Should I buy a Corolla?

[IownIon]

I bought a 2004 Saturn Ion in Sept 2003. Since buying it i have had 13 different problems with the car, some of which took several trips to the dealer to fix. Some of the problems i have had appear to be all too comon with other ION owners. I was wondering if there are any such problems with Corollas. I know Toyota has a great reputation for reliability, longevity, yadda yadda yadda.......I want to know how owners feel about their cars. Also, what warranty does Toyota offer? Saturn has a standard 3 year, 36,000 mile bumper-to-bumper, everything that goes wrong (as long as it was not caused by owner/accident etc.) is covered. And for those of you who have had problems, what are your experiences with the service dept. at your dealer? Were they prompt, willing to fix things without attitude, and thorough? They used duct tape to fix a trunk leak in my ION, and on several occasions said they could/would not adress problems i was reporting unless they could reproduce them (which is hard to do when some of these problems were completely random, but common enough to be annoying/dangerous). I don't expect all new cars to be perfect, but i have had far too many problems with this car to think that it is going to last me the 100,000 miles i had hoped to get out of it. Needless to say i am not a happy camper.

Soo. Any Corolla owners' experiences would be appreciated, i want to make the right decision for my next car.

[IZZ-FE]

I have a Japan built Australian Model, 1zz-fe powered Corolla which is mechanically identical to those you have there. I've had mine for 2 years now and I drive it pretty hard, never had any squeeks, leaks, rattles or bumps. It's a solid little car.

[evewidow]

well hey man i cant tell you anything about newer corollas, i drive a 87 corolla, but i love the thing it is a bad ass ride man good gas milage and good power, corners like a dream so yeha man i would recomend it

[twincam.gt]

I've had Toyota Corollas for 12 years (amongst other vehicles), well I've had two ...the one I bought 12 years ago (which is now 16 years old) and the other 4 years ago (which is now 7 years old) and both which I use as everyday transport to this day. I am very pleased with the reliability. I find the after sales service (in Britain) to be superb.

[ShinmaTsunami]

Only problems I've had with my 97 AE101 are related to the previous owner who didn't take care of it. But other than that, it's solid.

[Jennifera26]

Totally buy one ASAP. I've owned a 1987 Corrolla and 1994 corrolla and we just bought the 2004 corrolla Matrix. We literally drove them into the ground. Each car left us with over 200000 miles on it. I drove newspapers for a living, it hauled everything like a champ, got great gas mileage, NEVER broke down. With regular maintenance you will not have any problems with this car. The 1994 we had to get rid of because even though the car still ran great we had actually worn out the axle's so badly the wheels were going to fall off the car. THE ENGINE STILL HADN'T GIVEN OUT, that was in 2003. We're very hard of vehicles and drive a lot. I wouldn't have anything else. We're in Detroit, the home of the Big 3 and I wouldn't even consider anything else (I grew up in a Chrysler family) After the first two I considered it a no-brainer and went right to the Toyota dealer to buy a Corrolla. With a new baby we decided the Matrix was the way to because of the convenience of the fold flat, but it's still a Corrolla, just the station wagon version. Plus the cars are very affordable. We can fit anything in the Matrix. It's way better than an SUV, the sedan has a roomy trunk another that can hold almost anything. Definitely trade in the Saturn and move to Toyota, you'll never buy any other brand again. :D

[bluerolla22]

even thought i do like the corolla i suggest getting the new scion tc it is a nice car and they found a great balance between the price and quality.

[fidgits]

even thought i do like the corolla i suggest getting the new scion tc it is a nice car and they found a great balance between the price and quality.

I disagree - The scion is smaller and slower than the Corolla...

[bluerolla22]

even thought i do like the corolla i suggest getting the new scion tc it is a nice car and they found a great balance between the price and quality.

I disagree - The scion is smaller and slower than the Corolla...

Sorry fidgits but you are wrong as proven.....

THE SCION TC

Horsepower 160 hp @ 6000 rpm

Torque 163 ft-lbs. (WWW.SCION.COM)

THE TOYOTA COROLLA

1.8-liter DOHC 16-valve VVT-I

4-cylinder

130 hp @ 6000 rpm;

125 lb.-ft. @ 4200 rpm (WWW.TOYOTA.COM)

The corolla is not faster that the scion tc. And also scion has a special add on for the tc now, a supercharger that brings it at more than 200hp.

