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Toyota Corolla

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Comments

  • glenglenglenglen Member Posts: 37
    The price of VW's is set by supply and demand. Buyer's are willing to pay a premium for them because there is virtually no competition(if any) for them in the small German car market. The Golf will have even less competition in the small hatchback market now that Honda has discontinued the Civic hatchback due to low sales. Also, the new Civic no longer will have double-wishbone front suspension, giving VWs even less competition for those seeking sportier handling.
  • dchinndchinn Member Posts: 64
    Are the dimensions of the Corolla similar to the Jetta or Golf in length? Seems the Jetta/Golf has a higher roof line leaving a more roomy impression. Standard features are longer also. Price is about $1 - $1.5K more though.
  • liufeiliufei Member Posts: 201
    Length of each
    Golf: 164.9'
    Jetta: 172.3'
    Corolla: 174.1'
    Courtesy of Edmund, they also said that Jetta is the sedan's version of Golf.
    Pricewise, the Golf is around$1.5-2K more than a Corolla, while the Jetta is around $3K more.

    VW has some of things going for them, great styling, sporty performance, good fit & finish. For some people this is more than enough to overcome VW shaky reliability factor and justify paying the premium (are these things sell for MSRP??), just as many people still buy Chrysler product despite their transmission woes.
  • vt399vt399 Member Posts: 6
    A local Toyota dealer told me that at 30K,
    my Corolla CE needs to be tune up and it needs expensive, special spark plugs (NOT Platium or Resistor), cost $75.00.
    Another local dealer told me that it needs only
    Resistor spark plugs and costs $50.00 for the
    tune up. (Southern California)
    Please, let me know which one is correct?
    Should I do the tune up or wait until 60K?
    Thanks
  • enetheneth Member Posts: 285
    If the spark plugs aren't platinum, you can replace them yourself for about $10, and it's an easy job on these engines. $50 would easily cover the cost of an oil/filter, air filter, and PCV valve change as well - if you do it yourself.
  • rbacsafrarbacsafra Member Posts: 85
    Which dealer in So.Cal told you this? That sounds fishy.
  • liufeiliufei Member Posts: 201
    I would wait until around 50-60K miles before doing any tune up. The Corolla Engine is a gem and don't think it would deteriorates at 30k to the point it need a tune-up.
  • vladyvlady Member Posts: 44
    If you going to install a new spark plugs you must put a twin ground electrode spark plugs. That is a special about it. Rest of your story is BS.
  • vt399vt399 Member Posts: 6
    $75.00 is the total cost of tune up.
    I did go to part dept. of that dealer to check
    the price of the spark plug and the sale clerk
    told me it around $14 for ONE SPARK PLUG.

    Sorry, I do not want to mention the name of that dealer. Thanks for all your help.
  • rbacsafrarbacsafra Member Posts: 85
    you can't even mention at least the city this dealership is in?

    BTW... www.toyotaparts4u.com sells genuine Toyota parts at 25% discount. this is an actual toyota parts dept/dealership in North Carolina.
  • wenyuewenyue Member Posts: 558
    If $75 is for the entire thing, I wouldn't mind doing it --- IF you are not the do it yourself type.

    The local Toyota dealer here charges an outrageous $199 for the 36K miles service. This is a rip off, of course.

    Read the owners manual, I think most Toyotas recommend maintaince check up every 36K miles. If this is the first 36K miles, your car should pass the check up with flying colors.

    Spark plugs should probably be changed every 36K miles. That sounds right. And the ones currently in your corolla are the platinum kind (at least that's what the dealer told me). So $14 per plug sound right.

    Oil change, most places charges $20. Air filter, if you buy it yourself, probaly $6-$8.

    $30 for the spark plugs, $25-$30 for the oil/airfilter change, plus little diagnostic/check up/topping off, then $75 sounds reasonable.

