New Corolla Good Car?

Good question. I can say with confidence that the Corolla has gone through the same cost-cutting measures as the Camry has. Such is the nature of the beast.

I was looking at Edmunds yesterday, and saw that the TMV of a decently equipped Corolla is down to $14K, because it has a $2000 rebate.

Damn.

It's a GREAT car but, as is the case with Toyotas in general, it is way overpriced.

It is a buyers market today! There over a half dozen others on the market today that are as great of greater, that are as good on gas or better and have better/longer warranties that can be driven home for as much as 20% or

30% LESS. Some have Zero interest for longer time periods as well.

DRIVE and be sure to get a TOTAL "drive home price" for a Corolla at a least TWO dealerships and several of the other brands on the market, then decide which best suits your budget WBMA.

My wife has one. It is a solid, reliable car but it is a Toyota which means the interior is filled with road noise and the stereo and speakers suck big time (replacing the radio can't overcome the speakers and their placement). She now wishes she had listened to me and bought Honda Civic.

Edmunds shows decently equipped Corollas for $14K TMV.

That's not overpriced...

Check a few of its cooperators, WBMA

Remember , ALWAYS get a TOTAL drive home price before you choose ANY vehicle.

Here the Corollas are starting at $16k, actual lot prices. The Sonata also has a lowest MSRP of $14k, but good luck finding either car here at that price. If I can, though, I'll push her to get the Sonata. We have a friend who has had a Corolla for a couple of years, and she's at best indifferent about it. Not the best recommendation...

So, what ARE these half dozen other vehicles that are as good as the Corolla?

Up here, many Civics are riced-up and are the preferred vehicle of Asian gang members.

Car? The name Toyota still means reliability and high resale value.

However, it's overpriced.

Check web sites such as edmunds.com, kbb.com, motortrend.com, caranddriver.com for reviews. A common complaint seems to be the cheap "nasty" electric steering.

I drove a 07 Corolla when it came out. No frills was not bad for an economy car. The engine was underpowered but was probably ok for the class (needless to say a lot of downshifting left and right). The suspension was cheap and it bounced around over bumps, but I heard 08 got softer struts as Toyota realized they needed better valving. However, some reviews didn't like the softer ride and rather bounce around instead. I haven't driven the newer ones but IIRC there are a lot more cheap plastics inside.

I'd also check out the 2010 Ford Focus while you're at it. It's an European design, not the old, mediocre Detroit one with high school styling. It was almost like all the good designers went to Apple and the leftovers got stuck in Detorit.

Vehicle Tested: 2009 Toyota Corolla XLE 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 4A) Pros: Comfy ride, excellent fuel economy, plain-and-simple controls, spacious interior, child-seat friendly. Cons: Terribly uncommunicative steering, disconnected driving experience, cheap-feeling interior switchgear, no standard cruise control on XLE.

Highs: Smooth, quiet, and willing; spacious inside; easy on gas. Lows: Nasty electric steering, dead travel in the brakes, plain-Jane inside.

Also reviews like:

Apparently you have not seen the reports indicating Toyota quality ratings have been slipping, it that is what you choose to believe.

Toyota has even admitted they are having more problems with their vehicles over the past few years.

There are numerous other cars that are showing up in consumer surveys as better than Toyotas and are less expensive to buy as well

Thanks. The Focus is also too expensive here - same price, essentially. So, this raises the question: what was the last really great year for the Corolla? 2005?

Yours is pretty much the only note I've ever seen claiming the Civic is a quieter car than the Corolla and that Toyotas are generally noisier than Hondas. My exprience has been that Honda cars are very noisy, especially at highway speeds. That said, the el-cheapo tires on the Civic and Corolla have plenty to do with road noise. A decent set of tires would make either car much more pleasent to drive.

When faced with a similar situation several years ago we decided to purchase a used Accord for about the same money as a new Corolla. Insurance on the Accord was less expensive than for a Corolla making up for the Accord's lower mpg. But we didn't get 0% financing. So are you shopping for a car or for a deal?

The car is of primary importance. My partner will mainly be driving it, and she loves her Camry. Accords don't impress her.

For good reason. Accords are often preferred by Asian gang members who rice them up even MORE than they already are.

Fascinating. Around here it seems to me that Accords appeal to a bettter educated, higher income crowd than the Camrys. Toyota's seem to appeal more to people who's prime concern is getting from A to B with as little comfort and style as possible. My impression is that they'd be happier with a Frigidare on wheels, but since those aren't available, they go for the next best thing - a Toyota. After all, why spend less to buy a decent car when you can get a boring poorly designed Toytoa for more. Their chief arguement for buying a Toyota seems to be that the long dead uncle of a guy they once met in a bar had a bad Buick back in the 50's and they don't want to take the chance that they might get one to.

Ed

Just tell them you're developmentally disabled, and they'll leave you alone.