Is the Corolla reputation justified?

Smidge · 01-04-2014 9:46pm #1

I've been looking into getting a new(to me)car and my budget is 5kish.
I only have two requirements, diesel and a smallish engine(up to 1.4).

A friend of mine is a mechanic and said to go for a Corolla, hands down best car for what I need ie family car for a fair bit of driving.
Have been reading through this forum over the past number of weeks and going through old threads.
It does seem to be a general consensus that the Coralla is a great car.

But here's the question....
Is it really so much better than other cars in its class(or there abouts ie 1.4 diesels)?
They seem to be more expensive than others in the same bracket ie 1.4 diesel Ford Fiesta(which I could get with less miles and a year or two up in the years).

Is it just that the Irish have a love for the Corolla or does it live up to its reputation?

Thanks for any input

forestgray · 01-04-2014 9:47pm

Smidge wrote: »

I've been looking into getting a new(to me)car and my budget is 5kish.
I only have two requirements, diesel and a smallish engine(up to 1.4).

A friend of mine is a mechanic and said to go for a Corolla, hands down best car for what I need ie family car for a fair bit of driving.
Have been reading through this forum over the past number of weeks and going through old threads.
It does seem to be a general consensus that the Coralla is a great car.

But here's the question....
Is it really so much better than other cars in its class(or there abouts ie 1.4 diesels)?
They seem to be more expensive than others in the same bracket ie 1.4 diesel Ford Fiesta(which I could get with less miles and a year or two up in the years).

Is it just that the Irish have a love for the Corolla or does it live up to its reputation?

Thanks for any input

In a word, yes

coolisin · 01-04-2014 9:51pm

The old ones where a very reliable car. I drove the work one which was a 94 unmaintained one. There was a thick sludge instead of oil in the engine and the car never gave a ounce of trouble!!

The next model corolla was also very reliable but is known to drink oil!

Not so sure about the auris or last model corolla.

Personally I'd say a honda civic was a better car.
The Mazda 3 is another one I'd consider.

Smidge · 01-04-2014 9:57pm

coolisin wrote: »

The old ones where a very reliable car. I drove the work one which was a 94 unmaintained one. There was a thick sludge instead of oil in the engine and the car never gave a ounce of trouble!!

The next model corolla was also very reliable but is known to drink oil!

Not so sure about the auris or last model corolla.

Personally I'd say a honda civic was a better car.
The Mazda 3 is another one I'd consider.

In my price bracket I'm looking at an 05 Corolla.
It just seems odd that one car has so much support.
I'm not doubting its values at all but have never seen this before considering how many different cars there are in that bracket!!!!

Does anyone even rate a 1.4 Fiesta, Peugeot, Opel Astra?
So many cars.....surely they all can't be useless at worst and insignificant at best to the Corolla?

131spanner · 01-04-2014 10:03pm

I have a '07 Corolla commercial, 1.4D4D. I've had it since May 2013 and it's yet to give me a moments grief. Off the top of my head I've only spent money on tyres, fuel, servicing, wiper blades and 2 or 3 blown light bulbs. I would say the Corolla reputation is justified

rwg · 01-04-2014 10:04pm

2 words - K30

Mrs W · 01-04-2014 10:04pm

I have an 04 corolla, my mam had it before me from new and there has never been anything wrong with it. I'm not great at getting it serviced either but it's running perfectly, brilliant car

Smidge · 01-04-2014 10:08pm

rwg wrote: »

2 words - K30

I'm gonna need more than that

Just had a google, thats a Chevrolet isnt it?
Dont see any for sale here though.

Smidge · 01-04-2014 10:09pm

Mrs W wrote: »

I have an 04 corolla, my mam had it before me from new and there has never been anything wrong with it. I'm not great at getting it serviced either but it's running perfectly, brilliant car

How many miles has it done?
I'm amazed by it tbh that one car appears to be so superior to others in its class!!!

Also, what would be the "life expectancy" of a looked after corolla if any one could hazard any idea?
Someone said it could be up to 400k???

Supergurrier · 01-04-2014 10:11pm

Corollas and most Toyotas are known for 2 things.

Great reliability
Interiors that make you want to die.

diomed · 01-04-2014 10:13pm

I have a Toyota Auris diesel 1.4 which is similar. Never a problem. I tore a windscreen wiper once when the screen was frozen.