    However, none of these things are hard to do. So you can probably do it all yourself for $30-$40 in less than an afternoon (if you don't mind getting dirty) ;)
  • liufeiliufei Member Posts: 201
    I seemed to recall that Platinum spark plug can last 100K without tune-up. Is that true? If not mistaken, I used to see Chevy Malibu advertising the fact that they can go 100K before maintenance, one of the factor is due to its platinum plug.
  • dchinndchinn Member Posts: 64
    Platinum plugs should last more than 36K miles (more like 60-75K) but 100K is pushing it. More than likely the dealer will not replace them unless they are either cracking or fouling. They may take one out to check the condition & then put it back in. U can unscrew one plug & mark them & check if they indeed replaced it. That way U can c if they r honest or not.
  • sv1104sv1104 Member Posts: 1
    Hi,
    The 2000 corolla uses iridium spark plugs which are good for 120,000 miles. It says in the manual to use only iridium spark plugs. At 30k miles I believe you need to change oil, air filter and coolant and check other stuff.

    sv1104
  • vt399vt399 Member Posts: 6
    I just received a reply email from Toyota:
    Corrola 2000 Tune up is required at 120,000 miles interval, using Iridium spark plugs.
    Thanks for all your help.

    To Wenyue, FYI:
    30K service (Included tune up with resistor spark plugs only, others plugs additional cost)
    from $259 (Sale) to $395 (Regular).
    Toyota Air filter EFI sale with coupon $12.
    They are lowest cost which I can find in Orange
    county, Southern California.
  • terceltom1terceltom1 Member Posts: 150
    I own a 2001 Corolla and one of the very few complaints I have is the lack of sufficient window tint. I notice that the sun really penetrates the glass to the point that it is uncomfortable at times. You can tell by looking at the glass that it is not as dark as most new cars. I do have a "86" Tercel and a "94" Voyager also and I do not notice this problem on those cars. I was thinking about getting extra tinting applied but the fact that it is illegal in PA. where I live persuaded me not to. Does any other newer Corolla owner notice this and is there any info. on this?
  • copytechcopytech Member Posts: 71
    I remember reading in an import tuner mag that those plugs (I believe ngk) has basically 3 grades. The tipe are tiny, and the better grades can go over 200k. They are a clean burning plug that keeps a good gap by not hardly wearing at all. What I would do is break the plugs so you don't have the "spark plug fused to the head" symptom these 100k plug tune up cars get sometimes. Put a little anti seize on them and put them back in. You don't need to change them until their service-change date depending on which grade you have, which sounds like 120k or so. 200k plugs, pretty soon they will probably just weld the damn hoods shut or put some sort of tamper-resistant lock mechanism on the hood so car owner's can't even look at their engines. Corolla's went back to chains too, from timing belts to add to their minimal maintenance costs. Those 30k, 60k, and 90k will be much cheaper, once now that the 400 plus dollar belt/pump change is eliminated.
  • dchinndchinn Member Posts: 64
    Thx 4 the info. Did the Corolla start reusing the timing in 2000 w/ their 1ZZ VVT-i engine or the year before w/ their older engine?
  • liufeiliufei Member Posts: 201
    I know that the 98-99 Corolla already has the timing chain in them. If not mistaken, the 1993-1997 model still has timing belt.
  • dchinndchinn Member Posts: 64
    Thx. Seems that the timing chain came in when the 98 body style came in also.
  • copytechcopytech Member Posts: 71
    Yep, the 1998 and newer do use a chain. Personally, I'd rather have a belt (I change it myself anyway), but a chain is better for most. Unfortunately, I think that the general public wants to drive, drive, drive, and other than an occasional oil change do not much else. These are also the same people that get pissed off when something breaks, well we all get pissed off, but it's ususlly related to something that they avoided to maintain. I believe that car maintenance costs, as a whole, are down because of the overall improvements in reliability and gas mileage. But, there still needs to be periodic maintenance. I go back to my previous post of the 100k plugs. I have spoken to people that believe that this means that other than oil changes, NOTHING needs to be done to the car. This is where I feel much of the neglect comes in. At least I know my cars will be ok.
  • michaelc5michaelc5 Member Posts: 1
    Hi,

    To all you people saying the new 2001 Corolla
    is slower that the 99, 20. You are dead wrong.
    There is absolutely no differnce!!
  • nikecarnikecar Member Posts: 460
    I was recently in Puerto Rico and I drove past the loading areas for cars shipped into and out of Puerto Rico. Saw a new Toyota that couldn't see what it was since the back was away from the fence. but doing a search found the car. New Corolla. they had both left and right handed driving configurations.

