Toyota Corolla, good and bad?

[javacontour]

Replaced ONE on our 2002 Camry with the 2.4L engine. Somewhere north of 200k miles. So they do go bad.

Of course, it was on a rainy night when the boy came home with a misfire code that remained with the coil pack when I swapped them.

Bought one coil pack and a new set of plugs and all was right as rain when we got rid of the car at over 277k miles.

Originally Posted by wag123
Originally Posted by philipp10
Originally Posted by eljefino
The manual transmissions on that generation (03+) are a weak point!

Co-worker had a vibe and I fit in it quite well, 5'11" and 34" inseam, with room to wiggle.

I had an 02 Camry with the 2.4 4cyl, 5 speed and it got 33 MPG in the summer. It's nice to commute in something with road hugging weight. Car was real easy to work on. Carry a spare coil pack as they blow like light bulbs on most toyotas.

You could also look at scions, many had stick shifts and most had either the 1.5 or 2.4, skipping the lamer 1.8 (5 speed) combo.

"a spare coil pack"? Really....owned many Toyota's of that era....never replaced one.

I have never replaced a coil pack either.

 

[andyd]

Daughter had an'06 LE automatic from new. She drove it all during working and getting her masters degree. Car needed very little outside of regular oil changes until it was totalled by a drunk.at 180K miles. It is the reason I have Camrys. The price for reliability seems to be boredom

 

[E365]

I rented one a couple years ago. I'd gladly take something potential less reliable than have to drive one of those. Worst car I've driven in probably a decade or more.

I'll take a (manual) Focus, Civic or Mazda 3 anyday over a Corolla.

 

[KrisZ]

I would probably entertain owning a manual version of Corolla, even if it is more problematic than the automatic. The automatic Corolla is probably the most boring vehicle I've ever driven.

 

[Lolvoguy]

Originally Posted by KrisZ
The automatic Corolla is probably the most boring vehicle I've ever driven.


Anyone who's driven a Lexus would Immediately recognize the connections to an automatic Corolla.

Goes to show there's more to driving enjoyment than hp numbers and drivetrain configuration.

 

[ffhdriver]

Check out the Mazda 3. It has some standard features that the Corolla doesn't even offer.

 

[clinebarger]

Originally Posted by philipp10
"a spare coil pack"? Really....owned many Toyota's of that era....never replaced one.


Originally Posted by wag123
I have never replaced a coil pack either.


Not all Toyota engines have Denso coil packs from the factory, Some had Diamond Electric coils that don't last as long.

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

I've had my Corolla just short of 15 years now I'm on my third battery, third set of tires and second set of front breaks still running the factory rear brakes. It just got 34 MPG on its last tank of city driving mostly. Its a sever service vehicle but it typically uses a cup of oil in a 5,000 mile OCI. At nearly 127,000 I just don't see any reason to sell it.

 

[jstert]

in late 2005 i bought a 2004 toyota corolla le from hertz in pdx at 24k miles when i transferred from korea. i drove it cross country, then up and down northeast u.s. and eastern canada to 2016 when it became surplus at 104k (my elderly mom had to stop driving her 2006 highlander, we needed the bigger vehicle and sadly had no room for the corolla). absolutely no issues with the corolla, just two sets of walmart goodyear tires, one aaa battery, 10k oci with mobil 1. sold it to a friend whose daughter was tboned by an idiot. no human injuries but the corolla was kia.

when i needed a second, snowbird car, i wanted the nearest car in simple goodness to the beloved 2004 corolla. after a weekend rental i scratched off the new corolla, it sucks, and chose a 2014 toyota yaris l, also from hertz. the yaris is simple, tossable and bulletproof (my own experience having ridden in yaris taxis for 2 1/2 years in indonesia). unless o.p.can find an older corolla that he knows was well loved, get a more recent yaris.

 

[jongies3]

Thanks for all the replies, everyone! I'm not concerned at all whether the car's fun or boring to drive as it will be a strictly point A to B ride, low cost of ownership and MPG's are the main focus. Only things I need personally are reasonable comfort and a decent sound system that can rock my music. Even if the sound system is a joke, that can easily be upgraded. Thanks for confirming that the auto's are a decent transmission, that makes me feel a lot better! I kinda figured they were because the auto in my Tacoma is exceptional as well. Is the auto in the 2003-2008 Corolla serviceable, I hope?

 

[nthach]

The Corolla is typical Toyota - reliable(mostly) if not boring but that generation had problems with oil burning(the 1998-2005 1ZZ-FEs are known to have coked piston rings) and the 2003-2008 cars also had an PCM recall - bad Delphi-made PCM had a board-level problem.

 

[DejaVue]

The Corolla/Vibe/Matrix autos are ancient tech but reliable. OP prefers a manual, but aren't the manuals on those known to be quite unreliable? Maybe I'm only thinking of the 6-speed in the Vibe/Matrix sport version.

