Always going. Little to no maintainance required, which aint bad for a 12 year old car! Gets me from point a to point b easily.

Engine pinging, and rattlely exausts.

I would recommend this car to anyone due to it's reliability and durability. Watch out for rust around the petrol cap and roof. Great on fuel, for those with not much money (like me!)

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None

The engine is quick......The car is a tight ride...

cornering isnt too good and their is a huge lack of aftermarket performance parts....

Great looking car...quick car with great potential.....not trendy like the stupid civics.....

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Civic.....Sucks

Reliability, reliability, reliability! Good gas mileage, peppy engine, paint job.

Slight problem with the brakes squeaking at 45,000 miles before and after replacing the pads, it eventually went away though. The trunk is fairly large for a smaller car, however the opening could be bigger, it is sometimes difficult to get large boxes into the trunk.

I've had this car for 3 years now (bought it used off a lease). The paint on this car still shines like new. Over 80,000 miles on it, and besides normal maintenance, I have only had to take it in for a broken alternator belt (this was my fault since it should have been changed a few thousand miles before hand). The battery finally gave out a few months ago. Other than those minor repairs, this car has been wonderful! The engine still runs like new and all of the gadgets still works great. I would recommend this car to anyone wanting a solid dependable car. After owning 2 Toyotas, they have sold me on their quality and reliability. Unfortunately I traded in my '95 Tercel for a '97 GMC Jimmy - what a mistake!

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'95 Toyota Tercel DX, '97 GMC Jimmy SLT

reliability - 135k on it and it runs great with regular maint. We have had no problems with it at all. Great mileage. decent handling.
Great commuter car

Styling of this car will not turn any heads.

This is a great commuter car. I have 135k + on the car and it runs great. It has been an extremely inexpensive car to own. I would love to buy a bigger car, but this car has given me no reason to sell it. Can't say enough about the quality and reliability. THis car has the 1.8 liter instead of the 1.6 liter engine. It can get out of it's own way if needed. It handles well(replaced shocks at 110k miles) Still on original rear brakes.

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VW Passat GLX - sold the Passat b/c it was a maint. nightmare. Subaru Outback - fine vehicle

Gas mileage,reliability, quality of interior/exterior, and comfort

none

This is the third car I have owned, and is my second Toyota. My over all experience with my Corolla has been great. It provides a comfortable and reliable ride. I highly regard this vehicle because of the gas mileage, on average 38 mpg highway, with a 5 speed. The ride is quiet, smooth, and peppy. The over all looks are sleek and well detailed expecially with the rear spoiler. I've had absolutely no problems and don't really expect too many dramatic miss haps.

People that drive a lot to and from work or who have a young family...this would be an excellent car.

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civic: noisy on road, poor rear seat room, quality of interior doesn't even compare.
Nissan Sentra: Too pricy for the quality, which didn't appear to be as good as Toyota.

Engine technology (valve timing & garage diagnostic tools); reliability rep; I put a JVC 45w/channel CD in the car after having it maybe 10 minutes, the speakers handled the 'Magic Carpet Ride' test pretty well.

Rear seat room for long trips. Hard to find the option package you may want without having to get more. Options get pricey pretty quickly.

First off, I want to thank the people of this group for providing your detailed impressions of different cars. It was a big help in my car searching. I've barely had this car, but I'll get on every few months to update impressions.

This is an 'Impulse Red' 2002 Corolla LE (automatic) with the following packages/options: VP#2, WeatherGuard, spoiler, floormats. If you go to Edmunds or Kelley BlueBook you'll see I got a pretty good deal. I was primarily after two of the hardest things to get on this car: the color 'Indigo Ink' and a 5spd stick, neither of which were available thru Dealer searches.

I've test driven both transmission types. The 5spd is very sweet and responsive. A hydraulic clutch makes clutch action go more smoothly (as compared to a Mazda Protege I also tested). I actually prefer to feel more of the engine in the clutch, but that's a style choice. Going to an automatic was not much of a sacrifice (2mpg on city & highway); auto of course will not quite have the punch of a stick, but it does fine nonetheless. As long as the engine tacs under 3000 at 80mph I'm happy with it.

Interior: while not quite as much space as the Altima, it's an ergonomic dream. Glove box-huge. Armrest storage-enough room for a small umbrella. That's in addition to the other nooks'n'crannies spaced throughout the dash. Seats seem comfortable enough, but I don't envy taller people in the back seat.

Engine: ask your mechanics which car is relatively easier to work with. After having 8hrs labor charge for a $30 part (TC gasket cover for a major oil leak endemic to all Altimas I'm told), the mechs told me overall Toyota engineering is the easiest to repair, with Honda being almost as good but with more expensive parts. Shifting and acceleration is smooth, but I haven't hit the gas hard yet to see if noise is obtrusive or not. From my research, the variable valve engine type that Corolla and Civic share is topnotch technology. A timing chain helps out too.

