2010 Corolla LE Opinions

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Looking at a 2010 Corolla LE with ~189K miles.

Besides all the basic things, are there any known weak spots in terms of transmission or I should be paying special attention to?

Think it has EPS, than the conventional one.

Thanks for the help and feedback
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Originally Posted by maverickfhs
Looking at a 2010 Corolla LE with ~189K miles.

Besides all the basic things, are there any known weak spots in terms of transmission or I should be paying special attention to?

Think it has EPS, than the conventional one.

Thanks for the help and feedback
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I had a 2011 (same car, slight facelift) for 6 years. It was the ultimate penalty box, the EPS sucks on the highway. Fairly reliable, but it did need some suspension work at 100k and the timing chain cover developed a leak around the same time (very common on that motor, but usually doesn't need repair).

The transmission should be fine, but keep in mind 132hp matted to a 4spd SUCKS compared to what else is on the road. With what's in your signature, I'm not sure you'll like this car compared to the TSX and Accord.
 
I also had a 2010 LE, bought it new. Had an accident with it in 2016 with about 30,000 miles and got rid of it. As stated above the ESP sucks on the highway. I live in flat land country in Kansas and the 4 speed transmission would down shift going up hills which I found annoying. I found it to have blind spots. The truck lid would fall on to your head. But it was still a problem free vehicle. I have driven newer Corolla models as rentals and they are much better vehicles than the 2010. The CVT in newer models is fantastic, no downshifting, the steering is improved. The added safety features and entertainment, but still no android auto. But you are looking at a high mileage car so I imagine price is driving your purchase. With that many miles, what can you honestly expect?
 
Hope it's really cheap. I don't have much love for econobox cars that are 10 years old, even if they are Toyotas. They weren't much fun to drive when new either. Would prefer something slightly newer and midsized. You could probably get a Fusion hybrid (extremely reliable) that is 6 or 7 years old for a similar price.
 
Very boring cars but decently reliable. But at 190k you are looking at suspension work, maybe timing chain/variable valve gear, etc... type things.
 
You heard it. EPS on highway singlehandedly makes the case for never, ever, wanting EPS. Later EPS systems wre better. I would not touch it for that alone. I ended up buying daughter no. 2 a Corolla from 2003 to 2008 range (with HPS). I still like her 2005 Corolla LE.
 
Oh, I currently am driving a 1999 Corolla VE with the four speed A/T. Daughter No. 2's Corolla (2005 LE) is OK - and it has the same transaxle, but my '99 (with about 118,000 miles) has a whiney ring and pinion - what I am told is pretty common in the A245E (Aisin)... sorry if the model-aphanumeric is not exactly correct. What I am saying, though, is that you need to listen for a whine... that is NOT tires related and NOT related to a wheel bearing going out. It whines whether on the gas, or coasting... The test to differentiate it from a wheel bearing noise is to CORNER while both on- and off the gas. If this induces the whine, then it is wheel bearing related.

Hard for me to say how it differs from snow-tire whine 'cuz it really sounds simiilar... but currently there are Michelin all seasons on there... and it still whines. They should not whine.

Lastly, there is not obvious metallic residue on the clean paper when wiping down the ATF (from the dipstick)... as I thought there might be.

In any case, look out for this if these model year ranges for a Corolla interest you.
 
Originally Posted by NO2
Hope it's really cheap. I don't have much love for econobox cars that are 10 years old, even if they are Toyotas. They weren't much fun to drive when new either. Would prefer something slightly newer and midsized. You could probably get a Fusion hybrid (extremely reliable) that is 6 or 7 years old for a similar price.


Agreed. After spending 6 years in one of these penalty boxes, upgrading to my midsize (Sonata) was a night and day difference. I'd never go back down in class of car, though my wife's Impreza drives very nicely (completely different than the Corolla did).

Originally Posted by clinebarger
The only non maintenance items on mine was a Timing Cover reseal, Alternator, & resoldered the AUX jack circuit board. Has @ 140,000 miles.


Had the timing cover start to weep on my '11 at around 100k miles. Not inexpensive to get fixed, but chances are the leak is small enough it doesn't need to be.

Originally Posted by Cdn17Sport6MT
You heard it. EPS on highway singlehandedly makes the case for never, ever, wanting EPS. Later EPS systems wre better. I would not touch it for that alone. I ended up buying daughter no. 2 a Corolla from 2003 to 2008 range (with HPS). I still like her 2005 Corolla LE.


In my case, upgrading to a better tire helped a lot, but with gen-1 EPS, it's still lipstick on a pig.
 
I thought those were conventional steering? Missed that detail when I was looking. [Wound up in my '99 Camry, which I think is about the same size, but possibly better. Maybe...] All I remember is, after driving a few, that it was the first car that was just as boring to drive in stick as it was in an automatic. Lackluster in every way. Not that my '11 Camry is better, but I thought the 2010-ish 5MT Corolla was pretty bland, and I found myself preferring the 4AT.
 
I own a 2012 Corolla, boring car reliable drivetrain. You'll hear that over and over. Resale value is pretty good and parts (if you ever need them) are available. There's a reason you see them everywhere, they can take a lot of abuse and keep going.
 
Thanks all, for some reason I like Honda family better than corolla, maybe I am biased. But that car was in need of a lot of TLC and quite boring compared to Civic, so passed on it.
 
Originally Posted by supton
I thought those were conventional steering? Missed that detail when I was looking. [Wound up in my '99 Camry, which I think is about the same size, but possibly better. Maybe...] All I remember is, after driving a few, that it was the first car that was just as boring to drive in stick as it was in an automatic. Lackluster in every way. Not that my '11 Camry is better, but I thought the 2010-ish 5MT Corolla was pretty bland, and I found myself preferring the 4AT.

In my daughter's 2005 Corolla LE - it has a 4 speed automatic. I find that automatic, though only four speeds, shifts very well. One of the things I look for is how well it downshifts, say, to second gear, when going around a city-speed corner. The Corolla does it with finesse. Never harsh, never slow to do so.

Also, the shifts are barely perceptible in normal use.

The engine does NOT have balance shafts... and so you CAN hear the extra noise and vibration at the resonant point. However, notwithstanding this - apparently the life expectancy is NOT impacted negatively.

Final comment... I have a 99 Camry with four cylinder and 5 speed manual. I find that car to be one of the nicer ones I have driven... for what it is... cheap, cheap, cheap. The build-quality is certainly NOT cheap. Mine was built in Japan... and the doublesided galvanized body is rust-free. Thin sheet metal... but not as thin as my Mazda6, The Aisin-Warner five speed manual box is smooth as silk, and it is well-geared for the 2.2 litre engine. A way under-rated powertrain combination (for me).

YMMV.
 
That is the thing, the 4AT was reasonably programmed, and the 5MT was dull. Too long ago to remember, I'm guessing throttle hang and rubbery gearshift. Dunno.

The 4AT in my '99 Camry (also a built in Japan model) does seem well programmed. I generally don't like how lockup is programmed but it seems ok otherwise (in 3rd it will unlock if you look at it sideways, in 4th it's a bit better but it still prefers to unlock under any amount of throttle). Still rust free but most of its life was down south--so I'm sure it's playing catchup. Oil coating might be helping too.

I don't think I've had a chance to drive this generation Camry with a manual. I tried to find one but this one popped up first.
 
Had a Vibe in the same year with same engine and developed a timing cover leak at only 60000 miles. I would start it up and it would make the loudest, most horrible grinding sound when it was cold out.
 
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