Why Did You Buy A Corolla?

I think the day that crude oil is gone should come as soon as possible. That way the inevitable will be completed. I hope the people that are getting rich at our expensive end up getting what they deserve. When the bubble bursts I can only hope that a better alternative made oil obsolete anyway. Let's stop thinking that we have to have the oil and start looking for something else to power our cars that is economical and available to everyone.

Generally yes but this oil shock we've been having will probably start ending before the end of the decade, don't think there will be a hydrogen economy by then (or a biofuel one for that matter) Peak oil will not occur until at LEAST 2025 (probably more likely 2035), so we have got a bit of time up our sleeves to wean us off oil. It should also be noted that even if there is 3 trillion barrels of the stuff left, buring 70% of it (as we do now) may not be best environmental practice.

Ah, I see....

Makes sense.

Great fuel economy, dependable and 0% financing after 9-11. Hoping to get 200K out of it, have 136K now.

It's been so long I can't remember!

I DO know that I started out really wanting a station wagon, and I had been looking and looking and looking for a Saturn wagon, and they wouldn't come down on the price of them. I eventually found this one at Fowler Toyota in Norman, Oklahoma that had been a corporate rental, it is a CE which at the time was the top line (it's the opposite, now) with power, cruise, the good hubcaps, the works, was 9 months old and only had 9,800 miles on it. Paid a hair less than $15K for it.

I remember being disappointed that Corolla didn't make a wagon anymore, but was impressed nonetheless that the Corolla's back seats folded down, so that I might still have cargo capacity anyway. Well, I had difficulty getting my big peacock chair in there, regardless. And if I get my wheel from my '73 Ford Maverick's spare tire out of the trunk, the capacity would be great. Not deep like the Mazda3 I was driving recently, but good capacity. Can hold a couple large suitcases in it if you lay them flat. Oh, and I got a full-size spare! I didn't realize that until about three months ago when a tire blew. I never had occasion to use the spare it saved me a lot of money not needing to change the tire right away.

I hope the next generation ones do have a wagon. People like utility, and single people especially like the added capacity without having to get something huge. My Mercury LN7 could hold my headboard, easels, and dismantled headboard. Yet wagons are deemed "uncool" or "for old people", as if there's anything wrong with old people spending money. Aren't marketing people silly?!

Well, that turned out to be a ramble, but I guess the reason I bought the car even though it wasn't my first choice is that I liked the look of the car and what it had, and because I liked the salesman. It's been one of the best purchases I ever made.

Well it's an interesting story.

I just got my learners licence, and my grandpa said to me..."do you want a car?"

I was 15 at the time...and now I am 16...

I was looking at a Ford Focus, because it had leather seats, mag wheels, the whole works.

But there is a catch my family has been buying Toyota, Lexus and Honda's for ages now...buying a ford would be an absoloute unreal event.

But my grandparents went with me to look at the Focus. My grandpa and me test drove it...and it had a loud motor and it was horrible (sorry for people who do like some fords), and the locks could wake the dead. I was completely turned off by it.

But a car came up, the ones the dealers use for there loner cars. It was a Toyota from my dealership. It had 10,000 KM's on it...it was 2005 Corolla B Package I think...well it had the power windows and door locks etc. and we test drove it...

I got in...I felt comfortable and safe in the car, and I knew just as we were turning around to go back I stated...

"I want this car...in a silver".

So that was it, we went in, bought the car (in a sliver, we test drove a white one)

And that is how I found my first car ever. I will always stay with Toyota.

The car is in like new condition, I maintain by cleaning it weekly, inside and out.

Love my Corolla!

Ben

You bought a Corolla AND a Camry? (You say in a thread in all other toyotas "We just bought a Camry"). Is the Camry your parents' car? Lucky you to have a house full of Toyotas!

Why did I buy my Corolla? Actually, I've had two identical 2004 Corolla "S" models.

I bought the first one in August 2003. My marriage had come to an end, and I was ready to downsize and simplify. I traded in a 1994 Jaguar XJ6. Comfortable car, but the idea of having to do any work on it scared me.

Right after college, I bought a Honda Civic SI, and loved that car. Traded it in 1998 for a Toyota Tacoma 4x4, TRD package. Loved that truck, had to get rid of it to get a minivan when my daughter arrived in 1999. I'd also owned a Honda Accord EX, which was a good car.

So when I looked to downsize, I was mostly looking at the Civic and the Corolla. I'd given some look at things like a Sentra and a Focus, but they were quickly ruled out.

I got the Corolla "S" with the 5 speed. Gas was still cheap, so fuel mileage wasn't really a concern.

Less than a month later, I was read-ended on the interstate here. Sitting still in rush-hour traffic, a Ford F-350 came up behind me at ~40 mph, and plowed through the right rear corner of the car. Totaled. I walked away without a scratch. Sore from the seat belt, but uninjured.

