First forum post here. I currently own a 1998 Civic but it's getting towards the point in its life where aging parts here and there will start to give out. I'm going to skip that part of its life and go straight to an 04-05-ish Corolla, since they seem to run slightly cheaper than '04-05 Civics and are basically the same thing.
I looked at three corollas (and a trashed Matrix) on saturday. One CE, one LE, and one XRS. Tuesday, I tried an S after work.
Why does the legroom vary so much? One thing is clear to me as a 6' 2" person with long legs: the seats in these cars vary quite a lot. All of the cars I drove except the CE are 2005 and some of them (like the XRS) feel cavernous and others, very cramped. I adjusted all of the seats to the "lowest" and farthest back positions.
Why do these cars shift so hard? I don't understand why on all of these cars, even with the clutch jammed all the way to the floor, I almost have to use two hands to get the transmission to go into the next gear. I am thinking that, by pure coincidence, all of the cars I have driven have destroyed synchros. Am I right, or is this simply the way these cars are? On my Civic, I can comfortably go from gear to gear with literally one finger or one thumb on the shifter, and it has twice the mileage of the Corollas I have driven.
The clutches also vary a lot. The XRS, ironically, had the lightest and least "grippy" one, despite being a pseudo-performance car. Some of them, I feel like I'm literally driving a late 70's pickup truck.
Overall, I like the 2005 Corolla as a car and I'm looking forward to owning one, I'm just hesitant because I feel awkward every time I drive one of these. They all feel so different. Maybe I just need to try some more out, and by coincidence, all of the ones I have driven so far have been bad cars. The XRS was the only one that handily trashed my Civic in every respect, but unfortunately I later found out that it has a high compression ratio engine that can't run on regular, and this car will be used for commuting. I will be driving another "S" tomorrow.
First forum post here. I currently own a 1998 Civic but it's getting towards the point in its life where aging parts here and there will start to give out. I'm going to skip that part of its life and go straight to an 04-05-ish Corolla, since they seem to run slightly cheaper than '04-05 Civics and are basically the same thing.
I looked at three corollas (and a trashed Matrix) on saturday. One CE, one LE, and one XRS. Tuesday, I tried an S after work.
Why does the legroom vary so much? One thing is clear to me as a 6' 2" person with long legs: the seats in these cars vary quite a lot. All of the cars I drove except the CE are 2005 and some of them (like the XRS) feel cavernous and others, very cramped. I adjusted all of the seats to the "lowest" and farthest back positions.
Why do these cars shift so hard? I don't understand why on all of these cars, even with the clutch jammed all the way to the floor, I almost have to use two hands to get the transmission to go into the next gear. I am thinking that, by pure coincidence, all of the cars I have driven have destroyed synchros. Am I right, or is this simply the way these cars are? On my Civic, I can comfortably go from gear to gear with literally one finger or one thumb on the shifter, and it has twice the mileage of the Corollas I have driven.
The clutches also vary a lot. The XRS, ironically, had the lightest and least "grippy" one, despite being a pseudo-performance car. Some of them, I feel like I'm literally driving a late 70's pickup truck.
Overall, I like the 2005 Corolla as a car and I'm looking forward to owning one, I'm just hesitant because I feel awkward every time I drive one of these. They all feel so different. Maybe I just need to try some more out, and by coincidence, all of the ones I have driven so far have been bad cars. The XRS was the only one that handily trashed my Civic in every respect, but unfortunately I later found out that it has a high compression ratio engine that can't run on regular, and this car will be used for commuting. I will be driving another "S" tomorrow.
Thanks for any pointers you guys can provide!
Hi: If you don't feel comfortable (or get comfortable) in the car, then that will take the "enjoyment" out of owning one. Corolla may not be the car for you, since you have had "issues" with everyone that you have driven so far. You did not state how much you wanted to spend, but if you don't mind a little less HP, and maybe a little more noise, why don't you give the Scion XB a try? It may fit what you need in a car, and the first gens were very good on fuel usage, plus it is a neat car to boot.
Sure, valid points. Let me be more straight to the point: the XRS was basically perfect, but it isn't a commuter car. It fit me like a glove and drove great, much better than my civic, but it takes premium and costs more ($9k) than other corollas. I would be paying for features I don't want or need.
I would be comfortable spending $8k, and most of the 04-05 corollas seem to be around that range, some more, some way less. I just want to know whether I should expect an average corolla to feel similarly. I am trying to figure out whether the huge variations are due to the previous owners or manufacturing.
I'll definitely look into the xB on your recommendation.
Sure, valid points. Let me be more straight to the point: the XRS was basically perfect, but it isn't a commuter car. It fit me like a glove and drove great, much better than my civic, but it takes premium and costs more ($9k) than other corollas. I would be paying for features I don't want or need.
I would be comfortable spending $8k, and most of the 04-05 corollas seem to be around that range, some more, some way less. I just want to know whether I should expect an average corolla to feel similarly. I am trying to figure out whether the huge variations are due to the previous owners or manufacturing.
I'll definitely look into the xB on your recommendation.
It's always better to have more than 1 car you're looking for, just in case your #1 choice is not available and/or in good condition. Good luck in your search
Today I drove another '05 Corolla that confirmed my suspicions that the other three I drove besides the XRS had some kind of serious issues. It drove flawlessly, shifted very easily, and just overall felt very solid, as if the previous owner had treated it with respect. It had an idling issue, but I don't believe the ECU was replaced (per recall), so that could very well be all it is (of course, could also be a busted MAF sensor or IAC valve or spark plugs, or.... haha). Assuming the problems are resolved, this will likely be my new car, otherwise, now I know to keep looking until I find one that shifts and drives smoothly like this one and the XRS.
