2009 Toyota Corolla LE 1.8 gas

Summary:

Best car I have ever owned in my life

Faults:

Positive battery terminal corroded; replaced under warranty.

New tires and battery at 37,000 miles.

New front brake pads and rotors machined at 28,000 miles.

Otherwise no problems.

General Comments:

Excellent acceleration and high speed performance on the highways.

Easy and pleasant handling.

Great gas mileage; 23 MPG city, up to 38 MPG highway.

Anti-lock brakes are superb!

AM-FM/CD sound system is great.

My brother and sisters have all owned Toyotas and are very pleased with their performance and reliability, and I'm glad I listened to them.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 16th October, 2013

17th Mar 2014, 16:33

Follow up by this owner: On 3/17/2014, my water pump failed and it was replaced under the powertrain warranty without charge.

8th Sep 2018, 21:10

Update by the owner: This is the only car I have ever owned that I have NEVER had to add oil between each oil change, which I have done per owner's manual every 5K miles or 6 months, whichever comes first; still runs well at 89k miles, but I have had to replace 3 of my 4 coil packs; easy to do myself with proper tools.

In reply to 8th Sep 2018, 21:10

9th Sep 2018, 10:18

I've read a few articles and watched some videos from mechanics about how modern cars (not limited to one make) use more oil than older cars for reasons of better fuel economy. But the coils, yes - even Toyota is not immune. It's not a service item, but it is painfully debilitating when it happens and you can't get any power when you need it, even heading to the garage to get it fixed. Coils are not cheap either, so you can't just keep replacing them every so often (you can get cheap coils, but they don't last).

2009 Toyota Corolla S 1.8

Summary:

Decreased quality compared to older Toyotas

Faults:

The paint has a few small chips in the front from rocks on the road. In the wheel wheels, it gets very dirty and is very tough to clean in that area. Also, the area under the doors when you open them gets very filthy easily.

Ever since I have had the car, when it is cold, like below 30 degrees, there is a slight rattle inside the cabin under the coinbox when I accelerate. When the weather warms up it goes away. This is the only rattle in this car. Others claim to have more rattles.

Also, after having the acceleration recall, there is a chirping noise at times on the initial acceleration. I brought this to the attention of the dealer, but they ignored me. I'm going to a different dealer next month to get this resolved.

The other thing is ever since I had the car, when I put the driver's window down after it has rained when the window is wet, it squeals. The dealer also has ignored me on this, since it is always dry when I bring the car for the oil change.

I also notice that there are small rocks stuck in the factory tires.

General Comments:

First off, I have spent nothing in maintenance on this thing. It actually gets pretty decent mileage, probably only a Prius would beat it on average, maybe a Yaris. You can actually get about 47 mpg on the highway on a long trip if you keep the speed at 55mph. Pretty good.

It always turns on, the stability control, which was an option this year, is very nice in the winter. The car is pretty quiet, and the acceleration is reasonable.

Sure, there are few things like I mentioned above, but the car does work. I've driven it for 26,000 miles without replacing anything. I just go for the free dealer maintenance for the last 3 years every 6 months.

I also enjoy the sunroof and the remote engine starter on it, since I can turn the car on from my house. The only issue is that I have to turn the car off and then on again after the remote starter is activated.

The MSRP was 21,500 when I got it in '08 since I get every option on it, I paid 20k total with TTL with 0% financing for 3 years.

It always gets me to where I have to go. I do expect this from a new car.

I have heard of issues on this car such as water pumps and alternators wearing out. Again, I haven't had these issues. Apparently people have had their brake pads wear out early, I'm still on the original pad at 26,000 miles. People also complain they can't keep the car straight on the highway with the electric steering. I think the steering is fine.

Would I buy his car again? Depends. It seems like there is no perfect small car if you read all the reviews. The Nissan Sentra has issues with steering, the Civics having starting issues and eat through rear tires, and they are also more expensive.

Personally I would rather spend a couple extra thousand on the car to get a higher quality car, but I guess Toyota has to keep the car competitive, so it keeps a lower price point. But then again, all the manufacturer's are doing this nowadays.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 14th August, 2011

2nd Mar 2012, 13:41

Just wanted to update on my original review. So far no extra repairs, everything with the car is the same. I would be willing to pay extra for a better paint job. Probably best to avoid the car wash and clean the car yourself. Have about 31k on it now, and nearly 4 years old with the same brakes and tires.

The dealer always wants to clean and adjust the rear brakes, but I refuse. I think that service is just fluff, especially for the 80 bucks they were asking.

Maybe some manufacturer will come out with a better small car in the future.

In reply to 2nd Mar 2012, 13:41

11th Jun 2013, 13:23

The car is at 42,000 miles. The water pump failed. The Toyota dealership replaced it free of charge because it was just under 5 years old. I asked them why the coolant tank was empty and this was the explanation. Apparently the water pumps were all defective, and they have a TSB out for this.

The car still starts every time. Had to replace the front rotors and pads because the rotors were rusted out.

In reply to 11th Jun 2013, 13:23

7th Nov 2016, 18:30

I don't drive the car much, but it has 61,000 miles. Just recently had the alternator replaced. Otherwise works fine. The trim on the top of the sunroof on the outside of the car is starting to peel. Seems cheap.