[fidgits]

well, what about the 180bhp corrola, or isnt that available? Not to mention, the soon to be released 225bhp version ;)

plus, the rolla has more space.

[naxxal]

Corolla XRS with 180HP considered one of the best corollars, good fuel economy, light and quick.

I disagree - The scion is smaller and slower than the Corolla...

Sorry fidgits but you are wrong as proven.....

THE SCION TC

Horsepower 160 hp @ 6000 rpm

Torque 163 ft-lbs. (WWW.SCION.COM)

THE TOYOTA COROLLA

1.8-liter DOHC 16-valve VVT-I

4-cylinder

130 hp @ 6000 rpm;

125 lb.-ft. @ 4200 rpm (WWW.TOYOTA.COM)

The corolla is not faster that the scion tc. And also scion has a special add on for the tc now, a supercharger that brings it at more than 200hp.

[Leighcm]

I bought a 2004 Saturn Ion in Sept 2003.  Since buying it i have had 13 different problems with the car, some of which took several trips to the dealer to fix.    Some of the problems i have had appear to be all too comon with other ION owners.  I was wondering if there are any such problems with Corollas.  I know Toyota has a great reputation for reliability, longevity, yadda yadda yadda.......I want to know how owners feel about their cars.  Also, what warranty does Toyota offer?  Saturn has a standard 3 year, 36,000 mile bumper-to-bumper, everything that goes wrong (as long as it was not caused by owner/accident etc.) is covered.  And for those of you who have had problems, what are your experiences with the service dept. at your dealer?  Were they prompt, willing to fix things without attitude, and thorough?  They used duct tape to fix a trunk leak in my ION, and on several occasions said they could/would not adress problems i was reporting unless they could reproduce them (which is hard to do when some of these problems were completely random, but common enough to be annoying/dangerous).  I don't expect all new cars to be perfect, but i have had far too many problems with this car to think that it is going to last me the 100,000 miles i had hoped to get out of it.  Needless to say i am not a happy camper.

Soo.  Any Corolla owners' experiences would be appreciated, i want to make the right decision for my next car.

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I'm not a Corolla owner, but some of my friends have Corollas...and they last FOREVER!! My in-laws have a 20 year old Corolla that's still running great. And even if something goes wrong with your Corolla, it'll still be far less than what you have to do on a Saturn. If you get on Edmunds.com, there's a cost of ownership calculator...you can compare the Corolla vs. Saturn or anything else.

Plus: you can drive a Corolla for 10 years, and still sell it for $2,000 or so. A 10 year old Saturn is worth about $100.

As for service, Toyota's got a reputation to protect. They'll take care of you. Basic warranty 3 years/36k, 5 years/60k powertrain.

[dandxg]

I'm not a Corolla owner, but some of my friends have Corollas...and they last FOREVER!!  My in-laws have a 20 year old Corolla that's still running great.  And even if something goes wrong with your Corolla, it'll still be far less than what you have to do on a Saturn.  If you get on Edmunds.com, there's a cost of ownership calculator...you can compare the Corolla vs. Saturn or anything else. 

Plus: you can drive a Corolla for 10 years, and still sell it for $2,000 or so.  A 10 year old Saturn is worth about $100.

As for service, Toyota's got a reputation to protect.  They'll take care of you.  Basic warranty 3 years/36k, 5 years/60k powertrain.

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My 96 has 163k on it, and it has had very minor problems, in fact just two, the master cylinder went out and they replaced the steering rack at the same time under warranty, but I just replaced front struts finally, still have a little noise though, I think if you maintain it, change oil so you don't get toyota sludge problem, your car will last along time. I bought it used for 10k and could sell if for 2k now with some blemishes, good bang for your buck IMHO.

[Leighcm]

My 96 has 163k on it, and it has had very minor problems, in fact just two, the master cylinder went out and they replaced the steering rack at the same time under warranty, but I just replaced front struts finally, still have a little noise though, I think if you maintain it, change oil so you don't get toyota sludge problem, your car will last along time.  I bought it used for 10k and could sell if for 2k now with some blemishes, good bang for your buck IMHO.

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You won't get the Toyota sludge problem...it's only on the 3.0 V6 in Camry, Avalon, Solara, Sienna, ES300, and RX300.