Smidge · 01-04-2014 10:16pm

Supergurrier wrote: »

Corollas and most Toyotas are known for 2 things.

Great reliability
Interiors that make you want to die.

I have noticed that actually.
Its like "car interiors for the visually impaired"

I can live with that as long as its reliable though

christy02 · 01-04-2014 10:57pm

Smidge wrote: »

I've been looking into getting a new(to me)car and my budget is 5kish.
I only have two requirements, diesel and a smallish engine(up to 1.4).

A friend of mine is a mechanic and said to go for a Corolla, hands down best car for what I need ie family car for a fair bit of driving.
Have been reading through this forum over the past number of weeks and going through old threads.
It does seem to be a general consensus that the Coralla is a great car.

But here's the question....
Is it really so much better than other cars in its class(or there abouts ie 1.4 diesels)?
They seem to be more expensive than others in the same bracket ie 1.4 diesel Ford Fiesta(which I could get with less miles and a year or two up in the years).

Is it just that the Irish have a love for the Corolla or does it live up to its reputation?

Thanks for any input

I would imagine for that money you would only get a 2litre d4d engine in the corolla? 1.4 diesel were later 07 time.

Mrs W · 01-04-2014 10:57pm

Smidge wrote: »

How many miles has it done?
I'm amazed by it tbh that one car appears to be so superior to others in its class!!!

Also, what would be the "life expectancy" of a looked after corolla if any one could hazard any idea?
Someone said it could be up to 400k???

Mine has 156k?

It's a fantastic car and so reliable. I've friends with opels, mondeos, audis, vw all much newer than mine and there's always something silly wrong with them that costs a fortune to fix. Every time I'm tempted to change mine I have to remind myself of that

JohnBoy26 · 01-04-2014 10:59pm

The older corolla's rep is well justified. Impeccable build quality,reliability and excellent efficiency.

The ones I am on about are the Japanese built corollas up to the late 90's but the newer 02-07 model is pretty good in those regards too.

the later 08-13 model however along with the auris is a poor enough car. They are cheaply built, only average in the reliability department and don't live up to the high quality reputation of its predecessors.

Henry Ford III · 01-04-2014 11:01pm

Supergurrier wrote: »

Corollas and most Toyotas are known for 2 things.

Great reliability
Interiors that make you want to die.

Toyota had all sorts of recalls quite recently. We tend to forget these things quickly.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009%E2%80%9311_Toyota_vehicle_recalls

rwg · 01-04-2014 11:02pm

Smidge wrote: »

I'm gonna need more than that

Just had a google, thats a Chevrolet isnt it?
Dont see any for sale here though.

you couldn't kill these even if you wanted to - the seminal source of corolla's reputation for reliability

http://irishtoyotaclassicsclub.webs.com/apps/blog/show/40297104-for-sale-k30

JohnBoy26 · 01-04-2014 11:06pm

christy02 wrote: »

I would imagine for that money you would only get a 2litre d4d engine in the corolla? 1.4 diesel were later 07 time.

the corolla came with the 1.4 d4d since around 2005.

JohnBoy26 · 01-04-2014 11:12pm

rwg wrote: »

you couldn't kill these even if you wanted to - the seminal source of corolla's reputation for reliability

http://irishtoyotaclassicsclub.webs.com/apps/blog/show/40297104-for-sale-k30

leave it out in the weather for a few months and you'll literally see it melt before your eyes

rwg · 01-04-2014 11:13pm

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

leave it out in the weather for a few months and you'll literally see it melt before your eyes

very true, but put the key in the ignition and away you go

andy t · 01-04-2014 11:20pm

the older ones were alot better & smiled at abuse...

the newer ones are probably the best as in they are a lot more reliable than the other cars on offer ...

in a nutshell --- Yes , go for it

jca · 01-04-2014 11:35pm

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

leave it out in the weather for a few months and you'll literally see it melt before your eyes

Nah Toyota addressed that problem early in play between 1970-80 they sorted that out. A great car.

unkel · 01-04-2014 11:41pm

Smidge wrote: »

In my price bracket I'm looking at an 05 Corolla.

Have you driven one? Even sat down in one? It's dire. I had a brand new one as a rental car about a decade ago and in my 28 years of driving, I can't remember any car being as bland as that Corolla.