    heres a pic. (i forgot how to imbed so the link shall do. http://global.toyota.com/countries/images/corolla.jpg
  • nikecarnikecar Member Posts: 460
    image
  • denniswadedenniswade Member Posts: 362
    the same front end that's on the current European model. The new Japanese model is much better looking, and much better appointed inside.
  • cardiactcardiact Member Posts: 4
    Hello--
    I just traded in my Toyota Camry for a different brand of car. I happened to get electric seat heaters on the new car. This brings up my wife's Toyota Corolla. She is quite envious of the seat heaters and I was wondering if there is an aftermarket add-0n with which someone might be familiar. Peace in the family rests in the balance, so I'm looking forward to some good info. Thanks in advance.
    Michael
    Geomatree@aol.com
  • medardmedard Member Posts: 12
    Hello everybody,

    I recently bought a used 99 corolla ve and found the car to have abyssmal low gas mileage (~25 mpg). I filled up the car with 87 grade gasoline from Acro here in Portland, OR. I used the car mainly for commune back to work on weekdays (~3 miles one way), and some freeway driving on weekends (~30 miles).

    My guess for low mileage are listed below but they are not satisfactory answers.
    1. The car mainly run with the engine 'cold' on weekdays.
    2. The gas from Acro is subpar and may account for low gas mileage (I do not know if the gasoline is causing knocking).

    My bet is to fill up the car with gasoline from a more reputable gas station (e.g. Chevon) and see if the mileage improves. Any suggestions out there? Thanks.
  • wenyuewenyue Member Posts: 558
    If you have a 99 Corolla automatic, 25 mpg in the dead of winter sounds pretty good actually, especially considering how you are driving extremely short trips.

    Cold engines aren't as efficient, and your short trips really just kills the gas milage.

    I have the similiar experience here in Michigan winter. I drive short commutes just like you (5 miles each way). It's even colder in Michigan, so the drop is even more dramatic. It goes from 28 mpg when it's 50's outside (100% city driving), down to 22-23 mpg when it's near freezing or below.

    But at least for the last 2 years of my ownership, as soon as the weather warms, it's back to 28 mpg for city driving once again, just as the paper says it should.
  • liufeiliufei Member Posts: 201
    I agree with Wenyue. One other thing to check is the tire pressure, making sure they're within spews. My commutes is only around 3 miles each way, and I got around 25-26mpg using Awl*Mart 89 octane. Winter temperature has been around 30-40 here.
    The last long trip (mainly highway driving for over 500 miles), got me 39mpg. Pretty good, I would say.
  • wenyuewenyue Member Posts: 558
    39 mpg?! That's amazing for a 99. That's before they put in the VVt-i engine. You are only suppose to get 36 mpg (I get 35 on the highway).
  • tundradudetundradude Member Posts: 588
    My 95 gets 40 on the highway. Come to think it about it, the old 85 I used to have got 43 and it had a carburetor.
  • liufeiliufei Member Posts: 201
    Hehe. Yeah, I'm pretty amazed myself. Its something like 38.7 mpg over 520+ miles. Interstate driving with speed in the 70-80 range 90% of the time.
  • wenyuewenyue Member Posts: 558
    You lucky [non-permissible content removed]. ;) Maybe I should switch to 89 octane, or maybe it's the tires. I know that different Corollas comes with different tires. what's on yours? I got an LE, so it's got the wider tires, it's the Goodyear Integrity tires. VE and CE's have narrower tires from Bridgstone if I remember right. What's yours? Oh, and you drive an automatic right?
  • denniswadedenniswade Member Posts: 362
    was rated best in the industry, believe it or nnot -- it has a better mix of additives, at least here in SoCal, than all the others. I think the comments about tire pressure and cold weather hit the mark.

    Personally, i got 35 mpg in my 2000 LE until I put 16" rims on -- then I got 32. Now that it's turbocharged I get 24-28 depending on how much I tip into the throttle.
  • dchinndchinn Member Posts: 64
    I thought the main reason the VE would have a lower mpg is due to their 3 speed AT vs the CE/LE which would have a 4 spd AT w/ overdrive.
  • liufeiliufei Member Posts: 201
    Mine is a 99 CE, auto with the Goodyear Integrity 175/65. I think the 99 LE has the 185/65 in it.

