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Toyota Corolla

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Comments

  • dave594dave594 Member Posts: 218
    I find the TMV comes close to what you will be getting if you're not into extended haggling. I bought my 02 Corolla S for $13,500 and that's about what Edmunds TMV said I'd pay. There are always people who enjoy the wheeling and dealing and spend a lot of time chasing the rock bottom price. I don't have the time for that.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    The TMV is an average of prices being paid in a specific location. By definition, there will be people who paid more and people who paid less.
  • modestmousemodestmouse Member Posts: 53
    Well actually my toyota dealer quoted the so-called MSRP like 1500 over what it is supposed to be, but gave me a sale price much closer, about 1000 over, the TMV so I really don't think making him come down 1000 duckets will be too much of a hassle.

    I'm in a unique situation here. Unfortunately the area I live in is sparsely populated and there's only one toyota dealer here. The next dealer is about 90mins away, and thats a long drive considering there's nothing between here and there. So my dealer has me in a tight situation. I really don't have time/money to go all the way down there. We will see.

    Also, is it not customary to ask for an itemized list of everything his is charging me for? I just want to compare his numbers to mine. He's been reluctant to do so since my email 2 days ago. I've already test drove, and he could probably tell I was pretty serious about this car.

    MM
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Are there any dealers with competing vehicles near you? e.g. Ford, Honda, Mazda, Saturn, Hyundai, Kia, Suzuki? If so, use those as bargaining chips. Not that you are serious about buying from one of them. But your Toyota dealer doesn't need to know that. ;-)
  • danielj6danielj6 Member Posts: 285
    During my latest search for a car I always went well equipped with detailed invoice prices, rebates, incentives and hold back information gathered from at least 2 internet sources, one of which was Edmunds.

    Ford and Mercury salesmen at the show rooms took my printouts and after disappearing for what seemed to be an eternity came back and made me a counter offer of $3000 over invoice price. Another just told me that they couldn't sell me the car for the price I showed them. I got up and walked out.

    It was only this particular Toyota dealer that offered me the closest price to TMV. Perhaps because in the process of defecting to Toyota I changed tactics and decided not to walk cold turkey into a show room. I let Edmunds and Cars.com put me in touch with dealers.

    I didn't feel the need to haggle for the Corolla as the price given to me seemed fair, according to Edmunds.

    Chasing the absolute cheapest price it becomes after a while an issue of diminishing returns. My time is worth something. I've read posts on the Edmunds' Honda threads and people seem to be stepping over each other to see who gets the lowest price below invoice. Let's get real here; Honda and Toyota sell a hell of a lot of vehicles and don't need to sell at a loss.

    In my case, I bought a car $18000 OTD price nicely equipped plus good options included. Not to mention the electroluminescent dashboard, wood touches and window etching, this one free.
  • borathborath Member Posts: 10
    Just curious, what's the fuel tank size in gallons of a 2004 Toyota Corolla. Is it 11 gallons of gas?

    The manual says 11 but then it also mentions 13.
  • lizservolizservo Member Posts: 5
    My automatic 2004 Corolla has a 13 gallon tank.
  • grandtotalgrandtotal Member Posts: 1,207
    It's 11 Imperial gallons or 13.2 US gallons.
  • borathborath Member Posts: 10
    Thanks for the clarification...

    What's Imperial gallons?

    Also, I saw a post above hinted at this question...curious what the answer is.

    I recently bought a new 2004 LE automatic Corolla, Anyone know how it compares to the 2005?
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Fairly positive review of the XRS in today's USA Today. Just a few complaints, e.g. didn't like the spoilers and cladding, and some vibration/rattles in the engine at high rpms.
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    ...are British gallons, forever the measure in the UK and the Empire / Commonwealth. Of course, most of these countries now use the metric system, just to confuse things further...

    Roughly, 1 US gallon = 3.8 liters = .8 Imp gallon
  • modestmousemodestmouse Member Posts: 53
    Curious, what happened to message #3402? *giggle*

    I went and test drove the Focus and the Neon today (the neon just happened to be parked next to the focus).

    How is it that the performance differs so much between engines. I realize that the Corolla has a 1.8 L, but the Focus and the Neon both have 2.0 L. How is it that the Neon had the best acceleration out of all three? Coincidentally the Corolla's engine had more pick up than the Focus's 2.0. *giggle*

    Anyone care to comment?
  • alpha01alpha01 Member Posts: 4,747
    "Seat of the pants" judgements are often in conflict with actual numbers. The Neon makes one hell of a production during acceleration, the Corolla and Focus dont, in comparison, which may have added to the feel of speed. In Car and Driver's comparison test, the Corolla outran those configurations. The Focus 2.3L, however, is about a half second quicker to 60 than the Corolla, again according to Car and Driver.

