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Toyota Corolla

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Comments

  • coolguyky7coolguyky7 Member Posts: 932
    I saw a red 2003 LE. It was sharp!
  • sandman46sandman46 Member Posts: 1,798
    The indigo ink color is just as nice as the red also. Haven't seen a white one as of yet, a little bland for me.
  • ghostbuster23ghostbuster23 Member Posts: 43
    I saw a white 2003 S and and the body kit looked terrible. Apologies to any owners of this model.
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    ...no matter what color you pick. It makes the tall car look ridiculous; the same problem exists in the Matrix. The base Matrix without the so-called sport packages is not a bad-looking piece of work, but by the time you tack on all of the spoilers and ground-effects nonsense, it manages to mostly look silly. This effect is even more pronounced when you do this to the sedan.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    The Focus' wheel telescopes too.
  • ata3001ata3001 Member Posts: 30
    I too have to agree about the looks of the 2003 S ground effects. To me it looks like it is just stuck on. reminesent of General Motors way of adding sport to its cars. I own a 2001 Corolla S (impulse red) and the rocker panel treatment is handled so much nicer. The 2003 is simply over done. The rest of the car is fine, but those ground effects, ugh! My opinion only, not necessarily yours. :-)
  • stragerstrager Member Posts: 308
    If Toyota is listening, they'll make those ground effects TRULY optional on the Matrix. At least on the Corolla, one can get the LE and avoid looking silly, as jrct said. Unfortunately, on the mid-level Matrix XR, those busy looking spoilers and ground effects are a mandatory "option".

    I think Toyota is trying too hard to appeal to the younger generation. I'm not sure that even half of their target market for the Matrix cares for those ground effects.
  • indigoinkindigoink Member Posts: 2
    I have a '01 Corolla and have about 26,000 miles. The other day while I was driving to work, the malfunction indicator light came on. I took it to the dealer and the outcome was that I needed a new charcoal canister. It was still under warranty. Just wondering if anyone else had this problem. Any thoughts or suggestions? I would like to know if this is going to be a constant problem in the future. Thank you!
  • lfanlfan Member Posts: 61
    Whew! I am glad to hear about the "silly" side skirts and spoilers on my Corolla S.

    I was wondering why all the smiles and smirks on fellow drivers when I drive in my Corolla S. I was beginning to get self conscious ;)
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    ...these things are all a matter of taste. But I have to agree with the observation above that they may be turning off more buyers than they realize with this stuff.

    I am helping the daughter of a friend buy her first car, and she rejected the Matrix precisely because of all of the tacked on body pieces that were essentially "mandatory options" during the early production runs of the car. She is in her mid-20s and presumably the demographic "target" for the Matrix.

    She is very outdoorsy, an enthusiastic bike rider, and exactly the kind of buyer that was supposed to snap up the Matrix/Vibe. She is finalizing the deal on a Protege 5 wagon, instead.
  • cheapo1cheapo1 Member Posts: 3
    IF YOU PEOPLE HATE THE SIDE SKIRTS AND THE SPOILERS AND ALL THE OTHER KINDS OF ADD ON PARTS ON THE TOYOTA, I SUGGEST THAT YOU SHOULD GO BUY ANOTHER KIND OF CARS. WHY DONT YOU GO BUY BMW, BENZ, AUDI, CADILLAC, FORD OR SOME OTHER KIND OF CARS. WHY WHOULD YOU WANT A TOYOTA IF YOU HATE IT AND THERE SO MANY OTHER KINDS OF CAR TO CHOOSE. MAYBE IF YOU WHERE RICHER YOU CAN GET A LEXUS. OR MAYBE ITS JUST THAT YOU CANT DRIVE. NO ONE FORCE YOU TO BUY THE CAR. ITS YOUR OWN CHOICE!!
  • alpha01alpha01 Member Posts: 4,747
    There is no place on these boards for a post like the one you left. Personally, I like the side skirts, as you obviously do, but I will not defend a screaming, scathing post from an uninformed purchaser. Please do not use all caps in the future, it is considered a discourtesy. With respect to those who do not like side skirts, it is their right under free speech to say so. So deal with it. If you are happy with your vehicle that is all that matters. Had anyone stated something blatantly non-factual about the Corolla, perhaps I could understand your vehement posting. That is not the case and therefore I find you to be rude and offering no additional value to this board where Corolla fans express likes and dislikes. Good luck to you, but leave the us, and our opinions alone, until you have something constructive to say.
    ~alpha
  • sleazyridersleazyrider Member Posts: 9
    please pardon me for changing the subject of conversation...


