My mom had a red 2003 Toyota Corolla S that she daily drove from March 24, 2003 to December 28, 2014 when she replaced it with a 2013 Honda CR-Z. That car was indestructible. It racked up over 250,000 miles and never had any major mechanical issues. For a 2003 compact sedan, it was very refined, well built, and comfortable, easily the best compact car at the time. The only thing my mom didn't like was the stickshift (she got an auto on the CR-Z). In the past 20 years, our household has had nothing but Toyotas and Hondas. They last forever. October 5, 2023 10:50 am
Most popular car in Nigeria, this generation in particular. And it's for good reason,it's fuel efficient and very reliable. Unfortunately because of that it has been priced out of most people's reach.
I think they're very attractive and I remember thinking that when I saw them first come out too. Really like the tail lights for some reason... Granted these feelings have faded over the years of seeing thousands of them on the road over the past two decades
@redneck4528 I blinged it out with a lowering kit and gold spinners. An 8 speaker Bose sound system so I can listen to Snoop Dog when I roll. Car is worth $100. Accessories, $3000. I hope I can get more hours at my Walmart job
I could be mistaken, but this was probably one of if not the most successful Corolla generation. People loved it and bought it in droves. Too bad the side and curtain airbags were optional.
Very few small cars had side and curtain airbags in early 2002 when this Corolla generation debuted, unfortunately. The Corolla offered them starting in 2005, and with the curtain airbags these were actually very safe for a small car of the era. Still should have made them standard, but IIRC most Corolla buyers from 2005-2008 got the optional curtain airbags. October 5, 2023 10:52 am
I have an 03 le love it 😊these were made when I was in highschool I’m 35 now and just love the face it’s not loaded with computers almost just shy under 200k almost 22 years old still running you got to love these cars cheap on gas insurance I plan on keeping it running it as long as possible I live in New England so during the winter my secret to anyone in the rust salt belt park it it will save it from rusting out
Great cars! I bought a new fully loaded silver 2006 Corolla S back in the day which was the first car I bought. I had to eventually replace it since I needed a bigger car. I still see plenty of these on the road which is no surprise. I've since purchased mostly Toyota's/Lexus' & all have been super reliable.
Interesting that John said that this generation Corolla had none of the 'bump harshness' of the previous gen; well, we have both in our family (i.e. a 2002 and 2003 Corollas) and the ride is equally smooth on both. In fact, I prefer the 02 by a bit since its ride is quieter (engine/road noise is slightly lower). At any rate, both generations are indestructible and great buys even now; we keep getting offers to buy ours from neighbors and work colleagues!
@@hakeemsd70m but they’ll bankrupt you faster than a Corolla ever would for the repairs. I’ll take the Toyota reliability where I don’t have to worry about using all my savings for repairs. Just watch Scotty Kilmer and the car wizard, and you’ll see what I mean.
@@Blakecryderman7244 I have a 2.5l Jetta. It can get expensive. A part fails every 6-12 months or once or twice a year. Only 136k miles. 10 repairs between 119k miles and 135k miles in 5 years. It's easy to go underwater on these can unless you can DIY. The best thing about it, is that it has never left me stranded. It's been in the family since 2012 at 33k miles. I plan on getting a corolla for my next car. It will probably be a 2003-2008 corolla 1.8l auto. I want to keep it 20 plus years.
These cars where stupidly reliable…….I had an 06 but base model CE with the 5-speed manual, got too 320k with minimal maintenance just on time oil changes and only reason why it died was I crashed it….. but the 3rd gear was starting to grind at warmup thus needing a new gearbox but never got to it cause I crashed it
@@landonb2884 hi, yup my odometer did stop at 299,999 as well, I knew ahead of time when I was looking into high mileage maintenance and that did come up
They are nothing alike. Corollas are depressing to drive. Buzzy slow engines and cheap plastics inside. I hate them but more than that, I hate how popular they are. Camrys of course, are very popular but despite that you get the feeling when you drive one that you’re in something special.
@Jake Martin with a stick shift they’re pretty fun to drive. They’re doing well if they’ve sold more than 50 million so far, looks like people like dependable cheap cars with solid reliability.
