starts right away cold air condition good engine accelaration solid body great gas mileage

loud noise vibration on wheels after 65 mph

I wanted a good reliable car for work commute heard a lot of good things about toyota corolla, I needed a car quick my other car was totaled according to insurance company, someone took the air bags. and would cost to much to fix so insurance paid the bluebook value of my other car. found 1998 toyota corolla at used car dealer, check car history was a rental expected repairs on the car, radio didnt work so the the salesman give $100 so I could fix it my self, first week found out why the radio didnt work it needed new spark plug wires replace wires and install new plugs cost around $170 includes diagnostics on electrical, the car needed new paint lots of scratches on the body cost $360 2 months problems on starter replace $350, replace 2 front tires $200 6 months replace a leaking high presure transmission hose $200 have the belt replace $80. was it worth all the expences? yes love this car good pickup engine a little loud in highway but what ya expect from a corolla. start good and takes me from point A to point B the AC works great on this car.

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Good acceleration, excellent handling, extremely reliable, get a lot for your money.

None

I love my car! You can never go wrong with a Toyota. I have owned my Corolla for a year and a half now and I have not had any problems with it. I have 50,000 miles on it and it still drives like new. This is my third Toyota and my next car will be a Toyota as well. They hold their value really well and about the only thing you have to do is change the oil.

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2000 Toyota Echo 1995 Toyota Tercel 1991 Ford Escort (caught on fire...never buying an American car again!)

Adequate power with the 5spd Quiet ride (you'll be breaking speeding laws and not even know it). Smooth suspension Engine is very refined Fuel economy Interior space Cargo space Styling A lot of car for your money

Ride height too tall Good amount of body roll

It's a great car what can I say. It's definately larger than the previous model it replaced. I owned a 2001 Corolla that I returned (lease ended). This is feels like it has more power, despite only having 5hp more than the previous one. I have a 5spd. It has a larger throttle body than the previous model and now uses the intake manifold of the Celica, instead of the snaky tubes the previous one had. Let me start with the exterior. The body looks great. The only thing I don't like is that it looks narrow and tall, kinda like the Echo... but I've grown into it. The paint is decent. I like how they have the door handles on these. I like grabbing it from the top instead of the bottom, avoids scratching the paint with your nails. The interior. It's nice and plush. I didn't like the interior of the previous S models. The fabric felt rough and "cheap". This one feels good and soft. It's a plasticky interior, but pretty well put together, no rattles. The display is easy on the eyes. The standard CD radio is pretty good. However, when you turn it up a bit high, it shows its lack of wattage. I wish that they used a standard din sized area for the radio so I can replace the head unit with a nicer aftermarket one from Nakamichi. I can do it still, but it would look ungly once the space adapters are used. The visibility is great. Engine. I am very impressed with the engine. It revs freely and has enough power. Car magazines tested a 5spd CE and got 7.9seconds to 60 mph... not bad for an econobox. The gears seem to be a little closer together than the previous model but it doesn't really bother me. It can sure use a 6th gear since I feel that 3,300rpm is a bit high going 80mph. The engine bay has alot of room for you to stick your hands in there and do some work. So far I've changed the oil without any problems at all. Cargo space is no problem at all. I can fit 2 large suit cases in the trunk. The ride is very smooth, almost Camry like. Pick up is good, depending on how heavy your foot is. You can easily smoke the front tires if you want to. Brakes are adequate with little fade. I'm getting about 29mpg in the city and about 37mpg in the hwy. That's with the AC on and in L.A. traffic. I'm sure if I'd drive in the highway straight (no traffic, 43mpg is no sweat). I was going to get an S model, but I didn't want to pay around $4,000 more. I could live without power windows or door locks. With the money I saved, I will upgrade my rims (when they wear out) with some nice 17's or 18's, upgrade the stereo, tint the windows... and even put in a TRD supercharger that's good for an extra 30-50hp (depending on pulley size and fuel/air management upgrade). This is a great car. If you're looking for a dependable commuter and want to save money on gas and repairs, a Corolla is your best choice.

