Right now I drive a 1991 corolla and it's a great car, it's just falling apart (rust - wheel wells, bumper falling off, etc) and I think I'm ready for a new car.
The Mazda 3 looks like it would be a fun little car to drive and is fairly affordable (around 18k new for what I want).
The 07 Corolla, however, seems like it would be a better investment (a lot of people say you shouldnt buy a brand new car because it would depreciate so quickly over the first couple of years, but if I bought a brand new car I would plan on owning it until it died - that's what has happened with almost all of my previous cars, however they were all very used when I got them).
I have a few questions, though.
Is the powertrain of the 07 Corolla as well-built and reliable as the 91 I'm driving now?
What kind of engine and transmission does it have? (any common problems springing up in the newer generations?) I would want to be able to push 200,000 miles with regular oil changes and routine maintenance from day one without many unforseen costs.
Is the stick or automatic a better transmission? I'm thinking a stick would add to the fun-factor a little bit, but my only experience with driving a stick in the past has led to clutch problems (94 stealth) and I thought I was driving properly so I don't know if those are just bad clutches? How long will a clutch in an 07 last (estimated)? Are the auto transmissions as good as my 91's?
Are the bodies of newer corollas just as prone to rusting? The 91 has severe rust problems and I live in a place where they use a lot of salt on the roads. I wouldn't want to see the same thing happen to a new corolla in 15 years, although that is a long time for any car to last.
The new corolla does seem boring, and I dont understand why when I go to build one online you can get either cruise control OR power windows, but not both? At least on one of the trim levels... weird. The mazda would be a lot more fun to drive on a daily basis, I think, and being made entirely in Japan I would tend to think it might be of close to as good quality as the corolla, although I know the same history is not there.
Anyway, just some general comments or questions and any comments you might have about the corolla or mazda 3, or my old corolla for comparison's sake would be great.
My LE has both cruise and power windows, so maybe look into that model. However, given that the Corolla is drive-by-wire now, adding cruise after you get the car should be a plug and play operation.
The Toyota will have better resale value than the Mazda for a long time to come, but that's not an important issue for you. However, I'd say the reliablity of the Toyota could be counted on a bit more than the Mazda, although I don't think there are a lot of cars out there anymore that will leave one broken down along the expressway.
the ae92 corollas are prone to rust? im sry but that's just hard to believe. my 90 corolla has never been re-painted or anything and there's not a spot of rust on it :P about the cluch, mine lasted 15 years before i had to replace it, and that was only because i had a mild accident. the body and frame were fine, but the cluch died after a week of it not working right, so it probably would have gone another couple of years. the new corolla sucks as far as being fun to drive. there is nothing special about it. i would probably get the mazda. however, very few cars in my experience are as well built and reliable as the 88-92 corollas. not to mention that when something does go out, it's relatively inexpensive to repair.
I just recently got a new '07 Corolla LE and mine came standard with power windows and the cruise control was part of an option package.
I really like the car except for the steering wheel. I'm over 6' tall and the car has plenty of leg room with the seat slid back, but I can't reach the steering wheel when the seat is back. I almost didn't buy it because of the steering wheel. They should have made the steering column about 3 or 4 inches longer.
They also need to move the radio antenna to the fender. It makes the car look cheap with the antenna sticking out of the roof.
I would check into the mazda 3. I was looking at getting the wagon several months back and the mpg is low as far as I am concerned. Most owners were getting only in the mid 20's. It was a neat car but I don't think you can compare the quality to a corolla. Just my 2 cents.
the ae92 corollas are prone to rust? im sry but that's just hard to believe.
I see you are from Arizona, so it should probably be brought to your attention that vehicles in your state simply do not have to deal with the rust issues that the snow belt autos have to. It's not uncommon to see rust on vehicles no older than 5 years old in the Midwest, if regular washing wasn't part of the car's life.
I see you are from Arizona, so it should probably be brought to your attention that vehicles in your state simply do not have to deal with the rust issues that the snow belt autos have to. It's not uncommon to see rust on vehicles no older than 5 years old in the Midwest, if regular washing wasn't part of the car's life.
I live in Washington State, TONS of ice melter in the winter, and we have had no problem with rusting with our 93 Corolla. This is probably the best built car I've ever owned. The clutch is original (217,000 miles), in fact the engine gave out before the clutch did (currently rebuilding the engine).
As for the original post, the Mazda 3 may be "fun to drive", but it sounds to me like you're looking for a car that is going to lasat a long time, for that I'd go with the Corolla no questions asked, in my opinion it is by far a better car.
I just recently got a new '07 Corolla LE and mine came standard with power windows and the cruise control was part of an option package.
I really like the car except for the steering wheel. I'm over 6' tall and the car has plenty of leg room with the seat slid back, but I can't reach the steering wheel when the seat is back. I almost didn't buy it because of the steering wheel. They should have made the steering column about 3 or 4 inches longer.
They also need to move the radio antenna to the fender. It makes the car look cheap with the antenna sticking out of the roof.
Yeah.. When I drive my aunt's '06 Corolla the steering wheel is very awkward. I feel like I can't reach it like you said. I'd be concerned about maneurvering in an emergency situation. My '05 Camry is just fine, as is my other aunt's '05 Avalon. I guess they geared the Corolla's steering wheel position for shorter people.
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'05 2AZ-FE @ 47K miles | '95 1MZ-FE @ 92K miles moving forward
The Mazda 3 looks like it would be a fun little car to drive and is fairly affordable (around 18k new for what I want).
I drove a 07 Mazda 3 for a week as a rental after a deer rammed my Corolla, I was glad to get back into my Corolla...
The gas millage is terrible probably because its not a true stick shift, the steering turns tight, you have a lot of "dead spots" looking back when your backing up, I couldn't get used to the brakes, the bottom of the dash comes down lower to the brake pedal then the Corolla's and if you have big feet the tip of your toe hits this part and gets you paranoid over time, there is no automatic "lights on" feature like the Corolla has, I didn't think I would miss that but I did..I found a few times I was driving with my lights off or leaving my car with the lights still on...the dashes red/blue look isn't that impressive, trunk space is a little higher but the same as the Corolla....
Good features the seats and seat covers are better and projection head lights are much brighter.. Radio looks nice in the car and the on wheel tuning is a nice feature........
This car got good ratings but I was still happy when I got my Corolla back...
~Radd
Are you talking about the new about to be introduced model Corolla or the ones for sale now ?
There was a post here before i belive with the same heading .... Toyota vs Mazda ... it got out of hand, huge flame war ... think it was close to 10 pages and it got locked.
Car and driver said something along the lines of ... it will leave the WRX behind by third gear, it will beat the new VW GTI and just plain simple slap the Civic Si silly.
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