Talk me out of a 24 Corolla LE

Time to get the pretty one a new set of wheels. This car will be stored 7 months out of the year. She despises all the bells and whistles in most cars. She barely tolerates our 21 SR5 and wishes it were simpler. That's why the LE.

It looks like the K120 CVT has proven itself and well, it's a Corolla.... Reliable as dirt and about as exciting too.

Anything I should be aware of?

 

I have a 24 corolla LE hybrid with the convenience package so it has BSM and a few other bells and whistles. Good thing is it has the alloy wheels which are lighter and look better. Its a great car. The build quality is great, its comfortable and roomy. The only complaint i have is the driver seatbelt tends to fold in a way where its hard for me to grab it with my left hand so i usually ahve to reach over with my right lol.

Not telling you what to do but look into getting the hybrid, its only like 2000 dollars more and the mileage is significantly better and the warranty is top notch.

Oh and make sure you dont deal with a regular retail sales guy, ask to only deal with the fleet manager. Itll save you money.

 

I can't justify the hybrid for a few reasons. My driving style (and hers) make our brakes last nearly forever. My little 124 Abarth is a different story. I paid extra for those Brembos and damnit, I'm going to use them.
There's very few hills where I live and we drive and we don't put many miles on our cars. In 7 years we've only put 44K on the Abarth and now that it sits mothballed for 7 months we are lucky to put 4k a year on it. So, if I do keep it those 4k will be split between the Fiat and the Corolla.
As far as alloys go I hate the maintenance on them and the corrosion that occurs where the tire touches. Give me steelies, a 3# crosspeen hammer and some Kentucky Chrome paint.

Deal with Fleet sales? interesting. My wife deals with sales. Not me. It gives her some bizarre satisfaction. Better than taking it out on me.

 

Nothing wrong with the Corolla at all. I would make absolutely sure to keep up the maintenance on the CVT though. CVT's fail MUCH more quickly than traditional automatic transmissions if maintenance is skipped.

 

fleet managers dont have time for BS haggling, they know how much they can knock off the sticker and want to just get a sale and get you out of there. They deal with volume so selling 1 car to them is a nuisance and they wont want to waste time haggling for $500 bucks.

 

Corolla is a solid choice and nothing wrong with getting the LE model. Do it.

 

That is a big concern of mine

 

im not at all concerned about the CVT. I plan on doing the regular maintenance and its not the same CVT as the crappy Nissan ones that give them a bad name.

 

What viscosity oil does Toyota recommend? Does it have a canister or cartridge filter?

 

for the transmission or the engine oil? Not sure about the transmission, being the car is so new, I have not looked into it yet. The engine has a cartridge for the hybrid, i imagine its the same for the gas motor.

 

You're going to buy a brand new car knowing you'll only drive it 2k miles per year? She doesn't like bells and whistles? Why not a well cared for used example for much less? Why not just use the Abarth for the other 2k miles?

 

After she broke her leg the Abarth has been too uncomfortable for her to sit in or drive for anything over a short trip. Unfortunately the hardware in her right femur could rival the local Ace hardware. Doing some more reading and I see the hatchback may have additional headroom and that may make it easier to get in and out. Also looking at the Civic. She and I both prefer a stick shift and the Civic offers that but requires the 1.5 turbo and I'd rather not have that engine.

 

If she has difficulty getting in and out of the car, consider a Corola Cross. The little extra height makes a huge difference.

 

Good idea. I'll run it up the flagpole and see if she salutes it. On a side note Toyota claims 1,500 towing capacity. Hmmm. They must be confident in the CVT putting out that claim

 

Civic is a better car lol, it's nicer, slightly bigger, and drives better.

 

Funny you should mention that. We spend today kicking tire on both the Corolla and the Civic. We found a Pearl white Civic Hatchback Sport that she really likes. It's at a small dealer we've purchased from before and been very happy with their service. MSRP is $27.9 and they will let it go for $29k OTD. No BS dealers add ons either.

 

is that good? up here you can get discount now so hard for me to judge if that's a good deal.

I would honestly get the cheapest Civic 4dr, they are honestly decent car, really nice interior, and cheaper than Corolla, one thing keep in mind is all Corolla hatch is made in Japan, vs North American production for Corolla sedan and Civics.

 

Sales tax alone is over 2 grand plus there's always a title fee, a document fee, coffee fund and on and on. Just guessing they are knocking at least a grand off the price. Unlike when I bought the 21 Tundra, I couldn't even get the dealer to give me a cheap pine tree air freshener. At least I didn't pay over MSRP.

 

Well, here is my 2 cents, even if you don't want it.

I shopped for a small commuter vehicle just a couple of months ago, just to keep the miles off the gas hog and spend a bit less on gas.

I did look at the Corolla and found it to be sooo small (I am only 5' 4") and so low to the ground, and with zero leg room in the back seat for the occasional added passengers. Plus having a trunk is meh, hatchback is much more useful in my opinion.

Anyway, I would honestly take a look at the new Honda HRV, as it is priced close to the same as a minimalist Corolla, has available AWD if you live in a snowy area, and has LOTS of room and leg room in the back row as well as head room, and it has a hatch back since it is a cross over, AND best of all it has a non turbo engine! I just took mine home about 1.5 months ago, and so far I LOVE it. Getting 33 MPG currently and got around 30 MPG on the winter gas. It's fun to drive and easy to maneuver! Just thought I would mention it as a vehicle your wife may be interested in! Honda nailed it on this car redesign!


-T

 

I'm not a fan of the current pudge mobiles that seem to be so popular today. We did look at the new Honda crossover and the Corolla Cross and neither one of us cared for them.
I went to my insurance agent today and don't care for the rates for the Civic.

 

The Civic won. Picked it up today.

 

I refuse to talk you out of a Corolla; they’re GREAT automobiles

but so are civics…..congrats

 

Congrats! Where'd you buy it? Pensacola Honda?

 

I wish. We are back in Ohio as of May 2nd. Bought it at Ohio Valley Honda in Steubenville OH

 

Nice choice! I like the color and the wheels. Our oldest daughter who is now 25 bought a Civic a few years ago. Great cars! The newer Civics are very dialed in. Enjoy it!

 

Oh, I forgot y'all are snowbirds!

 

Since I'm only up here for 5 months I'm called a Sand Bird while home. Wife started looking at homes this winter. I told her I'm not living in a place that's single digits above sea level.

 

Ha! Wise advice for hurricane country! My land (that I hope to build on) is just south of I-10 and is at 127' where we will build. I went out right after some very heavy storms and found that the water had already drained, AND the soil is perfect for a septic system. Can't get any better than that!

 

I've seen some pretty nasty damage to highway signs on I10 after a hurricane. Are you considered between the hurricane and tornado zone in that area? Seems like every year while in Ft. Morgan someone looses a yard barn in Robertsdale due to a small twister spun up by the thunderstorms. We get those F1&2s here in Ohio most every year.