[cny03owner]

As the thread title notes, I'm now the former owner of an '03 LE. Not quite by choice, but certainly something that was coming in the near future. Had someone lock up their brakes in front of me on the interstate in moderate traffic, they stopped and I couldn't stop in time... Long story short, both airbags popped, seatbelts locked up, windshield shattered (from the passenger airbag hitting it), bumper and support post pushed back into the radiator, fenders both bowed out, grille and headlight mounting plastic all cracked or broken, small crinkles in the front of the hood. Car amazingly was able to be driven home, with no leaking fluids at all, very surprising since the radiator was caved in fairly good. Other car had to be flatbedded away.

My poor Corolla ended up being totalled out by the insurance company, with at least $9k in damage to a car worth around $8k according to them. Not bad for a 9.5 year old car with almost 154k miles on it that was just over $15k new. Goes to show just how well these cars hold their value.

Luckily I had already been contemplating a new car purchase, and it came down to the 2012 Corolla LE and the 2012 Subaru Impreza 2.0i Premium. Test drove both cars, and found the new Corolla to have hesitant acceleration from a stop, an uncomfortable seat that I couldn't get adjusted comfortably, and a 'cheap' looking interior. Nowhere near as nice as my '03. Impreza was peppy, comfortable, very responsive, and fun to drive. All-wheel drive and better gas mileage sealed the deal, despite the higher sticker price, so I ended up getting the Impreza.

So my '03 is likely a parts donor at this point, via the insurance auction yard. Can't knock the '03 Corolla, only major repairs that I did on it were 2 wheel bearings and a pair of O2 sensors. Changed the oil, tires, filters, and brakes as needed. Other than some small rust spots getting started, it looked pretty decent. Hope the Subaru ends up being just as reliable. Maybe one of these days, if Toyota gets the Corolla back on track, I'll be back driving one. Until then, I'm a former owner...

 

[silver04rollas]

Sad to hear about the accident. Congrats on the Imprezza. Good decision, indeed. I was also very surprised to see how much cheap plastic now the new Corolla has. Quite abysmal.

 

[heartdisease]

The car is toast but how are you? Fine I assume as you are still here posting. How is the crash rating on the Subi compared to the Rolla? First question I would ask.

 

[cny03owner]

Thankfully both myself and the other driver are fine. The safety equipment operated as intended, and there were no injuries. Just a little sore from that sudden deceleration. Cars can be replaced, people can't.

Checked out the Subaru, and it got named a IIHS Top Safety Pick. Has airbags all over the place -- front, rear, side, curtain, driver's knees... so plenty of safety equipment. Looks to have slightly better individual ratings overall comparred to the Corolla.

Did my homework as best as I could before purchasing. Either car could have come home with me, until I did the test drives. That was what made up my mind...

 

[Bob Shiftright]

Had someone lock up their brakes in front of me on the interstate in moderate traffic, they stopped and I couldn't stop in time... Long story short, both airbags popped, seatbelts locked up, windshield shattered (from the passenger airbag hitting it), bumper and support post pushed back into the radiator, fenders both bowed out, grille and headlight mounting plastic all cracked or broken, small crinkles in the front of the hood. Car amazingly was able to be driven home, with no leaking fluids at all, very surprising since the radiator was caved in fairly good. Other car had to be flatbedded away.

Did your car have the optional ABS?

Minor rant here -- my 2003 -- early 2002 Japan manufacture and low SN (000xxxx) Corolla is equipped with the optional ABS ($300) and optional side airbags ($250).

I insisted that my late aunt order the car this way. As I recall, these were not common options at the time. It took some searching for the Toyota dealer to find it, but they found it. I admire Toyota but am still less than happy that they decided to make these features optional on the 9th generation to keep the price down by $550 (probably much less, if they so equipped all the NA market cars). I've driven performance cars without ABS -- the Porsche 911 didn't get ABS until about 1990 and the Dodge Viper didn't get ABS until the Second Generation, and there are reasons why one might not want ABS on a car that's tracked. But a Corolla LE with an automatic transmission isn't a performance car and I doubt it's tracked too often.

Since all new Corollas sold in North America have this equipment now it's a moot point.

End of rant. Glad you're OK and good luck with your new car!

 

[heartdisease]

I have to say I do love modern life, people walk away from some pretty crazy things these days. Glad you did

 

[cny03owner]

Did your car have the optional ABS?

Minor rant here -- my 2003 -- early 2002 Japan manufacture and low SN (000xxxx) Corolla is equipped with the optional ABS ($300) and optional side airbags ($250).

I insisted that my late aunt order the car this way. As I recall, these were not common options at the time. It took some searching for the Toyota dealer to find it, but they found it. I admire Toyota but am still less than happy that they decided to make these features optional on the 9th generation to keep the price down by $550 (probably much less, if they so equipped all the NA market cars). I've driven performance cars without ABS -- the Porsche 911 didn't get ABS until about 1990 and the Dodge Viper didn't get ABS until the Second Generation, and there are reasons why one might not want ABS on a car that's tracked. But a Corolla LE with an automatic transmission isn't a performance car and I doubt it's tracked too often.

Since all new Corollas sold in North America have this equipment now it's a moot point.

End of rant. Glad you're OK and good luck with your new car!

No, I didn't have the optional ABS. I remember it being an option that wasn't the easiest to find, and the price tag for it wasn't something I was willing to pay at the time.

Thanks!

 

[cny03owner]

I have to say I do love modern life, people walk away from some pretty crazy things these days. Glad you did

Yep, modern technology is wonderful, when it works. I'm glad I was able to walk away from it too.