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Toyota Corolla

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Comments

  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    Not to put too fine a point to it, but what in the world are you doing waiting for the little light to come on before getting some fuel? I never drive a car with less than 1/4 of a tank, unless circumstances are desperate, and then I would be looking for the first station. Helped a stranger who rang our doorbell last Sunday with an empty gas tank...I don't get it...
  • funduletfundulet Member Posts: 8
    My father has a 1998 Corolla CE, my wife has a 99 Corolla CE and I drive a 2000 Corolla CE. All of them have 4-speed automatic transmiissions.

    Here's a list of the problems these cars have had:

    1. The 98 Corolla ( 38,000 miles on it so far): a)whenever the gas tank is filled with gas the car itself smells like gas for days. The dealer wasn't able to fix it. To avoid the smell my father never fills up the gas tank completely.
    b) at 30,000 miles the brake light came on and stayed on. The dealer fixed it.
    c) the car handles badly.
    d) the quality of the paint is very bad.
    e) the trunk is quite hard to close.

    2. The 99 Corolla ( 12,000 miles on it so far):

    a) the parking brake is extremely loose and it gets looser and looser as time goes by. dealer claims that it's normal
    b) the vent knob is very hard to turn. dealer claims it's normal
    c) when the car turns left or right, there's a cracking sound coming from the front right side of the car. dealer says that it's the suspension and that there's nothing he can do about it.
    d) the airbag light just started to flash. haven't taken it to the dealer yet.
    e) this one handles badly too.

    The 2000 Corolla ( 2000 miles on it so far):

    a) at 1000 miles the transmission started to make a high pitched whine. took it to the dealer who replaced 16 parts in the transmission. the car was out of service for almost 3 weeks. the day after I got the car back the high pitched whine returned. dealer advised me to drive the car for about 2000 miles and then if it still makes the sound he'll call a Toyota engineer in to take a look at the car.

    b) the transmission shifts gears badly.

    c) the driver's seat squeaks like crazy. dealer fixed it and after 2 weeks it started doing it again.

    I live in California. For a car to be declared a lemon in Calif. the dealer has to try to fix the exact same problem for at least 3 times. If he can't fix it after 3 tries then the car MAY be declared a lemon. The condition is for the problem to be serious. A squeak is not considered a major problem.

    Before buying the 99 and 2000 Corollas I used to drive a 1995 Mercury Tracer ( Ford Escort) made in Mexico. I owned this car for 5 years. I traded it in at 80000 miles. During all this time I had only one problem with it which was quickly fixed by the dealer under warranty.

    Corolla is junk.
  • aamd814aamd814 Member Posts: 6
    mikar70 & snflwselena:-
    This is strange..Corolla 2000 LE, being an upper trim compared to CE, does not have a low fuel indicator, whereas the latter does. I don't understand the rational for that.

    jrct9454:-
    I usually fill when tank comes down to 1/4 too. However, it does happen sometimes (unless you hire a private driver), for involuntary reasons in today's busy life, that you are at a last minute situation, and that is exactly what the low fuel indicator light is for. I think it is an important little piece of equipment to have.

    cliffy1:-
    Toyota is supposed to have tested Corolla with the tires ON, before releasing it to the consumer market. They are supposed to be the same tires that the consumer finds on the car. How come that they did not recognize the problems with drifting and handling during the testing phase? May be they did not have time or the engineers were on vacation! is it possible that they tested the car with different tires on and then replaced it with bad ones before sending it to dealers?

    fundulet:-
    the automatic transmission in my car is also very difficult to use. You have to try moving it many times before it goes into position. It never clicks into place from the first time. This is very frustrating.
    Also, acceleration is terrible. It is sluggish on a level road. Going on a simple uphill highway road can drop the speed more than half. It is so obvious as you will find yourself lagging way behind other cars suddenly. Corolla 2001 is not a spritely car at all.

    I think it is useless to take the car to the dealer, because this is a manufacture issue. The dealer cannot be blamed for the faults of the manufacturer. He can not invent new specifications and has to go by predefined rules of testing to restore a problem to normal standards, whatever that standard might be.
  • liufeiliufei Member Posts: 201
    My only question is since you already knows what the corolla will do in term of handling, acceleration,etc from your dad's experience with it, why the heck did you purchase two more if you are clearly unsastified with it?

    Generally, I'm happy with mine. No problem with transmission shifting gear (shift smoothly) or bad acceleration or lousy smells or squeak. I will concur that the handling is horrible and some Toyota dealer cant fix or deduce the simplest problem! (no offense to cliffy). The only unscheduled visit is for a knocking sound that dealer fail to reproduce.
    Btw, edmund here listed low fuel warning as standard on 2000 corolla. Either the dealer or edmund, one of them got to be wrong....
  • crieckecriecke Member Posts: 37
    "Terrible handling" "Handling is horrible"

    What aspects of the handling are you folks
    concerned about?

