2003 Toyota Corolla

Legal Disclaimer
Doing a review on a car is probably the most enigmatic things one can do on Epinions. How can one give a viable review on a test drive, or even in my case a full month? Even so, I ll do my best to give impressions that might help prospective owners make a decision.

Wee bit O history
If a car matched your personality, then my last car fit mine perfectly. I drove a 1991 Honda Civic hatchback. Reliable, efficient and low maintenance Well, a car can only last so long and after 198,000 miles I finally decided to give in and purchase a new vehicle.

When shopping for a new car I was looking for three things. First, I wanted the car to be just as reliable as my Civic. Secondly, I wanted the car to be under $17,000 out the door. Lastly, I wanted the car to have the options included in the price. As minute as it may be, finding a car with a manual transmission and a CD player (my only two requirements) wasn t as easy as I planned.

Looking at the above objectives, I narrowed it down to three cars. First was the Honda Civic. It was the most obvious choice for me. I ve already had a great experience with the previous Civic, and the newer design was very appealing to me. Next in my line-up was the Nissan Sentra. I ve never had any relationships with Nissan or friends who ve owned Nissans; but I really dug the new body style. Last on my list was the Toyota Corolla. I liked the new look, but I also know Toyota s are just as reliable as Honda s. And since I m your basic suburb -> city commuter; I know I d be racking in the miles.

In all honesty, I was prepared to buy a new Civic. To my surprise, however, I was so unenthused by the 2003 I drove that I thought it may have been a bad batch or something. So, I went to another Honda dealership and was left with the same lack-lustered emotions. The ride was fine, but the engine was sluggish and had absolutely no pep to it. Performance is low on my priority list, but this was shameful. Not only was the performance pitiful, the quality of the car felt more like a Hyundai or Kia. Everything just seemed cheap. There were gaps all around the car like it wasn t fit snuggly enough. The instruments, gauges and accessories were loose and felt like they were slapped together. Very unnerving to say the least. For now, I passed on the pretty blue four door and went to my Nissan dealership.

I have mixed feelings about the Sentra. The base models were quite ugly, after an up-close-and-personal test drive. It was so bland, and the Nissan name means nothing to me. However, I really did like their upgraded sport packages. They had two different sport packages and performance-wise they were a blast to drive. Unfortunatley, they were also out of my price range. The sports packages started at $17,000 and went all the way up to $22,000. For that price I d go with a Jetta And away I went

Dum-Dum-Dum!
Lastly, I went to the Toyota dealership (the chain of events lead up for a nice review, eh?) and was quite satisfied. Before I even speak of the car, the Toyota dealerships are just a better lot than Honda and Nissan. With that said, I test drove the car and was pleased. It had a solid, well-built feel to it and with the Toyota name backing it; I was confident this car would push and pull me to and from work

After thoroughly inspecting the car, now was the time to pick a body style. The most obvious choice to me was the S model. The car was super sporty looking with a design that (to me) looked similar to the Lexus LS300. The nice sport flares, and upgraded wheel package added a nice touch to an already nice design. When I first test-drove an S , I expected to pull out of the parking lot like Don Johnson in Miami Vice. Needless to say, the only thing different about the S over the other models is the body style. Even though this is your glorified commuter, it still has enough pep to satisfy the speed tooth once in a while.

I m not too familiar with the other body styles of the Corolla, but I do know that the S has a few options the others don t. Probably the most obvious is the sheik white-out gauges . Very nice touch for an inexpensive ride. You ll also get treated to a leather clad steering wheel as well as a leather boot. I also highly recommend upgrading to the sport package. For only $600 MSRP you can get the upgraded rims, spoiler and fog lights. The difference is drastic, especially for the price. As far as I can tell the only interior you can choose is black, which wouldn t have been my first choice. The black shows every speck of dirt imaginable. The interior, however, is amazing. The quality of the dash and instruments is top-notch and Toyota really did a fantastic job. The seats have a nice firm feel to them, and the head-room is great. At 6 3 I still had plenty of head and leg room; although the thigh space is a bit tighter than one at my size could hope for. Still, for you average folk out there you should have no problems.

After a month of driving the car and 2500 miles, I m quite pleased. The car just has a well-built solid feel to it. When you drive it, you can just tell that it is high quality and dependable. Sure it s too early to tell, but looking at the Corolla history one wouldn t expect less than stellar marks. One of the few gripes I have about the car is actually how high the car sits. This effects your driving at higher speeds. Every gust of wind can be felt and sways your car without you even realizing it. It s best to keep a firm grip at all times and not relax when going 55mph+. I ve actually considering lowering the car a few inches to not only improve the looks; but also the functionality.

Other than the dark interior and windy ride, the car is exactly what I was looking for. The sticker claims 40mpg highway (stick shift); I find it probably quite accurate. I get about 35mpg during my regular work commute; which is a mix of highway and city driving. The ride is comfortable and very quite.

66 Says:
Depending on your lifestyle and what you are looking for should determine what car is right for you. If you are looking for a stylish, reliable, economical car; than I m positive this is the best car for the money.

Regarding price, you really should look around. I was able to get mine fully loaded with every package other than a sunroof for $14,900. I wouldn t pay anything more than $1,000 below MSRP sticker price.

I can t recommend Toyota s enough. I m not sure if it was from the dealer I purchased from or Toyota in general; but the entire process went by smooth and no hassles. I think if you are looking at the Civic, Protege and Sentra; you should really give the Corolla a test drive.