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Comments
I'd appreciate any feedback.
the sound i'm hearing is like a rubbing/grinding noise when i accelerate. it's not like a grinding rotor sound... it only happens when i step on the gas. it happens when both turning and driving straight. when the speed increases it turns into a thumping sound (not really a clicking noise). when it reaches about 40 mph it stops.
i took it to a shop and the mechanic lifted the car and said when he turned the front wheel, he heard a clicking sound in the transmission pan. he said the CV boot was fine.
the sound is intermitent but pretty frequent. the brake pads are fine. i think the car needs an alignment because it pulls to the right and when it hits 70 mph the sterring wheel vibrates.
would anyone know what this is... and is it a serious problem. when i first heard it i was thinking cv joint / tie rod... the mechanic thought it was a transmission issue and that i should bring it to a transmission shop.
i really appreciate any feedback anyone has.
thanks in advance
Will the Corolla XRS be available with side airbags and VSC? Also, it's great to hear about structural improvements. I'm fascinated with crash-testing and vehicle safety. Can you provide any additional details as to what kind of changes were made?
Also, I am very late in joining this discussion, but is the MSRP known for the Corolla XRS? I know Toyota hasn't announced it yet.
Do you know what major options/packages will be offered on the Corolla XRS?
Thank you!
~alpha
Driving Position, back seat room (extra), Trunk - Camry
Gas Mileage, Payments - Corolla
For a complete picture, search on both the '03 and '04 Corollas - that will give a good idea of the areas that Toyota has been focusing on.
that was almost after suing toyota. The thing had that noise exactly 2 weeks after I bought it new off the lot, and they tried everything to rid the thing of the noise.
I was angry.
The Braking noise, Mine has it. I think Its here to stay. So, I just make sure my brakes are good, and the wheels are well aligned and balanced. I was thinking of putting Celica disks in the rear to improve braking.
For those of you looking to read up more on the 2005 XRS - check out this site:
http://www.import-heaven.net/specs_toyota_corolla_xrs.shtml
They had a few more pics of the car.
I improve the driving position by using a car cushion.
http://www.toyota.com/about/news/product/2004/04/23-1-05-Corolla-- Pricing.html
The availability of side curtains and seat mounted chest airbags, as well as VSC, is a good thing. I wonder how such options will be packaged and priced. Lexus style Optitron guages on the LE will no doubt be a hit. Any pics? I cant find any of the updated head and taillamps. I wonder if the seat fabric is any different, I dont really care for the current colors/patterns.
The XRS sounds awesome, especially at $17,455(excluding destination). Toyota was smart to re-engineer the 2ZZ engine to produce better midrange torque, with only a minimal loss in high RPM horsepower, to 170. The same engine will be in the Matrix, but the Celica retains the ultra high strung wind-it-out older version, w/ 180 hp.
~alpha
"Fuel economy is hardly compromised". A drop from 40 to 32 seems pretty steep to me. Even a Chevy Malibu with a 3.5 liter V-6 and an auto tranny gets 32 mpg on the highway. The 270 hp 3.2 liter Acura TL gets 30 mpg on the Highway. 32 just seems low for a 1.8 in 2600 lb vehicle.
What did they do to that poor 1.8 liter engine to get it to slurp so much fuel. Won't the curreny Corolla break 9 seconds as is. I think the handling improvements are great, but I don't think the extra oomph (mostly as extra high rpm anyway) is worth the cost in fuel consumption.
I know it probably would not work because of the weight and space, but imagine if you put the Camry 2.4 in the Corolla.
I do like the Corolla, and if there was a wagon version I would snap one up (Matrix just does not have much cargo space), especially if it had slightly better handling - don't want to loose the fuel mileage though.
Oh and Toyota, it's the end of April (the last week of, anyway), better start updating the Corolla and Matrix sections on your site.
Any chance for an '05 update?
I really dont take issue with the MPG of the car. Its probably just the result of shorter gearing, but also, you ARE getting an extra 40 hp, so I suppose thats the price to pay. 32 MPG is hardly poor.
