My new TOYota
Written: Feb 10 '04 (Updated Feb 17 '04)
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Pros: New look, gas mileage, reputation.
Cons: Slow on the acceleration, radio is lacking.
The Bottom Line: I love my new S model and would recommend it to anyone. :)
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| tlctraveler's Full Review: 2004 Toyota Corolla |
Please see my review on my last vehicle which was a 2002 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab to reference why I needed a smaller car. :) Don't get my wrong I loved my truck but man oh man did I hate the gas mileage, maintenance, and not being able to fit in most parking spots. So I wanted to go back to a compact. :) The two vehicles that I was debated about were a Honda Civic Sedan EX or a Toyota Corolla LE because I wanted a vehicle with a moon roof. :)
I also wanted something reliable and something w/excellent gas mileage. My monster truck gave me the reliability I wanted... boy did people stay clear of me merging on the highway ;) but the gas mileage was driving me to drink. I was really looking into getting a Civic because I just liked the look of them on the road. So a few weeks ago on a lunch break I convinced a co-worker to come test drive one with me. :)
Honda was having a sale on their Civics and I was psyched! I went right up to the salesman and asked to test drive one of those puppies. And boy did my smile turn into a frown. :( It turned out I liked the body style of the 2003 Civic better with its silver trim. The 2004 didn't have that. I got behind the wheel and I was dismayed to see that the dash was sooo... I guess the word would be "vanilla". I couldn't believe how plain it was. I even hated the skinny center consol. So after taking it for a spin my heart wasn't into the Civic anymore. I left the dealership deflated. My co-worker then suggested popping over to the Toyota lot to check their cars out and I was game.
And what I saw put the grin right back on my face. :) There looking back at me was the cutest blue Corolla I had ever seen. The blue in fact is called "Indigo Blue" and it had all the trimmings. I was face to face with the S model. I didn't even realize that there was and S model. I was thinking of the LE because I knew I wanted the moon roof. Well that S model had that and a whole lot more. There was a skirt, spoiler, alloy wheels and day time running lights. I was running out of time from my lunch break so the dealer just pulled it out a little and I sat in it and knew it would be mine. The seats were soo much plusher then the Civic's. Also the dash was fuller... if that's how you could describe it. The center console was bigger and I liked the darker interior than the Civics. One difference on the Corolla then the Civic was that the back seats had a kind of hump on the floor separating the areas where the Civic's was flat, so that if there was a person in the center back seats their feet would be flat on the ground as opposed to resting on the hump.
I came back after work to test drive the vehicle and then bought it. I love the day time running lights!! There is a light sensor on the dash which makes the digital display light up automatically when it senses it's getting dark outside. In fact I never turn my lights on at night and just use the day time running light feature.
Having filled the gas tank twice I am averaging about 28 mpg with local driving during the week and highway driving on the weekends (I live in Temecula and drive down to San Diego on the weekends which is about 75 miles each way). I am hoping to get over 35 like other reviews but haven't averaged it yet.
I feel that there is a lot of trunk space and the back seats are a 60/40 split, which I haven't used yet. Driving the car on long trips my legs do sometimes feel cramped, (I am 5'6") and I don't really like the knob on the side of the seat that is suppose to help adjust it.
I haven't experienced the cabin noise problem like some other reviews I have read. Yes, when the car is revving up you can hear the engine strain but once it catches its gear the ride is pretty quiet. The acceleration is a little sluggish where you have to really put the pedal to the metal to kick it into high gear but that isn't to say my little car wont get me in trouble. There have been a few times when I looked down and I was going over 80 and not realizing it. ;)
I love the steering on the Corolla. I feel that it's really tight. I did feel though that I was about to lose control of the car once when I slammed on my brakes and felt the car swerving, but that was probably my fault anyways. I can say though that the brakes are pretty darn good. It's different in a small car where other drivers don't really watch out for you where as in my truck I was like king of the road and other vehicles bowed down to me. Lol... :) It takes a little getting use to that I no longer have that power. But boy, oh boy do I fit into all parking spaces with ease. :) And that's the best part of having a smaller car.
I love my moon roof! :) You do have to keep pressing it when putting it back and when you put it forward there is a safety device that stops it half way and you have to push it again down to make it close all the way. The only problem with the moon roof is when it's open the cabin is very noisy. The heating device is really good. My car heats up within seconds, unlike my truck, and it's a very dry heat. Many a night have I had my moon roof open and the heater blasting. :) The air conditioner is very fast to cool also. The only thing that is slow to activate is the defroster. I had to buy a squeegee so that in the mornings I can clear my back windows due to the defroster taking forever to clear it. The front defrosters are faster than the rear but that's really not saying much.
The only thing I really don't like about the Corolla is the radio. It sounds totally muffled and to turn the knobs you really have to reach your body forward to turn them. CD's sound fine but the radio is not good. I will probably buy a new one. My car came with both a CD player and a tape player. Do people still play tapes?? lol...
Overall I love my new compact car. I am seeing more and more of them on the freeway and really like the sporty look of them. :) My mom has a 1998 Corolla and it looks nothing like mine. :)
If you buy one of these I wish you all the best!! What a cute new TOYota!! :)
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 17,000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2004
Model and Options: S, Automatic, with sports package
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Epinions.com ID:
tlctraveler
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Location: Temecula, CA, Riverside
Reviews written: 7
Trusted by: 0 members
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