If you only care about having an appliance that moves you from A to B reliably, than you might be able to live with it - try it first though!

christy02 · 02-04-2014 12:10am

unkel wrote: »

Have you driven one? Even sat down in one? It's dire. I had a brand new one as a rental car about a decade ago and in my 28 years of driving, I can't remember any car being as bland as that Corolla.

If you only care about having an appliance that moves you from A to B reliably, than you might be able to live with it - try it first though!

I just sold my avensis. Reliable and bullet proof but insanely boring. Still though a lot to be said for the comfort of knowing it will never let you down.

02 with 220k sold easily enough. Still a market for them. Corollas the same.

More expensive because of this reason as well.

JohnBoy26 · 02-04-2014 12:10am

jca wrote: »

Nah Toyota addressed that problem early in play between 1970-80 they sorted that out. A great car.

no they didn't, Toyota didn't sort out their rust problems until the mid 80's.

Smidge · 02-04-2014 12:12am

rwg wrote: »

you couldn't kill these even if you wanted to - the seminal source of corolla's reputation for reliability

http://irishtoyotaclassicsclub.webs.com/apps/blog/show/40297104-for-sale-k30

I'm loving that!!
Is it diesel though(cant see it anywhere on the ad)?

Also, how difficult would it be to source parts for it?

JohnBoy26 · 02-04-2014 12:17am

unkel wrote: »

Have you driven one? Even sat down in one? It's dire. I had a brand new one as a rental car about a decade ago and in my 28 years of driving, I can't remember any car being as bland as that Corolla.

If you only care about having an appliance that moves you from A to B reliably, than you might be able to live with it - try it first though!

They are bland but they are not "dire". They are, well pre 07 models are well made and have a quality feel to their interior and are nice to drive in the sense that they are very refined, have a nice gear change and a nice light clutch. They also have adequate performance for their engine size.

Now they are a boring and bland car but they weren't built for thrills. Most other 1.4s in that class are also bland and lack excitement.

Smidge · 02-04-2014 12:20am

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

The older corolla's rep is well justified. Impeccable build quality,reliability and excellent efficiency.

The ones I am on about are the Japanese built corollas up to the late 90's but the newer 02-07 model is pretty good in those regards too.

the later 08-13 model however along with the auris is a poor enough car. They are cheaply built, only average in the reliability department and don't live up to the high quality reputation of its predecessors.

When you say older Corolla's do you mean pre 02?

JohnBoy26 · 02-04-2014 12:21am

andy t wrote: »

the older ones were alot better & smiled at abuse...

the newer ones are probably the best as in they are a lot more reliable than the other cars on offer ...

in a nutshell --- Yes , go for it

That's not really true though. The newer corollas have dropped in quality and are outclassed by rivals in that department. For example Kia and hyundai are better cars than them nowadays and come with much longer warranties.

JohnBoy26 · 02-04-2014 12:26am

Smidge wrote: »

When you say older Corolla's do you mean pre 02?

The 00- 02 Jap built facelift corollas were also very good cars but the early vvti engines they came fitted with had a tendency to use oil. This issue is vastly over stated but there is no denying that this engine isn't as robust as the indestructible 1.3 4e-fe that was in the pre facelift 97-99 corolla.

bazz26 · 02-04-2014 12:29am

Smidge wrote: »

I've been looking into getting a new(to me)car and my budget is 5kish.
I only have two requirements, diesel and a smallish engine(up to 1.4).

A friend of mine is a mechanic and said to go for a Corolla, hands down best car for what I need ie family car for a fair bit of driving.
Have been reading through this forum over the past number of weeks and going through old threads.
It does seem to be a general consensus that the Coralla is a great car.

But here's the question....
Is it really so much better than other cars in its class(or there abouts ie 1.4 diesels)?
They seem to be more expensive than others in the same bracket ie 1.4 diesel Ford Fiesta(which I could get with less miles and a year or two up in the years).

Is it just that the Irish have a love for the Corolla or does it live up to its reputation?

Thanks for any input

The Corolla is not in the same bracket as the Fiesta, the Corolla is a bigger car similar to the Focus. The Yaris is in the same bracket as the Fiesta.

Is the Corolla reputation justified?

Comments