    Give us the details please.
  • michalwmichalw Member Posts: 4
    I don'[t know where the hell you guys got your cars from. I have been driving a 99 Corolla for over a year now, got 14000 miles on it and I haven't had a single problem with it. The tires are poor and the suspension is not the best one, but overall quality of the car is very good. I have a 5 speed manual and this car accelerates quicker than most of the compact cars that are on the road these days. And yes, my 99 Corolla has a low fuel warning light. I saw it go on a couple of times. Well....maybe your cars were built in California? I know that mine was built in Canada....
    Later.
  • crieckecriecke Member Posts: 37
    "Tires are poor" "Suspension is not the best"

    Tie these complaints down a little tighter please.

    General statements don't really let us learn
    from this conf. Thanks, Charlie
  • wenyuewenyue Member Posts: 558
    has the low fuel light.

    You can't see it when it's not on. But I can see it clearly when it comes on. ;) I was low on fuel when I was coming back from the airport today, and it came on as it should. If my memory doesn't fail me, the light is located above the fuel gauge. For me, it comes on when there is about 2 gallon left in the tank.

    no problem so far with my 99 Corolla LE after 1 year and 8 months of ownership. Change my oil ever 4 months. Tread still looks like it's good for at least another year (Goodyear Integrity tires). No rattle or squeaks so far (impressive in my mind). It's made in the Ontario plant (VIN number starts with "2").

    I bought the corolla because my first car was a Corolla clone and it served me so well that I never thought I would have feelings for a car. And so far, my 99 LE is living up to the heritage.

    Corolla isn't a great handling car. I think everyone knows that its no sports car. It handles good enough for everyday driving, but will disappoint you if you were looking for "sportiness". It's a mini-Camry, a small family car. It gets you to work, to the store, and serve a small family role reliably and quietly.

    There is no perfect automakers. Even Toyota, being regarded as the most reliable brand, will occationally make a lemon. It's luck I guess. What can you do? Get it fixed under the warranty, that's what they are there for. If it's truely a lemon, you can get your money back by putting the law to work.

    I don't think Corolla is a junk car. At least not when it's something like 40-80% more reliable than the average car (read it in consumer report). Unfortunatly, that number doesn't help the feelsing of the few who got the rare lemons.
  • aamd814aamd814 Member Posts: 6
    I am not an expert in car mechanics to be able to describe faults with handling and suspension with precise technical terms. I can only tell what I felt was going on with the car in lay terms.
    It seems that Corollas built in California are poorer quality than the ones made in Ontario.
    I am not sure what reliability means now that my new car slips each time I drive on a curve at less than normal speed. I know many people with Corolla complaining of the same problems.
    I am not sure either if this makes the car a lemon or what is the difference between a lemon or non-lemon.
    I bought my car based on consumer reports' recommendations. I think their recommendations and reports on reliability are "unreliable".
    Also I am surprised at Corolla being called a small family car that rides quietly . The single one thing that it fails to provide is a room for a family role. It can get you to close by destinations, yes, but with a lot of choppy and noisy ride.
  • liufeiliufei Member Posts: 201
    Corolla handling is never the best in the class, but if your car slip every time you take a turn, then either there's something with the car suspension, or the speed when you take the curve is too great.
    Also most ppl agree corolla has a nice and quite ride, so I dont see where your complaint comes from? Although the passenger space in its is definitely tight.
  • hews12hews12 Member Posts: 2
    Hey it's me again.

    i'm just checking in. i still havent purchased the 2001 "S" model yet, but will be in the next week. your right, the one i want is impossible to find. and i also find it very interesting that toyota wont flat bed it for me. but whatever. we bought the sienna xle last week and its running great! we have a rather large family, and there are toyotas all around. there are 3 other siennas in the family, 2 camry's (both 91 v6's), 1 96 camry v4, and 4 other corollas, all pretty new. if anyones got an opinion on toyotas its me ill tell you that.

    we also have a 99 corolla LE that was built in ontario and it runs excellent. its got 24k on it and i change the oil every 3000 or so miles. i mean, everyones right, it doesnt handle well in turns, but what do you expect when your taking turns at 40 mph? when we take the turns at normal speed, the rolla' seems to have no problem. i am very happy with this car. its my dads, and it gets him everywhere he needs to go from now. before this we had a 91 camry dx v6 that went 200,000. that was my favorite car. as for now, the corollas got speed and looks, and it really doesnt matter to me that it cant take turns like a race car and doesnt have the space for a billion people in the car. face it, its not a minivan, and you aren't jeff gordon :). i think that it performs well under the conditions that we give it. overall great car.

    Maybe the california plant has some problems....so much for made in the U.S.A......good luck, and ill report back with the 2001 "S" model purchase!
  • tomcat630tomcat630 Member Posts: 854
    "Maybe the california plant has some problems....so
    much for made in the U.S.A......"


