Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I also don't care if it is slow. I have to buy a new car cuz I was driving too fast and totaled my last car. I have a lot of speeding tickets. Slow is better for me, lol. The slower the better! If I can safely merge onto the interstate it is fast enough. I test drove it, got on the interstate, did not get ran off the road.
Oh great, another LVD out there. Obviously, I am the exact same way. I also drive way to fast and have to have a slow car because of my lead foot.
Dad works for Ford, so I can get employee prizing on the Mazda 3 lease= $225 per month. Same exact options and lease for the Corolla is $166 per month. Also, the buy out for the Corolla at the end and the cost of the lease is less than the sticker price of the car, not for the Mazda 3.
I would RATHER have a Mazda 3 right now, but I was going to buy a used car to get payments down. The Corolla would mean I could do a new car with warranty.
But my husband is nervous about safety. I am not.
Corolla sounds like a good choice being its super cheap and has a low(er) buy out if that is an option you are considering. its not exciting and is unremarkable in every way, but its competent and reliable. personally, if i had any, i would feel awkward about having my kids in any Toyota atm, however. but thats just me
i like the Hyundai Elantra more and it was leasing for cheap in SoCal recently for 24 months and a few thousand down. don't know what they go for in your part of the country. its a good, safe, roomy small car for a family
Quote:
Originally Posted by SpeedyAZ
I don't understand why anyone would buy a Toyota Corolla to begin with! Slow, cramped, ugly, and uncomfortable...why buy one?
People give the argument of "well...it gets good gas mileage". Plenty of larger vehicles get good gas mileage as well, hell a Cadillac DTS with a V8 can achieve 28 mpg on the highway!
If I'm buying a vehicle I want it to be either sleek and fast or big and luxurious. My 'Vette satisfies the former and my Yukon satisfies the latter. Why would someone want a vehicle that does nothing well?
money
thats all you have to understand. new they are pricey, but deals can be made
Keep believing that, but the fact is that these incidents ARE real and they ARE safety concern. Toyota has been trying to cover up this for a long time in order to maintain their reputation, but all of their credibility has been lost. If this wasn't a true safety concern, the federal government would not be investigating Toyota for the defects. The resale value on all of them has plummeted, a co-worker of mine who went to trade off his '07 Camry after all of this news received pennies on the dollar for the value, but he's now happily driving a Ford Fusion. Toyota needs to come clean with American public.
Pennies on the dollar--Haha! Your friend got ripped off big time by Ford. Go to KBB and compare the trade in value for a 2007 Camry vs a 2007 Fusion. Camry is $2000 higher!!!!
Pennies on the dollar--Haha! Your friend got ripped off big time by Ford. Go to KBB and compare the trade in value for a 2007 Camry vs a 2007 Fusion. Camry is $2000 higher!!!!
Yeah, but just try to get someone to pay you the bluebook value on that 2007 Camry. It isn't going to happen now.
Right now I would not buy a Corolla because you could be stuck with an overpriced vehicle if Toyota's image is damaged further; however, since you are leasing, it's a viable proposition if you don't find a pre-owned car that is a better value for the budgetary parameters right now. If the value plummets because of damage to Toyota's reputation, then you simply turn in the car at the end of the lease period, and need not worry about buyout.
Steering is an important issue, and the investigation into the reports is really in its infancy, that would be my hesitation in looking at a new Corolla. If it were the power boost going haywire, that would be one thing, since a lack of power steering does not influence the ability to control the car, though turning the wheel might be a bit more strenuous; but the reports I have read indicate that it's a lack of ability to track and over zealous steering response, both of which could be serious at speed.
One suggestion for the used car market would be to look at Carmax, since they can transfer cars from other stores, some with no fee. If you were to find one in the zone, they will send it to your local store, and you could evaluate the car. You don't have to buy it, and as long as you're not paying for a transfer, it might not be a bad option to get a decent vehicle. Just glancing at your market, it seems that Carmax has options in a pre-owned vehicle (Focus, Lancer, and a couple of Nissans) with lower mileage for around $10k. It looks as though Carmax will transfer within Texas for free, from Houston, Dallas, etc., so it might be worth a look.
__________________
All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.
~William Shakespeare (As You Like It Act II, Scene VII)
I also don't care if it is slow. I have to buy a new car cuz I was driving too fast and totaled my last car. I have a lot of speeding tickets. Slow is better for me, lol. The slower the better! If I can safely merge onto the interstate it is fast enough. I test drove it, got on the interstate, did not get ran off the road.
Maybe you would actually be better off picking up an older, high-mileage cheap beater for now. I remember how my second car was very fragile(oil pressure issues), and it forced my teenage leadfoot tendencies to stop.
It certainly isn't going to happen on the Focus. In ten years the corrola will have even more resell value compred to the Focus.
Barely. If your one to buy into KBB, both cars for the 2000 model years with comparable options and 100,000 miles have a suggested retail price within $1000 of each other. I don't know about some people but thats not enough for me to pick one over the other.
Pennies on the dollar--Haha! Your friend got ripped off big time by Ford. Go to KBB and compare the trade in value for a 2007 Camry vs a 2007 Fusion. Camry is $2000 higher!!!!
He traded it at the Toyota dealership for a used Fusion they had on the lot, that says something to me!
I was reading an article the other day about the value of Toyota vehicles is really slipping and how dealers can't sell any new or used ones which explains why they gave him little on the trade in. Sorry to burst your bubble, but the Toyota brand has fallen and it's going to take many, many years for the public to trust buying Toyota vehicles again.