    ~alpha
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Message #3402 was deleted by the person who posted it. There are many occasions where a message is deleted for any number of reasons. Why does it matter?

    :)
  • modestmousemodestmouse Member Posts: 53
    I was just wondering where the message went. Thats all.

    ALPHA 1: is there a link to that article? Or perhaps you could give me the issue its in and I can pick it up. :D
  • modestmousemodestmouse Member Posts: 53
    Dealer Documentation Fee, what the heck is that?
    It totals to some $212.74.

    I have another question also. Tax/Registration total up to some 600+ dollars. How should I handle this amount when I'm negotiating and considering how much I want to pay? Any advice?

    MM
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Tax and registration fees are probably not negotiable. They are the sales tax and license fees charged by your state. You should confirm that is the case. If so, you have to pay them. The only exception is if you are buying a car in a state other than in which you live. Then some states will waive their tax because you will pay it where you live. Others will charge you tax and then your state will charge you only the difference in tax between what you already paid and what you owe them. Also, if you are buying out of state you should be able to get a temporary license and then you will buy the license in your own state. Your dealer can give you all these details.

    Documentation fees may be negotiable. $212 seems high (in my area it's usually $75). Ask the dealer what the fee is for. If it's to take documents to the courthouse, tell them you'll take them yourself (if you're willing to do that) if they waive the fee, see what they say.
  • modestmousemodestmouse Member Posts: 53
    Thank you for the advice. :D It was very helpful.

    ...and I will do that. If they are not forth coming then I may have to reconsider where I'm shopping.

    MM
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    In some places there seem to be laws of some sort that say if you charge one customer $212 in document fees, you must charge all customers $212. In this case, they will tell you it's not negotiable.

    However, the price of the car remains negotiable. You might be able to get them to take $212 more off the price you negotiated if you make it clear this is deal-killer. They are not likely to offer this to you, but may go for it if you demand it.

    OTOH, if you want to avoid that whole issue, just figure out your price and say this is what I'm paying you out-the-door. Then you can let them figure out how to allocate the money. It makes no difference to you as long as you are happy with the OTD price.
  • alpha01alpha01 Member Posts: 4,747
    comparision test of compact sedans
    Nov 2002 Car and Driver

    Ford Focus ST manual 4 door
    June or July Car and Driver, cant remember which.

    ~alpha
  • modestmousemodestmouse Member Posts: 53
    You're right. Thats what I planned on doing anyway. I think I'm going to have my bank finance me and that way I can be a "cash customer" and just cut them a check. NOT to mention my brother and I are both buying a car, how often do they move 2 cars at once? Should be a good barganing point.

    MM
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Keep us posted. :)
  • oboylefanoboylefan Member Posts: 1
    I test drove a 2004 Corolla LE with 19K miles yesterday.

    The seat and driving position seemed very uncomfortable; the back of the seat seemed too hard, and the seat seemed too short, to where too much of my thighs were hanging off the end of the seat, and I'm only about 5'8". My back and legs both hurt after I got out of the car at the end of a 20-minute drive, although at least part of that could've been from the tension of doing a test drive.

    As I've read in many reviews, the steering wheel seemed to small and too far from the seat / too close to the dash.

    The acceleration was good, but seemed kind of jerky at times, although that could've been because I wasn't used to the feel of the pedals.

    There were lots of positives about the car too, but I'm thinking about my concerns.

    My question for anyone who owns a 2003 or 2004 Corolla is whether you noticed the same comfort issues at first, and whether they persist or go away as you get used to the feel of the car.

    The salesman said I could take the car out all day by myself if I want, so I'll probably do that in the next few days to get a better perspective.

    Any input would be appreciated.

    Thanks!
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    With the current-gen Corolla, you either fit or you don't. It has little to do with height, and much more to do with legs vs. trunk, and arm length. Lots of people are fine with it [I was], many are not. It's a bone of contention. [I'm about 6' even, 175 lbs, with fairly long legs for my size.]

    My own view is that in order to get the amount of room in the back seat that this car now has, they fiddled the front seat positioning in a way that causes some people to have real problems with the pedal vs steering wheel compromise.

    So, yes, some people don't fit in this car. You are obviously one of them.
  • jacknimblejacknimble Member Posts: 171
    I purchased a 2003 LE about a year and a half ago. I notice the wierd driving position right away, and being a car guy, it ate at me quite a bit. The car is primarily the wifes, but when it was a few months old, I took it on a 1000 mile/3 day round trip by myself.

    I quickly got used to the driving position, and was comfortable for the trip. I agree that the seat bottom is too short, but did not notice the back of the seat being too hard.

    The seats are leather, so that may be the difference.

    I have since forgotten about the unusual seating position, and I think the car is great overall. My only other complaint would be more sound deadening, but I have that complaint about every card I drive. For an economy car, the Corolla is very quiet.

