B: 2009 Corolla - what to be aware of

[greyrolla]

I am planning to retire my 2001 corolla and get either a 2008 or 2009 Corolla.

What should i look for/ be aware of when checking a 2009 Corolla?

TIA

[SARdog6]

-Look for a fairly low mileage car. Rentals are usually well maintained and put up for sale when they hit 30,000 miles (how I got my car).
-Try getting a Certified Pre-owned Corolla at a Toyota dealership, they go over the car and fix/replace anything that is an issue.
-Steering feel is a little vague with the new electric power steering, but you get used to it.
-Make sure that, if the car is a 2009 model, it had the accelerator pedal and floor mat recall fixes.
-Get a CarFax report of the vehicle.

[Dimaoala]

^^^^

I actually wouldn't look for a rental myself because the customers drive hard on them.

[SARdog6]

Originally Posted by Dimaoala

^^^^

I actually wouldn't look for a rental myself because the customers drive hard on them.

On a Corolla? Lol, the though of someone saying, "Hey! Its a rental Corolla, lets go flog the sh!t out of it!" makes me laugh.

I could only see someone driving hard on a rental Corolla if it was a manual, because I have discussed with my dad the possibility of renting a manual transmission car to practice and I know people have done that before.

[SARdog6]

Originally Posted by greyrolla

I am planning to retire my 2001 corolla and get either a 2008 or 2009 Corolla.

What should i look for/ be aware of when checking a 2009 Corolla?

TIA

Ahh!!! You have an '01 Corolla, I used to have a 2002. Go with the 2009 or 10 model, way more safety features on the '09 and even more on the 2010 model, including standard stability and traction control, compared to the 2008 model. Mine is a 2010 S, love it, so much roomier than the 2002 LE I used to have.

[Dimaoala]

Its a possibility, may be funny to think about. But people actually do... a friend of mine did when his car was in the shop lol.

But my point was that if its a rental, its probably been driven hard & abused once or a few times.

[toyotas4all]

Things I would check

1. Drive the car for atleast 30-45 minutes. The LE variant of the 10th gen has been known to cause some customers back pain. See if it is true for you. Adjust it anyway you like.

2. Get on the freeway. There has been known issues with the RPM wildly fluctuating when pushed to highway speeds.

3. If you like to do oil changes, the 10th gen does not have a screw on oil filter. It's one of those filter kinds and is a little harder to change out.

4. The 4 speaker variant has the crappiest audio quality I have heard from any car. But my ears aren't your ears.

5. Check that you have a spare, and a jack in the trunk.

[Jackss731]

Originally Posted by Dimaoala

Its a possibility, may be funny to think about. But people actually do... a friend of mine did when his car was in the shop lol.

But my point was that if its a rental, its probably been driven hard & abused once or a few times.

my friend drove to austin in an MGM rental and asked me if i wanted to switch out any pieces like if i had anything scratched wanted something else. it was awesome!

and yeah people always drive rentals hard! especially cause its not yours!

no matter what the car haha

[Dimaoala]

Lol I was gonna do the same with my S! But he wouldn't let me...

[FlawedLegacy]

Heck when my 00 Rolla was totaled, they gave me a PT Looser to tide me over and I BEAT THAT UP. I didn't give two shits about the car and drove it accordingly. ANY rental/loaner car is a no-no for me. Just my 2c. I bought CPO and glad I did.

[jkowalski]

I too would be wary of buying a rental/loaner vehicle.
Yea, it's a Corolla, so you wouldn't -think- people would abuse it (not a "fun, sporty" car), but believe me.
My truck was in the shop, I got a PT Cruiser (God, why!?). I was on a work trip to Florida and I got a Chevy Aveo.
Both of those, I drove hard. Slamming on the e-brake, shoving into park when not fully stopped, going from drive to reverse or vice-versa while still in motion. You get the point.

On to your question: what everyone else said.
Some have problems with wind noise, or rattling. These can be fixed.
2010 would be a better choice than 2009 (the year I have), just because, as with most first year run cars, they do have small issues that are usually worked out on the second year. (Wish I held off for 2010, because as I remember, the S got the Optitron gauges in 2010, which do look nicer)
Some find the drivers seat uncomfortable. (I do) The arm rest on the drivers door isn't exactly soft, combined with the center "console" having a hard plastic top doesn't make for very comfortable resting points for the arms on long drives.

I can say though, I bought my '09 brand new, and have had essentially zero problems. Of course, you already own a Toyota, so I'm not telling you anything new

[FlawedLegacy]

WOW! And I thought me getting a "comparable car" which ended up being a PT was bad... from a TRUCK?! lmao!

[SuperchargedMR2]

When I was a manager for Enterprise Rent-a-Car the rentals were not really abused. Most of the renters needed a replacement car & were just normal people needing to get to work that day. The cars fluids were checked before every rental & oil changed regularly. You could tell if a car may have been driven harder by the condition it was returned but most were just replacement transportation needed to get from A to B.

I'm not saying that all rentals are decent but there are many that have been treated better than buying one from a previous owner that has driven it hard & never checked or changed fluids on time.

[flamedrgn]

Originally Posted by SARdog6

-Look for a fairly low mileage car. Rentals are usually well maintained and put up for sale when they hit 30,000 miles (how I got my car).
-Try getting a Certified Pre-owned Corolla at a Toyota dealership, they go over the car and fix/replace anything that is an issue.
-Steering feel is a little vague with the new electric power steering, but you get used to it.
-Make sure that, if the car is a 2009 model, it had the accelerator pedal and floor mat recall fixes.
-Get a CarFax report of the vehicle.

rentals...its not the customers that eff them up, its the employees ahaha. the things people dont know about rental cars lol

[corolla_goof]

On my 09 rolla, i have had the following issues:

1. Front "clunk" noise, they replaced some parts, can't remember what but it didn't cost anything. It was reported on this forum by a few members, happens when it is super cold and only on the first few turns. After the car has been driven for a few minutes, it disappears.
2. Musty smell from air vents. Found mostly after running AC, then turning AC off and leaving fan running. Also happens to me on more humid evenings, I really notice it in the morning. They have changed some parts for this as well but it hasn't been resolved. This issue has been reported by other forum members.
3. Accelerator pedal, fixed by recall
4. Brake vacuum, fixed by recall. Recall ID # 19739

Otherwise, the car is a very good car, I still like it alot (though it is not as easy as I would like it to be, in getting my son in/out of the car seat).