A lot of car for the money

Well, after 7000 miles on the "new" 2000 Toyota Corolla I felt the need to share some information to prospective buyers of the 2001 models (which will change little).

I leased the 2000 Corolla VE (manual transmission), which is to be replaced in the 2001 model lineup by the CE, for about $225/mo(36mo) and $1100 down. This is high, but my credit was barely good enough to even be car shopping. I was actually a little lucky to get a new car - a lot of other places wouldn't even talk to me, but Michael's Toyota in Bellevue, WA really helped me out. Insurance through Progressive costs me about $135/mo. This too is a bit high, mostly because I had no insurance for the previous few months (and being 24 I still pay high insurance).

Originally I thought they were going to try to put me into an Echo (ewww..), but since they don't know what it's resale value is going to be like, the residual value (high resale value) on the Corolla made the actual lease payments less.

PERFORMANCE: During the test drive I was very impressed with the strong acceleration of the car and reasonably sporty handling. At this point several months later I am strongly considering spending about $600-1200 and getting a set of nicer 15-16" wheels and better tires. The cheap, 14" Firestones from the factory squeal a lot around corners and are like ice skates in the rain. Living in the NW it rains A LOT. I can't have tires on my car that are downright dangerous like these. I've skidded on roads that are just a little damp and barely had enough traction for emergency braking once. If you get this car, plan on getting new tires, or at least get the factory tires siped. I'm replacing both because I feel the standard steel wheels on the car are pretty cheap looking and I want the car to look a little more than it really is.

The engine on the other hand is perfect. It's 125HP is plenty for the 2600lb Corolla. The engine is high revving and you will find the best power at high RPM levels. It's almost like you can be driving an economy car 90% of the day, but if you want to unleash the engine just shift much later in the powerband (I have NO idea what the Automatic version would be like). From what I understand, this is when the Variable Valve Timing is kicking in, sort of like a mini turbo. I can easily enter heavy traffic from a busy highway on ramp or dodge through local traffic by gunning the engine.

DRIVEABILITY: Well, besides the squealing tires that don't do so well in the rain, this car has a great ride. It's comfortable for the front 2 passengers and the back is relatively comfortable for 2 others 5'10" or less. I get no soreness in knees, back, or neck even after longer trips (6 hours is the longest I've done) and I'm not too burnt out on the road even with no cruise control. It's pretty quiet cruising up to 75mph, but at 85 the engine does become more pronounced. I can regularly bounce the Corolla through potholes which doesn't seem to bother it much, but in cornering it does have a pronounced body roll. Mileage, as expected, is good. Not what they advertise, but close...I'm estimating here maybe 33-35 MPG on trips and 25-28 MPG in the city. I haven't looked too close, but I fill up my tank maybe once every 2 weeks.

This is an overall great car. Solid performance, good comfort, good on gas - all in an inexpensive package. Corolla's have a history of reliability and high resale value that make it attractive as an investment. I would overall recommend it, but I'm going to leave the following 5 things to look out for in the Corolla you look at:

1.) CHEAP TIRES: 14" Firestones on my car skid around corners even at reasonably moderate speeds. Horrendous in the water.
2.) CHEAP WINDSHIELD WIPERS: I know this is nitpicky, but I have to replace mine already. Are they supposed to last 7000 miles? During dry season here?
3.) NO WAY TO TURN OFF DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS: Yup, they mean it this time. Whenever the car is on so are the headlights. Why even include a headlight switch then?
4.) SHORT FEATURE LIST: Comes with A/C and a decent cassette deck, but no intermittent wipers or cruise control. You are getting a cheap car after all.
5.) FREAKY INTERIOR: The only sticking point with me on my car was the freakish interior. I'm used to it now, but at first the blue and red and grey seat patterns just looked awful to me. I guess somebody's got to like it?


Anyway, I can talk at length about this car and this review is already too long. If you have any questions don't hesitate to leave a response.

Thanks and good car hunting!