The Camry 2.4L is actually a pretty light engine- 40 lbs lighter than the old 2.2L iron block it replaced, with much stronger hp and torque ratings. And Toyota probably could shoehorn the 2.4L in the Corollas engine bay. But the main constraint is production/manufacture. None of the plants that make Corollas also produce the 2.4L, and you can bet that given this engine wouldnt be found in a high number of sales, Toyota's not going to pay for shipping/installation elsewhere.
~alpha
~alpha
This is very prevalent on the 2003 body style.
You would think Toyota would have had this fixed before intro to the US market since this body style was marketed elsewhere before US introduction. NOT SO!!!
There are two TSB fixes issued by Toyota on this problem but they are only temporary (larger radio surround to fill the gap). Be warned the dash will continue to move after the fixes. This is a design flaw they do not want to admit to, so much for Toyota quality! Still not fixed after many requests.
grandtotal - I honestly never asked how the water pump looked at the last timing belt change (177,000 miles). Last week I asked a dealer how much is the pump change and he said $400 dollars. Plus of course the timing and other belts for a total of about $700. I think I may just do the belts. Any thoughts?
I am new to all of this and have done my research and realize that I want a 2003 toyota corolla LE. I checked edmunds.com and kbb.com and it seems like there is a big difference in the price ranges
I want to buy this weekend because its the end of the month and also because its a holiday weekend, but I dont want to rush it.
I live in Atlanta and the average miles per year is about 15,000, so Im looking for a vechile with no more than 30,000 miles... I did see an S model though, for $10,500 but it has $43,000 miles... the price is right, but I dont know what I should do because it has so many miles on it. Please help..
I am doing this all by myself and do not really have anyone to give me advice.
thanks
Anyway, I have a question about price. I am trying to be reasonable with my budget and I don't want to spend more than $11,800 on a 2003 toyota corolla le. According to edmunds the price is around $11,500--but I can't seem to find a deal like this. I have been shopping around on the internet and viewing different dealership websites and find that their offer price ranges from $12,500-$14,500 for this model. I think it price is highly ridiculous, but yet they are trying to get me to come to the dealership, because one dealer told me they don't negotiate on price unless I am there in person--my thing is that I don't want to waste time at a dealership if they are not going to give me the price I want.
But is $11,800 really unreasonable for a 2003 corolla? Seems like most dealers use Kelley Blue Book over the Edmunds TMV. One dealer hung up on me on Friday because I didnt want the car he had for $12,600. He said that he can tell it is my first car and that I'm overly cautious.
THE most important part of a used car price is condition. You can't see that on the phone. Have a mechanic THOROUGHLY check out any car you consider purchasing. Use that report as a way to get the price you want. Don't forget service, either.
One of the best negotiation tactics does not require you to waste time in a dealership. Try out the car you are considering buying. Have your mechanic check it out. (If they won't let you do that, that tells you something). Then, after, say five minutes of negotiation, if they aren't anywhere close to what you are willing to pay--Tell them so. Tell them what you can pay (don't forget you will have to pay tax, title and license).
They may not take it. Making SURE they have your phone number, nicely and quiety LEAVE. Yes, leave. Do NOT fall in love with any ONE car.
Wait. It may take several days, it may be before you even get home (answering machines and voice mail are great things!)
Chances are excellent your phone will ring.
For this to work, you must be nice but firm. You must know what price you are willing to pay. You must KNOW what, if anything, is wrong with the car. Why is it a used car? What will the dealer fix? Is anything wrong with it that a warranty won't cover? (Scratchs, dents, bent frame!)
You must NOT be nasty. And you must not change your mind and just have to buy the car today.
Good luck!
Is it harmful to drive this car in 2WD all the time? ALso, any ideas what would cause the grinding sound?
I was researching the 2004 Corolla when I thought it would behoove me to look at the dealerships website to get a list of standard features (just like I found on ford's and mazda's and nissan's websites). Low and behold, however, there is no such thing (that I could find) on the entire website. The only information on a corolla I could find was for the 2005 version. As if no one would still be interested in the 2004 model, considering it is still 2004. Not to mention the 2,000 increase in price for the 2005.
Is there any other resource besides actually walking down to the dealer and getting the list there? I understand that they are trying to push the 2005, but seriously. Thats not very progressive in my opinion.
MM
I gave you that link because that's where you can "save" the car and/or get an InfoPak if you want. You can go to all the details of the 04 Corolla from that page.