    we are thinking of buying a corolla to replace the 89 camry (which was typical toyota: rock-solid dependable). is there any explanation for or truth behind the ultra-wide divergence of review scores in http://carpoint.msn.com/


    take care,


    :dave and krystyna

  • is300tm7is300tm7 Member Posts: 20
    does anyone know a website for 2003 corolla paint code? or does anyone know the paint code for white 2003 LE?
  • sbell4sbell4 Member Posts: 446
    Super White 040
    Lunar Mist 1C8
    Mineral Green 6R6
    Black Sand 209
    Sandrift Metallic 3M5
    Impulse Red 3P1
    Indigo Ink 8P4
    Charcoal Gray 1E6
  • jbolltjbollt Member Posts: 736
    Several days ago you asked "were it not for the seating position problem with the new Corolla, would you be inclined to trade in your Civic?"

    (sorry for the delayed response, I was out of town for an extended weekend) The answer is no...after thinking about it for several days, and helping my daughter buy a new Protege LX, the Corolla is just too insulated from the road and desensitized steering feel for my real tastes. The Protege is a very nice car, with good handling, road feel, steering feel, but it suffers from worse fuel mileage than the Corolla or Civic, and also seemingly poor resale value. I tend to change cars every 2 years or so, so the bigger hit on the Pro would make it too costly for me. My Civic meets 95% of my needs, (would prefer a little less road noise) so it will be my dirver for the next 12-15 months.
  • dudleyrdudleyr Member Posts: 3,469
    I don't know why Toyota didn't just make the side skirts optional. That way people who wanted them could get them and those who didn't want them wouldn't get them. That way everybody would be happy. I don't understand how the desire to have a more flexibly optioned vehicle could offend someone.
  • lu888168lu888168 Member Posts: 4
    I've read at serveral places people stated instability of corolla in cross winds, can someone who had driven it in windy conditions comment on it.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    I think a lot of the difference in reviews is the normal difference of opinion over such things as styling and ride quality. For example, one person's tastefully understated interior can be another's boring interior. But some of the comments there and in this forum about instability are troubling. The LE tester I drove seemed very stable and handled well on the freeway and on city streets. Yet I've read several posts here and Carpoint reviews that mention major stability problems. I wonder if there isn't some problem with the early models. It wouldn't be out of the ordinary for a new model, although it would be exceptional for a Toyota.
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    I have driven our '03 LE [with an early March production date and a serial number under 28000] at freeway speeds in severe crosswinds on at least three occasions. The car feels no different than any other from the last 10 years that have populated our garage ['94 C Mercedes, '96 Acura RL, '01 Accord V6]. It is marginally better than any of our recent Mercedes. I don't know what else to say...
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    ...that's a serial number [NUMMI-built] of under 21000...

    And no problems to speak of beyond the glovebox door latch that I dealt with myself.
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    We have had our '03 LE for just exactly 5 weeks today, and earlier this week we got a thank-you from Toyota that included a freebie offer of all three Jurassic Park films [on DVD], courtesy of a marketing tie-in with Universal. Also included was an offer to sell you a Panasonic DVD player for $99 [INCLUDING tax and shipping, again as a result of a joint marketing agreement] that sells at the local BestBuy for $149 PLUS tax. We took them up on it, even though we have no special need because the Panasonic is better than the DVD player we currently use most, and the price is such a steal.
  • civicwcivicw Member Posts: 135
    Just wondering what made you step down from the Acura to the Accord to the Corolla, especially in a fairly short period of time. I'm guessing the Acura was probably the best of the lot.

