Toyota Corolla

L8_Apex

Welcome to the continuation of the Toyota Corolla
topic. Those of you joining us from that topic are
welcome to continue your discussion.

If you're new to this topic, you may want to
follow the above link for additional archived
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Thanks,

L8_Apex
Sedans Host

mikar70

I have a new 2000 Corolla LE as of beginning of June and was very surprised to realize how rough is its suspension. I had before (and still have)1990 GEO Prizm (Corolla twin) that served me a lot and now has 240K miles on it without any repair on powertrain and I'm still very happy with it. That was the reason I went for Corolla once more and did not test drive the car extensively. How sorry I am now! The car drives as if its shock absorbers freese. It shakes the hell out of me on every un-evenness of the pavement. I also feel shocks on the steering wheel with the smallest crack or bump.
Couple days ago I picked a friend's 98 Corolla CE for a comparison test drive (its the same car) and to my amusement - pretty soft ride. I switched cars several times on the same piece of road - mine is rough, his is soft. I tried to push down front and rear ends of both cars and definitely saw the difference in the rear end. His car I can push down the same as any other car around, and by the way it's dumped pretty well, it settles without any additional shakes. My car you can hardly move down, both right and left, so looks like instead of absorbing bumps it just follows them.
Does anybody know if Toyota changed suspension calibration from 1998 to 2000 model year?
I tried to ask the same question Toyota Customer service - they just ignored it.

Does anybody know, was there any change in suspension calibration from 1998 to 2000

liufei

I doubt there's any suspension change between the 1998-2000 models. These Corollas is known to give comfy ride in the expense of handling.
Take it to the dealer for a check, it may have a faulty struts or shock absorber. My 99 Corolla behaves like your friend 98, soft ride and all.

jrct9454

Hate to belabor the obvious, but too many complaints about suspension firmness can be attributed to tire pressures. New car dealers receive their cars from the dist centers with pressures set at 45 psi and up to help prevent flat-spotting on the lot. It is not unusual for this to be missed in PDI - the Corolla is world-famous for having the most compliant suspension in this class, and not by a little bit. First thing to check before driving a new car off the lot is the tire pressures - should not exceed 32 psi for this car...

wenyue

mikar70

I agree with Luifei. My 1999 Corolla LE is rides very soft and quiet. I think there is something wrong with your suspension. Take it in and have it checked, you got warranty so why not?

mikar70

Thanks for all your replies.
B.T.W., tires pressure is 29-30 psi, no problem here.

fundulet

I have both a 1999 Corolla CE and a 2000 Corolla CE. My wife drives the 99 and I drive the 2000 model. My father has a 1998 Corolla CE. All 3 cars have 4-speed automatic transmission. The ride in the 2000 is rougher and noisier than in the 98 and 99 models. Worst of all, the VVT-i engine in the 2000 model is much slower than the 98, 99 engine at city speeds. The acceleration from stop and from 0-40 mph is MUCH better in the 98, 99 models. At highway speed the VVT-i is a little better than the 98,99 engine. It seems that the engine used for the 98, 99 models has low end torque while the 2000 VVT-i engine has high end torque. I myself prefer the 98, 99 models. Had I known that the VVT-i engine is so slow at city speeds I would have never bought the 2000 Corolla... ( when I test drove it I didn't really notice the big difference in acceleration...)

Out of curiosity I test drove a 4-speed automatic 2001 Corolla Sporty and to my surprise it seemed to be even slower than the 2000 CE although the 2001 model was supposed to have more torque than the 2000 model.

I wonder why Toyota had to change the great engine that they had in the 98, 99 Corollas?

buttercuppower

Greetings to all!!!
I am interested in knowing if anyone has purchased their toyota vehicle from CarsDirect.Com. If you have, I would like to know about your experience using this service. I'm in the market for a new toyota.

Thanks for the information.
Dee

rollaman2

Buttercuppower,

I got my 2000 Corolla LE from Carsdirect about a month ago. The experience was overall a positive one. I had to play phone tag with the Carsdirect sales guy but I got a really good price with no need to haggle. Just be sure you print out all of the prices from the web page before you place your order. They have a policy of honoring the prices at the time you place your order. Their prices fluctuate constantly. It is helpful to have a copy for your own records.

The Carsdirect price for my Corolla was below the published Edmunds invoice price and about $1200 less than any dealer in my area. The way it works is that Carsdirect acutally gets the car from a local dealer where I went to pick it up. What is interesting is that Carsdirect paid the dealer about $800 more than what I paid Carsdirect. It's possible that they took a loss on my sale. Strange but I am not complaining.