    This statement has no backing or proof behind it. The NUMMI plant has had high quality rankings for years.
  • wenyuewenyue Member Posts: 558
    the back seat is tight. It's not a Camry. It's a rung lower and smaller. That's what I mean when I said it's fills a small family role. It's not as big as a Camry, but will do if you have a small family (or just starting one). The 2 adults sit in the front and the 2 little kids sit in the back (I totally agree that the back room is more suited for the kids than fully grown adults). That's what I consider a small family role. When the kids have grown up to be teenagers, then it's time to move up to the Camry. ;)

    The handling of the Corolla can best be described by me as "predictable, but not sporty". It does exactly what you tell it to do, and it does it. But if you are pushing the car like taking a corner at speed in excess of 35 mph, it will complain and let you know for sure. It isn't a sporty car folks, it's not designed as one. But it doesn't handle badly when you are driving it normally.

    aamd814: If your wheel slip everytime you take a turn, there is something wrong with your car. My car doesn't, I don't think most do, and it shouldn't. Get it fixed. If you are not sure, test drive another Corolla at the dealer, see if that one does that slipping thing, I doubt it.

    I too use consumer report quite a bit. I think it's right most of the time. I don't think they made a mistake about the Corolla's reliability. I haven't seen a publication that said Corolla has bad reliability yet. Every publication I look into (Consumer Report, Edmunds, Car and Driver...) always put the Corolla at the top of the reliability chart. It doesn't mean every corolla will be perfect, but it does say that the vast majority of the Corollas are quite a bit more reliable than your average car.
  • aamd814aamd814 Member Posts: 6
    If Corolla 2001 is designed for such a mediocre performance with a necessary near stopping speed at turns and lousy acceleration + so many other faults, what the heck is so unique about it then? why not save money, time, and lots of headache and buy a Hyundai for e.g. instead?
    Also about reliability of this car, I suggest you read Edmunds overall report once again.
  • liufeiliufei Member Posts: 201
    Because the reliability of Hyundai is known to be below Toyota. The new warranty should offset that, but in the same time it shows how Hyundai realizes their car has very poor reliability history/reputation that they need something to help dispel that. Its a nice car, but sadly with a bad reputation as well.
    The 2001 Toyota is not designed with mediocre performance and most owner doesnt found fault with their car. Like wenyue said, its not a sport car, it designed to be a small family car/compact car, so dont expect to take a turn going 50-60 or you WILL slip for sure! JD Power customer survey show how Corolla is among the car with the fewest complaint, so I have no idea what cause you to say that Corolla owner will save headaches by switching to another car.
    And regarding the Edmund review, heres a quote:
    Pro: Smooth ride, spunky motor, tight build quality, refined bits and pieces....the soft suspension keels over in turns, making the tires howl in pain. But the ride is smooth, the cabin is quiet at speed, side airbags are an unusual option for the class, and the parts used in the car's construction exude quality.
    So, Edmund does think Corolla is a quality car and backed by the well known Toyota reliability behind it. And they did point out the problem with the soft suspension. But its a trade-off between a smooth ride and a more of sporty handling. You should've notice this during the testdrive.

    p.s: I own an Elantra as well, so i think i can
    comment on it.
  • wenyuewenyue Member Posts: 558
    well said.
  • papayyaapapayyaa Member Posts: 2
    hi everyone... i just purchased a 2001 corrolla le about a month ago.. i was just curious to know if it is normal for the door ajar light to come on and ring even after you have closed all the doors? it stays on for about 30 seconds or so.. the ringing is really annoying..
  • liufeiliufei Member Posts: 201
    No, I doubt its normal. Bring it back to the dealer for them to take a look. It maybe the sensor timing is off or something.
  • tundradudetundradude Member Posts: 588
    Handling can be easily solved on any 4-door Corolla. Get some better tires! I did on my 95.

    The 2-door Corolla naturally handles better and especially good with nice speed-rated tires as on my 89.