I think test driving an xB would be beneficial (broaden my horizons), so I might just go ahead and look for one of those, even though they are even more ugly than the Corolla S.
Sorry, this was one heck of a useless thread as I have now answered my own question.
Today I drove another '05 Corolla that confirmed my suspicions that the other three I drove besides the XRS had some kind of serious issues. It drove flawlessly, shifted very easily, and just overall felt very solid, as if the previous owner had treated it with respect. It had an idling issue, but I don't believe the ECU was replaced (per recall), so that could very well be all it is (of course, could also be a busted MAF sensor or IAC valve or spark plugs, or.... haha). Assuming the problems are resolved, this will likely be my new car, otherwise, now I know to keep looking until I find one that shifts and drives smoothly like this one and the XRS.
I think test driving an xB would be beneficial (broaden my horizons), so I might just go ahead and look for one of those, even though they are even more ugly than the Corolla S.
Sorry, this was one heck of a useless thread as I have now answered my own question.
Don't feel bad since a lot us learn by taking the long scenic route around.
Buying a used car is definitely a crap shoot. The XRS is definitely a great car that gets good mileage even though it uses premium.
It's pretty much a 4-door Celica GT-S save for the suspension.
__________________
Quote:
Originally Posted by TURBO Das Automagazin
A BRZ, a curvy mountain road makes one liter of happiness hormones.
I just bought a 2007 Corolla CE 5-speed. I test drove many different 9th Gen Corollas since that was what my girls wanted. I'm also 6'2" but I didn't notice much difference in comfort or roominess between the different trim levels. I lucked out & found the 07 CE for $6200. It has 63k miles. It was stolen & recovered after the insurance company paid off the owner. The car was fine with some minor fender damage that was repaired. I even saw the pictures of it when they recovered it. It runs well & shifts smoothly. It even had the ECU recall done & I was abe to go down to the local Toyota dealer & he pulled all the maintenance records for it & it had always been serviced at a local Toyota dealer.
Good luck with your car shopping.
__________________ 89 Supercharged White MR2 5-speed / 09 Corolla S CSM 5-speed
07 Matrix XR Gray Pearl 5-speed (sold 11/23/11)/ 94 Corolla DX Red 5-speed / 95 Previa S/C White Auto/
07 Corolla CE CSM 5-speed/ 10 Prius III Blizzard Pearl
I ended up buying a grey 2005 Corolla S (5-speed, of course) with 97k miles. They listed it for $8800 roughly and I paid $8000.
Several things convinced me this was the one I wanted: Firstly, it idled smoothly and drove well. The clutch and transmission are in good shape. It has the unnaturally roomy driver's position like the XRS did (I am convinced now that two different seats were produced for the 2005 model). Finally, it was detailed to a superb level and lacked any kind of odor or evidence it had ever been driven (no smoke, too!!). Brand new tires, and the original "alloy" wheels don't have a scratch. I was hesistant to buy the "S" model with the ugly plastic pieces and the wing, but there are some finishing touches here and there like the alloy wheels that make up for it.
The dealership I bought it from is a Subaru dealership and they were very nice people. I called and left a message asking whether the ECU had been replaced under the recall and I got a message back the next day saying that they had it replaced. They also threw in a 3,000 mile warranty (originally 1,000 miles).
Driving this car home and driving over the weekend, I couldn't be happier...it's really a brilliant compact. This car is so much quieter, more comfortable, smoother....it's just better in every respect than my old civic. The stock radio sounds very good and pulls in stations fairly easily to boot.
The Following User Says Thank You to MD1032 For This Useful Post:
Thanks for coming back to post your results! Too often people will talk about this and that but never report the results of their decisions!
I'm pretty sure you'll be happy with this car. To be honest I wasn't much of a Toyota guy until I started driving my g/f's 03 Corolla. It's an all around comfortable and decent car (even if it is an automatic).
And for the record the Pontiac Vibe is a re-badged Toyota Matrix!
Congrats on your purchase!
FYI- if you go on the Toyota website, where it says 'for owners', you can update the ownership record and see the entire history of the car.
The XRS clutch must have been abused and toast. It is not uncommon on 2ZZ cars. As simple as that.
Aside from my XRS, all the other XRS I have driven nearly brand new grab only 1 to 2 inches off the floor and also grip suddenly.
My clutch is still going very strong after 100,000 km despite having launched on the drag strip more than a dozen times, but many XRS owners burned their clutches and had to get aftermarket ACT or Exxedy clutches.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MD1032
The clutches also vary a lot. The XRS, ironically, had the lightest and least "grippy" one, despite being a pseudo-performance car. Some of them, I feel like I'm literally driving a late 70's pickup truck.
Overall, I like the 2005 Corolla as a car and I'm looking forward to owning one, I'm just hesitant because I feel awkward every time I drive one of these. They all feel so different. Maybe I just need to try some more out, and by coincidence, all of the ones I have driven so far have been bad cars. The XRS was the only one that handily trashed my Civic in every respect, but unfortunately I later found out that it has a high compression ratio engine that can't run on regular, and this car will be used for commuting. I will be driving another "S" tomorrow.
Thanks for any pointers you guys can provide!
__________________ SSM 05 Corolla XRS 6 Spd VVTL-i 2ZZ-GE /04 Corolla S 1ZZ-FE (sold)
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Sylvia
It runs well & shifts smoothly. It even had the ECU recall done & I was abe to go down to the local Toyota dealer & he pulled all the maintenance records for it & it had always been serviced at a local Toyota dealer. 
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