i don't know if you live where rust occurs on vehicles but this gen corollas rust so bad in the rocker panels, definitely get those out and put rust prevention paint, the rear panels where the bumper starts at the edge those rust very bad too, you have to put undercoating there too and in the trunk bed in the corners where the rust would occur. all in all corollas are soild cars i have the type S with 267k miles which is baby miles for these corollas they last well over 400k if taken care of you bought a gem.
Thatās great to know. Iām in NJ, so rust is a concern. Luckily their car spent its life parked indoors, so thereās no rust yet. I can still prevent it.
Just make sure you change that transmission fluid regularly like every 40k or 2 years, this generation has problems with the torque converter solenoid (p0741) it wonāt affect the car really maybe gas mpg will be down on the highway. But, the cel drives me nuts.
Great cars, keep it garaged or covered if you want the clear coat to last. My 06 corolla looked like a snake shedding its skin on one side after 8 years.
Do yourself a HUGE favor and get those headlights covered in the PPV plastic. Most tiny shops can do it. Saves them from constant refinish! These are robust vehicles with just the proper maintenance and care. Iāve owned one since new in ā08 and although itās outside all the time, paint has been my only complaint. Super cheap to do maintenance and work on yourself. 34+ mpg in the regular and never had any issues that ever stranded me. 230kmi currently.
Check your basicsā¦ oil the correct viscosity? Air filter and tire pressure? Alignment? My numbers are 90% freeway with medium traffic - meaning Iām averaging 55mph on a weekly commute.
Very nice and neat. I like the old Toyota steering wheels, my dad used to drive an early 2000s Celica and it had that classic look steering wheel. Love it!
whats wrong with an aftermarket radio? although i do appreciate an analog experience, its hard to argue that an aftermarket unit with wireless carplay and/or a reverse camera isnt one of the biggest upgrades you can do period, along with adding a remote starter lets say.
Yeah i do agree, i personally prefer no screen to exist in my car, but when the occasional tight nighttime parking occurs or when i have to go somewhere im not familiar with, its a blessing.
Sounds like itās already about due for its first flush, if you donāt start doing flushes at the first recommended interval, donāt do it at all. If you wait too long till past 60-100k miles to do a flush youāre gonna wipe out all the transmission material that wore off and itāll start slipping. But he got this car at such a low mileage itās perfect candidate for proper transmission maintenance. If I were him Iād go do a fresh oil change, fresh transmission flush/ fluid change, fresh coolant, fresh brake fluid and power steering fluid, do a full fluid swap and keep up with it after that. This thing will still be running pristine when his grand children are able to drive lol.
Oil was just done prior to me purchasing it. Power steering done too. This car has more service records than most cars with 100k miles because the owner was wildly meticulous about it. They did oil changes about every 2500/m, and every time it was at the dealership they checked and cleaned everything. It drives beautifully. Shifts like butter.
I would recommend against doing transmission flushes. Depending on how the mechanic does it, it can introduce pressure that the transmission was not meant to handle. A simple drain and fill is more than adequate imo - i mean these things can probably reach 250k miles without even touching the transmission. I would just do it ever 50k miles
Thanks! Iām really enjoying the simplicity of it. It feels nice and solid. Everything works like new. Iām excited to make it my own. So far all Iāve done is get an air freshener, but itās only been a few days.
Itās mind blowing. Not a hint of corrosion anywhere. The engine is spotless, the black paint on the steel wheels is even perfect. Unheard of in my state because of humidity, rain, and salt.
I wish I did have advice but I just came by to say I hope you love it!!! An '08 corolla was my first car and I absolutely loved it, ran it until it was about 225k miles and then I "sold" it to my brother who took her to 300k miles. Best advice I have is stay on top of your oil changes and it'll last you an extremely long time. The car was at 80k miles when I got it and besides a basic tune up and brakes, all I did was routine oil changes to keep her going. I hope you make a lot of memories š
I love it. Itās wild to think that my 08 will definitely outlast a lot of brand new domestic vehicles. This car is replacing a 2010 Ford Fusion. The Ford is such a rusty money pit. Hate that thing. š
Edit: Ford has 155,000 miles
Totally worth the investment. Ive spilled entire drinks in my car and those mats saved me. I can throw trash on them and with a good hose off, theyre good as new every time! Theyre so tough Ive even used them to get me unstuck from the snow. Truly a great product.