    If you buy a new Corolla, get the dealer to change the tires before you buy it.
  • wrgrahamwrgraham Member Posts: 112
    Lots of handling complaints here. I am not an owner of a Corolla, but I didnt like the handling of my 86 toyota pickup when I bought it. I put better tires on it at the first chance, and that helped. Then a repair shop nearby had a special deal on Monroe gas shocks, and I got them put on the truck. That helped a whole lot, and even now,
    200K miles later, my truck handles well and has the tight feel of a new model. Although somewhat stiff, I suppose. Anyway, it makes me wonder if something like shocks could be a smart upgrade??
  • papayyaapapayyaa Member Posts: 2
    thanks for the response.. the thing is i did take it back to the dealer .. because there was also a problem with the alarm/keyless entry.. the doors just didnt lock properly.. they fixed that but they didn't do anything about the ringing of the door .. maybe its because i'm a girl.. the service guy took one look at me and said ... hon, thats normal.. and i was like what? no other car does that.. all he said was that it was normal and walked away! thats why i'm reluctant to go back.
  • theparallaxtheparallax Member Posts: 361
    What you need to do is treat them like crap and complain so they will get your attention. And don't buy the fact that they are really friendly. I finally got MY way, after 3 attempts to fix my Protege's door lock problem. I said it was ENOUGH after waiting in the waiting room for 4 hours, ONLY to find out they they did not have all the parts they needed to fix the car that day!!!
  • liufeiliufei Member Posts: 201
    Its a bad thing when that dealership is still discriminating just because you're a woman. papayyaa:
    Although I wont recommend theparallax approach (those protege owner are violent!! ^_^), he definitely has a point. You need to be more persistent and insist that this is a problem that need to be fixed. Taking a friend knowledgeable in car with you should help, because he/she can emphasize your point.

    Regarding changing the tires/shocks/struts, I'm looking into the possibility of changing the tires, but how long does it usually before you changed tires? Mine only has 15k miles on it, and I'm not expected to change them until around 30k miles, furthermore, whats a good replacement tires ? I'm looking at the Michelin X-One or the Energy, but not really sure about it.
    As for shocks/struts, wont changing it to more stiffer one result in stiffer ride as well? I dont want to sacrifice the ride for a bit better handling.
  • ldwldw Member Posts: 2
    I just happened across this website -- and the conversations about the 2001 Corolla -- and now I'm scared. Only yesterday I purchased one and I'm picking it up tomorrow. I've been leasing a '99 Corolla and now have bought an '01. I've been happy with the '99 and know many others who are happy with their Corollas, also. Are MOST of you happy with your vehicles?
  • wenyuewenyue Member Posts: 558
    That would be a "yes". ;)
  • crieckecriecke Member Posts: 37
    That would be another yes!

    Charlie
  • rollaman2rollaman2 Member Posts: 10
    I have 7500 miles on my 2000 Corolla LE. I am, for the most part, very satisfied with it. My Corolla was built at the Ontario plant.

    Now a question for wenyue, criecke, liufei, and others:

    Have any of you noticed a rough downshift? I have the 4sp automatic. The upshifts are smooth and almost unnoticeable. But the downshifts, when trying to climb up hills for example, is not as smooth. Maybe I am just too critical.

    Thanks, I appreciate any input.
  • wenyuewenyue Member Posts: 558
    No, actually, I haven't noticed any rough down shift. But then again, my driving condition doesn't involve any steep hills. Maybe others have noticed it?
  • liufeiliufei Member Posts: 201
    Yup, I'm happy with my Corolla too.
    Regarding the downshift, yes, I do noticed that
    the downshift is not as smooth as the upshift when
    downshifting on a steep hill (have to go through
    one everyday on my way to work). I tried turning
    off the overdrive gear (mine is a 4spd auto as
    well), but now it didnt downshift at all on that
    particular hill.
    Too bad I'm too lazy to turn the overdrive on/off, but it doesnt bother me, so I guess I will stay lazy :)
  • tundradudetundradude Member Posts: 588
    yes, very happy with both of them
  • aamd814aamd814 Member Posts: 6
    I noticed that most of the people defending the Corolla 2001 are actually owners of Corolla 99 or 2000. I also want to correct a misconception here. I did not buy my Corolla 2001 for use as a "sporty" car. I am a professional and using it for commuting to work most of the time. My expectation was to have a quiet car that gets me to my destination safely. I don't drive 50-60 when taking a turn. Also, that can never happen because I guess the car will be upside down in no time if one attempts to do that.
    To define the problem better, and I am not a mechanic or speak like a salesman, I tested this "slipping on turns" problem many times now that I am aware (and scared) of it. By the time I slow down at turns, when the speed is still 25-30, the car starts to shuffle. Not only that, the car becomes difficult to maintain in a steady state. I have to go down to less than 20 to get through the turn safely (but then I am stuck with the poor acceleration, a pretty dangerous situation when entering into the highway flow). This situation is worse on a wet road. In fact I stopped taking the highway on rainy days and have to drive longer on regular streets unfortunately.

    Edmunds report say nothing about reliability. You need many years until all the problems with Corolla 2001 are accumulated and pooled and the true level of reliability can then be concluded. We know that older year Corollas are reliable and have higher resale value because they passed the test of time. But we don't know about the 2001 yet. And just because the older ones are good does not mean that the newer ones are as good. Here is the introduction part of the same report that was copied from Edmunds review: "Toyota's venerable Corolla has gone through many changes since it was first introduced in 1968. Over the course of its long life, the Corolla has appeared as a hatchback, coupe, wagon and sedan. The world has seen enough people fall in love with this car to make it the best-selling nameplate in the history of automobiles. Now, while that's neat and all, we're sure that what's really important to you and your wallet is whether this modern Corolla still has what it takes to stomp out its competitors. In short, it doesn't".
    In the rest of the report, a major problem such as that of the suspension is written in a way to sound as if it is a minor problem or fun to have.

