OBXNC

Ditto on taking the Corolla for fun! I started the same way with motorcycles. All of my military career (Army) I drove Harleys and then a custom Titan, which was a Harley spinoff with a big S & S 112 CI motor (also had a Honda Goldwing for traveling). I rode a friend's Honda 250 Reflex Scooter home one day and my then 5 year old daughter fell in love with it. Sooo, I now have a 650 Suzuki Burgman Scooter to go along with the bigger bikes and ride it more. (My now 12 year old daughter loves it as well!) Well, the lesson has now found its way to my new 2012 Corolla S. After driving big SUV's for years as well as a few high dollar sports cars I bought a 2012 Nautical Blue metallic Corolla S recently and LOVE the drive!! I still have a 4WD SUV and my wife has a new Prius (which I love to drive as well) but the new Corolla makes me feel like a teen again! (Oh, did I mention I am 50 +)? Anyway, I get a big smile when I crank it and head out for a ride! :D

I checked out new seat covers for my Corolla. The nicest ones (according to reviews) go for about $215.00 for front and the same for the rear. They accomadate airbags, etc, according to the year of your car. The ones I am looking at are Cal trend Velour Seat Covers and they are super nice. They would make the enterior of your car very nice and would fit the budget. Might be an option for you to consider.

I had the same concern about my new Corolla S and Prius so I asked the master toyota tech at my local dealer if it was okay to change the break in oil at 5 rather than 10K miles. He had recently returned from school and they were taught that unless your car is subject to extreme use - such as a taxi in NYC- then don't change it early. It seems that changing synthetic oil too early can lead to a teflon build up which isn't good. As the previous replies properly note, new synthetic oil is so good it doesn't break down like older oil and simply doesn't need changing more than stated in the schedule. So, save your money!