looking at maybe buying a 9th gen

[REN69]

So what should I look for?? I figured who else to ask but the actual owners?

I pretty much gave up looking for a decent 4runner... people just don't want to let go of them, and when they do they're not cheap, lol.

Basically looking at Camry and Corolla sedans lately, we drove an 04 S in 04 when her car was stolen and we had a rental for a few weeks, I loved it then, it was automatic and it didn't appear slow to me at all, not as slow as many other automatics I have driven, lol. I would love to buy a standard model but that would make it impossible for my wife to drive it... I would actually buy an XRS if I could,

so tell me, what you like and don't like about your automatic cars.

thanks guys!

[silver04rollas]

What model year are you thinking?? I am asking since 2003 - 2004 1ZZ-FE were cable driven while 2005 - 2008 were drive by wire and had other subtle differences.

So you are thinking of an automatic?? I used to have a 2004 Corolla Sport with the 4 speed automatic. A few impressions as far as remember from back in 2004 when I traded it in was that off the line the car does pick up nicely. The first gear is short and pick up is nice, but then 2nd gear is spaced too wide so suddenly acceleration drops off very steeply once you go into second gear.

The transmission wants to get to 4th gear very quickly so climbing uphill many times I had to switch the O/D off in order to force the transmission to stay in third gear for optimum torque. Again, the transmission functions well for city driving.

An interesting tid bit, when I started getting desperate for some "excitement", I started using the method of turning off the O/D and then putting the shifter in 1. Then I would accelerate hard to 6300 rpm redline and then push the shifter to 2 and then redline again and shift to 'D' at 6300 rpm (keeping the O/D off forced it stay into 3rd till redline) and then let it run to redline then switch on the O/D to get into fourth. LOL

When I started realizing it is borderline foolish to make an automatic operate like a manual and XRS just came out in 2004, I said "screw it and get a proper 6 speed manual" so then I traded it in for the XRS.

Fuel economy was quite nice on the 1ZZ.

[Jayden]

I purchased a 2007 S model in July, and I'm very pleased with it. I drive anywhere from 30-40 miles a day, and usually get about 30-35 MPG. I traded in my Mercedes C280 for this Corolla, so I essentially downgraded from a V6 to a 4-Cylinder. The funny thing is, this car seems to have a lot more pep, and maneuverability. I'm still learning not to 'punch' the gas, because I'll give my passengers whiplash if I'm not careful.
I have not driven a manual Corolla, so I honestly don't know how they handle.

Have you considered visiting your local dealership and picking out a car you like? I say this because when I was shopping, and showed interest in the car, they let me take it home overnight (free of charge) to see if it would fit my needs. I'm sure they would be willing to work with you if you just let them know your intentions.

[Bob Shiftright]

Originally Posted by REN69

so tell me, what you like and don't like about your automatic cars.

I normally drive a stick -- one of my other cars is a 5-speed and another is a 6-speed.

The Corolla was inherited and it is an automatic. I was considering selling or trading it in but my wife decided to "adopt" it. Her Official State Car has a blown head gasket (and may never return to her, if you've been reading about US state government finances). In the meantime, she's using the Corolla whenever she needs to drive a long ways for work, instead of her own personal truck.

She can drive stick -- she learned on her father's IH tractor, and she 's decent enough with it. But she doesn't like to drive a stick. She's OK with the Corolla. It's easy to park, has room for her computer and all the other stuff she needs to drag around and gets great gas mileage.

Would I prefer a manual Corolla? Well ... from my understanding (and I'm far from a Corolla expert) Corolla 5-speeds aren't the most robust transmissions around.

Otherwise, the AT Corolla is what it is. The Toyota Corolla is the most popular nameplate in the history of mankind (about 40 million sold!) so what it is is not a bad thing.

A 5-speed manual Corolla wouldn't make me feel like Michael Schumacher, and anyway Formula-1 is 2-pedal now so a 2-pedal automatic Corolla would be more correct.

What would I look for in a used Corolla? Mine has the aforementioned automatic transmission as well as the optional ABS and side airbags, cruise control, and the "AM/FM/Cassette CD W/6 speakers". I'd look for the ABS and airbags, the cruise control would be desirable and the stereo is easy enough to upgrade if you feel the need. I'd avoid a sunroof. Both my other cars have sunroofs but if you don't have one, it will never leak. Guaranteed!

My $0.02 (Now worth $$0.03 with inflation!)

[REN69]

haha... thanks guys, so the 5spds are weak eh? I also found myself looking at Pontiac Vibes and was surprised to find a couple of manuals stating "new transmission" I'm guessing they're the same as the Corollas... so the Automatics are OK? any major problems with them?

