First Impressions on my 2005 Corolla LE, much improved, love them Toyotas!

I just got a 2005 Corolla LE. it's looking pretty good from here.

I got mine at KEYES TOYOTA in Van Nuys, CA. this is my first new car in eons. gopt approved for Tier One credit, which is good.

My 1997 Toyota Camry, bought several years ago, used, now has over 100,000 miles, some unsightly blemishes, and other stuff not worth fixing.
I knew I wanted a Toyota. Prior to the Camry, I had a 2nd hand basic Corolla CE, 1995, which gave me zero aggravation.

So, for under 20 grand, I splurged on a decked out Corolla. I got CE, with the moonroof, which I could live without. Mine also came with the 'alloy wheels'. they threw it in. The advantage with alloy, is that they are harder to swipe.
I have the moon roof, I splurged on charcoal leather. No nasty, dust loving static material to mess up your clothes or not cool off your derriere.
I opted for Lunar Mist (metallic pale silver, shows not the dirt) with Charcoal leather interior. Nice workmanship, installed in 1.5 days. They replace front and back seats, part of dash and insides. Easier to keep clean, better exchange value, more comfy, and yeah, a little luxurious for a non-extravagant car. I could have financed the leather, but decided to pay it up front.

What really impresses me with the 2005, is that the ride is smooth and lo-noise inside, really quiet ride. The 2005 sits slightly higher off the ground than the other models.

Plus the 6 CD JBL stereo sounds fine. Very fine.

It's still early, but I will be updating this review.

As far as the interior, the seats have good adjustment options. I have long legs and like to crank my seat up high. Still, I could imagine that it would be a little tight for a very tall person. The lumbar support is nice and sturdy, and the seat belt does not dig in.

The glove compartment is substantial, but the side pockets in the doors are smaller than my previous Corollas. There are 2 compartments under the stereo, and a weird middle part with a not very deep top part, and a deeper storage space underneith this flat part, which takes some getting used to. There is a handy little nook for your cell phone.

I'm not 100% thrilled with the steering wheel placement, and I agree with the other reviewer who complained about that ludicrous little 'quarter holder' on the left dash. It stands out like a sore thumb nail...

Many reviewers have mentioned the blind spot.
I found a simple solution, which is to remove the rear head rests, which totally block the rear mirror. With them removed, I find the blind spot a non issue.

One feature I miss is the auto turn off for the headlights. It was such a lazy pleasure in my old Toyota. Before, if I swung into a 7-11, I could just turn off the car, lock the doors, and the headlights would turn off automatically. Loved that. On this car, you have to turn the headlights off, or the car won't let you turn the key all the way to off, as though you tried to turn off the car while still in drive gear.

Still, the headlights give great visibility.

I will update this review. I truly love this car, I'm not high maintenance, so I don't want a car that is. I'm digging on the keyless entry

The pick up is a little slow, but the acceleration is steady, the brakes are awesome smooth, and it turns smoothly and responsively, even at the last minute, no screeching. vroom.

For a decked out car under $20,000, with the long life I'm accustomed to in my last 3 Toyotas, I'm very pleased.

Unless someone wants to get me an Aston Martin...Anyone???