What Motivated You

[Xenos]

Those few of you that read my first post around here know the reason that I ended up in a 2011 Corolla. It's all thanks to Ford motor company and the craptacular 2012 Focus that literally made me hate driving to work. I was so happy to get rid of that POS that I just walked around with a smile stuck to my face for about two days straight.

But this thread is not so much about what a POS the Focus was but more about what motivated me to go with the Corolla. Let's face it, there is plenty of competition out there now in this segment and some of it is pretty nice. Even the aforementioned Focus has some pretty cool features, if you can get them work. The touch screen in the Focus is widely known for locking up and generally just being bug ridden. Couple that with the numerous complaints about the crappy dual clutch transmission and what you end up with is what we have here locally which is 36 brand new Focus cars just sitting on the lot at the Ford dealer because the word is out and nobody will buy them.

But aside from the Focus there are plenty of other nice choices in this segment. The tried and true Honda Civic comes to mind. It can get pretty pricey in the Si configuration but a typical Civic sedan starts at just 15K and can be nicely optioned at around 18 to 20K. Not bad. It has sort of a love it or hate interior and some people are of course complaining that the most recent update to the Civic wasn't much of an update. Regardless of the moaning and groaning, the fact remains that you know when you buy a Civic that it is going to do exactly what it was designed to do. It's going to be reliable, deliver a nice ride and get great gas mileage.

Other contenders to the segment include the Kia Forte, Mazda 3, Nissan Sentra, and the Hyundai Elantra. Some of these are pretty nice but ultimately I ended up in the Corolla over all of these. Why?

For starters the Corolla was on sale during the Toyotathon here locally so I could get one at a great price which I needed in order to negate the huge amount of negative equity that the Focus had already accrued. You know its bad when the local Ford dealer depreciates their own car by 10,000 dollars in only six months. But they'll insist that its a great car. Whatever. That was a depreciation of 46% of the vehicles value in six months. Garbage car.

But getting a great price could also be achieved at some of the other dealerships. What really motivated me was when I actually drove the Corolla. I had never even considered a Corolla before. I think what turned me off was that you see them everywhere. Its only the most sold car worldwide and here in the US is no different. But obvious to me now is that there is a good reason that Toyota has sold so many. The car delivers a great ride. I was genuinely surprised. The cabin was quiet, the car handles well, and it runs very smoothly. It is an impression that is difficult to put to words I suppose but I have driven a great many cars in my life and from the first time that I drove both the Corolla and the Camry I could tell that they were both just very well engineered cars. Everything just works smoothly and efficiently. By comparison to my Focus it was night and day difference. I didn't care that the Corolla didn't have hands free phone or satellite radio or blah blah blah. It runs perfectly and you just can't appreciate how important that is until you've been the owner of a car that just runs like garbage. (See Ford Focus lol)

The funny part is that the guys over on the Ford forum that I used to frequent just could not wrap their head around why I would opt for the Corolla over the other cars in the segment. They've obviously never driven one apparently. My Corolla ran smoother than my Focus even after I hit a small piece of furniture on a dark road that knocked out my lower grill and seriously dented my condenser / radiator. It never leaked a drop and it still ran smooth as silk. Hence my signature below. The Corolla just runs as a car should run. Even with its somewhat old school 4 speed automatic and even without a fancy direct injection engine, it still runs better than almost anything else in this segment with the exception perhaps of the Honda Civic and even then I would say they are equally as smooth. There is no denying that the Japanese have figured out how to masterfully engineer the front wheel drive commuter car and yes I know that it's built here in the US. Mine was built in Mississippi. The thing of it is, I know that the domestic brand companies could make a car this good. What one man can do, another can do. But the domestic brands just seem to be stuck in that old school way of thinking which dictates that entry level cars somehow don't deserve the degree of engineering attention to detail that the imports provide. They cut corners and cut costs and it doesn't help that they are assembled by well paid but less than stellar labor from the UAW.