I was thinking an 04 as yeah, I would prefer cable over wire... but 05 would probably be considered as well. As for dealerships, I haven't found any at dealerships that I would consider, most Toyota dealers overprice their cars by a few grand, so I was more looking at private sales.

I would definitely buy an XRS but unfortunately I would have to buy it on my own (not as a family car) so this would cut into the Supra budget

[silver04rollas]

No I don't think so. The 5 speed manual should be fine as long as you don't stress the synchros too much through jamming them during downshifts by popping the clutch without proper rev-matching. You can also prolong the life through synthetic MT-90 redline oil.

I don't know of any major issues in the automatics either.

Originally Posted by REN69

haha... thanks guys, so the 5spds are weak eh? I also found myself looking at Pontiac Vibes and was surprised to find a couple of manuals stating "new transmission" I'm guessing they're the same as the Corollas... so the Automatics are OK? any major problems with them?

I was thinking an 04 as yeah, I would prefer cable over wire... but 05 would probably be considered as well. As for dealerships, I haven't found any at dealerships that I would consider, most Toyota dealers overprice their cars by a few grand, so I was more looking at private sales.

I would definitely buy an XRS but unfortunately I would have to buy it on my own (not as a family car) so this would cut into the Supra budget

[Bob Shiftright]

Originally Posted by REN69

haha... thanks guys, so the 5spds are weak eh? I also found myself looking at Pontiac Vibes and was surprised to find a couple of manuals stating "new transmission" I'm guessing they're the same as the Corollas... so the Automatics are OK? any major problems with them?

I glanced at the Consumer Reports "frequency of repair" charts for the Corolla back to 2003, and nothing stands out as a problem. Even "transmission" looks better than average, so the "famous" 5-speed transmission issues are probably diluted by the small number of Corollas sold with manuals.

I changed all the fluids on mine when I inherited it -- oil, coolant, brake fluid and ATF.

[REN69]

So I'm hopefully looking at an 03 Corolla S, 5speed 149,000km's on it so it's pretty low, blue exterior and looks promising.

also looking at a 96 4runner with 211,000km and a 98 4runner with 160,000km, so yeah anything could happen.

[SuperchargedMR2]

I just bought a 2007 Corolla CE but it's a 5-speed. I just hate AT so I would never get one. It has 63k miles on it & drives/shifts just fine. I already bought 2 quarts of Redline MT-90 synthetic gear oil. I have 55k miles on my 07 Matrix 5-speed & it still shifts like new. I changed that gear oil at 40k miles with Redline MT-90 too. I also have it in my 09 Corolla S 5-speed.

[hardtopte72]

Most of the decisions on 9th gen Corollas are going to come from the preference in looks between what i consider 5 distinct categories.

2003-2004 CE/LE
2003-2004 S
2005-2008 CE/LE
2005-2008 S
2005-2006 XRS

I find i am partial to the looks of the 2005-2008. My 2005 CE is the hands down best car I have ever owned. I am approaching 100K 99800 to be exact and the only issue was a wheel bearing in the RR went(probably from when it was previously hit in the back) which was replaced under warranty. 5 speed has plenty of power, A/C is ice cold, everything continues to work, and having worked on Toyotas for 3 years it is one of the most reliable vehicles on the road. Plus since its a 2005 it has drive by wire and has one of the cleanest and simple engines bays I have ever seen.

Whatever you choose its gonna be good. I have 3 9th gens in my family. 2003,2005,2007 all running beautifully. The 2003 has 150K and has only seen routine maintenance.

[Tetragram4]

My mom has an 06 Corolla Le automatic. It's Very reliable, very comfortable, and unfortunately very boring to drive. It gets good gas mileage, and seems okay in terms of power for being a 1.8 liter.

The 05 - 06 Xrs has a peppy 1.8 liter yamaha/toyota engine that has to be revved hard to make power. Coupled with a manual 6 speed transmission, frequent shifting is required to get the most enjoyment. But, once you learn how to drive it, boy is it sure fun. I swear, I love this Xrs so much I'm gonna drive this thing into the ground.

[silver04rollas]

Exactly my thoughts.

Originally Posted by Tetragram4

My mom has an 06 Corolla Le automatic. It's Very reliable, very comfortable, and unfortunately very boring to drive. It gets good gas mileage, and seems okay in terms of power for being a 1.8 liter.

The 05 - 06 Xrs has a peppy 1.8 liter yamaha/toyota engine that has to be revved hard to make power. Coupled with a manual 6 speed transmission, frequent shifting is required to get the most enjoyment. But, once you learn how to drive it, boy is it sure fun. I swear, I love this Xrs so much I'm gonna drive this thing into the ground.