Thinking about a used Corolla, Yaris or Prius!

[Patman]

I'm probably going to be starting a lot of topics like this over the next 6-7 months, so bear with me while I decide what to do.

I've decided that driving the Corvette all year round is not really the smartest thing to do, so I want a second car for the winter months and for driving back and forth to work the rest of the year. Saving money on gas is a big priority, but so is reliability, which is why if I end up buying something used it would most likely be a Toyota.

My budget will be around $5000 to $6000 so with current Corolla pricing up here that would put me approximately in the 2000 to 2005 model year range. I'm wondering if there are any major changes in that time frame which would make one year a lot better choice? What kind of gas mileage can I expect to get out of one with an auto transmission? (keeping in mind my driving is about 70% highway)

Or, would I be better off spending the same amount of money on a newer Yaris instead? (I could get an 06-07 Yaris for $5000 to $6000) Or how about an older Prius? (I could get a 2001 Prius for $5000)

 

[Hermann]

What sort of mileage numbers are you looking for. Older Corolla's do not have overdrives on their automatics. They didn't start until about 05 IIRC. My only concern on the 2001 Prius would be the 10 year old batteries in a northern climate. My Toyota's have always been ultra reliable. They are a good choice for long term use with minimal repairs.

 

[daves87rs]

Older corolla, of those choices. Will darn near run forever.


Or a civic, Cobalt, or 03+ Focus would work too....also cheaper, the point for a winter beater.

 

[The_Jeff]

Corolla gave the choice of OD in automatic. IIRC the last 3 speed was in 2001 or so.

For a winter car I would want something like the corolla. Have heard (yes just hearsay) funky things about the regenerative braking in the prius, and the yaris will have too narrow a track. You want the wheels to fit in the ruts in the snow the other cars make; anything freakishly small will often have two wheels in the slush.

 

[Patman]

Originally Posted By: Hermann
What sort of mileage numbers are you looking for.


I'm hoping to get between 30-35 MPG in my mixed driving. I currently get 21 MPG with the Corvette in my daily commute, and it uses premium, so I'd save enough money in gas to easily pay for the insurance costs of this second vehicle (and I'll be buying it in cash, so there would be no car payments either)

 

[Patman]

Originally Posted By: daves87rs



Or a civic, Cobalt, or 03+ Focus would work too....also cheaper, the point for a winter beater.

It will be more than just a winter beater though. I figure I'll be using it to drive back and forth to work most of the time as well, so I'd be saving the Corvette more for the weekends and special occasions. So ideally whatever vehicle I get I want to last me about 5-7 years (and in that time I'd put about 10k a year on it)

 

[JHZR2]

I've loved the 4th sedan yarii I've had as rentals. Willing and comfortable to me. Did a writeup on it sometime back.

A yaris is what id buy of the three unless you got some kind of killer warranty on the prius.

 

[Patman]

Originally Posted By: eljefino


For a winter car I would want something like the corolla. Have heard (yes just hearsay) funky things about the regenerative braking in the prius, and the yaris will have too narrow a track. You want the wheels to fit in the ruts in the snow the other cars make; anything freakishly small will often have two wheels in the slush.


That's a good point that I didn't think of, but is very important, thanks!

I am definitely leaning more towards the Corolla, mainly because I figure it would be easier to find one with a few more of the options I'd like (such as cruise, air and power windows) and also because it probably has more room in it as well. And the Corolla is also a very big seller here in Ontario so I'd have a ton to choose from as well.

It's not a deal breaker, but I like having the outside temperature display on my cars, what year did the Corolla get this as a standard feature?

 

[Drew99GT]

I'd consider a late model Echo as well. Basically the same car as a Yaris, but a lot cheaper. Timing chain, so no timing belts to mess with.

All Corolla's had the option of a 4 speed overdrive automatic, but as a current owner of a Corolla, go with a 5 speed! Better fuel mileage and much better performance. The late model ones with the 1ZZ-FE and a 5 speed are fairly peppy.

1998-2002 models seem to have oil consumption problems, but 2003 - 2007 seem to be fixed.

 

[Patman]

I'd prefer the automatic, even though I know I'm going to lose a few MPG and some acceleration as well.

It looks like it had a new body style in 2003, correct? How long did that design stay in place for?

 

[Drew99GT]

2003-2007 was the tenth generation. IMO, they're the best Corolla's to get. Try and find a 2005 or so, they seem to be ultra reliable. The 11th gen ones seem to not be as reliable, as do some other latest model Toyota models.

 

[Drew99GT]

By the way, these cars are by far the easiest cars to work on IMO! Easy access to all drain plugs, to include the engine block. Transaxle drain plug included.

 

[Patman]

Originally Posted By: Drew99GT
2003-2007 was the tenth generation. IMO, they're the best Corolla's to get. Try and find a 2005 or so, they seem to be ultra reliable.


I think by the time the fall rolls around I might be able to find a lot of 2005s in my price range. (there is one near here right now for $4995 with 140,000 miles on it, but most of them start at $6500 and above right now)

I looked it up and the outside temperature gauge was standard on the 2003 models and up for sure, so I'm happy about that

 

[Drew99GT]

Patman, look on Craigslist. Wait until you find one that's a good fit. Corolla's are kind of a niche car, and you can find many of them that have been meticulously maintained!

 

[The Critic]

A local hybrid shop here in the Bay Area (probably, the most well-known one) told me that they are beginning to see a number of Prius battery failures with the 1st generation models. I would probably stay away from those.

 

[PandaBear]

Stay away from hybrid if you are only looking for a 5k-6k budget car, they won't be reliable and the battery pack in particular do age and die.

If you can get a used corolla there are great deals. The 93-97 and up to I think 02 models have 3 spd auto for the lower trip and 4 spd auto for higher trip / engine size. For highway driving the 4 spd makes a huge difference in fuel economy even if the engine is bigger (1.8 vs 1.6). If you can drive stick, 5spd manual is all you need.

 

[CROWNVIC4LIFE]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
A local hybrid shop here in the Bay Area (probably, the most well-known one) told me that they are beginning to see a number of Prius battery failures with the 1st generation models. I would probably stay away from those.


What does it cost to change a Prius battery?

 

[mongo161]

Whats the best seasonal oil weight oil for a 5 speed Corolla with the 1.8 L engine?

Rather than synthetic in the cold winter months, what conventional weight would you use in the warm summer months in Canada? Thanks.

 

[GenSan]

With a Corvette in the stable already I'd go with a Prius.

The longevity of the Prius' battery has a proven track record
in the toughest industry for its use: taxi fleet service.

Prius Taxi 1 Prius Taxi 2 Prius Taxi 3

 

[addyguy]

Personally, I'd go with the newest Yaris or Echo you can get.

It just seems to me that the smallest Toyota's are the most reliable - you couldn't kill old Tercels at all, and the Yaris/Echo are 'basically' just re-skinned Tercels.

Yes, Corolla's ARE reliable, BUT, the 1998-2003 years have oil-consumption issues that sometimes are very severe, and could cause emmission probles, which, as you know, are strictly inforced in big Ontario cities.