-Rollaman2

liufei

fundulet:
Except for the addition of VVT-I, I dont think Toyota changes anything to the Corolla's engine. I did notice there's a difference in the 0-60 time between the 99 Corolla (8.4 sec) vs 2000 Corolla (8.9 sec).
My guess is since VVT-I allows greater fuel economy and reduction of pollutant, it somehow affected the engine to stay more in an optimum efficiency range (in term of fuel & polution) rather than allows it to achieve higher speed faster.

buttercuppower:
You might also bring the CarsDirect price to the local Toyota dealer and asked them to beat it. More than likely you can get a better price by using the CarsDirect price as bargain chip, unless CarsDirect still subsidizing car purchases.. (which I thought they stopped doing since last year).
Good luck with your search. ^__^

cliffy1

To the best of my information, carsdirect is not making the kinds of deals they were last winter. That was a promotion to get good press and it seems to have worked. Since they are no longer loosing money on sales, the only real benefit is that you don't have to deal with a dealer. The downside is the phone tag and indirect answers you get.

There is another way to avoid hassles with dealers. It is called e-mail. Send one to every dealership in your area and see what kind of responses you get. If you get the same slimy garbage you get in the showroom, ignore them. If you get a quote in writing within your target price range, you probably tripped across a pretty good store. Insist on e-mail contact for the first few exchanges. This will further weed out stores that are living in the dark ages. The benefit to this is that you get a good price without the hassles of a showroom showdown with multiple managers and hard selling tactics.

Give it a try. I deal with this kind of customer every day and they tend to be much more satisfied than the brokered customers.

liufei

I am wondering whether those e-mails will have similar treatment as faxes ? From what I can gather is that most faxes to dealer will usually get inadequate response. Besides, if there's limited number of dealership in the area, that certainly limit the success as well.
From what I noticed from most dealer website, the advertised Internet Deals is usually still quite high and not exactly a deal in the sense of those ads in the paper (not the "loss-leader" ads of course). From your knowledge, is the price of these Internet deals are pretty much fixed ? or is there room for more bargaining?

criecke

I visited the lot on a Sun. afternoon,got lit.
and left.

The rest of the dealing I did via FAX, even did
the credit check. When we got together they said
"come on down".

Everything went as I expected, no funny business
and based on the prices I see posted in this
group I did as well or better than most.

This is my third Toyota from the same dealer and
I must say they seem to realize that the customer
is the guy keeping them in business,

My first Corolla was the "1100" in the early '70's
I don't remember just when and then Corolla wgn.
a few years later. Passed both on to my kids,
they poured the miles on. I don't know what
heppen to the cars, both got sold and I lost
track of them.

My 2000 CE is a lot more care then the little
"1100" but that was then and this was know.

Charlie Johns Island, SC

cliffy1

If the dealer will not answer an e-mail, you know what you are dealing with. I really don't like the fax type bid for a number of reasons. They are just a pain but you can try both.

As to the negotiation room, it all depends on the dealer. At our web site, we put up specials that we can't negotiate but I am sure others don't do this. At some point, I'll share with you guys how silly some of the used car sites are but that is another topic.

I am a firm believer is shopping for the right dealer. I haven't posted in this topic very often but if you check out other Toyota topics, you will see what I mean. I think the people you buy from is just as important as how much you pay and sometimes even more important. By seeing how they respond to your e-mail, you can judge from a safe distance what kind of people you are dealing with.

wenyue

yesterday, when I was taking a stroll with my wife. Saw a brand new 2001 Corolla CE, silver, still had the temporary license on it.

MAN that thing looks GOOOOOOOD! Especially the front end, really looks like Chrysler 300M. The whole car appearance has a high class look to it. Almost makes me want to trade in my 99 for one.

michalw

My brother just bought one yesterday. 2001 Corolla LE. That thing looks really good.I just wish they left the LE the way it was. Now it's some sort of mix with previous CE.

