9th Nov 2006, 19:12

I agree. The Corolla is a pretty bland little car. It gets great gas mileage, but it only comes in a dumpy 4-door and is only offered in colors that appeal to older people. I looked at them and wasn't even remotely impressed with anything about them. I wanted red and they don't even COME in red!! The one I drove was also nowhere NEAR as fast as the "inferior" competition. I opted to buy American. I know they are supposed to be really poorly built and my last American compact did start nickle and diming me at around 250,000 miles, but since they cost about HALF what a Corolla does, I'll use the money I save to buy something else. With the money I saved I can buy about 90,000 miles worth of gas.

10th Nov 2006, 13:10

I purchased a used 2002 Gray Toyota Corolla "S" in April 2006 with 34K miles. While I driving on the highway in August, the engine blew out. I had to take it to two toyota dealerships before they would honor the warranty. The warranty is excellent. 5 years and Toyota covers 100% labor and parts. I now have a new engine at "no cost" to me.

The gas mileage is phenomenal. I drove the car for about 6 hours before I had to refuel. This is coming from a person who drove a Volvo GLT for 6 months and hated the gas guzzler. I also purchased a Hyundai Tiburon which was OK.

I don't drive fast, so I don't mind the turbo speed that a few people complained about.

Inside my car is spacious, maybe except for the back seats. My trunk is huge for such a small car.

Will I buy another Toyota in the future again, Yes, but only from a Toyota dealership.

12th Nov 2006, 11:20

Your "reliable" Toyota blew an engine at 34,000 miles and you'd buy ANOTHER one???

17th Nov 2006, 20:59

Isn't it funny how Toyota owners are perfectly OK with an engine blowing up at 34,000 miles and will buy another one, but if an American car's cigarette lighter stops working at 300,000 miles it's a "piece of crap"???

18th Nov 2006, 09:00

Those mistakes, if even true, are an extreme rarity for Toyota. The rarity for Ford and GM would be to build something that ISN'T a piece of crap.

19th Nov 2006, 17:12

I guess Tacomas and Camrys must also be pieces of junk, as Consumer reports now rates the Ford Ranger EXACTLY THE SAME in reliability as the Tacoma, and rates the Ford Fusion BETTER than Camry.

20th Nov 2006, 12:15

Engines blowing up in Toyotas is definitely not a rare occurence. There was an article in our local paper some years back about a local man who bought a Corolla and the engine blew up before the warranty was out. Toyota refused to fix the car, so the man painted lemons on it, rented a flat bed truck and drove it around town. A picture of it appeared in the paper with the caption "Oh what a feeling to DRAG a Toyota". It was hilarious.

I can't believe people fall for the advertising hype about these things. In reading comments on the Toyota sites, I see comments from people who write about brake problems, air bag problems, sticking accelerators, erratic transmissions and engines blowing up before 36,000 miles in their Toyotas.

How anyone can regard these rolling junkyards as better than ANYTHING is beyond me.

23rd Nov 2006, 02:41

I can't believe you actually think that engine problems are common on Toyotas. Here in Britain they are one of the most reliable cars. Are you sure that you Americans are confusing these for some unreliable Ford or GM product. Also to the above comment stating "Toyota don't produce sporty colours" well I have to disagree, here in Britain there is a sporty silver colour, black and red so maybe they have not starting producing the S model over there yet.

23rd Nov 2006, 22:58

Uh, no, we aren't "confusing these for some unreliable Ford or GM product." That's frankly the dumbest thing I've ever heard. We also have the Corolla S here, but it's the same ugly boring sedan as the regular model, and it is anything, but "sporty".

25th Nov 2006, 20:07

The National Consumers Union now rates Ford as more reliable than Toyota and Honda. Where people get the idea that American cars are "unreliable" is beyond me. I've never had any problems with any of mine, and I don't even know anyone who has. As for sporty colors, since when is SILVER or BLACK "sporty"?? As for red, Corolla isn't made in red in the U.S., just an ugly burgundy. They aren't bad little cars, but there are lot better and sportier cars available for a lot less money. The Corolla is almost identical to the boring Hyundai Accent (though the Hyundai has a much better warranty) and looks just like it, but costs twice as much.

7th Dec 2006, 21:32

It's not surprising that the likelihood of being killed in a Toyota is TWICE as high as that of a domestic vehicle. Japanese car companies have never cared about safety, just making money and pouring billions of advertising dollars into creating a myth. I saw an accident some time back that is a great example of Toyota's flimsy construction. A lady in a Camry (much larger than a Corolla) had veered into the path of a Ford Ranger. The Camry was totally demolished and the driver was critically injured. The Ranger had a broken headlight and a very slightly bent hood. It could have been driven home (and probably was). The Ranger's driver was standing beside the road totally unhurt. Hopefully the U.S. government will start requiring Japanese cars to meet the same safety standards as domestic vehicles.