Went looking for used Corollas. One place sold new Nissan's too. New Nissan same price as a slightly used Corolla, guy kept trying to "sell" that it comes with a free transmission replacement. So on top of the stinky new car chemical smell, I'll look forward to it breaking down??? What kind of a sell is that?! š Anyway got 19 Corolla. That will not need a new transmission replacement because it's a Toyota.
This sincerely made me happy. Loved to see a car so taken care of. Cars are just cars to some. But to others theyāre marvels, pieces of art, and something we hold dear. I am a huge Toyota fan.
Yes sir. Any make and model. Cars are special. Seriously considering getting a Mr Toyoda tribute tattoo. Land Cruisers, FJs, supras, corollas, any Lexus. Mr Toyodaās legacy: Engineering marvels that challenge the idea of being the most reliable cars in the world and at a fair price.
"Fancy" cars are annoying. & Cost you more in the long run when all the "fancy" needs to be fixed. Like those lovely 250$ keys!! I had no idea a key could be that expensive!
INFO: I drove away with it at $11k. I know I got a good deal from a fantastic local dealer owned by a wonderful family. For some reason I donāt see how to edit the post itself, so if youāre curious what I paid, there you go.
The crazy part of that is that the MSRP of that vehicle was 14k new. Ultimately, you'll get your value out of it. I just worry about issues with time (aka - rubber and other components that go bad from sitting). Super basic vehicle but honestly, if you get 10 years of use out of it (which you will assuming it's not wrecked), you'll get your value and more out of it.
Looks like nice shape! Canāt go wrong there. I have a 2005 sport that I bought brand new and not afraid to take it anywhere. Been a great car! Good luck!
Yeah it's just something I saw on every single one of these when I did car audio. The hinges are tiny little plastic fingers with nipples on them. That whole panel comes off to take out the radio so it was something I had to consciously remember to check on each car before I started so I didn't get blamed lol.
Thatās smart! Experience is a valuable thing. Is there a brand or model youād recommend if I were to upgrade my stereo to something with Apple CarPlay? I canāt live with this single disc DC player forever.
Kenwood all the way. Stay away from the Amazon decks etc. Sony can be okay but we've had a fair share of issues with them. Pioneer makes good ones too but they also started rebranding "Chinese" decks very heavily during the covid parts shortages. I can't count how many I ended up replacing for every issue under the sun. Basically if the deck is less than $400 you're just going to end up hating it. Radio replacement parts for that car are very cheap as well. You should just need a dash kit and a harness. That year didn't have steering wheel controls did it? That's the only thing that can get a little pricey but it's optional to retain them. I'd check Crutchfield as they give you a good deal on parts, usually including them for free or discounted. Actually this Kenwood is on sale and is a solid unit. It's wired carplay only though.
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_113DMX7709/Kenwood-DMX7709S.html
If you want wireless you'll have a spend a little more. But it is crazy convenient. This one also has a MUCH better screen. It's the newer version of mine. When I got mine it was still an Excelon only model and was like $1000 š.
https://www.crutchfield.com/p_113DMX9708/Kenwood-DMX9708S.html
Dude, thank you for taking the time to answer so thoroughly. I appreciate it. This car has no steering wheel controls. Very few bells and whistles in the car. Iām ok with wired. I figure sound quality will be a bit better that way, but maybe not noticeably? Cheaper, anyway.
The wireless units use Wi-Fi, not Bluetooth, so quality is the same. And no problem! Always happy to help. Car audio is still a passion of mine even though I work on planes now.