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2001 Corolla S seems to have a bit better handling, but is out gunned by this one and has less passenger/cargo space I thought about the Civic, but Civics have weak engines. My cousin has a 5spd LX and it's gutless. The Corolla feels more solid and safer. Lancer, drove one and it's also gutless. Styling is nice, but Mitsubishi quality and reliability is nowhere near Toyota. For the lady who said that she'd buy American so she can support her country... you just did and you didn't even know it. Nearly all Corollas (Toyotas) are built in the U.S. or Canada. Corollas have an assembly plant in Freemont California. So there's a great chance that Americans built your car ;-) Unless yours was made in Japan. You can tell by looking at your VIN number. If it starts with a "J", then you got a Japanese built unit (lucky you).

Everything. The BEST gas mileage, great interior room, comfortable, classic Toyota reliability, a sporty-looking car doubling as a family car.

Just a 4-cylinder. But it does have decent pick-up for a 4-cylinder. I would have been interested in a V-6, but man, would I hate to lose that kick-butt gas mileage.

I have owned and driven truck and cars, Hondas, Fords, and Chevys, and none (in this price range) compare to this car. The sticker said I could expect around 38 miles to the gallon on the highway and 30-32 in the city--I get 45 mpg on the highway and 35 in the city. The engine is as quiet as a mouse and easily laid-out. It is very comfortable with plenty of headroom; as a matter of fact, one of my favorite aspects of this car (and my husbands) is that it is tall. I sit high enough in the seat that I can see over the smaller cars (think 1990's Corollas, Geos, Civics, etc). This car is very good-looking (the older model Corollas were kind of plain and non-descript) and even a little sporty-looking. The "S" model looks even sportier. Tons of standards, including a CD player. Look at the reviews--there's one "bad" review for every 100 good ones. That speaks for itself. Nothing has been fixed on this car (or has needed to be) and I am up at 20,000 miles now. I get an oil change every so often when it needs it. I give it regular unleaded gas. Nothing special; it's just a great car. Honda Civics are also good, but the ones we've owned throughout our family have had more problems than our Corollas. Of course, none of the Civic problems even compare to the problems we had with Ford and Chevy trucks and cars. My 1988 Toyota Camry with 215k on it still runs like a dream. There are some parts on it that are still original! Basically, you can't go wrong with a Toyota. I wish American-made cars would come up to standard, because I would much rather be supporting my country. But I don't want to pay through the tail for it with an undependable car.

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The interior stays dry when it rains. (with the windows rolled up)

I wonder what will happen next. I do not trust the reliability of this car.

At 70K miles the automatic trans. fell apart on a vacation trip 150 miles from home. Excluding a large tow and car rental bill the transmission cost over 2300 dollars to fix. The "check engine" light lit shortly after the trans. repair. The computer code refers to an emissions problem. The warranty mentioned that the emissions system is covered for 100K miles but the Toyota Service Dept. said that only the catalytic converter is covered and the converter checked out to be okay. At 45K miles the brake pedal went to the floor and the brake light lit as i was braking down a steep hill. I had the brakes checked and no problem was found! I had the brake pads replaced anyways and at around 50K miles the car brakes pulse from what i assume to be caused by warped rotors. I learned to live with the poor brakes and the "check engine" still lit. The interior light for the shifter console is intermittent. I have to wiggle the shifter handle to get the light to turn on. The car sometimes does not start in "Park". I have to put the selector in "Neutral" to start the car. The car is not the greatest handling. Any slight breeze and the car will sway. The road noise has increased greatly after i reached 45K miles. I assumed new tires would quiet things down, but it has not. At around 45 mph the transmission shifts gears. Trying to maintain this speed has the car shifting up and down continuously. The sound quality of the AM/FM cassette unit is not very good and my left door speaker is hardly working.

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1988 toyota tercel (broke down at 80K) 1982 Honda Prelude (great car) 1986 Ford Bronco II (many problems)

Beautiful interior and exterior styling. The car looks really snazzy when viewing from across a parking lot. Lots of interior room, both front and back, as well as sufficient trunk space.

Bad handling, poor in-town gas mileage for a l.8L engine and noisy engine. The headrests need to be removed from the backseats. They inhibit the view from the back window when backing up.