    I've been driving the same car for more than a few years, and sometimes wish it was possible to drive a new car every 2-3 years without taking a big depreciation hit.
  • alpha01alpha01 Member Posts: 4,747
    Why not just lease? If you do not put money down (CAP COST) and negotiate a decent payment, leasing is a very cost effective way to get a new car every 3 years. Though you will never own anything, so perhaps you see that as not cost effective. A plus is that with a 12,000 mile/ year or 15,000 mile/year lease for 3 years, you will never need to do any MAJOR $$$$ servicing on your car, and it will always be under powertrain warranty (in Toyota's case... but certainly not Honda's, cause their warranty sucks).
    ~alpha
  • cigsmh1cigsmh1 Member Posts: 1
    Hi All.
    Last Friday I did 48000km maintenance to my Corolla (Transmission fluid and air filter replacement) at my dealership.
    At Monday I have notice that at the speed of 100 km/h I got light vibration in the steering wheel. At 110km/h I could feel vibration at the car body and engine sounds more like a motorcycle engine.
    Acceleration is still excellent.
    The car was running perfect before this maintenance. I am going to this dealership again tomorrow.
    Is that possible that new transmission fluid could cause this problem?
    P.S.
    Toyota Corolla 2000
    Dealership – Richmond Hill Toyota, Canada
  • jeproxjeprox Member Posts: 466
    tranny fluid won't cause the problem u mentioned.

    vibration is usually caused by alignment problems or the tires or tire balancing or steering problems, etc. not the tranny fluid.
  • civicwcivicw Member Posts: 135
    I figure that leasing is about the same as financing because usually there is a lease termination fee, as well as the leasing company goes over your car with a fine tooth comb at the time of return(and you can end up paying for the smallest scratch). I could afford to buy something new every 2-3 years or so, but one part of my brain says I should use that money for something else. In addition, I find the cars sold in the US quite uninteresting, and am actually waiting to see what small cars Honda/Toyota bring in next year (Scion, Honda Fit etc). The 2003 Corolla looks better than most, though.

    My reason for asking jrct the question above was that usually people trade up, not down.
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    ...two cars or more in the family, so there is a lot of overlap between buys. The Acura was sold to a friend who wanted it badly; the Accord stayed in the family. Yes, I like something new every few years, and in fact the two cars that were competing to replace the Accord couldn't have been more different: the '03 Corolla and the '02 MB C230 Coupe. Usually, I get approached by friends and family members looking for a car, and one thing leads to another...and a new one takes up residence in our garage, while the others get new homes where I can keep an eye on them.

    We have had no "bad" cars in a very long time, and I have owned at least 50 cars since 1962. Recently, I would say the '01 Accord EX V6, which now resides elsewhere in the family, was the best overall value, i.e. most car, comfort, performance, etc for the money. It is quicker than the RL, better handling, and more economical to run, but at the expense of slightly more noise on the road.

    What impressed me about the new Corolla, aside from the improved driving feel and bigger interior and trunk, was just how much of a value it represents in the current market. My guess is that it will be with us for a long time, as it seems like the ideal second car once it has accumulated some miles and depreciated appropriately, and I am out looking for something else new and interesting....there are a lot of things coming in the next three years that I will be watching for, including the BMW 1-Series, the possibility of the successor MB A-Class coming to the USA, and the number of hybrid drivetrain choices that should be out there in 3-5 years.

    We retired very early and one of the things we are trying to do now is conserve cash for overseas travel and keep our overall expenses down. When [not if] motor fuel in the US hits $2.50 a gallon, I think it will be nice to be driving something that gets 33 mpg instead of 22, but that is a small part of our budget in the overall scheme of things. The Corolla feels like a car that doesn't remind you every day that you are "driving cheap"...we like that, especially since our annual mileage has now crept ever lower, making it harder and harder to justify holding a more expensive car just for the occasional long trip. Anyway, we're happy with the car and the money in the bank account that came from "trading down" the last few years.
  • is300tm7is300tm7 Member Posts: 20
    thank you so much for your help!!
  • shadow03shadow03 Member Posts: 18
    2003 Corolla Owners - Here's my problem. I recently bought a Pontiac Vibe and found an interesting problem with the cruise control. When you brake or cancel, once the speed falls below 25 mph, the setting is lost and you can't resume, even if you manually accelerate back to the speed you previously had set it at and try to resume. The owner's manual states that as long as you do not turn off the cruise control or the car, you should be able to resume your perviously set speed, and if it doesn't, to contact your dealers service department.

    I had the cruise control looked at by the dealer the other day. They ran a diagnostic and then contacted Pontiac's tech line. They informed the dealer that they had many complaints about this, that the owner's manual is wrong, and that it's supposed to operate this way. I drove another Vibe that was on the lot and it had the same problem.