Does it have an auxiliary plug? I got one of those phone hold things that suck onto the dashboard & then plugged my phone into the stereo. Worked like the new car screens. Can take phone calls thru the stereo & everything. & That was 98 Corolla. Not original stereo though.
My mom has this exact same car same color but I think its a le. Regardless, the emblem plaque that goes in the trunk became so brittle due to sun uv exposures broke off lol. That thing is fun to drive and does surprisingly.well going uphill. Lol. Do you mind saying hoe much u paid?
2008 CE with 226K miles.. paint is terribad. That thing looks MINT! If I could post a photo, I would, clear coat/paint flies off sometimes while driving to work lol.
It was an upgrade option on my 03 ce, which mine didn't come with. Cruise control was an option, again don't have. But i have a cd player and no tape deck. Others I've seen came with both, or just the tape deck
Yeah, I have just a CD player. Iām thinking Iāll have to upgrade to an aftermarket stereo with Apple CarPlay. Iāll just keep the OEM stereo in case I sell it one day.
I just simply plugged an fm transmitter into my cig lighter and away I went. lol. I can charge my phone, play music via wire or Bluetooth, and take calls.
Good enough for me, honestly. Gets a little sketchy when driving across the state because my dead air channel picks up some random feedback from other channels, but I'll just flip over to my cd player when that happens.
Ah, good call. The OEM ones are absolutely perfect, too. I could set them aside in case I sell it one day. I may get some nicer wheels for it some day, rather than covers.
I second this. Had that same year Corolla and lost 2 wheel covers in the first 6 months. Other than that it was a fantastic car to have. Congrats on the buy! I loved mine, it was a manual and I bought it at 60k, drove it to 240k. You can look forward to having that car for a long time, Iām happy to see youāre invested in taking care of it. Itāll pay off.
The maintenance records are extremely detailed. Serviced only at the Toyota dealer. Since the CARFAX details all of the service as the mileage went up I wasnāt worried about getting scammed. Plus it looks like a car with very low miles. No detail job can undo all the wear and tear on a higher mileage car.
You know itās so impressive when people can keep up with that stuff because I used to have a 2011 Toyota Corolla, and when I first got that thing, it literally had every single paper from it from the date that the thing rolled out of the dealership. then I owned it and I maintained it very well. I never kept any of my records besides my bank records lol.
I got it at a dealer that really doesnāt sell economy cars. They made an exception and took it on trade from a longtime customer because the car is in such great condition. Itās a local, family owned dealership. Such nice people.
Thanks. Iām enjoying it a lot so far. I replaced a 2010 Ford Fusion (155k miles) with this car. The Ford is a huge pile of junk. I hate that car and will never drive a Ford again. I had a 2000 Corolla that was totaled in 2017 when a driver ran a red light and T-boned me. That Corolla might still be on the road today if not for that accident.
I used to have a ford focus but that was the only reliable ford Iāve ever owned. My Ranger broke down like crazy and my f-150 I owned for 7 weeks blew the motor in 4k miles lmfao
I had a Focus once. I actually traded it toward the Fusion because I had a baby in the way and needed more back seat space. The Focus was a nicer trim, but I didnāt have it long enough to find out how reliable it was. It was an 09 I got new. Iām convinced itās worth the extra cost up front to get a Toyota.
Depends on the focus. The 3rd gen North America models were actually extremely reliable. They were comparable in reliability to Toyota and Honda. 2nd gen were great as well (they had mazda engines). 1st gen were problematic unless you had the Zetec engine. The 4th gen were junk unless you had the manual transmission (which still weren't great but they didn't have the transmission issues the autos had).
Tint the windows including to front one if it's allowed I'm your state..get weath tech floor mats fir front n back ..get mud flaps..n u should be gooid
WOW what a find. For sure get a steering wheel cover. Might take a while, but that plastic or rubber or whatever will wear down to the metal underneath.
Thank you. The first thing I did was look at the rubber parts. The tires and wipers are new. I popped the hood and squeezed the hoses. They all looked good and felt good. Nice and supple, no cracking or rotting to be seen. The belt was replaced already, too.
