09 Corolla LE

[docgecko]

Let me begin by stating this is our 8th Toyota. I got one of the first Celica's in Syracuse when they came out for 1972. So suffice it to say I have always been a Toyota fan. Unfortunately I think this 09 might be my last. We just turned in our 06 Corolla LE lease two days ago and picked up a new 09. This is my wife's car which is the only reason we got it. She's not as critical as I am. LOL First off many more things are cheap plastic than the earlier models. We leased the 09 because the with the 2010 you had to get the next model up in order to get intermittent wipers and the outside temp guage. The 06 had a nice looking wood laminate dash and a padded arm rest on the center console which also opened to a tray to keep change in then another compartment below it to store larger items. The 09 now has a very hard plastic and is very uncomfortable even for short trips. We ran into a lot of other issues with this transaction including many conflicting answers between Toyota Financial and the dealerships. Our daughter also had an 06 Corolla lease and wanted to turn hers in and purchase ours. Toyota told us of two different ways, one dealer said it couldn't be done, the other said they could do it with something called a pass through. When we got to the dealership we were told that they couldn't do a pass through in NYS. Then the day we picked up the new one we couldn't find the title. I called the "business manager" at the dealership to see if perhaps Toyota kept the title. She said no, that we would have to apply for a duplicate title. When we got there to pick up the new car the salesman (very good I might add) found that Toyota does in fact keep the title on a lease car. Some business manager huh? So we spent three plus hours searching high and low for a title we didn't even have. I have a feeling three years from now a Honda Civic (my choice this time) will be sitting next to my Honda Fit in our driveway. Hope everyone else enjoys their toyota's. They are great cars but getting to cheaply made on the interior unless you upgrade to the higher price models. Just MHO.

[sinnaever]

Its all about personal preference. My Car is comfortable, and I don't mind the interior. But like you said its your opinion of the car. Have fun in 3 yrs with a Civic. Good Car, both have cheap interiors since ALL ENTRY LEVEL cars are going plastic now. (See Base Mazda3, City Golf/Jetta/, Civic, Focus, Accent/Elantra, yaris, Fit, the list goes on) No Car company is going to put a lot of money into a cheap car anymore. Those days are gone, like the Hummer.

Cutting costs here and there is what makes car companies profits.

[Pishtosh]

Sorry to hear about your experience. Sounds like you got caught in the twin merry-go-rounds of decontenting and incompetence. I betcha the majority of the folks in this forum would have trouble empathizing. You see, the car companies have, by design, made vehicle acquisition complex because, frankly, too many people can't really afford to buy. Hence the plate of spaghetti that passes for financing options. They've been doing this long enough that the younger folks accept it as normal.

The dealers' job is to untangle the spaghetti and present a simple, credible deal. They do a lousy job because the personnel generally works within a badly combined environment of inability to understand the complexities themselves, the consequent inability to match the customer need with the available options and, worst, a deep seated belief that a confused customer is a good (mark) customer.

I live in Toronto and so take my Toyota to a downtown (Downtown) dealer for service. A trip to the showroom is like jumping down the rabbit hole into Wonderland. You get bad information and twisted logic in response to the very simplest of questions from a guy (me) who is already a customer and who is just curious and wandered over from the service lounge. I buy my Toyotas at a country dealership where they still speak 'logical and straightforward'. I bought the last two over the phone from a guy who has demonstrated competence and trustworthiness.

[joeylgarcia]

my opinion of the 09 corolla is just right. i never expected more than what i paid for. i knew last year that i have a $25k limit on buying a new car and i know what i was getting into. if i wanted more i would have gotten a bmw or a mercedes benz. and today i am still happy with my 09 corolla.

[pastorash]

I'm a first time Corolla owner and so far am loving the car, but I've only got 2200km on it yet. Driving my Caravan around now feels like I'm dirivng a tank and the difference at the pumps is so huge!! But I have an '09 LE (Canadian model) and it serves me just fine. Love the Smart Key system, love the auto climate controls, and the touches inside are nice. True, lots of plastic on the dash, but I'll take that and have some of the nice safety and convenience features that weren't available 5 years ago.

Just my two cents...

[got-rice]

Originally Posted by docgecko

Hope everyone else enjoys their Toyota's. They are great cars but getting to cheaply made on the interior unless you upgrade to the higher price models. Just MHO.

I have to agree with the OP and say that if you've owned other Toyotas in the past, the 2009 is disappointing, especially with the cheap plastic, because it doesn't compare to the material used in the past.

I know that a lot of people love theirs here, but it seems that it may be either your first car or your very first Toyota, as it seems that many returning owners have a higher expectation of the vehicle like myself after owning my first Toyota for almost 13 years. The plastics used on Toyotas have gone down

Originally Posted by sinnaever

Cutting costs here and there is what makes car companies profits.

This is where Toyota will lose customers if they have to cut costs to make money. If their interiors don't have that "edge" they've had in the past, then it's going to turn off many repeat customers, as there are many other choices.

[thestone11]

Cutting down costs is all car manufactures do nowadays. Toyota used to have superb nice looking sports cars like the supra, celica, MR2. But due to lack of market, they are all gone. But still I like my 09 S.

[pmcd76]

i'd much rather take a hit in the plastic, than in added components. compared to my 99 corolla, this car is "Loaded" lol.. the 99 has no power anything, tape deck, heck the base model didn't even have the clock included.

[conbo3]

Originally Posted by got-rice

I have to agree with the OP and say that if you've owned other Toyotas in the past, the 2009 is disappointing, especially with the cheap plastic, because it doesn't compare to the material used in the past.

I know that a lot of people love theirs here, but it seems that it may be either your first car or your very first Toyota, as it seems that many returning owners have a higher expectation of the vehicle like myself after owning my first Toyota for almost 13 years. The plastics used on Toyotas have gone down



This is where Toyota will lose customers if they have to cut costs to make money. If their interiors don't have that "edge" they've had in the past, then it's going to turn off many repeat customers, as there are many other choices.

My highlighted portion of your post describes me perfectly, I traded a 2000 Corolla for my 09. I don't object to the cheapness of the plastic, I object to styling over function. Did Toyota hire some laid-off Ford designers?

[pastorash]

I seem to recall this from another thread, but has not the price of the Corolla stayed pretty consistent for many years now? This would account for cost cutting I think, unless you go to the higher end model.