[TRD99prizm]

I have a 99 Corolla, the gen before the current car. It was only used for a year before i bought it in 2000 and i have owned it ever since. I've put 65,000 on the car since then and over the course of the past 5 1/2 years I have only spent about $1000 total on maintenance and 'repairs' (excluding the new set of tires/wheels i upgraded to). I really haven't done anything special to the car over my course of ownership, the wheels and a K&N air filter are about it, and the thing just keeps on ticking. I also put Mobil 1 motor oil in it so i only have to change the oil about every 10,000 miles. Though I've never been a big fan of the current Corolla (de-evolved from an independent rear suspension to a solid rear axle!?, too tall, stubby nosed) it's a much better choice than an Ion. My sister just bought a 2005 Ion earlier this year and has had a few problems with it already. Plus the ergonomics of the Ion are all jacked up, the torture chair rear bench seat, center gauge cluster, mismatched design shapes throughout the interior. They rectified some of the problems that plagued you 2004 for 05, engine noise is reduced through the use of QuietSteel behind the dash, but overall I'm not impressed by the car.

You will also enjoy better gas mileage in the Corolla. I believe the Ion gets an EPA rated 34mpg on the highway, the Corolla get around 40-40+ depending on your driving. If you're not in an over all hurry there will be a new Corolla appearing either fall 06 or spring 07, i might wait till then if i were you. But if your looking to unload your plasticmobile before then, i would suggest depending on your needs; a Corolla(an XRS if you want to spend that much, when the cheaper tC is quicker), Scion tC, or a Mazda 3. Plus there is also a new Honda Civic out their now which, though seemingly quirky (2 gauge pods?), gets good gas mileage and comes in a variety of flavors (sedan, coupe, hybrid, SI).

Also, the Corolla XRS may hav 171hp(lost 9hp due to the new SAE hp ratings) versus the Scion tC's 160hp, but look at the torque #'s XRS-about 128lb/ft, tC-about 160lb/ft. The XRS's Celica-sourced 1.8L VVTL-i is a little gutless below the 6000rpm mark, while the tC has the 2.4L VVT-i four from the Camry which keeps you in the seet spot better, due to the engine's larger size.

[filipe]

[i'm the owner of 3 Corolla's cars.

The first is from 1971, as 450.000 KMS, without engine problems.Only replaced

parts like brakes and suspension. I use this car now, for old cars concentrations.

The second, is a Liftback, from 1988, and is in a daily service.I made 165.000 Kms so far, and the car only ask for regular maintenance, and i do it by the book.

The other, is a Corolla Station Wagon, is from 2004, and as 25.000kms.It´s a very good car, and everytime I drive it, i feel that I can trust in this vehicle, to go anywere. It´s very new, to give problems, but I think, and hope it will be a car to last a good couple of years.

After this experiences by those years, (1971-2004), I strogly recommend Toyota vehicles, and for me that´s it! Toyota Forever!

[filipe]

[i'm the owner of 3 Corolla's cars.

The first is from 1971, as 450.000 KMS, without engine problems.Only replaced

parts like brakes and suspension. I use this car now, for old cars concentrations.

The second, is a Liftback, from 1988, and is in a daily service.I made 165.000 Kms so far, and the car only ask for regular maintenance, and i do it by the book.

The other, is a Corolla Station Wagon, is from 2004, and as 25.000kms.It´s a very good car, and everytime I drive it, i feel that I can trust in this vehicle, to go anywere. It´s very new, to give problems, but I think, and hope it will be a car to last a good couple of years.

After this experiences by those years, (1971-2004), I strogly recommend Toyota vehicles, and for me that´s it! Toyota Forever!

[stevelaw]

ABSOLUTLEY buy a Corolla. You will be very happy with the reliability of the car. I had a 1994 Corolla LX. The only thing that ever went wrong with it was when the radiator sprung a leak. I replaced it and kept driving it until it had over 148,000 miles on it. It took Hurricaine Ivan to kill the Corolla. Which it did with water over three feet deep in the middle of the road.

[Leighcm]

ABSOLUTLEY buy a Corolla. You will be very happy with the reliability of the car. I had a 1994 Corolla LX.  The only thing that ever went wrong with it was when the radiator sprung a leak. I replaced it and kept driving it until it had over 148,000 miles on it. It took Hurricaine Ivan to kill the Corolla. Which it did with water over three feet deep in the middle of the road.

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But it wasn't the Corolla's fault...poor thing...

[lexus]

they are very reliable