    I also disagree with the rest of the descriptions in the report, especially that of the "smooth" and "quiet" ride. High, irritating, and intolerable noise at speed is the most noticeable feature of this car and needs no proof to discern. I had a Corolla 87 that had 120,000 miles on it that was way less noisier at speed than the 2001. You don't need a musical ear to discover that. What a strange thing to have.
    I also keep thinking about the smooth ride every
    time the car jumps and echo-jumps at the simplest road bump. A stiff, rough and choppy ride is the usual pattern with this car.
    As for quality, I don't know what is Edmunds criteria for definition of quality or good quality , but as the interior plastic started to deform and peel off only few weeks after purchase, quality was "exuding" for sure. The interior layout is redundant, poorly fitted and full of bends and careless alignment. This is especially true for the floor lining. It would
    have been much better if the manufacturer gave the interior lining as a kit for assembly by the customer. That would have resulted in a better look I guess.

    I believe a not-as-famous small car like Hyundai Elantra or the like can also fulfill the role of a small family/compact car. it can take you to work or the supermarket as good and as safely as Corolla does, if that is what's left for this car to speak about.
    Corolla reputation that is ingrained in the minds of most people refers to the models before 2001 and perhaps before 97. It's time to revisit that. I think Hyundai or similar companies are giving long warranties not only because of knowing about less reliability of their cars, but mostly because they know that reputation is an illusion that refers to the past. The illusion that recent Corollas are as good as the older ones is what makes people go for the Corolla. That's what I did. To make it through the disillusionment, it requires a lot of objectivity to admit the truth about the features of a newly -introduced car, and not just an emotional bias. I do sincerely wish if my 2001 Corolla was as good as the 87 that I had.
    For those who want to buy a 2001 Corolla, test drive it on a highway, on all ups and downs and turns, drive it many times, take your time, and don't let the salesman blind you. Then go test drive other small sedans. It is not worth it if
    you are stuck with a miserable drive for years for the sake of a grand or so of higher "resale value".
    1dw:
    The answer is "NO".
  • rxguyrxguy Member Posts: 13
    I am looking at purchasing a 2001 Corolla, but I have a couple questions. As we are expecting next month we are concerned with whether the car seat will fit well in the back seat and whether the stroller (it is pretty big) will fit in the trunk. Have any of you had experience with these in the Corolla?

    Thanks!!
  • fenly1fenly1 Member Posts: 2
    This is for all the Motor Buffs that expect a luxury car when they open the car door of a car under 15k. Come on you guys lighten up a bit...You can't have your darn couch as a front seat and a dispenser button for your beer and beer nuts.Sure The Corolla LE is not perfect but is a darn COMPACT car..stop complaining about only 2 seats, why don't you complain about a Vet having only two seats! It is to get you from point A to point B,not to give you a luxury ride from The East Coast to the West coast cruising at 80 mph. Sure you can't tailgate party in it with your bare chested buddies with C O L T S painted on their chest..then take a WINDSTAR, or a VOYAGER...One thing for sure, when you break down in that breakdown lane with the hood up..I'll putt putt by you at 50 mph and give you a toot toot with the horn..Come on fella's all cars ache and squirm and groan, & sway!It's an under $15,000 car.
  • wenyuewenyue Member Posts: 558
    "Edmunds report say nothing about reliability. You
    need many years until all the problems with Corolla
    2001 are accumulated and pooled and the true level
    of reliability can then be concluded."

    While that is true, Corolla has never in it's entire 30+ years of existence known to be a problematic car. The changes for 2001 Corolla is mostly cosmetic. There is no evidence of any major problems.

    Please, I believe you when you say YOUR Corolla has a problem. But please do not insist that the same problem exist for most of the Corollas. You might had the bad luck of running into a lemon, it doesn't mean most of them are.

    "In the rest of the [edmund's] report, a major problem such as that of the suspension is written in a way to
    sound as if it is a minor problem or fun to have. "

    If the Edmunds report said there is no major problem, only that it doesn't have sporty handling, then it's further proof that the problem lies within your car rather than most of the corollas.

    Corolla has had a reputation for solid construction and problem free operation. Please do not generalize it to be a junk car.
  • crieckecriecke Member Posts: 37
    I live in Charleston, SC and we are flat.

    We do have to very high roll a coaster bridge
    going from the city 3 miles to the coast but I
    have not noticed any problem.