    I have not noticed any jerkiness in the acceleration, but the torque does come on noticeably at about 3300 rpm or so.
  • danielj6danielj6 Member Posts: 285
    I've had my 04 Corolla LE for close to a month now. Since the beginning I noticed certain discomfort finding an adequate seating position. So I fiddled quite a bit with the seat. At this point I was able to adjust it to a comfortable position. Before I drove a Merc. Sable and it was very comfortable. So I went through a period of adjustment. Now I feel at home in my Toyota. Although, at times I think that I should've gotten the Camry, but for other reasons.

    There is so much good about the Toyota Corolla that it's hard for me to find faults with it. Perhaps you should, budget permitting, consider the Camry.
  • stevenq99stevenq99 Member Posts: 36
    The Corolla is a great little car but 2 hours is all I can take when I am driving it. If you do not like the driving position you might want to look at something else IMHO.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    I don't own a Corolla now but frequently get them as rentals. The driving position is very uncomfortable to me (5'9-1/2", 32" inseam). Whenever I get one I can't wait to get back home to my own car. I've tried adjusting the Corolla's seat every whichway and nothing helps. I've read (e.g. CR's review) that it is not an issue for shorter drivers. I think the problem could be easily solved by a telescoping steering wheel, if Toyota would see fit to add one.
  • modestmousemodestmouse Member Posts: 53
    I have an interesting discovery about that fishy dealer documentation fee.

    Currently I am looking at 2 dealers in my "local" area (and by that I mean within 90 mins of my location; which results in only 2!). In any case I emailed the dealer that was 90mins away and he's the one who told me about the 212 dollar "Dealer Documentation Fee." So I decided to email the Toyota dealer closer to me (17mins) and ask him about it as if I had just heard about it and didn't know anything. Well he emails me back and says that they (the local dealer) don't charge a documentation fee even though others might. All they charge is 28 bucks for paperwork. HOW surprised was I?

    Well I can tell you which dealer I'm going with. Plus the location of the other dealer makes going down there and paying an extra 212 dollars just not worth my time.

    MM
  • modestmousemodestmouse Member Posts: 53
    I dont' know why they don't add a telescoping steering wheel. Even the 2005 doesn't have one! I've noticed alot of cars in this class are starting to get them, I wonder why Toyota hasn't added one yet. It would behove them, in my opinion, to do so especially in a class of cars where space is so 'managed' and every little thing helps.

    MM
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Actually not many cars in this class have a telescoping steering wheel--the Focus and Mazda3 are two that come to mind. But the Corolla could really benefit from one. I guess as long as Toyota sells enough Corollas to the public and to rental companies like Hertz, they won't feel the need to add that feature.
  • carglowcarglow Member Posts: 91
    Did the estimated mileage increase from the 04 to 05 A/T from 29 to 30 city?

    Why? Did anything change?
  • joelweszjoelwesz Member Posts: 1
    I get only about 30miles/gallon on my 2004 Corolla. Is that normal? The car is listed as 32/40 for city/highway driving. I do around 25/75% city/highway driving. I've asked my dealer about it and they say that the best I can really hope for is around 35mpg.

    Currently I have about 2200 miles on my car. Is it because my car is new? Will my mpg improve as I get more miles?
  • stevenq99stevenq99 Member Posts: 36
    I get 36-37 with my 2004 5-speed. did not really change with more miles.
  • onedergyalonedergyal Member Posts: 11
    A private seller in my area is offering a 2004 Corolla S model with only 2500 miles. The original price they posted was $14,500, but I got them down to $14000 so far.
    I don't know if this is a good price, since i have nothing to compare it with.
    It is Drk Blu, and has a sunroof, a/c, am/fm cass/cd, cruise, keyless entry, it has power everything Anti-Lock Brakes; Air Conditioning; Cruise Control; Compact Disc Player; Passenger Air Bag; Rear Window Defroster; AM/FM Stereo Cassette; Power Door Locks; Sunroof/Moonroof; Tilt Wheel. Let me know what you all think.

    Thanks
  • alpha01alpha01 Member Posts: 4,747
    If you have a Corolla automatic, 30 MPG overall is almost exactly what Consumer Reports averaged in their most recent test of a Corolla (a 2003 model). CR usually does a great job of reporting real world overall MPG, so Id say youre fine. But also, be sure your tires are properly inflated, which often affects overall MPG.

    ~alpha
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Why don't you cross-post in our Real-World Trade-In Values discussion? The folks there may be able to help you evaluate this deal while you are waiting for responses here.

    Let us know what happens!
  • carglowcarglow Member Posts: 91
    I carry around between 100-150lbs in the trunk of my 05 Corolla A/T.

    Will that effect my mpg significantly?
  • jrct9454jrct9454 Member Posts: 2,363
    The short answer is...not really...