After I got the insurance settlement, I bought another identical 2004 Corolla "S". Same color, too, although that was just how it worked out.

I have over 45,000 miles on it, have had it just over 2.5 years, and it's been a wonderful, trouble-free car. I still think it looks a little too tall, but other than that, it's OK.

Way cool, Ben. You and your family know good cars.

c- I wish the U.S. had wagons, or even a hatch. We are stuck with the sedan only. I just read an article in Car and Driver about the Ford products available to you in Australia. If they sold that Focus S here, Corolla and Civic would have real competition. I liked the Falcon Turbo, too.

we'll be getting the opel astra soon. its coming to replace the ion in 2007 or 2008.

c- Sounds like the Corolla pricing is comparable. Many Corollas here list above $17,000. Of course, you can haggle 'em down a few $.

well, bitter, you'll be getting a great car. Sure, its a GM and will probably have more issues than your average Japanese car. But if the astra it was $5000 cheaper I wouldn't be driving a corolla. Same goes for mazda 3.

well, bitter, you'll be getting a great car. Sure, its a GM and will probably have more issues than your average Japanese car. But if the astra it was $5000 cheaper I wouldn't be driving a corolla. Same goes for mazda 3.

I just bought a 2000 Corolla VE with 88K miles for $3500. I was looking for a fuel efficient car to commute 40 miles round trip to work in to replace my pickup. The first new car I ever owned was a 1990 Civic DX, which was a great car with excellent fuel economy and very reliable. I sold it in 2000 with 174K miles and it was still running great except the AC had died. The first cars to come to mind with good fuel economy and good reliability are Civics and Corollas, so I focused on those models. I initially was looking for an older higher milage car, but I found an ad on Craisgslist for the Corolla that I bought that seemed like a good deal relative to all the older high mileage Civics and Corollas out there. I figure it will take almost 4 years to make up the cost of the car in gas savings alone, but I could also sell my truck for more than I paid for the Corolla and be money ahead instantly. With proper care, I should have the Corolla for easily another 100K miles which will take me six years based on my usual driving.

Most people change cars about every three years or so. Some people keep them longer, and some for less, but on the average that holds true. Cars are lasting longer than they used to and that means older cars are still on the road and available in the market. I prefer older cars because they are cheaper to buy and also I like the style.

I purchased my first Corolla, a 2001 LE 5-speed, because my 1991 Ford Taurus with 134,000 miles was in it's death throes. The 3.8 liter V-6 engine was OK, but the transmission, which was replaced at 55,000 miles, was going South again very quickly. Were it not for that, I'd have gladly kept it a year or two longer. It was leaving a puddle of red transmission fluid on the lot of Jerry's Toyota in Belair, MD the day I bought my '01 Corolla. I got $500 for it in trade; I considered myself lucky. I wrote a check for just over $13,000 and drove off with the '01 Corolla LE.

The '01 was a great car except for one thing -- the darn hydraulic clutch was about as stiff as the one I was used to on an '83 International tandem axle truck I used to drive in the Air Force. Since my driving is 99% city, I was quickly getting tired of having to row the gears 30 times just to get to work every day. So, after two years and just over 20,000 miles, I traded for a 2003 LE automatic, which now has 37,900 miles and is perfect. All I've done is change the oil, filter, and a serpentine belt. And the OEM tires were replaced at around 16,000 miles also.

Both Corollas were exceptionally reliable, although the first one was barely broken in when I traded it and my current one is being driven barely more than 10,000 miles a year, so it's not really getting a very tough test. However, I've spent less money maintaining both of my Corollas in the time I've owned them than I did on my Taurus in the average year.

I bought it because the price was right and they are fairly easy to work on. They are also dependable and reliable and kind of fun and economical to drive.

I did research in books and magazines like Consumer Reports. I went on line and asked mechanics for their opinions. I talked to people I knew.

My conclusion was that Toyota is very reliable. Reliability was my most important factor. I do NOT want to be stranded on the side of the road and miss an important meeting.

I also decided that buying used is more economical than buying new. My used '01 had only 30k on it, so it has a lot of juice left in it.

I wanted a compact to drive in our crowded city with limited parking.

I test drove all the compacts (Sentra, Focus, Neon etc.) and I couldn't really tell the difference in terms of drive quality.

So I bought a Corolla.

Regrets? Not really the car runs perfectly. The only disappointment is that the Corolla isn't the most sport vehicle. You see the new vehicles on the road and you crave a new vehicle. Like the new Dodge Charger, or the Chevy Malibu. Everyday, I have to fight against the irrational impulse to buy a new sportier car. I am trying not to be a victim of advertising. I've had my Corolla for two years now and I want to hold out for five years.

If I was buying another car now, I would move up to the mid size class. I kind of like the new Ford Fusion.