So the Ford guys all think I've lost my marbles because I would opt for the Corolla over the Kia or the Hyundai. Nothing against those brands but with the Corolla I know without any doubt that I have a car that will give me years and years of trouble free service and it provides a great ride to boot. It's the ideal car for commuting back and forth to work and running around town on the weekends. When I need a truck then I have my 2011 Tacoma in the garage right next to my Corolla. I don't mind putting friends and dates in the Corolla to go places. When I had the Focus, I kid you not, I wouldn't let people ride with me because the car was an embarrassment. It would shake and shudder and rattle like the cheap POS that it is. In the Corolla the ride is smooth and quiet and well behaved. It is just flat out a very well engineered car and that is what motivated me to opt for the Corolla. So, what motivated the rest of you?

[SuperchargedMR2]

That is one heck of a long post.

I've owned Toyotas for 30+ years & I've had fantastic results from every Toyota that I've owned. I too test drove many other cars before buying the Corolla. When the 10th gen Corolla came out I loved it right away. The body style looked so much more aggressive then the 9th gen IMO. When I test drove it it was the best ride & handled nicely to me. I was not going to mod it & I wanted it for the MPG. I wasn't going to us my MR2 for my daily driver & my 94 Corolla was going to be the car I taught my daughters to drive & they still do.

I've never regretted buying my Corolla & I love it more then the day I bought it. I'll own it for a long time & maybe one of my daughters will get this years down the road when I buy a 14th gen Corolla. Then again, maybe I'll keep it & still buy a 14th gen Corolla!

[Xenos]

It is a long post isn't it? lol But hey, sometimes you just have to elaborate to convey exactly what you want to say and summing it up in three or four sentences just won't get the job done.

Like you, I couldn't be happier about my Corolla purchase. It's a great car. Just like I told one of the Ford guys the other night who was sarcastically referring to it as an "appliance car". I said, "Yep, but I don't have to drive that POS Ford Focus anymore and you just can't put a price on that kind of satisfaction." lol That got them really fired up and the moderator had to lock the thread.

[Jzen16]

such a long post lol.

hmmm, working on cars..kinda runs in my blood? lol. goes in the family. just feels natural and addicting to shop for car parts and discover new things that could improve the performance/appearance of them. although $$ drains quick sometimes!

and wow scmr2, you're thinking wayyyy ahead! 14th ?! that's awhile from now isn't itt, yeah ? lol

[Dimaoala]

I can relate to Jim, my parents have been in the Toyota Family for at least 30 years. My dad has driven many other brands, but once he's stuck with Toyota since he drove his first Toyota. There was no doubt in my mind that my parents were gonna get me a Toyota.

I was originally in the market for a 2005-2006 Corolla Xrs, but the ones around or in my area had problems, too many miles, or didn't have the right price. Once the 10thGen Corolla came out, I loved the bodystyle, but I still wanted the 9thGen Xrs lol. But once I knew that I couldn't find or get one, I opted for the 10thGen Xrs. Didn't find one either, so I got a '09 S, I loved it as my first car, but it ended up getting totaled because of a dumb driver. So I went back in the market for generations of the Xrs, and I stumbled across the one I drive now

I love my Corolla Xrs, it gets pretty good gas mileage and is pretty fun to drive. Even though it's one of the most cars seen on the road, I still get so many questions on what kind of car it is. It's fun modding a Corolla because it's different. People in my area are all about their Honda's, but yet doing a Toyota, especially a Corolla is waaaay different and sets you from the crowd. I get so boosted when I turn heads

I know for a fact this Corolla will last me years and won't disappoint me.

[Jzen16]

Originally Posted by Dimaoala

I can relate to Jim, my parents have been in the Toyota Family for at least 30 years. My dad has driven many other brands, but once he's stuck with Toyota since he drove his first Toyota. There was no doubt in my mind that my parents were gonna get me a Toyota.

