CD Article: Toyota Corolla, 1998-2002

[CD_Editor]

Used Vehicle Review:


Some eighth-generation Corollas suffer from an uncharacteristic engine oil consumption problem but overall, these are very reliable cars, says Contributing Editor Chris Chase.  Consumer Reports gives them a "Better than average" rating.
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[2hondas1BMW]

I have no regrets buying my 02' Protege 5 over a Corolla or Civic. It handles better, has a more "firm" ride (the previous gen Civic bounces), more versatile, and it looks better (IMO). I have had no problems with it for the 4.5 months I have owned it.

Corolla + Civic owns the P5 in fuel economy however. I got 7.8 L/100 km on my last tank, 90% highway, 10% city. 

I know MANY people with this generation Corolla. They are the type of people who don't care about cars...they just gas up and drive. Some have minor problems, since they are getting old, but other than that, no complaints from them. 

[Thinking Out Loud]

Waiter to the diner:

Would you like multi-grain toast with breakfast?

Diner:

Whoa - hey there!  That's too exciting for me - what do I look like?  A Wild and Crazy Guy? I'll have untoasted white bread, please...and please ask the valet to bring my Corolla up from the hotel garage.

Ice cream vendor to the passerby:

Would you like a french vanilla cone?

Passerby:

Whoa - hey there!  That's too exciting for me - what do I look like?  A Wild and Crazy Guy? I'll have plain old Vanilla, please...now, where did I park the Corolla.....

 

[Matthew]

Worst car I ever owned.  Front struts failed twice within 15,000 kms.  Then wheel bearings replaced at 20,000 kms.  It smoked up a bit during morning startup.  Oh and can't forgive the terrible fuel economy with the 4 speed auto, I consistently got around 9 -10L/100k.  Took it to Toyota who kept it for a week and acknowledged something wrong but they did not know how to fix it.  Once the engine computer needed to get replaced at 40,000 kms, I decided I had enough.  I bought a 2002 Neon and have never had a single problem in all these years.  WIth over 180,000kms on the clock, its been awesome and I would recommend a Neon in good condition to anyone.

The Corolla was great in its refinement, and acceleration was very impressive for a 1.8L, despite the high rev boominess. And while the interior was cramped, the suspension was subtle.  As mine was the LE, I had the strut bar, and it vastly improves the handling, but its still very poor with far too much body lean.  Oh, and winter driving is treacherous, even with Bridgestone snow tires, it would slide around   Anybody ever notice the redline... 5800 rpm???  My Neon is 6700!!!  And Corolla still suffers from piston ring failures?

All in all if you hate driving buy a Corolla.  Its an insular car, and extremely refined for a small car.  Otherwise, there are a lot of other better used car buys than this thing.

[stodge]

Worst car I ever owned.  Front struts failed twice within 15,000 kms.  Then wheel bearings replaced at 20,000 kms.  It smoked up a bit during morning startup.  Oh and can't forgive the terrible fuel economy with the 4 speed auto, I consistently got around 9 -10L/100k.  Took it to Toyota who kept it for a week and acknowledged something wrong but they did not know how to fix it.  Once the engine computer needed to get replaced at 40,000 kms, I decided I had enough.  I bought a 2002 Neon and have never had a single problem in all these years.  WIth over 180,000kms on the clock, its been awesome and I would recommend a Neon in good condition to anyone.

The Corolla was great in its refinement, and acceleration was very impressive for a 1.8L, despite the high rev boominess. And while the interior was cramped, the suspension was subtle.  As mine was the LE, I had the strut bar, and it vastly improves the handling, but its still very poor with far too much body lean.  Oh, and winter driving is treacherous, even with Bridgestone snow tires, it would slide around   Anybody ever notice the redline... 5800 rpm???  My Neon is 6700!!!  And Corolla still suffers from piston ring failures?

All in all if you hate driving buy a Corolla.  Its an insular car, and extremely refined for a small car.  Otherwise, there are a lot of other better used car buys than this thing.

And Neon's are doing so well you can still buy them, right?   

[Matthew]

While I agree that a good condition may take time to find, they are quite reliable.  For proof go to MSN Auto's and check the reliability rating of the Neon versus Civic, Corolla, Sentra and so on, you will find the second Generation Neons get a perfect reliability score.  The Corolla does quite poorly as does the Civic as well.

Also allow me to be clear, I am speaking of the second generation Neon 2001-2005.  The first generation is a Piece of crapola, and poorly designed.  Second generation was a much better execution.  And besides what other small car at the time could boast about having a Navigation System from Alpine as an option?  Yes, its the same nav system that was in the 300M, LHS, Caravan and so on.  Just that alone, plus the leather and wood interior sold me.  My LE Corolla cost me about $28,000 with taxes, my Neon LX on the other hand cost me $26,000, with navigation, much better deal.  Oh highway fuel economy is much better on Neon than my Corolla.  Average around 5.8-6.4L/100 km.

As for my Corolla, I almost forgot to mention the awesome Stereo as well, tons of bass, but the weird part is when I upgraded to the LE model, I had to lost the CD player and got a cassette player? And if I wanted the CD player back, I had to dish out something like 350 bucks?  I obviously said no thanks.

[Arthur Dent]

Never owned a Corolla of that generation but I'll agree on the second generation Neon thing. Wonderful cars. I bought a used 2000 Neon LX 5spd and it was by far the best car we've ever owned. Friends of mine had a 2000 Neon from and new and they put a zillion hard kms (drove to and from remote oil sites in northern Alberta) on theirs with no issues. Her parents are still driving it. I might even own another.

[Mitlov]

I was going to say "choke me with unsweetened oatmeal," but Thinking Out Loud beat me to it...

[initial_D]

My dad has a MY2000 CE, the original battery died a few months ago, he swapped it out. Other than that, the car had its brakes pads changed once, chewed up 3 sets of tires, and the regular oil changes at an Indy shop.

Most reliable vehicle ever in our car ownership history. Dad uses on a daily basis to go to the fitness center, shopping, ... etc

[Iso Octane]

Would you like a french vanilla cone?

As an aside: classic vanilla as an ice cream flavour is fantastic.  Sometimes you just don't mess with what works.  Take fusion cuisine as an example.  They take classic establish ethnic recipes, and bastardize them for the sake of "oooh we're trendy."  Wild and crazy flavours of ice creams always tend to suck.  They end up tasting like candy.  You know, really artificial.  Chocolate Cheesecake on a cone from 'Cows'.  Now that's vanilla with an exciting twist.

[Juke1]

"uncharacteristic engine oil consumption"

Yep, knew that, and Tercels also according to the mechanic who maintains our Echo.

So go figure, Toyotas can burn oil and still be viewed as great cars   God forbid when another brand has the same issue.

[Andrew H]

Had a 2000 Corolla from 2000 to 2006(purchased it brand new). Other than a bad PCV valve, and a suspension that could of been stronger/stiffer(felt like bottoming out with a full load) it was flawless and perfect for everyday driving. Went through just about everything with it, gone on roadtrips in it, and never had any issues. It also didn't burn oil. Traded it in though after 180k and an accident causing the front right wheel to have balancing issues. One of the best cars any one in my family has owned (the best being a 1994 Corolla  )