    I've never driven a car with a cruise control that operated like this. I'm going to pursue this with Pontiac, but I'd like to know if the cruise control in the 2003 Corolla has the same problem, since they are built in the same factory and use the same components. Thanks for your help.
  • jbolltjbollt Member Posts: 736
    All of the Toyotas I have owned in the last 5 or so years (4)have acted this way...I agree it is annoying, but a small annoyance.
  • ata3001ata3001 Member Posts: 30
    I just removed the "C O R O L L A", the toyota emblem, and the TOYOTA insignia from the trunk lid of my 2001 Corolla S(impulse red). Boy does it look sooo much better. A much cleaner look to it. Should have done it last year. :-)
  • hjr2hjr2 Member Posts: 105
    i know it has reliability on it's side(no, it is not a "sludger" ,either). I know it is the biggest selling car in the world of all time.

    I test drove one today.
    Here are the Likes
    1) like Corolla's Drivechain...

    simple, I hate 60,000 mile /$400(labor and timing belt) belt changeovers.
    It takes a shop 4-6 hours, and the belt I get is $200 or so dollars to boot(Hyundai Sonata V6).

    2) Front end look; better than ELantra Gls(although it is not "ugly").

    3) Seats. They better than Elantra GLS.
    Nice seats.

    Dislikes:
    1) Engine noise :
    in lower gears from take off. Not as bad as some cars, but more so than Elantra GLS(next car I am considering besides Corolla). Engine in ECHO was as quiet, IMHO.

    2)Interior was no better than comparable models(well, better than Aerio Sedan by a mile).

    3) MSRP: In ball park of a V6 Sonata or a V6 Tiburon or GT Elantra.
    ( ya gotta admit, the new 2003 Tibby is a looke, but it sure does Not smoke tires...it is more like a 2door Sonata Sedan.)

    I usually keep my cars say up to(at least) 150,000 miles.

    The timing Chain would save me about $1,200 or so dollars(i change them at 50,000-55,000 miles to be safe) Versus a Elantra GLS.

    Still, it is "Iffy". Have had two Hyundais with less problems than my Nissan I had.
    (Tiburon and V6 Sonata).
    Had an Elantra for 10 days(when sonata was in accident and in body shop).
    It was a nice car. NVH was low. Interior was decent. Exterior was different looking from the class, in general.

    Corolla has quality on it's side and is ok looking, better than Aerio,Sentra,Protoge,Civic, IMHO.
    I am still 18-24 months away from buying, barring a accident that totals the Sonata.
    Just want a smaller car, that is all, and Less overall Payment(this is where Elantra comes in).
    The Corolla, the 2 dealerships said only $500 off msrp tops. Hyundai was already on sale at $150 over dealer's invoice, and could order sunroof, and leather(and abs) for about $3000 or so more(making the car about $15,399 loaded to the gills, or $18,000 or so for LE).

    Also, 1.8 /130hp VS 2.0 L/140 hp...similar size and weight and shifting points.

    Hmmmmm....
  • alpha01alpha01 Member Posts: 4,747
    The Elantra is significantly heavier than the Corolla. The Corolla LE auto, according to Toyota literature, weighs about 2600lbs. The Elantra GLS auto, according to a recent test by Consumer Reports, weighs 2880 lbs. Plus, there are the downsides of the Elantra's disappointing offset crash performance, and low for the class fuel economy, with either transmission. Otherwise, I think the Elantra is a great little car, though I disagree with your comment that the Corolla interior is nothing special. I think it is classy for a small car.
    In any case, Good LUCK!
    ~alpha
  • shadow03shadow03 Member Posts: 18
    Thanks jboltt. After break-in, I was cruising along a U.S. Highway and stopped at one of those random stop lights. When it went green, I accelerated back up to about 55 and hit resume to take me to 62 and, lo and behold, nothing happened! It's funny - I used to work for a car magazine and drove lots of Toyotas and Lexi, and I never noticed this.

