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The 2005 Toyota Corolla CE really is a diamond in the rough. This compact sedan is the ninth generation of the Corolla and is still the world's best-selling car. I own the four-door, five-speed manual, front-wheel drive model that had an MSRP of $13,780 when new and I can honestly say it has been a great family car for the past five years.
The CE has a 4 cylinder 1.8L engine with 130 hp and has amazing fuel economy, which is the primary reason why I bought it. Just as the specifications indicated, with city driving, I get roughly 30 mpg and with highway driving, 38-40 mpg. As with many compact cars, the downside is that road noise is unavoidable when driving on highways.
The interior trim is basic and there are limited color choices for the upholstery: pale gray and beige. Also, certain luxuries are lacking like power windows, power seats and power locks. And, as dual front and rear air conditioning is not an option, the back seat passengers are at the mercy of the driver when it comes to temperature control.
Although the CE is fitted with enough seat belts to seat five passengers, I think the specifications should qualify that the three back seat passengers need to be children or young adults for adequate comfort. Even two average-sized adults in the back is a squeeze when it comes to leg room. However, there is plenty of leg room in the front and the seating is comfortable.
The Corolla really excels when it comes to safety and crash test ratings. Perfect scores were seen for frontal and frontal offset impact crash tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. And, near-perfect results were recorded from side-impact tests. This model is fitted with driver and passenger airbags and two or four-wheel anti-lock braking systems are optional.
As for that diamond in the rough, when it comes to reliability, the 2005 model sparkles. MSN auto gives this model a top rating because infrequent or minimal problems were reported in all categories. Personally, I have to agree--in five years, I've only had to deal with a problem with an oxygen sensor--which was actually covered by the warranty.
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