Question:
Has anybody experienced a roaring noise coming from the brakes during breaking from 60-70mph or is it just my car?
I have a 99 Corolla LE.

cmotyka

I am trying to decide if I should buy a Toyota Corolla or Celica, I currently drive a mustang and this will be my first NEW car. Does any one have any advice on this situation? Good or bad Ill take any info I can get, to make my decision easier

wenyue

If you have been driving a Mustang, you better get the Celica. Anything less, you probably will be bored out of your skull.

buttercuppower

I have an '86 Celica and it's the best little car
ever made. I've owned the car for 5 and half years
(all through college, I got two degrees) and it has never left me stranded. The maintenance on this car has been routine, no major transmission problems, nothing, it has been flawless. If I were you, I'd buy the Celica. (the Spectra Blue Mica is a Solid color) Unfortunately, I'll have to sell my Celica soon (parents are forcing me to)
Best of Luck!!!!
Dee

liufei

if Toyota offers the 180hp, 1.8L engine of the Celica GT-S in the Corolla (at least in the S trim). Then I could really leaves someone on the dust. . At any rate, I suspect the 2003 Corolla will be using the 140 hp engine of the Celica GT.
The current Celica has sharp styling, but I definitely, positively, hate their rear styling. Arrggh!!!

petersterncan

In response to conversions about the conversions between Imperial Gallons, US gallons and Litres, I did a little check on http://www.uilondon.org/conv.htm.
The conversions are:
1 US gallon = 0.8327 Imperial Gallons
1 US gallon = 3.7843 Litres

Also, regarding to the recent talk of "expensive" gasoline, whether in Canada or the US...
I was in Italy last year. At the time, they paid about CDN$1.40 per litre. This translates to about US$3.75 per US Gallon. I'm sure that they are now paying well over $4 a gallon now. A Toyota Corolla in a place like Rome is considered to be a big car.
Nobody in North America should be complaining about high gas prices.

gbush1

is around $4.50US a gallon right now. No wonder I hardly ever drive the "big" car.

skay2

I have been researching cars for over 2 months. The more I read the more confused I get. I am planning on getting a Toyota Corolla 2001. I guess I should just go for it because a person could research and analyze until they die. I dread the actual process of going to the dealers. The best way I can see to deal with it is just to have a bottom OTD price and see if they will honor it. Has anyone ever used a broker? I know what I want and don't want extras beyond what I choose so maybe I should special order. My head is spinning.

skay2

Where is a site that lists current holdback and rebates on 2001 Toyota Corolla's? Edmunds is for 2000 right? Thanks.

wenyue

you won't find any rebate for the 2001 Corolla for quite awhile. Company don't put out rebates right after their new car arrive on the market. They usually do it just few months before the next year's model arrives (meaning late spring/summer of next year). You can probably find rebates on left over 2000 Corollas though. But since 2001 Corolla looks so differnt from the 2000 corolla, you might want to buy the 2001 anyway.

Try www.carsdirect.com and www.carorder.com. They give pretty competitive prices, at least a price that you can start your search using. If you like their prices, you can even avoid all the haggling altogether by buying through them.

fundulet

Although the 2001 Corolla looks better than the 2000 model I would still buy the 2000. I own a 2000 model and recently test drove a 2001 Corolla S. The 2001 seems to have less power than the 2000 . Also, the acceleration in the 2001 is worse, the car seemed quite slow to me.

I also own a 99 model and this is the best by far, it accelerates quite nicely and is much smoother than both the 2000 and 2001 models.

I don't like the VVT-i engines they put in the 2000 and 2001 models, the cars accelerate very slowly from stop and it's a pain to drive them in city traffic.

skay2

I had intended to buy a Corolla but after getting internet prices I am not sure why I should not go with the Nissan Sentra. You get more on the car than the Corolla for the same price. The internet sites give me a price for the Corolla that is 6% over invoice and only 2.9% over invoice for the Sentra. This is your chance to tell me why I should opt for the Toyota anyway. I look forward to your opinions. Thanks.

skay2

You wrote:
Try www.carsdirect.com and www.carorder.com. They
give pretty competitive prices, at least a price
that you can start your search using. If you like
their prices, you can even avoid all the haggling
altogether by buying through them.
*******************************************
Is this completely true? Or will I have to haggle over local fees and Dealer Handling Charge when I pick the car up? Thanks.

rollaman2

Skay2,

I got my 2000 Corolla LE from Carsdirect about a month ago. You do not need to haggle with the dealer. You pay Carsdirect, Carsdirect pays the dealer. If there is any haggling with the dealer, it is between the dealer and Carsdirect. You only have to be concerned with the Carsdirect price on the web page. In addition to which is tax title and license. There is NO sepearate $455 destination fee, it is already included in the price you see on their web page. On the day you pickup the car, you sign some standard papers (like registration) and that's all.

