwise, I would suspect the seat may be binding on something and not going all the way back. Mine is electric and has alot of travel.

canc

Thanks for the responses... actually guys, do your legs go numb a bit after driving for a while? I was wondering if this is because I'm cramped, or if it's just me (sitting position).

desertguy

The ONLY thing I don't like about my 2002 Corolla is the seats. They are horrible! Edmunds review says so too as I remeber. I had to go to a "Relax the Back" store and get L shaped thingy to sit on. Otherwise I couldn't drive for any period of time without extreme discomfort.

canc

Good to know... thanks! Was your L-shaped cushion expensive?

Fact of the matter is, I don't think I'd be able to fit in such a cushion. If it's at least 1 inch or more, I wouldn't have much headroom left.

desertguy

Yes, it was just over $100.00. But it has metal inside and they bend it on a machine to fit your back curvature. This is on top of sheepskins which I had hoped would help but didn't. The alternative is an aftermarket seat and I've seen some nice ones for $300. If I am going to keep the car for ten years I would consider it. Had my car for 4 months and already have 8,500 miles so you can see I'm in it alot.

pat

Someone asked over in the Echo discussion how to have a Corolla Owners Club established. Is this something you folks are interested in?

For those who might not know, the Owners Club is a dedicated folder where you can have as many discussions as you would like. Take a look at some of them here to get an idea of the possibilities. You will see that the various clubs have separate discussions for things like introducing yourselves, posting pictures, maintenance issues and whatever other related topics the groups may find of interest.

This discussion will remain here on the Sedans board, but will be linked to the Owners Club folder as well, making it accessible from either place. So far in the Toyota folder the Echo is the only sedan represented - don't you think the Corolla deserves a place there as well?

You can "subscribe" to the entire owners folder, which makes reading all the posts in the various discussions very easy to do. You will also eventually have the opportunity to have regularly scheduled owners' chats if you are interested in doing so.

Let me know if you have any questions. If this sounds like a good idea, just speak up and I'll get the ball rolling.

Pat
Host
Sedans Message Board

canc

I think this would be a great idea. Count me in!

britton2

sandman46

I was the one who asked about the club on the Echo Forum. Sounds like a great idea. Count me in as #3!

dave210

My neighbor has a 1998 Toyota Corolla LE that I had to drive the other day because of a small family emergency that arouse, and all the cars in my home were gone.

Anyway, while driving it, the brakes pulsated and acted very funny whenever I applied them to stop the car. It was like they were shaking the pedal every time I wanted to slow down. It was felt kind of like when ABS is applied, but slightly different.

I didn't want to tell my neighbor his car was bad brakes, but what do you all make of this?

jrct9454

Warped rotors. Not common with this car, but not uncommon, either, as the miles build up.

Suggest he get the rotors turned [machined] or replaced, and then make sure that every time someone pulls a front wheel for any reason [tire rotations, etc.], the wheel bolts are torqued by hand with a torque wrench, not with one of those air guns. Most common reason for warped rotors is uneven or overtorquing of the wheel bolts, or extreme heat.

mralan

What year did the Corolla change from having a timing belt to having a timing chain? I want to purchase a used Corolla, but want to make sure it has a chain.

tundradude

Chain up to 83
Belt from 84 to 97
Chain from 98

jeprox

i just have a question about the engine for 2000 and up corolla's. do they have factory headers?

when i looked at the engine, looks like factory headers (4 into 1) but i'm not sure.

thanks

coolguyky7

Regular poster here and I need some advice. I need to get a car and I found a 1997 Corolla DX, auto with pretty much everything a Corolla would have except antilock brakes and a CD player. It has power doors, windows, locks, 4 speed auto, moonroof, spoiler, gold package, keyless entry and all the basics (power steering, tilt, cruise). It has 67,000 miles and is going for $7,995. I put the VIN into carfax.com and it spit out 7 records. What might this mean? Could this be a potential problem? If not...this would be such a great car for me. Anyone's comments/knowledge are much appreciated.

floot

Did you go ahead and ante up $20 for the full report (worth the $$$, IMO) or just get the Carfax free teaser? If you buy the full report, it will give you the details of those 7 records. When I purchased my 1996 Corolla last summer, there were 6 database records on the vehicle. None of them raised any red flags with me, and the vehicle was in excellent mechanical condition (good body condition).

I think you will see a database record when a car is leased or sold to a private individual, commercial company, or dealer. I can't find a full carfax report on the 1996 vehicle since I bought my new Corolla, otherwise, I could give you more specific info. Sounds like a nice car you found.

coolguyky7

the only problem is that there are some newer 98s that are said to be "test cars" that are just a few thousand more...I really don't like them as much though. However, I have found a certified used 1997 Celica for $12000. I really love that generation Celica...oh well I'll have to see what happens.

alpha01

Is an excellent program as far as the used certification business goes. If you can afford the price, its worth the extra piece of mind, and that gen Celica is really cool (unless its an ST with auto... and the gold pkg really kills the car).
~alpha

jeprox

click on the following link to view 2003 corolla. it's possible that north america will get this same version of corolla.

http://www.corollaaltis.com/

tundradude

Just upgraded to 15 inch tires. Not only does the car look more up to date, but it handles better, too.

tundradude

Saw the website and the car looks great, especially the 1.8 engine and the interior.

desertguy

Tundradude - I assume you mean 15 inch wheels. I have been thinking of doing the same but my 14" are nice alloys. What size tires did you put on. I want to go at least plus one size.

alpha01

Man, I really hope the Corolla we get over here is that Corolla Altis with the 1.8 VVT-i engine... its really a sharp looking car!
~alpha

maxamillion1

count me in on a test ride. I like it better than the Civic as far as styling, and from what I have seen, the materials used seem to look better than the Civic as well. I hope this is the new Corolla that comes out in Feb. Can anyone give out any info on this new Corolla?

tundradude

Yes tires and wheels

They are 195/50 15 for my older Corolla (89 GT-S). 185/60 14 came on the car originally, even though I had 13's before I switched to the 15's.

I run 195/65 14 on my 95.

jeprox

well, rumor is that we may get something like the corolla altis or the japanese version or the european version. so take your pick!

the altis is better looking than the japanese version. that 1.8 vvt-i with 145hp is cool!

coolguyky7

Does anyone have an estimate of the difference between amounts of insurance on a brand new Corolla vs. one that is a year or so old (for a teenager.)

canc

Sounds like you're setting your eye on the Corolla. After reading your posts in other forums, is this the car for you?

As for insurance, the best way is to give your insurance broker a ring. I'd say that there isn't a noticeable difference for a year older car.

coolguyky7

How about the insurance difference between a 97 and a brand new 2003? That's why it gets hairy when I mention "new car" to the parents. They think (and are probably right) that the insurance is considerable higher on a new car. I really do like that particular Corolla. I must be a sucker for that particular model in that color with gold package! :-) Hopefully they might have a few 2001 S models coming in as used company cars from Toyota, where the parents work. Thanks Canc!

canc

There probably is a difference in price between a 97 and a 2003 Corolla. The residual value is less on a 97 than on a 2003.