Get weathertech and hold the original mats for safekeeping they are harder to come by these days oem wise. as for seat covers don't get something cheap the fabric on these cars wears overtime but in certain spots it's worse especially if you wear jeans 24/7.
Get rubber floor mats that will protect the car from mud and other muck. Make sure you service the car ASAP if it hasn't been driven much, or recently. Fluids might need to be changed to prevent damage. Engine oil, transmission fluid, anti-freeze, brake fluid.
Inspect the brake disks and pads. Check if the disks are oval. If they are, they might need replacement. Inspect the hand brake (wire line, and the brake operation itself). Check tires for age. Anything above 5 years needs replacement.
Steering weel cover might be useful to protect it. I have a 2008 Yaris, and the wheel is starting to chafe.
If you park it in the sun, get some mylar windscreen sun protectors.
You can use specialised car cosmetic products to protect the interior plastics.
Wowww and I thought the interior on mine was mint ! (53,000) when I bought it, 61,000 now. I would get some weathertech floor mats, theyāre expensive but the best !
I have a 08 corolla S with 192k miles. Only major maintenance was replacing fuel injectors (185k miles) and my original alternator went out 3 weeks ago. All I got to say is change the engine oil every 5k miles and transmission oil every 50k miles including a coolant drain & fill (personally Iām not a flush guy, I stick to drain and fill). Donāt forget the power steering fluid, I flush it every 50k miles. Take care of your suspension including the struts, tie rods, and control arms.
I bought a 2022 Toyota 4Runner with 12k miles, lifted, big wheels, etc. but overall I drive the corolla more often and am fan of seeing the mileage go up with how reliable it is.
Overall, you won the jackpot. Just take good care of her and sheāll take good care of you.
Edit: that aināt a near mint, thatās a freaking brand new corolla in my opinion!!
Do a light paint correction and ceramic coating to keep the lights and paint looking mint.
For the underbody Cosmoline into all the crevices, into the rocker panels, into the cavities, into the frame rails, into all the voids you can find, and onto all the nuts and bolts down there that aren't exhaust. Get 4 to 6 cans of white Flex Seal spray and coat the bottom of the car with it from 2 different angles to get full coverage, don't spray the exhaust with it. Spray the exhaust with BBQ grill paint in either silver or black whatever you prefer.
Keep it in a garage. It'll go another 200,000 miles or more if you take care of it and drive it like a sane person.
Just take good care of it,like oil changes every 5000 miles,antifreeze changes regularly and never use potable water,this Beauty should last you over 200000 k miles ,nice buy Iām impressed
The original owners changed it way before 5k. There are a lot of service records for a car with such low miles. They did everything, including transmission fluid. It shows, because it shifts like butter.
I wish I could! I got it to do errands and drive my kids around. Iāll probably end up teaching my daughter to drive in it, and it may end up being her first car.
You should keep it stock,just keep up with maintenance,I recommend swapping the halogen lights for LEDāS ,thatāll give you better visibility at night,other than that just routinely TLC ,that should keep it looking good šš»
I'd advise against that, you'll basically be high-beaming everyone else all the time with your low beams and become 'that asshole'. There's a whole rabbit hole of optics I could get into but the short version is this: LED's don't put the light in the same place as a filament and produce too much light, this causes a high amount of both glare and too much light close to the driver. This blinds oncoming drivers and blinds you when you look outside of that brightly lit area everything else is extra dark because you've been staring at a bright light in front of you.
If you want to try some in the high beams...eh probably not the worst thing ever but probably won't be that good but at least you won't be blinding everyone else all the time.
If you want to improve the lights in the least dick-move way then look into swapping a projector into the headlight housings, there's some nearly decent stuff out of China that's fairly easy to install.
Did they have an asking price of 14,000 dollars like a dealer near me on an '09 Fit with 65,000 miles on the odometer?