I got a pretty good price from carsdirect. You should always compare prices of course. The other thing is the carsdirect guy is not an expert on the Corolla. You have to do a little research and make sure which options, color, interior, etc.. you want. You can do this by using Edmunds and by visiting a dealership and looking at the cars they have on the lot. You can also have the Carsdirect guy negotiate with the dealer for dealer installed options in your car.

cliffy1

I really hate brokers because they just add another level to a complicated process. They are certainly a good way to go if you have no dealers in your area who still do things the "unenlightened" way. Give the local guys a chance first. Send e-mails to every store in your area and see what you get back. If you get honest out the door pricing that seems fair, you probably have run into a store or salesman who is worth dealing with.

wenyue

I think rollaman2 in post 29 gave a pretty good answer. You can also look in "smartshopper" confrence in the townhall, there should be a forum there discussing these two Dot.com companies. You can get even more information there. Good luck.

liufei

I believed you should buy whatever car suit you best, and not based on what people tell you to buy. Having said that, here's my comparison regarding the corolla vs sentra.
Engine:
Pretty much the same, except if you opt for the SE which deliver 140hp. I found the Corolla's 1.8L very capable, with enough thrust to ward off any other econo-compact. Some people however point out the 2001 Corolla is slower than the previous one.
Handling:
Sentra beats the corolla in this area. Next to the protege, Sentra probably has the best handling in this class.
Ride:
Corolla always at the top when it comes to ride comfort and minimal road noise, something that Sentra cant match. Think of the corolla as mini-camry.
Passenger space:
The newly redesign Sentra brings an additional 3 cubic feet of passenger space. Corolla is pretty cramped in the back (my biggest complaint against it).
Styling:
Something thats purely subjective. The newly redesign 2001 Corolla put out great sporty styling. The 2001 sentra has sharp styling as well. Pretty much a toss up on this one.
Fuel Economy:
Sentra: 26/33 mpg (auto)
Corolla: 28/36 mpg (auto)
Reliability:
Both Nissan and Toyota has excell in reliability in the past. I'm always warry about buying a car in its 1st production year (due to not all bug hasnt been worked out), but thats just me. Both offers a 3/36K bumper to bumper and 5/60K powertrain warranty.
Value:
Sentra offers the better value right now, but Corolla offers better resale value down the road. If you keep your car for a long period of time, then Sentra has the upper hand, if you're planning to sell it after a few years, Corolla is best.

Best of luck with your purchase

wenyue

great annalysis. But I heard people still complaining that the rear seat in the Sentra is too cramped as well. I think passanger room wise, both cars have the same room inside, 88 cubic feet if I'm not mistaken. All the other comments are right on!

liufei

They have the same passenger space ? Oh, I'm not aware of that at all. Its just when I sat on the back of a sentra, its feels roomier than my Corolla. They're both not even close to the Protege though.

wenyue

yeah, the passenger space wise, they are the same. I read in the Sentra, civic, Protege forum that there are complaints about rear leg room in the Sentra. Personally, I only sat in the a 1998 one, so my experience doesn't apply to the 2000 model. But you might very well be right. I need to test drive one some time, but none of my friends have bought a 2000 Sentra yet.

criecke

See the Maint. and Repair/Toyota Corolla Problems
#255 for more on the ongoing saga of the chipping
paint.

If you have this problem please post info there
and join the thread.

Thanks, Charlie

terceltom1

You were right about the tires coming to the dealer over inflated. I just picked up my 2001 Corolla with 185/65R14 Goodyear integrity tires and they were at 44 p.s.i. Recommended p.s.i. as listed in the glove box is 30 p.s.i.
What a great car! Got a black LE loaded with every option Toyota offers except A.B.S. and side airbags. Looks great with the Gold Emblem Package and alloy wheels. Had to wait 6 weeks til the dealer located one for me. Black with all the options and moonroof was hard to find. Paid 2K under sticker of $18,800. Toyota C.D. player sounds really good!
Thanks for the info on the tires.

bcmom

Just purchased 2001 Corolla CE 5 speed with C option pkg plus keyless/security and block heater. Almost an LE in a 5 speed!. I had a last minute call from a dealer who knocked $711 off my lowest price, and I ended up going with this dealer (my other dealer would not budge on price). Ended up paying $18,800 Cdn which includes PDI, freight, enviro tax, AC tax, documentaton. Just need to add 14% sales taxes.
Almost bought the Nissan Sentra GXE in 5 speed, but the dealers couldn't even find one for me to test drive, though I did test drive an automatic twice. The price for the Nissan was $18,875 (with all the same options I bought on my Corolla) before PDI, delivery,etc, but I might have been able to knock that down a bit, unless demand for this car is really high.