:-)
For example, in recent months, in my area, the Corolla was offering lowered financing (but not LOW) or $1000 cash back only on CEs. Because it is a strong entry in its field, this car has done well for Toyota in terms of incentives. The 2005 updates will continue this trend.
~alpha
Typically, in my experience (which may be a bit limited) car companies only offer huge incentives on cars that aren't moving well. I understand that the CE is the low end (although quality I'm sure) of the Corolla line. I can understand their approach on offering incentives on that model; though not because they are inferior quality, but because the cheaper model usually out sells the more expensive. Though from the people on this site it would look like everyone owns LE's~! (haha).
In any case I would think the standard features of a car not even out of its own designated year would still be available, thats all.
~alpha
I wonder where the sport comes in? Perhaps for people of my age who aren't looking for woodtrim interior. LOL
I was curious are there any appereance packages to say upgrade the S's gages/interior trim? I find the trim on the inside rather bland (I'm refering to the pics here on Edmunds, which may be out of date).
MM
My daughter just totalled her 2000 Mazda Protege last week. She's banged and bruised but the seat belt saved her. The car, to say the least is not okay, and we went shopping for a new car. It came down to the Honda Civic and the Toyota Corolla and my daughter picked the Corolla. She liked it better because she felt there was more room in it than there was in the Civic. She bought the car for $15,259 and this included the all weather guard package, cruise control, 6 cd changer, floor mats and trunk mats. It is such a quiet riding car that you couldn't even hear the air conditioning going. It is a beautiful car with some pep for a 4 cylinder. I would love the opportunity of driving it with 6 cd's of Springsteen in it and drive down to Cape Cod, but she won't let me near the car. It also has an immobilizer that will not allow the car to run without the smart chip in it. Nice car for the money!!!!!
~alpha
~alpha
My Toyota Corolla is 2 weeks old. It's a Lunar Mist Metallic. Options include: CK,AB,BE,CL,EJ,CF and C1. Paid $15797 + $600 alarm system, tax and DMV for a OTD of $17998.
My 2000 Mercury Sable station wagon was totalled in a collision I had. It protected me with its strong body structure, seat belts and air bags. Other than having my arms burned by the deploying air bag and a slight pain in my neck, I didn't sustain injuries. I do have some emotional scars though.
I can't say enough about my Corolla. It's no econobox. Refined, powerful, comfortable, quick are the adjectives that occur to me now. But there is a a great deal more to say about this fine car. I initially wanted a Camry. But at the show room after doing numbers, there was a 5300 dollar difference between the Camry and the Corolla. I went Corolla, but I've been experiencing a good deal of post purchase dissonance since. Nothing whatsoever bad about my Corolla. It's just that I'm used to drive a much heavier and powerful car. It's a matter of adjusting, getting used to the new reality.
Regards to all.
~alpha
I'm really pleased with this car. There is nothing wrong to say about it.
The purchase experience was very pleasant. I was some 3 hours at the dealership and I drove the car home that night. A minor glitch was that the dealer charged me $600 for a security system which supposedly was being installed by a Toyota technician. I think that this is BS and the car came equipped with the system from the factory but was programmed or activated. This was the case when I purchased my previous car.
Toyota is not new to me. I had previously owned a 91 Camry which I had for 7+ years with no trouble whatsoever. My car purchases went down from there. I never owned a car better than a Toyota. I'm glad I returned to the Toyota fold which I don't plan on leaving again.
After my accident I went to get a Taurus or a Sable as I felt that my car had protected me well. After visits to 2 Ford dealers and 1 Mercury dealer and being exposed to trickery, mind games, lies and double talk, I decided, to buy a Toyota. I began with www.buyatoyota.com and then I went to Edmunds.com and Cars.com. I put information required and within a few hours (on a Sunday) I began receiving e-mails from several dealerships.
I finally bought the Corolla from Plaza Toyota in Brooklyn, NY. I came very close to getting a Camry XLE though. It'll be next time.
The reason I ask is because I see people getting their corolla for much less than I was quoted here on edmunds.
Also I am looking to buy a new 2005, has anybody test drove it? If so what did you think compared to the 04?
MM