So… background on the 03 Corolla… my (native Texan) wife bought it new just before she started law school at the University of Iowa. She had a RWD Nissan Frontier pickup that she loved, but was terrible in snow. After the trade, she felt like the Corolla was bland, and a downgrade. Numerous times, there were identical cars in the parking lot or a friend would say “hey I saw you out driving” when she hadn’t been. Silver 03-08 Corollas had to be the most common car in the US for a while. She chose the Corolla on the recommendation of friends, and mechanically it didn’t let her down, but she never really liked the car. I met her in 2008, when her car had 40K on it, and have maintained the car since then. So far it has only needed some a/c work, a $90 starter, and an $8 shifter bushing. We (mostly I) were hoping to wait until all of our student loans were paid before buying her a nice car, but I sold my Town car due to fears of repair bills down the road and my 04 Ram’s radiator failed, overheated, and the 4.7 was done for. I commuted for a few weeks in my inherited 2013 Ram crew cab, but it’s not ideal for 60-mile round trip commutes to Austin. So, with down payment from my sold Town Car and 04 Ram, we bought the IS. I’m 41 and never had a car payment in my life, so this is all very new to me.