Main reason I didn't choose the Nissan Sentra over the Corolla is because the engine didn't look as neat & tidy as the Corolla (Had husband help me out here, as I am not a mechanic). Also, I didn't really like any of the Nissan colours as much as the Corolla choices which is a subjective issue (I chose indigo ink). Also was slightly wary of Nissan "made in Mexico", because I was unsure of their quality control. I checked out the Volkswagon comments site and heard of alot of problems with the Jetta which is made in Mexico as well. Maybe other Nissan owners have not had problems, but my mother-in-law and brother-in-law both own Nissans, and have had their vehicles in the shop for minor problems. Otherwise, Liufei's analysis between the 2 cars matched mine pretty well. Although based on the pricing I got, I received better value for the Corolla than the Nissan.

Also did not choose the Mazda Protege SE model, (even though it test drove very well) because of poorer fuel economy, and dealer was an hour's drive away.

Skay2: I hope this info & pricing helps you out a bit when you're shopping (although pricing may not apply if you are in the States). I look forward to picking my car up on Thursday (finally!!) Good Luck!

bcmom

I just reread your message. I hope you paid $18,800 "US$" for the LE loaded, otherwise I just got ripped off for a CE!

terceltom1

Yea mine was $16,800 U.S. plus tax. You'll love it! I do.

everyday

Hey, I just saw a picture of it the other day...did they steal some styling from the Camry?

wenyue

I think they stole something from the Camry, but also some of that look from Chrysler 300M (good looks is one of Chrysler's strong points).

denniswade

(Not Chrysler's). You'll also see it in the IS300 (nee Altezza).

liufei

Toyota can put the IS300 engine in the Corolla-S, we are all set to go!

denniswade

it's an in-line 6. But a 170 hp version of the 4cyl would sure be nice.......

wenyue

Both of you are asking too much.

But I think putting the 140 hp 1.8L from the baseline Celica into the Corolla-S, then that would be great. It will give the Nissan Sentra SE's engine a run for it's money.

The Celica's 1.8L engine is based on the Corolla's engine (so I heard). And by sharing parts from multiple models, it shouldn't cost Toyota too much more money. If they are willing to put the celica's engine into the Corolla-S, I will be willing to pay a $1000 premium for it.

liufei

I dunno about that. Don't think 20hp will justify the extra $1000, nor it will increase performance by much. Now if they put the 180hp 1.8L from the Celica GT-S for 1K, it definitely going to give the Sentra-S and the new Civic-Si a run for the money. Toyota probably need to create a sport suspension for the S line though.

Won't the inline-6 fit in the Corolla engine compartment?
(liufei still want to see the IS300 engine in a Corolla) ^_^

liufei

2000 Corolla: 9.1 secs
2000 Celica GT (1.8L 140hp): 8.5 secs
2000 Celica GT-S (1.8L 180hp): 7.6 secs
All are equipped with manual transmission. Edmund numbers are about 0.3-0.5 secs faster.

And Wenyue, do you see me driving a Civic EX?
Those Civic prices are too high for a compact car imo. Wonder how loyal those Honda customer are?2001 prices should come down a bit with tough competition from the Corolla,Focus,Protege,
Sentra,etc.
I wish Toyota really equipped the S trim to reflect the "Sporty" designation, oh well, cant have everything...

cliffy1

Anybody who can't squeeze more than .9 seconds out of the GTS doesn't understand how to drive it. That car doesn't begin to get fun until 6000 RPM which is when most people think you need to shift.

liufei

I guess that was a typo, no car can go from 0-60 in 0.9 secs. Maybe 6.9 secs?
Anyway, those are the only datas I found so far. Toyota website doesnt even offers a 0-60 stats for the sporty sedans (grumbles..grumbles..)

wenyue

Liufei:

Yeah, those Civic EX are way too expensive. At more than $18K a car, I wonder why those Civic buyers don't just buy an Accord LX instead.

Here is are two article about the Celica.
http://cars.about.com/autos/cars/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http://www.motortrend.com/sept99/celica/index.html

http://cars.about.com/autos/cars/library/weekly/aa100799.htm

MotorTrend tested the GTS with the 6-spd manual do 0-60 in only 6.6 seconds (wow!) and 1/4 mile in 15.2 seconds. But still no words on the 0-60 for the 140 hp GT. Seems like everyone is falling in love with the GT-S and leaving the GT alone. All the more reason to put that engine into the Corolla-S instead, and just make GTS Celica only.

I find the Shark like look of the front really pleasing (the back is another story). No wonder Celica is selling like hot cakes. One interesting thing I noticed is that the Celica GT's 140 hp engine has excellent fuel economy. 27/35 mpg with an automatic? That's pretty darn good. Better that most economy cars on the market. They really should throw that engine into the Corolla (in my opinion).