Corolla questions......

I own a 2000 Corolla I bought with 60,000 miles. It's at 142,000 now. Not a single major component has caused issues. All I do is change fluids regularly and I have changed the spark plugs once. Done a brake job once.

I believe the modern Corolla's do not have timing belts; they have timing chains.

I have an automatic myself but no reason the manual wouldn't last long. Mine still idles and drives like it's brand new...

Sorry for confusion. I own a 2002 CE Corolla, not 2000.

My bad.

You should be able to get 50K to 150K out of it.

If you replace the timing belt, it won't break. And if the timing belt does break, the car stops. That could be a bit inconvenient on the highway, especially if there is a big 18-wheeler behind you. That could be a bigger problem than valve damage.

Actually, it would more than that. You would be saving lots of fuel when you are taking the bus because the car is broke and waiting for parts.

Yeah, the engine would outlast the car. VWs don't have a great reputation for longevity.

The new (current) body began with the 2003 model and continues to present year. The engine does not incorporate a timing belt in it's design.

In my personal experience with Corollas, (I've owned an '03 and '05) I don't think that it's a problem for a Corolla to far exceed 100K if it's maintained properly, meaning, complying with scheduled maintenance and driving habits are normal.

A far better value than a Jetta diesel, IMHO.

JETTA!!! You said a dirty word!!!

I don't think I will EVER buy another VW! They are cool cars, but they are horribly made. Well, mine was, and I hear a lot of complaints about VWs.

That said, most Toyota twin-cam engines are NON-interference engines, and Toyota has gone back to a chain drive system for the valve train, so the chain should be good for the life of the car.

Also, anecdotally, my 1980 Corolla had 240,000 miles when I traded it for my 1985 Corolla GTS, which has 260,000 on it; in the mean time I have had a 1985 Celica w/ 245,000 (just got rid of it in '06), a Tercel AWD wagon ('83) with 210,000 miles I got rid of in '05, and I have an '88 Supra with

I don't think you're going to have a lot of problems with a Corolla with

All I do with mine is change the oil every 3K. Other than that I fix stuff when it breaks. See my response to the OP! ;)

Oh, and besides that, the '80 Corolla and the '85 Corolla were both

5-speeds. The '80 got traded with the ORIGINAL CLUTCH, and the '85 is STILL running on the ORIGINAL CLUTCH!!!

That's pretty much all I have to do as well, other than the scheduled stuff. Kinda nice in a car, very convenient, no problems.

All that means is that you know how to drive a stick-shift. I'll bet my wife could wear out a clutch in no time!

Jack

Well, this is true. But I also taught one wife to drive stick with the first one, and another wife with the second one.

Just the fact that they went >200,000 is amazing enough, and I downshift...

This is all assuming you can find an '02-06 5-speed stickshift Corolla. I waited for a good 2 months in '98, trying to locate a new one (LE trim level), to no avail. I finally gave up & ordered an automatic. I didn't even bother to try for a manual transmission in '04 when I got a new Corolla. Perhaps the "S"/sports variation would be a more likely to yield a

5-speed??

Cathy

According to Toyota's faq site, all 1998 and later Corollas have a timing chain so there is no timing belt to replace.

A properly maintained car should not have a problem achieving 200 or 300K miles, assuming that the body is not subject to conditions that will cause it to rust before it reached that mileage.