    Too many other variables for this to matter much...
  • modestmousemodestmouse Member Posts: 53
    I'm considering the corolla. I'm a college student who's tired of his achieva only achieving high repair bills.

    In anycase my question regards the manual transmission on the corolla. How does the shifting feel? Is it tight and responsive or slow and mushy? I've already been for a test drive but the dealer only had automatics. I guess manuals aren't that popular in this class.

    MM
  • needsahemineedsahemi Member Posts: 18
    modestmouse take a boo in the "corolla problems and solutions" forum.
    I have a corolla and it will be my last one.
  • sophiesophie Member Posts: 5
    Can someone please tell me what the differences are?

    Thanks.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Have you checked the vehicle descriptions for each? Use the blue New Cars tab at the top to get to them. You should be able to find all the differences.
  • patpat Member Posts: 10,421
    Folks, we are here to help others.

    If you feel like you can help, please do so. If not, there is no reason to respond. Just skip it; why waste your time??

    Okay, back to the discussion at hand now ...
  • danielj6danielj6 Member Posts: 285
    Jennifer: Did you call 911 right after the collision? And if you did, did you tell them that the guy had left the scene of the accident?

    I don't know what year your Corolla is from, but bumpers are generally expensive to replace. Especially, if there is damage beyond the bumper. How did the other vehicle smash into your car?? Front, side? Was it only the bumper that sustain damage?
    You don't need to take it to the dealer for the repair.

    I don't about Texas but here in NY is illegal to drive without insurance. I believe you should contact your insurer even if you don't file a claim but just to see what they say. I'd also consult with a lawyer. Do you have witnesses??
  • sandman46sandman46 Member Posts: 1,798
    I also encountered the same problem a few years ago with my '96 Corolla DX, but my guy took off and never returned.
    I needed a new rear bumper, luckily that was all I needed to make the car whole again. As I remember, the total cost was $496.00 plus the 3 day rental car. As my deductible is $500., I had no choice but to eat the cost of the repair.
    It's very unfortunate that so many in this country will not take responsibility for their actions. I know I was quite pissed for awhile, but since I was not hurt, just rattled a bit, I just wrote the whole incident off as another life's lesson learned!
    Very sorry to hear of another person having a similar problem though. Good luck.

    The Sandman :-)
  • modestmousemodestmouse Member Posts: 53
    Sophie:

    If you mean 2004 S vs. 2005 S I believe they revised the front and exterior body trim, and updated the interior. Otherwise I really dont' see any difference. There might be some minor component changes. I wish they would have put all 4-disc breaks and a telescoping steering wheel and some improved seating adjustments.

    Speaking of which, and off topic, I was looking on the Toyota's web site investigating the "features" section on the corolla. They had a little Flash animation describing how the seating adjustments in the new corolla seemed almost "endless." This gave rise to a small chuckle considering they were referring to the back seat folding down to accomodate extra cargo. Which is all fine and dandy but hardly seems to offer "endless" possibilities *giggle* I think that versatile would have been a better choice. I mean what kind of garbage do they think they can push...sheesh where's a competent art director or marketing person when you need one. *just thought I'd sardonically point that out. :D

    MM
  • hoodyhoody Member Posts: 25
    OK after reading these posts for several months now, and going back and forth between the RAV, and Hyundai's Santa Fe forums, I settled in on this corolla one for a bit, since I just got my mom in a 05 CE while in Memphis , I liked it, so here I am with a 05 LE Corolla....... I got it for what I figured was a good price... after all the research.... it has the usual stuff, all weather guard, preferred owners portfolio ( I guess is this book lookin thing).....the usual 4 floor mats, cargo mat, and some goofy cargo net... the main one is the VV the audio value pkg with a CD changer and 6 speakers this also incl the cruse..... which I don't use anyway..... the thing had a MSRP on the sticker of $15,690.00..... after the "options" it came to $16,919.00..... it had a $250 extra value pkg discount..... which had a sticker of $16,669.00...... to make it short here, I ended up payin $15,307.00..... with the final OTD inl ALL fees of $16,238.31....... a price I can live with as carmax was only 90 bucks less and I would have had to drive 3 hrs to DC to get it, besides buyin it here I also got 2 years of free factory recomended maintenance at the required milage, free oil and filters for that time, and life time free state inspections.... and a free ride and pickup when its in the shop.... so all in all I feel I did OK and am happy with the deal...... OH its Impulse Red with Lt gray interior... I was also interested in a S, but didn't wana pay any more for extra plastic or a useless spoiler,although I do like the extra fog lamps on the S.. (Southern VA area)
  • samnoesamnoe Member Posts: 731
    One of the changes in the '05 Corolla, as it seems from Toyota's website, is that they eliminated the cassette player. Is there a new audio system?
  • carglowcarglow Member Posts: 91
    I believe a CD player is standard in all models including the CE.
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