When it came time to get rid of my old car,(reluctantly, I might add), I looked around for about six weeks and test drove different vehicles from both American made and foreign manufacturers, as well as doing extensive research on each one of the vehicles that I was interested in. After driving this car for a day or two and having the vehicle checked out by my mechanic, I eventually decided to purchase it. I was also able to negotiate what I thought was a good price with the dealership. I have now had the car for a few weeks, and I am very disappointed with the gas mileage that I am getting in town. All of the reviews that I had read prior to buying this car stated approximately 30+ MPG in the city, (for an automatic transmission, which I have) but I am only averaging 24 MPG. I am not driving the car rough or anything, so I can't figure out why the in-town mileage is so low. My old car that I traded in had a slightly bigger engine (2.0L) and it was much better on this gas than this one. I have not driven the car on a long trip yet, so I don't know what kind of MPG I will get over the road. Another thing I wanted to point out is this car is hard to handle when it's windy outside. It has a tendency to wander all over the road, so you have to pay really close attention at all times. The car emits a sulphur smell on occasion also. I don't know if it's the gas or not, but I do wonder if whatever is causing the sulphur smell could possibly be affecting the gas mileage somehow. If I had to buy it again, I don't know whether I would or not. I prefer vehicles that get AT LEAST in the high 20's for in-town gas mileage, and unfortunately for me, this one doesn't. The plus side of this situation is that I owe considerably less on this car than what it is worth, so if I decide to trade it in later, I should come out ok and not take a loss.

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none

-Reliable, gets you where you want to go without fear of mechanical breakdowns and costly repairs. -LE model with upgraded wheels looks like an attractive upper class car. Its enjoyable with all the upgrades and it cruises well at high speeds with the 4spd trans. -Engine is quick enough to get the job done, it passes traffic better than others Ive.

-Poor seat comfort on trips over 30 minutes. -Poor mushy suspension, wind moves the car around and it also leans deep in turns. -I would like more power to pass traffic quicker.

Update from previous review on June 29, 2001. I now have driven this car for over 3 years, it has 57k miles and Ive only had to buy an airflow meter since my last review and I installed it myself to save money. The rest is usual upkeep, wheel alignment, air filter, fluid & oil changes, ect. No more hassles with repairs at dealerships for years now thankfully so the car has been problem free since its rough start. I have found that 93 octane gas eliminates the foul odor, the other octanes cause it to smell bad. I looked into buying a Dodge Stratus or Intrepid since they have more power but I will keep the Corolla since its reliable because the others have terrible reviews of constant costly mechanical problems.

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reliable, economic gas , has a good reputation

i had to change the brakes at 20000 miles,i had to fix the computer 3 times in 3 months, gets unstable when windy,,too small to be comfortable,looks dull

i bought it for its reputation for reliability ,it stayed with me for 3 yrs and i didn`t have major issues though i had to go to the dealer 3 times in 3 month period to have the computer fixed . in general a reliable car but too small and too dull to be comfortable, i don`t think i will own it once more

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Price -- a lot of the money. All the useful gadgets available. Ride. Build quality. Made in California.

More color choices. Like the S interior better than the LE.

Our last car was an Acura Legend, but we don't feel we have traded down to the Corolla. With the options -- auto, ABS, side air bags, cruise, upgraded stereo, alloy wheels, automatic headlights, outside temperature gage -- our Corolla has more conveniences than the Legend. Fabrics and materials are not up to Legend standards. But I would say it's 70% there. Which is not bad, considering a new Acura RL will buy you two and a half Corollas. This Corolla is comfortable and quiet. The ride is impressive -- it's compliant but not sloppy. The car feels very tightly put together, not a squeak or a rattle. Made in U.S.A. -- 20 miles away in Fremont, California. What more can one ask? We are very satisfied and recommend this car without hesitation.

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great on gas relatively roomy

noisy engine expensive to buy

Four months and it's been trouble free. The only complaint I have is the rotten egg smell from the exhaust. Great milage, average about 35mpg in mixed driving. It's not nearly as quite as "professional" car reviews make it out to b. The engine constantly buzzes and the wind noise gets down right loud at high speeds.

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