New Member With Recently Purchased Silver S Model.

Hello everyone.

Thought I'd participate a bit after having used this site while researching my recent car purchase. Corolland was probably the most influential internet source I came across.

I've been driving a full sized 1993 Ford Van since I purchased it new over 117K miles ago. Although I have had nothing but good luck and lots of good times with it; its operation has been getting more and more expensive as it has aged. Gas mileage fell to below 10 mpg and I began to feel like I was personally contributing to this country's entanglement in the Middle East.

So it came down to Civic vs. Corolla and then LE vs. S. The LE would have better met my needs but I couldn't get pAssed the cheesy simulated wood dash accents. I also like the way the air dam looks with the fog lights verses the empty eye-socket look of the LE. Yes the spoiler is pointless...I guess I can hang wet towels on it when I go camping. (I'm going to miss my van.)

I used a local buying service called CarBargains. For $160 they saved me countless hours of driving from dealership to dealership to find the lowest price, not to mention having to haggle with salespeople. It took me the better part of a month of haggling to get my van back in '93; although it was my first new car and I was determined to get a good deal and I wanted it shipped to a dealer on the other side of the continent so I could drive cross country one-way and the first salesman quit while we were still negotiating and...well, you get the idea.

Still, I ended up paying over $500 over invoice for the van and I convinced myself that that was a pretty good deal considering the complexity of the transaction. This time: $600 BELOW invoice plus a $500 rebate with no extraneous dealership add-ons and only about a half hour at the dealership filling out the paperwork and saying no to undercoating and extended warranties and the like. I HIGHLY recommend CarBargains and there may be other good buying services in your area. (They're probably more effective in areas where there are a large number of dealerships competing for your business as there are here in the suburbs of Washington, D.C.)

The Corolla is an outstanding little car. Not a lot of personality but that's okay. The van has developed entirely too much personality in recent years. I've put 270 or so miles on the Corolla so far. Filled up for $1.67/gallon and achieved about 27 mpg on my first tankfull. I'm hopeful that the latter number will increase as the engine breaks in.

I'd be interested in suggestions as to how to best protect the painted, plastic and chromed (they're probably plastic, anyhow) parts of the exterior and interior. I used NuFinish on the van with pretty good results. Should I wait for the paint to harden before I apply a sealant. The car was built 12/13/04 in Canada. It's already got some road salt and mud splatters I need to rinse off. I've ArmorAll'ed the interior plastics already as I've had good luck with that product in my van.

I hope to put a lot of miles on this car. I haven't driven cross country since '94 and I'd like try it again in the Corolla.

Welcome and congrats on the purchase....Great car....I also plan to drive cross country here this summer in my corollla....enjoy the forum.

Welcome to you, and the many other newbies who have joined up recently.

You can find lots of tips on keeping your exterior in good shape on the Appearance thread. My short story is this: Meguiar's products for the paint (yes, that includes bumpers). I wax once a month with Gold class, polish a couple times a year with Deep Crystal System, and when the paint needs cleaned, Scratch-X or clay bar. Get wax on your car right away. Your paint was "hardened" long before you bought the car. You can find all sorts of things to use for trim and plastics, and here again, I recommed Meguiar's. No, I don't work for them...maybe I should???

Happy New Year!

Thanks Corollasroyce and Max.

Just came back inside after washing a little road grime off the Corolla to find two replies to my posting. That was quick.

Anyone else noticed the large gaps at the top and bottom of the trunk lid? Does this tend to channel dirt into the gutter that surrounds the trunk seal?

Beautiful last day of 2004 here in Virginia. Probably a good night to keep the Corolla in the driveway.

Happy New Year

Thanks Corollasroyce and Max.

Just came back inside after washing a little road grime off the Corolla to find two replies to my posting. That was quick.

Anyone else noticed the large gaps at the top and bottom of the trunk lid? Does this tend to channel dirt into the gutter that surrounds the trunk seal?

Beautiful last day of 2004 here in Virginia. Probably a good night to keep the Corolla in the driveway.

Happy New Year

My 05 also manufactured in the canadian plant only displays the month of manufacture on the label in the door jamb (08/04). Where did you find the day of manufacture on yours? But being in Canada, details like this may differ.

 

As far as car care goes, I wax my new cars as soon as I can, which was the day after I took delivery of my Corolla in september. But since I don't drive a lot and because I have a garage, I don't feel the need to wax my car more than 3 times a year. Wax also goes on the plastic bumpers, mirrors and side mouldings. Don't forget to put wax on the inside edges of the doors, trunklid, hood and the inside of the door frames.

As for the large gaps you mentionned at the top of the trunklid, I bought a roll of black insulation strip with 1 sided tape of the right thickness from the hardware store and put it for a perfect fit between the top of the trunklid and the base of the back window. I put nothing at the bottom of the lid to let water go away.

I also like Armor All to protect plastic parts of the interior and to give that new car look for a long time. Good for the window and door rubber mouldings also. I also lubricate door hinges, locks, etc a couple times a year.

Good luck.

I purchased the "paint protection" package when i bought my car, aparently you never have to wax your car if you get this done. i will still wax it a few times a year (once going into winter, once after winter cleaning and once mid summer) I use mothers wax...works great...

My 05 also manufactured in the canadian plant only displays the month of manufacture on the label in the door jamb (08/04). Where did you find the day of manufacture on yours? But being in Canada, details like this may differ.

Between the time I called the dealership to confirm that they had the car I was interested in in stock and the time I arrived, they had sold that car...or so they claimed. I could still get it at the promised price but I had to wait several weeks for another identicle model they had already ordered to arrive.

 

They gave me the date the car was built, called me they day it shipped out and again on the day it arrived. It was built on a Monday - I hope not first thing in the morning.

Any idea why Toyota designed the trunklid with such large gaps?

I think the big gaps are so you can look out before you pull that handle inside the trunk.