Is the Corolla reputation justified?

Smidge

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

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

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

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

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

2 words - K30

Mrs W

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

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

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

Corollas and most Toyotas are known for 2 things.

Great reliability
Interiors that make you want to die.

diomed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Smidge

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

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.

I had read that alright about the vvti drinking oil.
Was this resolved in the later models from say 03 onwards?

Smidge

bazz26 wrote: »

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.

Sorry I probably should have been clearer about that.
What I meant was for cost, mpg, reliability etc.
Actually, the yaris isnt far off the cost of a corolla for similar year/milage atm.

JohnBoy26

Smidge wrote: »

I had read that alright about the vvti drinking oil.
Was this resolved in the later models from say 03 onwards?

Yes the 02-07 model doesn't have any oil burning issues. The 1.4 vvti in the 00-02 isn't bad in the oil using department as long as they are serviced on time with the correct oil.

The 1.6 vvti fitted to early avensis were worse for burning oil.

Smidge

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

Yes the 02-07 model doesn't have any oil burning issues. The 1.4 vvti in the 00-02 isn't bad in the oil using department as long as they are serviced on time with the correct oil.

The 1.6 vvti fitted to early avensis were worse for burning oil.

Had an 01 avensis bought from new from a garage and had nothing but trouble with it. In fairness several of the problems were recalls(clutch and flywheel) and rectified with the garage but other issues with it just kept arising.
Well, they did keep arising until it was wrapped around a steel guard rail after sliding on black ice. That put the end to that

bazz26

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!

When you are used to floating around in an E38 going to anything less is going to appear dire. I doubt a similar Focus or Golf would be any more appealing to a petrol head coming from a BMW 7 Series. And to the majority of people that is exactly what a car is, a device to get from a to b with the least amount of hassle. If the Corolla didn't do it then some other eco box would and petrol heads would hate that instead.

It's all relative, to most people a cheap TV from Aldi will do the same job as an expensive Ultra HD TV. To a lot of people a TV is just an appliance too.

unkel

bazz26 wrote: »

When you are used to floating around in an E38 going to anything less is going to appear dire.

I dig your reasoning, but I had a 5-series E34 at the time!

And I have driven a lot of cars in my days and I would prefer driving say a 70s Renault 5 or an 80s FIAT Uno to that Corolla

JohnBoy26

unkel wrote: »

I dig your reasoning, but I had a 5-series E34 at the time!

And I have driven a lot of cars in my days and I would prefer driving say a 70s Renault 5 or an 80s FIAT Uno to that Corolla

Ah here....

dgt

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

Ah here....

Annoyed someone wants to drive somethig different, what about it?

Different people different tastes. No need to poke fun/look down as a result

JohnBoy26

dgt wrote: »

Annoyed someone wants to drive somethig different, what about it?

No :pac:

dgt wrote: »

Different people different tastes. No need to poke fun/look down as a result

Indeed but I didn't look down or poke fun at anyone.

Toyotafanboi

i really don't think the corollas interior is "that" bad. the corolla interior being dire is almost as barstooled as fiats being unreliable imo.

just look at the corollas interior compared to some of its biggest rivals at the time. rate them on overall style, layout (or lack) of switchgear, steering wheel etc. i'm not saying its the best, but its certainly competing.

95 corolla interior


95 polo interior


95 escort interior

____________
01 corolla interior


01 polo interior, yes the same as the 95.


01 focus interior

____________

05 corolla interior


05 polo interior


05 focus interior

JohnBoy26

Good comparison apart from the polo. The corolla is a golf rival and, not that it matters too much, but the 01 polos sold here had a different updated interior to the one in the above pic. The interior I'm talking about is the same as is found in the facelift 00 polo hatchbacks.

131spanner

Having come from a '00 Micra, I found the interior in my '07 Corolla to be very nice. I'm sure my next car may put the Corolla to shame, but it's all relative

Toyotafanboi

JohnBoy26 wrote: »

Good comparison apart from the polo. The corolla is a golf rival and, not that it matters too much, but the 01 polos sold here had a different updated interior to the one in the above pic. The interior I'm talking about is the same as is found in the facelift 00 polo hatchbacks.

i understand in the third instance, the 2005 example that the polo is a class size below the others, but say in 1995 the polo saloon would have been comparable to the escort and corolla wouldn't it?

the polo classic was available in 2001 in ireland with the interior i posted above i believe, the very very last ones got the updated interior but there are certainly some 01's with the old interior, like this one for example, i know you can only see the instrument cluster, but you know it's not the one with the silver trim rings. http://cars.donedeal.ie/cars-for-sale/vw-polo/6619735

not that the facelifted interior was much more than spartan drear anyway. i nearly prefer the old one, at least it's not trying to be something it's not.

bazz26

The Polo saloon or classic was just a rebadged Seat Cordoba which was still from the class below the Corolla.

corktina

Ours has over 200 000 km up and is as good as new (2006 4 door).

Smidge

How easy would it be to clock a Toyota(either corolla or yaris)?
Is it something that happens much?
Even with an NCT surely in can be "rolled back" between each test?

Smidge

I reckon I'm going to have to abandon Corollas AND Yaris now as all the ones I have contacted over the last couple of days(about 15)have either been brought in from the UK/NI and have serious gappy histories or even worse "hidden" histories(owners not fessing up to them being written off/dodgy miles/EE lads getting very annoyed by very simple questions:().

bazz26

You will find that there are plenty of other makes and models out there being sold by dodgy characters too and not all of those cars are UK imports either. At least with the UK ones you have some chance of checking it's history. Chances are if you are looking at the cheapest examples of each then they are most likely to find they are the ones with colourful histories or being sold by chancers.

Smidge

bazz26 wrote: »

You will find that there are plenty of other makes and models out there being sold by dodgy characters too and not all of those cars are UK imports either. At least with the UK ones you have some chance of checking it's history. Chances are if you are looking at the cheapest examples of each then they are most likely to find they are the ones with colourful histories or being sold by chancers.

That's true enough. Plenty of chancers in every game
It seems to be that because people are holding onto their toyotas now, and not trading in/changing them as regularly as they were before the boom, the toyotas have become so sought after that importing them has become a profitable little business.
That in itself wouldn't be a problem for me but I would at least expect some honesty
In fairness I have rang a few other makes and got a couple of "characters"

snorah86

own 2006 corolla diesel saloon with 320km on it. Best car ever tho serviced regularly. All it ever needs is tires, wipers, oil change,bulbs, filter, on odd wheel bearing. Just went thru NCT and flew it and not even having it serviced for 3 months. Goes long way on tank diesel and does not seem to burn oil. They are known to have faulty gearbox and mine went about 2 half years ago but was so worth replacing. Half thinking of changing it but if I do it will be another one, just a newer version so enough said I think!!!