Faults:

Air con stopped working a long time ago, did not bother to fix. ABS light came on - fixed by local garage for only £100, just a sensor. Suspension shocks were replaced at last service. I had the brakes done as well. Exhaust is also blowing slightly but nothing to worry about for now; will get it welded or replaced next time I am at my garage.

The car wouldn't start one morning - my fault, original battery was getting very old and I should have changed it for a newer one sooner. The car never let me down at any other time.

It has had every service since 2006 and been very reliable, no engine or transmission issues. Interior and exterior are showing some signs of wear, but this is acceptable for the car's age.

General Comments:

For a 16 year old run of the mill hatchback car, this Corolla is still running very well. I've never had one of these cars before, but when I bought it 10 years ago used, I had always heard about this cars reliability being among the best, and the car certainly has lived up to that, so cannot complain.

Smart looking car in black metallic. "Colour Collection" is a silly trim level / special edition name for a mid range specification car. It has electric windows all round, nice alloy wheels, air con, etc, all the expected equipment of a car from its time. Seats are comfortable and there is surprisingly good amounts of space for a smaller hatchback car. Cabin is refined enough and smooth, gets a little noisy on longer journeys though if you are on the motorway a lot.

The 1.6 petrol VVTi engine has been boringly reliable, never an issue. Fast enough for every day driving and does a solid 40 miles per gallon. Tax and insurance are OK, the car is all round very economical to run. Repairs, which are thankfully rare as the car is so reliable, are pretty much as cheap as you can get for a car nowadays.

I have had mine a long time and I suppose it will not last forever, however if you are looking at getting one now, anything around the 2006 age range will only cost you about 2 grand or less, and you will have a reliable enough car that should last a couple of years trouble free if it is a well looked after car. The Corolla is still a good choice family hatch for longevity and reliability, no matter what your budget.

Faults:

Catalytic converter went bad, cheap to repair

General Comments:

Reliable, gas saver.

Faults:

Nothing major so far.

A whirring/clicking servo noise started to develop at summertime (hot outside temperatures up to 40C) behind the dash. I have narrowed it down to a large motor in the center of the dash - everything works correctly so I can't find what's wrong with it. It's just annoying. If anyone knows, please let me know.

Driver's side (left) mirror sometimes does not heat up.

The small shelf door on the dash is very easy to break; be careful.

These Corollas have a recall for the airbag detonators. Contact your dealership!

General Comments:

The car is just great.

Roomy inside, lots of storage and comfortable for rear passengers, with a good sized boot (it could be larger) and not huge outside dimensions. Visibility when parking is not perfect, but it's easy to parallel park (my 02 Polo, despite being smaller, had worse visibility).

The engine is great, solid and die hard. Despite the turbo lag in first gear, it has a sporty attitude and it responds immediately to whatever you want it to do. It even has a Sport mode button (ES - Easy Sport).

The M-MT gearbox is a delight to use. It basically is a 5 speed manual gearbox with a robotic clutch. There is Neutral, Reverse, Easy (same as Drive) and Manual which you change by selecting plus and minus without a clutch. On E, you drive it as an automatic, it even has kickdown (I wrote a more analytic review on the M-MT). But when you switch to manual it drives like a sports car. It also drives sporty in Easy mode if you press the ES button. It's just a delight to drive. Civilized and comfortable, or sporty when you want it. You wouldn't expect a heavy diesel Corolla to act like this.

Takes some time to heat up in winter, and takes forever if only idling. So idle for a few minutes and then drive it slowly and gently until it reaches temperature.

Fuel consumption could be a bit better. I am now doing 5.7km/L mixed, but I've had it doing 5.2km/L on long trip on the open road.

It needs to be taken care of though if you want it to last forever (and its design has the old school approach, where it will last you forever).

Pay attention to the fuel you feed it. It has to be clean or it can clog it up. Add fuel additives from time to time and antibacterial, service it regularly and it will always be happy to serve you.

I'm in love with my Corolla and intend to keep it forever.