I was originally in the market for a 2005-2006 Corolla Xrs, but the ones around or in my area had problems, too many miles, or didn't have the right price. Once the 10thGen Corolla came out, I loved the bodystyle, but I still wanted the 9thGen Xrs lol. But once I knew that I couldn't find or get one, I opted for the 10thGen Xrs. Didn't find one either, so I got a '09 S, I loved it as my first car, but it ended up getting totaled because of a dumb driver. So I went back in the market for generations of the Xrs, and I stumbled across the one I drive now

I love my Corolla Xrs, it gets pretty good gas mileage and is pretty fun to drive. Even though it's one of the most cars seen on the road, I still get so many questions on what kind of car it is. It's fun modding a Corolla because it's different. People in my area are all about their Honda's, but yet doing a Toyota, especially a Corolla is waaaay different and sets you from the crowd. I get so boosted when I turn heads

I know for a fact this Corolla will last me years and won't disappoint me.

you are so right about that! I am literally the only corolla enthusiast around my area

[FlawedLegacy]

so of the 5 cars i've owned, 4 have been Corollas. 3 of 4 are still on the road, the one that isn't is the reason I went RIGHT BACK to Corolla.

I walked away from this with bruises and few cuts, nothing more. I knew then and there I was getting another Corolla.

BIG ASS TRUCK towing two full sized vans used me as his brakes on the highway when I was at a dead stop...

Truck and Vans:



My 00 Corolla:


The other cars I was forced into:


-yes, all 4!

and that is why I am loyal to the Corolla!!!

[Digital_Jedi]

Like all the other posts, I was highly influenced by my family. Since I was young we have always had toyotas (however my dad has an e-class and my mom has a 3 series now) , so Toyota I've been able to see Toyota quality in a variety of models. My first car was my parents old 94 Camry, I was so proud of that thing hahaha. Then when I went to college o bought myself a 6th gen celica.....brought her up to 180k before I sold her and got the corolla!

[FlawedLegacy]

oh yeah, forgot to mention... the Corolla in the pic was dad's before I got it.

[PhatRoyale]

Nothing motivated me to buy a Corolla. I got stuck with it since it was a hand-me-down first car. Mine is almost 15 years old and nearing 170K miles. I want to upgrade to something newer and more exciting to drive but it still runs like a Timex watch. It takes a licking and keeps on ticking. I appreciate the car because it's nice and small compared to the newer "Compact" cars, easy to park, and has good all-around visibility.

[trlhiker]

The main reason I bought my 2010 Corolla S used was because of price, good looks, reliability, and great gas milage. I couldn't afford a new one and there really wasn't anything out there that got such good mpg's and had a good reputation, 2010 and older, than the corolla. I wanted an older one but the prices were rediculous. I really wanted a hatchback but didn't like the Matrix so much and their mpg's were much worse than the corolla and were harder to find.
I really liked the Mazda 3 and Subaru Impreza hatchbacks but they cost way to much for me.

[FlawedLegacy]

Now the reason I got the 10th gen is b/c I loved the looks over the 07 and 06 I was looking at and had 16k miles vs 75k.

[jeepnuts311]

I was am still a jeep guy, when it comes to recreational vehicles. After I built my cherokee into a rockcrawler with 4.88 gears, front and rear lockers and 35" tires it wasn't great to DD anymore. First time I rolled it on the trail, it became less fun to DD since the doors and half the roof got removed by sawzall.


I bought a 07 Tacoma to DD, it was a 4cyl 5 speed


Traded that for an 08 Tacoma TRD 6cyl 6spd which was a BAMF truck. I rolled it end over end two times. That sold me on Toyota. Truck saved our lives.




After that, I went with the fastest full size truck on the market, the 5.7L monster Tundra.


Would have kept that truck forever, but the divorce caused me to need to save money. So I was looking to lower my payment and get better mileage.

I went back to Toyota, obviously. My stipulations were 4cyl, 5speed, cheap. I found this used corolla and signed papers right away. very very happy with this purchase.

-Tim

[PhatRoyale]

I love Jeeps. I wouldn't mind DD'ing an SRT-8 version. The thing REALLY MOVES when you get on it.

[JimBowNut]

The exact same WRECK happened to my sister in her corolla.?

She went out and bought another rolla after she got her insurance payment.

And..............she is another rolla fanatic from memphis too !