    Thanks also for understanding my post. Everyone who responded on the Vibe board asked, "You shouldn't be using your cruise control under 25mph." Oy :-)
  • diagskierdiagskier Member Posts: 1
    Does anyone out there get a sore back from the driver's seat? I love my LE, but can't drive >1hour without a sore back. Can't seem to get the seat high enough or back enough...
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    ...has always worked as described, and not just on Toyotas. The problem is with the Vibe's owner's manual. "Resume" doesn't work if speed falls below a certain level, and this has been true on every Toyota, Honda, BMW, and MB product [which accounts for all of our cars for most of the last 20 years] we've had.
  • shadow03shadow03 Member Posts: 18
    Actually, most cruise control systems will allow you to resume your speed even from a complete stop as long as you accelerate back up to at least 35 mph. In writing the owner's manual, Pontiac probably assumed the system worked like the typical GM system, which also does not lose its setting. Neither does my Nissan.

    Why Toyota, or any other make which works the same way, loses its setting is beyond me. Admittedly, it's a small inconvenience, but an entirely unnecessary one as far as I'm concerned.
  • coolguyky7coolguyky7 Member Posts: 932
    insignificant.
  • 8u6hfd8u6hfd Member Posts: 1,391
    Anyone remember the thread where they are trying to sue Toyota because the 2003 Corolla was released early and blew away the 2002 in terms of quality & refinement?


    Well, this person is at it again http://forums.caranddriver.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic&f=8&t=000450

  • coolguyky7coolguyky7 Member Posts: 932
    Extoyotafan,
    If there is any problem in your situation, it's that the consumer was ignorant. I've seen you on the Edmunds Town Hall where you were shunned away. If you had been smart, you would have read all the messages on the Corolla board and I KNOW you would have discovered that the 2003 was on the way. Besides, if you knew anything about Toyota's sedan cycle, you would have been aware that the 2003 would be new. So even if the Corolla had come out in August 2003, your Corolla would have been only "state-of-the-art" for less than a year. WAH!!! Cry me a river and get over it. People buy computers all the time and the next day something with more power comes out. They don't get worked up. Be a better consumer next time. These other posters have been considerably lenient on you but I'm not going to because I know that the fault rests on you. You say you're 60? Well Toyota is losing a customer because of your experience, big deal for them because your car purchases are becoming fewer and fewer as you age.
  • lu888168lu888168 Member Posts: 4
    Can someone post recent prices for a 03 LE auto.
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    In the NorCal area [Sacramento], our '03 LE Automatic with Cruise and Mats sold for $15.6k plus taxes/lic on 3/21.
  • nwngnwng Member Posts: 663
    I bought one in 10/01 and I know a new one is coming out. It was an LE with auto, mat & cruise and I paid 14.2k. I could have wait a few more months but I know I would have to pay much more for a LE such equipped. And that guy said he did a lot of research on the internet, I have no idea where he went. The other way i look at this is corollas hold their value quite well and if I can score one close to invoice, I won't lose as much when it comes time to sell.
  • dudleyrdudleyr Member Posts: 3,469
    Actually I don't think the cruise issue is insignificant. What about when you are driving in an area with toll boths, or a rural highway with stoplights, or you are on a highway that goes through a small town (US rt 1 among many others) and you have to stop. Where I live (SD) most of our highways have stop lights or stop signs. It is nice to be able to get back to the same speed w/ the push of a button, like most cars allow. To be honest I have never heard of a car that had such limited resume features until I read it here.

    I rarely use resume above 35 mph because we have so little traffic here there is rarely a reason to slow down on a highway. If effect the Toyota resume would be like having no resume at all - given the way that I use it.
  • scnyscny Member Posts: 1
    Anyone recently bought a corolla LS in the NYC area? Would love to know how much you paid and where you got it from. Thanks in advance.
  • regfootballregfootball Member Posts: 2,166
  • coolguyky7coolguyky7 Member Posts: 932
    And Japan.
  • bxkidbxkid Member Posts: 8
    Just bought 2003 Corolla and the dealer ( Toyota 101, Redwood City Ca.) should be a model for all others! NO HASSLE, NO BALONEY at this dealer!!! Other dealers told me that I can't get a CE with side bags and cruise! Some said in can take 4 to 6 month's to get it. Well, it only took 6 weeks to get it. One dealer said that there was no A/C available with the CE! Can you believe it! All dealerships should give us service like this one.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    LOL! A/C is standard on the CE, for gosh sakes!
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