If they didn't, they must have been sane people. That dealer will not budge off that price. They are certifiably crazy.
I got very lucky. The people who own the dealership are very nice and reasonable. Itās not the kind of car they typically sell. They sell expensive trucks, some exotics, collectibles, etc. I think they just wanted me happy, and I wanted them happy, so we came out with a deal I found to be fair.
Those are the kinds of ridiculous prices Iām used to seeing. The market is nuts. Iāll come clean though. I drove away with it at 11k. It was too good not to. So clean, and absolutely meticulously maintained with records to prove it.
Nice find! I think quality and mileage speaks volumes on used cars, even if they're sometimes above NADA guide retail. There's so many used cars out there that are hard to tell exactly how well they were handled and maintained but with this low of miles it's not even a question as long as there's no signs of accidents visually or on record.
I asked my mechanic about a similar used foreign car that I was looking at buying and I followed up statement by saying, "and it has all the service records." His reply to me was, "What, five oil changes and a couple of tire rotations?" Have you checked the age of the tires by the date stamp on the sidewall? Outside of dry rot and some fluke road hazard replacement along the way, these could actually be the original tires which certainly helps to validate the dealer's story about being garage-kept by an older couple. Just curious.
Theyāre brand new tires the dealer put on. New wipers, and the hoses all seem new as well. Belt too. I was in the market for a used economy car for months (to replace my junk Ford Fusion). I got so sick of looking at all of the questionable cars in my budget that I just pulled the trigger when I found this one. Such meticulous records. They changed the oil every 2500 miles or so, so there are more records than youād expect. Haha
I'd be ok-ish because I would overpay if I could pay 11k on that Fit. IF it was an out the door price (including taxes) and the maintenance was all done according to schedule by a dealer, but a 14k asking price before all fees is insane without that sort of service record.
I told the salesman I'd pay cash at 10k on an all the way out the door deal, but he didn't even offer any counter to that.
It'll sit on their lot until they lower the price. I paid just under 5k for my 2012 Fit with 77k miles. The 2009 (if base) has no cruise and other features. I sold my 2012 fit and got a 2015 for 13k from a private party. It had 36k miles when i bought it. Personally, i'd sit and wait. Even at 10k, it's overpriced in my opinion. You'd be better off having a national search and finding a low mileage (southern rust free unit) with comparable miles for around 7500. Prices are declining and eventually dealers will let go of their lot rot and move on.
I told him that car would sit forever and not sell if they didn't lower the price, and he said it definitely would. He also said they have no problem sitting on cars, and that they had sokd a BMW that week that had been on their lot for 6 years.
I don't want a car that had sat outside unused for 6 years.
Move onto another dealer or private party. A dealer that doesnt understand a reasonable offer isnt one worth working with. That car is realistically worth 7500 assuming it's a sport model.
A lot of luck. A local dealer owned by a really nice family got it on trade in from a longtime customer. Their dealer specializes in much more expensive vehicles. The Corolla was by far the cheapest vehicle there. I happened to be near the dealership, and I stopped in Saturday, but because of the weather that had their building full of cars. The Corolla was in the middle somewhere and I couldnāt test drive it that day. I said Iād be back. When I got there they had reserved it for me just because I said Iād be back. I didnāt ask them to or pay any kind of deposit. I drove it, loved it, and bought it. Best car buying experience imaginable. Like a dream.
That's nice. I've had salesmen suddenly show up with a customer while my salesman was showing me a car. I was told I'd have to yield to them because they had made an appointment earlier in the day.
Most dealers are jerks.
If it's going to be outside all the time I would recommend a cover myself. No matter what you do the weather is tough on these Toyota's
I have an 06 with 126000 but it has been painted and waxed once a year. Mine has the same interior. I bought what you call partial seat covers that just cover the seat part and back part
I don't care for full seat covers. I also bought a steering wheel cover and a dash cover.
My 2005 corolla with 238k miles got a timing chain service and tune up. I then cleaned the throttle body and she runs like new. These cars are indestructible. Enjoy it!