    I once heard that all the additives in gasoline are pretty much useless and could even be harmful to the car. Is there any truth on this? BTW dennis, how many pony that you have on that car after all the mod you put in it?
  • medardmedard Member Posts: 12
    This morning, I put some touch up paint on my car following the manufacturer's instructions (exact color match for the paint, clean the car, mix the paint thoroughly by shaking). However, after a good 5 hr, the touched up spots still do not quite blend in with the original color.

    I can come up with 4 explanations for the spoty appearance.

    1) Wait for the paint to dry longer and the color will blend in better.

    2) The car was well waxed 1 week before I put on the paint. Therefore, the spotty appearance will soften after re-waxing the newly painted spot. I plan on doing it on Sat (48 hr after painting)

    3) It is just the way it looks. I hope not! There are lots of dots on the hood (and some on the side of the vehicles) that show up like sore thumbs!

    4) The paint was not well mixed before use. Unlikely, since the paint was shake for 2 minutes before use, and I kept shaking it every now and then during the touch up process.

    Can I get help from other people in the forum? Thanks a lot!
  • enetheneth Member Posts: 285
    The touch-up paint that comes in the tubes you buy from the Toyota dealer is from a different lot that that with which your car was painted.

    You may have better luck having a local Toyota dealer (or other) body shop mix up a small batch of paint to match your car exactly.
  • zypherzypher Member Posts: 3
    Hello, I've just purchases a 1998 Corolla LE with a 5-speed manual transmission. My previous car was a 1984 Buick Electra station wagon--so it's quite a switch. I actually have gas mileage! Last tank got 32 MPG on a mix of city/highway driving! My car has 25K miles and when I had it checked out by two mechanics the only defects were a low battery and it needed an alignment. I'm so glad to have a reliable car with a cassette player that works!

    I learned to drive a stick on my dad's old Toyota Supra (yep it was a turbo) so I've driven Toyota sticks before. But on a Corolla--is there anything I should watch out for? Any suggestions for better miles or smoother shifting?

    The only times I stall *grin* tend to be going from a stop into first when I don't get the RPM's up high enough....just a matter of practice.

    Also, my office has a very steep incline you have to stop at when waiting for the traffic light. Roll-back is a bit of a problem for me still. Is using the handbrake OK? It makes it easier and I keep the button pressed and release it when I feel the car start to move....any suggestions would be appreciated.

    Zypher/Jennifer--proud owner of "Periwinkle" a spiffy Misty Plum colored Corolla! (Yes, it's a "girly" color! And I named my car--I think it's a girl thing.)
  • zypherzypher Member Posts: 3
    As the new owner of a 1998 Corolla LE I'm thinking about getting an alarm system for insurance purposes. I figure if someone wants my car....an alarm won't stop them but it WILL lower my insurance rates. Also, I'd like to be able to push a button and have my headlights blink and a "beep beep" sound so I can find my car more easily in parking lots. So, any suggestions about an inexpensive "light blinking, beep beep" alarm system?

    Thank you,
    Zypher/Jennifer
  • zypherzypher Member Posts: 3
    Didn't meant to post three back-to back posts...but just a comment on the debate about dealerships. My mom co-signed with me and we both had fun shopping around. I went to the Lincoln-Mercury dealership she bought her Mercury from (she envies my Toyota now!) and they let me test drive a 98 Corolla for an entire week! I know they hoped I'd fall in love with it and be willing to pay their sticker price of $11,999 for a vehicle with slight body dings and 60k miles! But I told them upfront I was still looking and took their car to test drive at other dealerships and ended up with a much better deal! Plus driving up in a test drive vehicle was a good conversation starter to show I was serious.

    The dealership I bought from was found on the internet off of MSN's car site. We emailed them, got a very nice polite response. I liked that the sales manager also reccommended the cheaper car and didn't try to get me to upgrade to a Camry. I know Corolla is small and most of the toyota dealers I went to tried very persistantly to push a Camry on me and kept saying stuff like "are you sure you can drive a stick shift?" I agree with using e-mail to weed out the dealers.