Driving: transmission shifting, especially around turns where down/up shifting is needed, is very good (damn well better be for only 100 miles :). Brakes will take some getting used to as they're not as quick as other cars I've had, but certainly seem safe. Bumps/rumblestrips are definitely muted well. Has one of the smallest turning radiuses in its class, so you know steering will be alright.

Aesthetics: not great but not bad either. Having the spoiler didn't make it look as goofy as I thought it might. Automatic daytime running lights is nice insurance for if you drive at night and forget to initially turn the headlights on. Not any style changes I can see from 2001, but I like the trip. Lotsa trunk room for normal needs, especially with the folding rear seats.

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1989 Mazda 626DX
1993 Nissan Altima GXE

I was initially drawn to the car by Toyota's legendary reliability rating. The gas mileage is alright but I do a lot of high speed highway driving (120km/h to 130km/h) and the gas mileage tends to drop off considerably at those speeds, (even with the 5-speed manual). I like the very good ergonomics of the interior, with all the controls falling readily to hand. I really like the appearance items included in the "Touring Package" such as silver-face gauges, rocker panels under the doors and the 2-tone dashboard treatment. Other models in the Corolla lineup seem very boring in comparison.

I hated the standard-issue Michelin all-season radials. They would handle poorly on dry pavement and have very poor siping ability in rain and snow. I ditched these tires and put a set of 17" alloy rims, shod with Dunlop performance radials....boy, what a difference! Now she handles like its on rails. The engine can feel very docile at times, yet lug under certain conditions. It simply doesn't have a sufficient amount of torque to overcome a full load of passengers. Thank goodness I opted for the 5-speed manual. ABS should be a standard feature, especially in the Canadian market, with our harsh winter climate. I find the A/C to be pretty weak in comparison to other cars in this class.

I would recommend the Toyota Corolla to anyone seeking a moderately priced, compact sedan to be used as daily transportation. The Corolla continues to trundle on in its current form, largely unchanged since 1998 (with the exception of variable valve timing). I can't help but think that sales of the Corolla would be weakening if it wasn't for Toyota's strong reliability rating. Good bang for the buck, but not a very exciting car in most respects.

If you prefer a very sporting compact, take a long look at the Nissan Sentra SE, with 145hp on tap.

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Reliability: This car at over 100K Miles is more reliable than many new cares.
Simplicity: Just has what one needs.
Carrying capability

1.6 litre engine too small especially for a 3 speed automatic
A 2.0 litre engine and 4 speed automatic would be much better.
Rear seats don't fold down all the way.

Recommend it! The corolla is one of the most useful cars ever made.
I can't believe how incredibly stupid American Car companies are!
It has been 30 years ever since the Vega/Pinto disaster and they are still putting out junk.
I hope that Toyota buys out GM. (Garbage metal!!!)
Why can't an American mfg. build a simple reliable vehicle?
How hard can it possibly be. Then again with the dumbing down of education, I bet all those American CEO's have an IQ below 70.
Japan RULES!!!!!!!

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96 Saturn: Good car, but rattles more than the corolla with twice the mileage.

totoyota reputation,looks,quietness.

power,even with new engine it still struggles at times. handling, absolutely no road feel.

So far, the Toyota reputation holds. No major problems. Paid $13,000 for it. Good family car. Don't expect it to handle like those nimble Hondas though.

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-Excellent build quality for its class
-Good performance from 1.8L engine
-Very reliable;

-Hideous exterior styling, actually worse than previous models
-Only adequate handling, I wouldn't trust it in emergency situations
-Not roomy enough, especially in the rear
-Very difficult to find a comfortable driving position;

The little Corolla is built to Toyota standards in term of interior fit and finish and reliability, but is otherwise a cheap car in disguise. It is not as solidly built as, say, a VW.

The engine is quite powerful for its size and makes the car agile and responsive, but is spoiled by a lethargic and slow to respond autobox (3 gears and a switchable overdrive). Compared to the Honda Civic, this is a huge drawback.

The suspension is not up to European standards, the car corners well on smooth surfaces but the front-end is bump-sensitive and does not inspire confidence. On the highway, the car doesn't like speeds over 80 mph, of which it is easily capable, and it wiggles with every change in road surface and under gusts of side wind. Ride is decent, but is marred by limited suspension travel.

The Corolla makes for a nice city car and a painless ownership experience, but don't expect it to do much more.

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The Corolla is built to Toyota atndards in terms of fit and finish of interior trim and reliability, but is otherwise a cheap car in disguise.

Suspension is not up to European standards - the car corners well on smooth surfaces but the front end is bump-sensitive and does not inspire confidence. Steering is not sharp enough and is too light.

The rear is cramped, especially with front seats in fully-backed position, and, although I am not tall, I need to take the driver's seat all the way to the back.
Honda Civic