I'm familiar with the Vibe and was in one again the other day. They're not big, but they're not annoyingly small like a true econobox that has small seats, zero elbow room, and a hatch opening so small that the car may as well have a tiny sedan trunk. The 1.8 with an auto is adequate power. I can't recall how noisy they are at speed. The longer the drive, the more I hate cars with bad noise insulation.

One thing to keep in mind about mpg, especially when it comes to the not-small, and tall, Vibe: if it's mostly highway driving, a small-engine car may not be as impressive as expected. A 2004 Vibe manual is only rated 33 mpg highway. A full-size, 300hp Chevy Impala is rated 30. Those are just ratings, but the point is, the faster you go, the worse a tall 1.8 Vibe will be relative to a lower, V6 car. Quite a different story for city mpg, though. Corollas get better mpg than the Vibe since they're lower and probably weigh less.

 

[Leo99]

Originally Posted by philipp10
Originally Posted by eljefino
The manual transmissions on that generation (03+) are a weak point!

Co-worker had a vibe and I fit in it quite well, 5'11" and 34" inseam, with room to wiggle.

I had an 02 Camry with the 2.4 4cyl, 5 speed and it got 33 MPG in the summer. It's nice to commute in something with road hugging weight. Car was real easy to work on. Carry a spare coil pack as they blow like light bulbs on most toyotas.

You could also look at scions, many had stick shifts and most had either the 1.5 or 2.4, skipping the lamer 1.8 (5 speed) combo.

"a spare coil pack"? Really....owned many Toyota's of that era....never replaced one.


I've never heard of blown coil packs on Toyotas.

 

[macarose]

Here's some long-term reliability information for you.

They break it down by generation. Notice the mediocre results for the 1998 - 2002 models and the outstanding ones from 2003 - 2008.

http://dashboard-light.com/vehicles/Toyota_Corolla.html

 

[wander2039]

These discussions on Corolla's always peak my interest. When I met my wife in 04 she had a 89 Corolla.. drivetrain wise it was extremely stout it even ran without coolant for a day or two. The body though was a mess, door handles and everything else. The only other time I seen that was on a Omni. My Festiva's were alot better shape it seemed. So at the time it was 15 years old and we kept it till 06. Looks like some in this thread are getting to that age.

So the consensus is that drivetrain wise we know Corolla's are outstanding.. but how about the rest?

 

[DriveHard]

Originally Posted by eljefino
The manual transmissions on that generation (03+) are a weak point!

Co-worker had a vibe and I fit in it quite well, 5'11" and 34" inseam, with room to wiggle.

I had an 02 Camry with the 2.4 4cyl, 5 speed and it got 33 MPG in the summer. It's nice to commute in something with road hugging weight. Car was real easy to work on. Carry a spare coil pack as they blow like light bulbs on most toyotas.

You could also look at scions, many had stick shifts and most had either the 1.5 or 2.4, skipping the lamer 1.8 (5 speed) combo.


Seriously listen to this!!!

If I remember right, it is third gear that gives the trouble. I think it is the idler bearing that goes out. Try and price out a used 5 speed for this car...last time I checked it is STUPID expensive, as they are well known for failing. The good news?!?! Well, the good news is you can slip in the 6 speed from the XRS, and it will drop right in, give you a wider ratio, be more robust, and...oh yeah, and it is CHEAPER at the junk yard than the five speed.

 

[DriveHard]

there had to be more than double the amount of 5 speeds made as compared to 6 speeds, yet they are twice the price!

 

[ccs368]

I have a 2003 Corolla LE auto with 140k. It is my NYC beater. I believe this generation is part of the Takata airbag recall too. Here is a list of everything performed, repaired, or still broken. Front brake pads/rotors are typical as every other Japanese make car and easy to replace. Frt passenger wheel bearing let go at 135k. It is a pressed on style and not a flange bolt on style so more labor intensive. Alternator replaced at 90k which surprised me for its short life. Cam chain tensioner o-ring leaked and replaced entire inexpensive assembly at 125k. Flushed OEM atf and replaced transmission filter at 125k. Rear exhaust pipe rotted at the weld joint right at the fore muffler pipe section at 130k. I mig welded it and also used jb weld. Rear inner door moldings have become unglued and hanging. Small amount of Water is collecting in the spare tire cavity. Check engine for intake manifold gasket leak came on twice but after resetting and not fixing, light never comes back. A/C relay replaced. Passenger seat belt latch broke and replaced at 130k. Batteries replaced every 8 yrs or 70k. Clock doesn't illuminate and the fix is soldering the pcb joints. Cabin filter is easy to replace. Plugs are easy to replace at 100k. Oil changes w/ 5w30 at 5k or syn at 10k.

 

[panthermike]

My two cents having owned an 03. Hands down reliable car. My friend owns it now, currently at 175k. Outside of brakes, tires, batteries, fluids she still has had zero repairs. I was pretty obsessive with the maintenance on it. Wouldn't hesitate to buy another if I needed a commuter

 

[wag123]

Originally Posted by ccs368
Small amount of Water is collecting in the spare tire cavity.

It is probably leaking at one of the tail lamp assembly seals, a common problem and easy fix.