    My car was just under $9,000 and I also got a 7yr/100k mile ext. warrenty that should last for the next four years for less than their original quote for the 6yr warrenty because I brought printouts for a web site advertising warrenties. Saved about $350 because I had competitors prices to compare to. When all is said and done...if I take the full 60 months to pay off the financing I'll pay about $13,000. But if I pay off in 2-3 years I'll cut off a good chunk of that cause of saved financing costs! Also, getting price quotes of interest levels from banks got me a much better interest rate!

    I've found the night service manager to be great....their service is open til Midnight and I get off at 10pm....and the night manager is lot less "anal" about charging for little stuff! I think he's so bored that he's glad for anything to do. Every time I've called with a question or wanted a latch adjusted he says "Come right over!" I fix it for you. I tired to pay him and he just said "Ah, I'm sure it's in your warrenty, and if it's not, it should be," winked and gave me my keys.

    Zypher/Jennifer -- the happy owner of "Periwinkle" a 98 Corolla (anybody want to buy a 1984 Buick Electra Estate Wagon with 160k miles on it? The car has character *grin*)
  • liufeiliufei Member Posts: 201
    Congrats on your Corolla. I can't imagine the difference between it and 84 Buick. ^__^

    Regarding the hand-brake, I think its fine. I have an auto right now, but thats what I did when I was driving a stick-shift & got stuck in really steep incline. Either that or be quick enough to balance the gas pedal and the clutch. With time, roll-back should be less of a problem for you.

    As for the alarm system, it will provides you with some peace of mind. But for lowering insurance rates, GEICO only lower my insurance by 4(FOUR) bucks!!! when I called to check. If I remember correctly, wenyue has an alarm system installed on his, so you can check with him on that. I'll say get the alarm system WITH a keyless entry. Thats one thing I won't mind paying for after being drenched in parking lot too many times. :)

    Seems like got a great deal on your Corolla. The Lincoln dealer must be a bit "wacky". For 12K, you might as well get a 2001 Corolla!! Its only 1K more and you get a brand new car instead.
  • nick29nick29 Member Posts: 19
    I just switched tires on my 99 VE from 175 65R14 to a Toyo 195 60R14.WOW Looks very sporty and rides great.My question is has anyone used that large of a tire on their corolla?Or anyone experience the Toyo?
  • tundradudetundradude Member Posts: 588
    I run a 195/65 14 on my 95. It does make a difference. You need to be careful of the slight difference in the speedometer though.
  • tundradudetundradude Member Posts: 588
    I have been thinking of getting a 205/40 16 combination on my 89. Can you imagine the increase in handling. It currently has 185/60 13.
  • wenyuewenyue Member Posts: 558
    to switch to a different tire size, don't you need a new set of rims/wheels for that?

    I see combo-packs at tire stores, but I always wonder about the quality and how it would really feel after the change. Maybe I will take the plunge at 36,000 miles.
  • vireshsaxenavireshsaxena Member Posts: 2
    I bought a new Corolla LE 2001 just last week only.The cassette player gets heated up after e playing cassettes for some time.Besides I get bumpy ride when the road is slightly uneven.Is it normal with model.Please let me know.
  • tundradudetundradude Member Posts: 588
    I will have to buy another set of wheels to hold the new tire. This is the problem. There is only one tire now made in that size (my current size) that has any speed rating. The original size was 185/60/14. I have had the car for 8 and a half years and it had 13's on it when I got it. I figure that I would go to the max size if i had to buy new wheels anyway. I still have to compare prices and that will not happen until i wear the present set out.
  • sandman46sandman46 Member Posts: 1,798
    Tundradude, if I go from 185/65/14's to 195/60/14's will this be ok with no rubbing or bottoming out? According to my calculations, 185-195 and 65-60 should be about the same tire height in the wheel wells. Is this logic correct? Thanks for your help and happy new year from warm south florida.
  • enetheneth Member Posts: 285
    There's an amplifier inside the cassette deck, so yes, it will become warm with use.

    The Corolla is a small car - so you'll feel the bumps in the road more than with a larger car (but the Corolla is certainly not worst-in-class when it comes to ride - for that, try a Neon for comparison).
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