Faults:

At 13,000 miles nothing has gone wrong with the car.

I've changed oil 3 times myself, new oil filter is a little harder to replace than it was in the older Toyotas I've owned (1992 Corolla, 1994/95 Geo Prizm and 2003 Matrix), but it still takes me no more than 20 minutes to change oil (and clean up afterwards).

Rear driver side door take a little more effort to close shut than other doors, and one of the knobs in the dash is a little loose (it's not falling off, just not as tight as the other one).

Some interior pieces scratch easily, and I've taken my car back to a dealer due to a recall related to freezing of the brake lines.

General Comments:

I've paid $17,750 for my car back in May 2008, it also came with 0% financing.

I've ordered my car from the factory because I wanted XLE model with Stability and Traction Control ($250 option that became standard in 2010).

I knew about electric power steering that required constant corrections, but since I drive my car to work mostly in rush hour traffic, I barely even notice it.

Interior feels roomy (for a compact car) and instrument cluster is clear and attractive.

I strongly recommend XLE model because it comes with upgraded dash and seat fabric, bigger wheels, 2 extra speakers and adjustable arm rest, however amber glow of CE/LE instrument cluster is also pleasant.

My 2009 Corolla has been getting between 31 and 33 mpg on average; just for the record, a Toyota Camry Hybrid that is barely 7 inches longer and cost about $7,000 more, gets similar mileage per gallon.

I love stability control, traction control and ABS. We've had tons of snow this winter, but I've had no problems with getting around whatsoever. I'm really happy that I opted for safety equipment when I ordered the car.

Transmission may be an old school (most of other Japanese makers turned to 5 speed autos or CVTs), but it's accurate and never searches for the right gear.

Stereo is pretty basic, but there's an input for my iPod.

Heater is somewhat weak, AC is great. I also like dual glove boxes, side pockets for cell phone and grocery bag hooks on the passenger side.

The trunk is pretty big for a compact car, and it's easy to load and unload.

Car is very quiet on interstate, due to light steering it may require more corrections, but it's a city car (in my opinion), so if I needed to drive somewhere, I'd rather rent Hertz' $20 weekend special and not put 2,000 miles on my car that I plan to keep for a long time.

Overall I'm pretty happy with my Corolla, and feel I've made a good choice when I picked it over Mazda3 and Toyota Camry.

Faults:

No known problems thus far.

General Comments:

The car has been reliable both in the city and the highway -- I have yet to experience any of the problems many people have complained about.

It is not either a luxury car or a sports car. It is a simple economy subcompact.

Compared to my previous Sentra (GXE-2002), the Corolla is more sedate in terms of performance -- suspension, engine response, and braking all performing less precise, but all are adequate.

It has more safety features than Sentra, quieter, and has about 2 to 3 mpg better on the highway -- Sentra gets 33mpg vs Corolla around 37mpg. City mpg figures are similar between the two.

Fit and finish seems to have degraded from the previous generation in the interior -- noting cheaper material than previous generation for LE model. About $3K more than the Sentra, but holds better resale value than most domestic vehicles.

Oil change is much is simpler to do with the Corolla -- much easier to get to the drain plug and the filter than the Sentra or any other vehicles I know.