    The only problem I had at first was with the
    light touch of the gas pedal,took a little
    while not to push it down to far. Have mastered
    that however. Charlie
  • dchinndchinn Member Posts: 64
    Yes, it will fit your stroller & carseat. I have 2 yooung ones in the backseat. Buy the car w/ folding rear seat option. U may need it in a bind.
  • liufeiliufei Member Posts: 201
    Regarding tires, has anyone in here replaced the stock tires in their Corolla? Any particular brand/size you would recommend to help improve the handling without sacrificing ride quality ?

    Thanks in advance.
  • crieckecriecke Member Posts: 37
    for another slant on the 2000 Corolla go to:

    newcartestdrive.com

    Among other things he talks about the HP increase
    from 120 to 125.

    Wonder what the true HP is after all. Charlie
  • wenyuewenyue Member Posts: 558
    Toyota is launching the next generation Corolla in Japan already. I wonder when are we going to get it. It sounds like it's a larger, taller car, that should solve on the the biggest short coming of the current corolla -- rear sear leg room.

    http://www.usautonews.com/news/news_story.asp?&id=x&sid=111362&align=

    "First sold in 1966 and now in its ninth generation, the world`s best-selling car has gone upmarket with European styling, a rounder figure and roomier interior -- the wheelbase is 13.5 cm (5.3 inches) longer and the cabin height is 8.5 cm (3.4 inches) taller."

    I can't wait.
  • sweetgirl1sweetgirl1 Member Posts: 1
    Hi. I'm looking to purchase a 2001 Corolla LE. I've just graduated from college and have fallen in love with the corolla. I'm looking for something dependable and ...well...cheap in gas and insurance. I got a quote from one of the dealers. I was wondering if the quote is reasonable. I've done some research, but still am somewhat uneasy. I'm looking at the following options:
    -automatic
    -am/fm/cd
    -vip rs3000
    -extra value package #2
    -abs
    -rear spoiler
    -weather guard package
    -front and rear mudguards
    -cruise.

    i know i'm going a little over in the luxuries, but i've got a good reason: i've graduated and got a good job. anyway...i live in chicago and the salesguy quoted 16,800 + ttl. Is it good or should I talk a little more?

    I think it's great that there's a site that can help girls like me learn a little more about this car buying stuff.

    Thanks,
    gosia
  • liufeiliufei Member Posts: 201
    Wenyue:
    Hmmmm, that new corolla looks like Ford Focus!!! More refined and classy styling, but still look a lot like Focus. I'm kinda divided regarding that particular styling, it's good and attractive...but boxy and fat as well. On the other hand, there's indication that the styling for europe and north america would be different, so I guess we just have to wait and see. When does the Corolla going to get redesign anyway? 2003/2004?
    On the other hand, the articles also mentioned the particular wagon version of that corolla will have a 1.8L/190HP engine, modified from the Celica (must be the GTS) with more low end torque!! haha!! looks like the corolla will have the celica engine afterall!! Handling also supposedly improved greatly as well. If this true..... AWESOME!!! It can really races against other compact, even the infamous Civic Si!! :)
    Or...put the engine in the IS 300....and everything else is history. ^__^
    (p.s: the 2001 base civic will only have 105hp??? Is that true?? what were Honda thinking?)

    sweetgirl1:
    Do check www.carsdirect.com . In there you can configure a car to your liking and get a price quote which you can buy the car at that instant if you want to. I ran your Corolla LE configuration and got a price of $16,171 + TTL, but thats still about $900 above invoice. I'm sure with some haggling, you can save a few hundreds down. Target price probably around $15.6K (invoice + 3%) or lower.
    So definitely try to get the price cheaper.
    The problem is that since the 2001 Corolla has a distinctively new look (but same engine under the hood), dealer might be hard to bargain with. I'm sure there's more than 1 dealer in Chicago, which is to your advantage since you can price shop and pit the dealers against each other to get the best price. But keep in mind a good/reliable dealer with excellent service department might worth much more than a dealer who offered slightly lower price but has lousy attitude/service dept.
    Another thing, watch for the extended warranty that some dealer offered. It cost a bundles, and usually a no-no for a Toyota.

    Good luck with your purchase ^__^
  • wenyuewenyue Member Posts: 558
    Yes, I noticed that. But I think the front of the new Corolla look little better than the Focus. In my opinion, the Focus's front ends too abruptly, the gill especially. The back end of the Corolla reminds me little of Avalon's rear end.

    Toyota Corolla is scheduled for redesign as 2003 model year in the U.S. So we probably won't see it until fall of 2002. But seems like Toyota couldn't wait around in Japan and Europe, so they put the out the redesigned Corolla out already as a 2001.

    But we get a glimps of what to expect in 2003. A longer, taller, roomier Corolla, with 135 hp engine standard (up 10 hp). I don't know if the wagon is ever going to make it into the U.S (americans don't seem to be too fond of wagons, while Europeans go crazy over them).

