2015 Toyota Corolla L

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My '05 Corolla LE, I bought brand new, has been very reliable so far. It's the wife's car and she does not go easy on it.

It's a 1.8L, 1ZZ-FE engine with 4 speed AT. The following is a list of what I've experienced.

  • Very reliable and dependable: Never broken down on us.
  • Decent MPG: best: 37, worst: 29, average: 33.
  • Ride and comfort: Much better ride than my Celica GT.
  • Power: adequate
  • Transmission: Very smooth
  • Engine: Very smooth and quiet at idle. At times, I don't even realize it's running.
  • Electrical: The digital clock stopped working, but there's a fix on youtube. Other than that, no problems.

The following is a list of things I don't like about it.

  • Cruise: works fine but on some hills, it downshifts on it's own. On the same hills, wife's old Corsica never downshifted once.
  • AC unit: had to be repaired/replaced. The shop said it is placed in a bad location and rocks seem to hit it often. /shrug.
  • Does not like extremely cold weather: drivetrain made a loud, nasty and horrible grumbling noise during our cold spell this past winter when temp with windchill got to -38 degrees F. Guess it was it's way of telling me it doesn't like the cold.


I think, compared to your Accord, you'll find the Corolla to be a downgrade in terms of ride comfort and power. If you're looking for one that is comparable to your Accord, I'd go with the Camry. If I had the $$, I would have gotten the Camry, for sure. Hope that helped and I would also test drive the Camry, since you're already at the dealership. Give us an update!
 
i owned a 2014 Corolla LE Eco for about six months. I had to sell it as it aggravated an arthritic knee. So this was a problem unique to me. Traded even up for a LX Civic. I like the Civic better, in addition to it being more comfortable for me. The Corolla was a decent car. The CVT was well-behaved and the MPG was regularly in the mid forties or better. The downsides: tinny, cheap feeling doors, road and wind noise, slightly harsh ride, mediocre AC. Most of the interior materials were good quality but a few odd bargain bin parts thrown in. The main complaints owners have are a lot of rattles (mine had some too), not great paint quality. There have been a few engine problems, some badly milled heads. The ECO models have had more problems. There was a software issue with the valve management module which would result in the car breaking down. They've issued a recall for the software fix. Overall, I think its an above average small car, and very nice looking inside and out. I don't see any reason why you couldn't get 200k.
 
Originally Posted By: dlayman
i owned a 2014 Corolla LE Eco for about six months. I had to sell it as it aggravated an arthritic knee. So this was a problem unique to me. Traded even up for a LX Civic. I like the Civic better, in addition to it being more comfortable for me. The Corolla was a decent car. The CVT was well-behaved and the MPG was regularly in the mid forties or better. The downsides: tinny, cheap feeling doors, road and wind noise, slightly harsh ride, mediocre AC. Most of the interior materials were good quality but a few odd bargain bin parts thrown in. The main complaints owners have are a lot of rattles (mine had some too), not great paint quality. There have been a few engine problems, some badly milled heads. The ECO models have had more problems. There was a software issue with the valve management module which would result in the car breaking down. They've issued a recall for the software fix. Overall, I think its an above average small car, and very nice looking inside and out. I don't see any reason why you couldn't get 200k.


As my wife's RAV is approaching 300k miles, she's thinking she's going to get her name in a record book but when I mention 300k miles to employees at the Toyota dealerships they are not impressed and say they see Toyotas with 300k miles often.

I'd be disappointed with "only" 200k miles.
 
You really can't go wrong with a Corolla, both driving and living with it or at resell time. I've had 3 over the years and found them reliable to the extreme, I enjoyed driving them but hey, they aren't a sports car by any means but are competent. Every time I sold one too, the first person that came to look at it bought it and at my price which was a fair price for both parties. As a young traveling salesman way back in the day I called them a 400-mile-per-day car, whereas my Buick was a 500 mile car. I loved mine and it really did save me money, my daughter loved hers too. I replaced a transmission once, a 3-speed (that car was the only used Corolla I ever bought used) and an interesting note, my first Corolla had a Yamaha-made engine and was a HEMI-head. They have a big fan club of owners.
 
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