I don't understand why anyone would buy a Toyota Corolla to begin with! Slow, cramped, ugly, and uncomfortable...why buy one?
People give the argument of "well...it gets good gas mileage". Plenty of larger vehicles get good gas mileage as well, hell a Cadillac DTS with a V8 can achieve 28 mpg on the highway!
If I'm buying a vehicle I want it to be either sleek and fast or big and luxurious. My 'Vette satisfies the former and my Yukon satisfies the latter. Why would someone want a vehicle that does nothing well?
Who wants a V8? Listen, you read the OP's criterion, so don't even waste your breath preaching V8s. Think gas prices are going to remain cheap? Guess again. Keep your Vette and Caddy and their V8s. No one here was asking or making a comparison to V8s.
She's asking about a C-O-R-O-L-L-A.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dmarie123
Thanks all. But I can NOT consider any other new cars. It is either this or a 5-10 year old car with over 100K miles. I need to keep my monthly payments in a certain range. Used cars in my area are few and far between, and expensive, way over valued, and I have a very poor interest rate right now affecting payment. The Corolla is the only thing I could afford new. The lease payments are MUCH lower than Focus and Mazda 3, even with my employee pricing. The Corolla is almost $100 less a month.
That's why I ONLY wanted opinions on if I was stupid to buy a Corolla from a safety standpoint. I don't care that it's not the coolest looking car out there.
From a financial standpoint, you're better off getting the Corolla. I do admit the Mazda may be a bit more fun to drive, but guess what, you're looking for something affordable, reliable, safe and nothing too fast or flashy. It makes sense to get it. You're getting it new, so you're covered if anything during the life of your lease. You're not stuck with the car if you decide after 24-36 months, that you want something else. Go for it!!
The price you mentioned, it's a win win situation.
The payment is so low, that you can afford to save for another car, or to buy it at the end of the lease, while paying for the Corolla. $166/mo is nothing, even for someone working at McDonalds. You won't have to worry about maintenance during the life of your lease, besides oil changes.
At the Toyota dealerships, an oil change ranges between $24-$29.
Calculating that you'll do a 36 months lease, with 36k allowed miles, you're looking at maybe a max of 9 oil changes, give or take. (At a max of $29x 9= $261 or less if you get coupons from them for the $24, or sometimes even $19 for a 4cylinder Toyota).
Don't forget, you can negociate complimentary oil changes. Now is the time to get a few bargains from your Toyota salesperson.
Quote:
Originally Posted by johnfrisco
Safety is not an issue at all with Corolla or any other Toyota. Toyota has addressed and fixed those problems. Almost everyone today with a Toyota that claims their throttle is stuck is a con-artist, just like the guy in California with his Prius.
Whatever cars you are considering I encourage you to read user reviews on sites like MSN Auto, Edmunds, CarComplaints.com, etc.
Good luck!
Exactly. Some people are trying to make it out to be more than it actually is.
These cars are great, although a bit boring at times (for some people), but for the OP, it will more than get the job done. She may like it, and decide to keep it. Who knows? Dollar for dollar she's winning, on every front.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SpeedyAZ
Keep believing that, but the fact is that these incidents ARE real and they ARE safety concern. Toyota has been trying to cover up this for a long time in order to maintain their reputation, but all of their credibility has been lost. If this wasn't a true safety concern, the federal government would not be investigating Toyota for the defects. The resale value on all of them has plummeted, a co-worker of mine who went to trade off his '07 Camry after all of this news received pennies on the dollar for the value, but he's now happily driving a Ford Fusion. Toyota needs to come clean with American public.
Rubbish. Send me the Youtube link to your friend's story.
Again, tell me who ever goes and trades a 3 year old car at any dealership, and doesn't get screwed/goes upside down? (Especially, if they're financing or put a small down payment and long financing terms).
The same would have happened if he bought a Ford Fusion and went to a GM/Toyota/Honda/Hyundai/BMW dealership. You have to understand how it works. Dealerships are in it to make money.
My friend who happens to be a Finance Manager for a local dealership in South Florida was telling me about someone who traded a 2009 Mercury Milan for a new (2010) Hyundai Sonata at the dealership he works for. Lost tons of money on it, (True story). They were in the process of Auctioning the Ford/Mercury (same crap), not much success from what I remember. IIRC, the car is a charcoal/gray color. Ask for it, if you think I'm lying.
Call Rick Case Hyundai, in Weston, Florida if you don't believe me. (I back up my story. Go ahead and check online or call. Google their number)
Quote:
Originally Posted by SpeedyAZ
He traded it at the Toyota dealership for a used Fusion they had on the lot, that says something to me!
I was reading an article the other day about the value of Toyota vehicles is really slipping and how dealers can't sell any new or used ones which explains why they gave him little on the trade in. Sorry to burst your bubble, but the Toyota brand has fallen and it's going to take many, many years for the public to trust buying Toyota vehicles again.
It doesn't say anything to me, anyone else, or even the OP. Anecdoctal example from you holds little value, since you're trying to sway the OP with stories that have zero meaning to her. You're just happy Toyotas hitting a, temporary slump. Some people were frothing at the mouth to see Toyota, Honda, Hyundai hit walls. Not going to happen long term.
That's the only way some can bring domestic cars up.
Keep trying.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Obviously, I am the exact same way. I also drive way to fast and have to have a slow car because of my lead foot.
Think gas prices are going to remain cheap? Guess again. Keep your Vette and Caddy and their V8s. No one here was asking or making a comparison to V8s. 