    Yes, I too am suprised that they are actually going to have a production model Corolla with a upgraded Celica engine. 190 hp! Wow. But it's going to be on the wagon. Shucks. Again, we don't know if a wagon version will ever make into the U.S.

    As for the new 2001 Honda Civic. 105 hp engine is for the Japanese Civic. The definitive spec for the U.S civic will have a 1.6L 115 hp engine instead of the Japanese 1.5L engine (DX and LX), while the EX keeps the 127 hp engine. Ok, so the DX and LX gains 9 hp, that's still under powered. And the EX engine made no gain at ALL. I don't know what Honda is thinking, with all the competition such as Toyota and Nissan all have 125+ hp engine on even the baseline cars. The new civic is going to be one of the most underpowered car in the segment. I think Honda spent so much money making the car bigger that they ran out of money on updating engine. They even have to remove the double wishbone suspension (front) from the civic to cut cost, so it's sporty handling will definitly take a hit. Honda is on a tight budget, it's profit has been hit hard last year and this year, and maybe even next year. Main culprit is the strong yen. So it have to cut cost somewhere. It interesting that under the same condition, Toyota's profit has increased significantly.

    Here is an article if you are interested.

    http://www.just-auto.com/features_detail.asp?art=259
  • cliffy1cliffy1 Member Posts: 3,581
    There are lots of Toyota models in Japan that will never see the light of day in the US. The car in those pictures may or may not be the next generation Corolla. There might or might not be a Celica engine put into it. It is far too early to tell what we will have in 2003. It is interesting to speculate but don't put too much stock in a picture from a web site run by a toy company.
  • liufeiliufei Member Posts: 201
    Cliffy, you just have to ruined the fun don't you?
    (j/k ^_^)
    For one thing, I'm glad that Toyota understand the main pitfall of the Corolla (lack of rear passenger space, like wenyue pointed out). The engine is quite spunky as it is, but additional hp is always welcome, now that every other compact seemed to boosted theirs near the 140-150hp level.
    My guess, the 190hp will be put into the Corolla-S, but if Toyota do that, won't that cutting badly into Celica's turf ?

    wenyue:
    disgressing a bit, do you know how the civic will be priced ? Its already the most expensive car in the compact market, and although the new styling isn't bad (a bit bland, seemed like the end of mirage + the front of a mini-accord), I really couldn't see what it has over other competitor such as sentra,protege,etc, especially with weak base engine and possibility of reduced handling
    Regarding Honda, it's sad but I fear that it days as an independent company are probably numbered. One of the giant probably will swallow it, if Honda cant keep maintaining their profit level and market share. That's a real shame though.
  • michalwmichalw Member Posts: 4
    is I would say pretty quiet (not to say that it actually is very quiet). I can barely hear the engine at speed between 50-80 in the 5th gear. And the turns...well....if I push it really hard it will slip, but I really have to push it in a very tight turn. Back in the summer of 1999 I was thinking about buying VW Golf (I still like and want one), but after I test drove a 99 Corolla CE on the highway (the salesman wasn't with me in the car) I fell in love with this thing. Finally I bought 99 LE with 5 speed manual transmission and love it. 14000 miles so far and not a single problem. Would I exchange it for an Elantra? _Never_!!! My friend bought one a couple months after I got my Corolla. He let me drive a couple of times. It's not quite the same. It is alot louder at cruising speeds (as loud at 60 as Corolla at 75-80) and his transmission (manual 5 speed!) broke after first 2000 miles. Is that what you call reliability? Not really. I do not expect to have any problems with my car for the first 100000 miles, and probably won't have that many if any after that.
    Corolla is a very good and dependable compact car. That's my opinion after a year of owning and driving one.
    Mike
  • wenyuewenyue Member Posts: 558
    Cliffy1:

    Yes, I realized that. I'm just supprised that they just started selling the totally redesigned Corolla in Europe and Japan while leaving the U.S corolla largely unchanged. Both the European and Japanese Corolla were last redesigned in 1998 (same as the U.S ones). So the current Corolla model only lasted 3 production year over there, while ours will have to soldier on for a total of 5 production year. What's more, the production cost of those new Corolla is actually $580+ CHEAPER than the current Corolla. Wouldn't it make more sense if they just replace the whole current line of the Corollas with the new ones instead of leaving us Americans hanging like this? Recently, there is a sudden surge of a large number of highly capable compact cars on the U.S market. It's no longer the Civic/Corolla rule the compact market any more. First was the Mazda Protege, then the Ford Focus, and then Nissan Sentra, all of them are quite good success stories. Toyota needs to keep on its toes, and the new Corolla they are selling in Europe and Japan will go a long way in bolstering the Corolla's sales figure. Image a Corolla with even more power, roomy like a Protege, and with a price that's even lower than the old ones. That's a winning hand. I really think Toyota should bring that Corolla over here, or at least next year. fanciful thinking I guess. Maybe I should spend my vacation in Europe and bring a new Corolla back. ;)

    Liufei:

    Honda is aiming to keep the Civic's price increase to a minimum. It's already the most expensive car in the segment, more increase would be a bad idea. The price increase is a very modest $16.

    The styling of the new Civic is very conservative. Not much change at all. Yes I agree totally that the front is an Accord, and the back is the Mitsu Mirage. I think the most comparable compact on the market is the Mazda Protege (probably what Honda used as reference). It adopted the Mazda's opt-space (cab-forward design) to increase the interior room, then offer just enough hp to beat the Protege (115 vs 105, and 127 vs 122). But with the engine power standard already at 125 hp (corolla and Sentra baseline power) and still moving up, it's already a little behind, and when competitiors do their redesign 2 years down the road, it would be hoplessly underpowered.

    Honda is a good company. Quite good at engineering. While not having the resource of Toyota to design a full spectrum of good vehicles to meet the market, they do do a good job with the ones they built. And managed to catch up and share the reliability crown with Toyota. They have my full respect as a company that has a solid engineering department and build good cars. But unlike Toyota corp that almost never makes business mistakes, Honda quite a few time let their passion lead to bad finacial decisions (building the costly Acura NSX for example, huge development cost to build a $90,000 immitation Ferrai, who would buy it? That bad move must have hurt!) Honda was in trouble just not too long ago, early 90s, when their net profit was almost 0 (I wonder how much the Acura NSX contributed to that). As many analysts have pointed out, the current heavy reliance on American market (80% of Honda's operation income comes from U.S) is a fatal vulnerability. If economy falls, market shift, Honda would be in a world of hurt. Even now, the 12% and 14% profit drop due to strong yen is exposing just how vulnerable Honda is with it's current set up. Also, Honda's European operation is in the red (I think Honda's never turned a profit in the entire European market). And it's presense in Japan is very small, unlike Toyota (who control the Japanese market), if oversea fails, they have no home to come back to.

    Sorry, don't mean to go into too much business. Just some reading when I was researching stock. Anyway, I think it's inevitable that Honda will eventually be bought out. As it is, it's just have too many vulnerable spots, and not big enought to avoid being on somebody's dinner table. It's a good company for sure, good design and good quality, I will miss it. My family owned two Hondas in the past, and they were good cars.

    I think if Honda's profit drop low enough, and it comes on the market, Toyota should buy it off right away. First of all, Toyota is the wealthiest of all of the automakers, so can make winning bid. Second, you don't want a competitor like to swallow up Honda and give them a boost in reliability which would errode Toyota's edge.
  • sancycsancyc Member Posts: 1
    I am looking for a new car. My first. I am new at this but did my research which resulted in a 2000 Corolla. I spoke with at least 7 dealers who told me there were none to be found. I was also told that the options I requested (ABS & Side Airbags) really weren't available even though they are listed as options. One of the dealers had seen one with side airbags in his x years as a salesman. None had seen a Corolla with ABS. I was told that since the Corolla is light, it doesn't really need ABS which is really needed for heavier cars. I was told that since the cage was so safe, the airbags weren't really necessary. In fact, they just plain don't make them. I was also told that they come with air conditioning and automatic transmissions whether you want them or not. (I wanted neither.) They made it sound as if getting the options I wanted would be very difficult. They were all happy to sell me a 2001. I was surprised you did not mention things that changed from 2000 to 2001 that were not improvements. Like: in order to get a clock, you need to buy a $986 air conditioner! Is this insane? Daylight running lights are gone. 60/40 seats are no longer available in anything but the LE model. Dual power mirrors were no longer available. Cruise control is not available on the CE model. And the rear defroster, which should be standard, is an option? The radio is also an extra. ABS brakes are also no longer an option on the CE, but then, they never were. I am very disappointed in Toyota's arrogance. Yes they have a great reliable car, but they certainly aren't doing much else to get customers! I really liked the Focus and may go that route, but am concerned about reliability. Do you have any recommendations?
  • crieckecriecke Member Posts: 37
    I am glad I got a CE when the CE was a CE.

    I just got the 2001 sales lit. and compared it to
    the 2000 lit. My 2000 CE is the winner.

    Anybody considering a 2001 CE should really
    look for a 2000 CE unless they just want a 2001.

    Charlie
  • tomcat630tomcat630 Member Posts: 854
    "Corolla reputation that is ingrained in the minds
    of most people refers to the models before 2001 andperhaps before 97"

    The Corollas of the past were no better than now. It's just that in the "good old days" other brand cars were worse in comaprison. Now, many others have caught up to make it not as special as it used to seem. Basically, the Corolla is a 1993 design in the year 2000-01.

    Regarding the buyer not finding a car he wants. dealers will say anything to sell a car such as, "It don't need ABS or side air bags" and "you can't get a 5 speed".
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