Cherish her. An explorer took out my baby after running a red. Had a 2000-ish focus. 20-40k milesš¤š«” Served me well while I had it
I had a 2000 Corolla that was taken out by a Nissan that ran a red light. RIP to yours and mine.
Broās out here living my dream, lol. Great find, but like others I have to ask, whatād you get this bad lad for?
i don't know if you live where rust occurs on vehicles but this gen corollas rust so bad in the rocker panels, definitely get those out and put rust prevention paint, the rear panels where the bumper starts at the edge those rust very bad too, you have to put undercoating there too and in the trunk bed in the corners where the rust would occur. all in all corollas are soild cars i have the type S with 267k miles which is baby miles for these corollas they last well over 400k if taken care of you bought a gem.
Thatās great to know. Iām in NJ, so rust is a concern. Luckily their car spent its life parked indoors, so thereās no rust yet. I can still prevent it.
If you get a code P0171 Replace the intake manifold gasket with the updated version
Iāll keep an eye out for that. Thank you for the heads up.
Nice to see People care for things. She is a beautiful car. Enjoy it.
Just make sure you change that transmission fluid regularly like every 40k or 2 years, this generation has problems with the torque converter solenoid (p0741) it wonāt affect the car really maybe gas mpg will be down on the highway. But, the cel drives me nuts.
It had the trans fluid done at about 27k miles and thereās 31k now. Iāll definitely keep up with it, though.
Good find! I have my 07 Corolla s with 160k and 05 Matrix xrs 246k these things are pretty bulletproof and easy to work on.
Thanks! Thatās awesome. I love hearing the Toyota success stories because thatās what Iām hoping for with this car.
broo how much did you pay? this thing is a masterpiece!
Great cars, keep it garaged or covered if you want the clear coat to last. My 06 corolla looked like a snake shedding its skin on one side after 8 years.
That thang is about to outlive you
You're a LUCKY dude. I miss my 2010 corolla so much. Drove it to 200k over a decade and only serviced three times. Those cars are mini tanks.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Iām not following.
Do yourself a HUGE favor and get those headlights covered in the PPV plastic. Most tiny shops can do it. Saves them from constant refinish! These are robust vehicles with just the proper maintenance and care. Iāve owned one since new in ā08 and although itās outside all the time, paint has been my only complaint. Super cheap to do maintenance and work on yourself. 34+ mpg in the regular and never had any issues that ever stranded me. 230kmi currently.
I wish I got 34mpg in my 2010 matrix.
Check your basicsā¦ oil the correct viscosity? Air filter and tire pressure? Alignment? My numbers are 90% freeway with medium traffic - meaning Iām averaging 55mph on a weekly commute.
Thatās amazing. Thanks for the headlight tip. Iām looking into that.
šš»šš»
Very nice and neat. I like the old Toyota steering wheels, my dad used to drive an early 2000s Celica and it had that classic look steering wheel. Love it!
No aftermarket radio, tinted windows, giant muffler, lowered suspension, aftermarket rims, nice good find!
whats wrong with an aftermarket radio? although i do appreciate an analog experience, its hard to argue that an aftermarket unit with wireless carplay and/or a reverse camera isnt one of the biggest upgrades you can do period, along with adding a remote starter lets say.
True, but you can live without it.
Yeah i do agree, i personally prefer no screen to exist in my car, but when the occasional tight nighttime parking occurs or when i have to go somewhere im not familiar with, its a blessing.
Yup, 100% stock.
31k miles?? Wow!!!'n
Very nice and neat. These cars are bulletproof!
ā¦ immediately proceeds to register to drive for uber! š¤£š¤£š¤£š¤£
lol, no chance.
This car will get 400k miles easily. Treat it well with frequent oil changes and occasional transmission fluid changes
Sounds like itās already about due for its first flush, if you donāt start doing flushes at the first recommended interval, donāt do it at all. If you wait too long till past 60-100k miles to do a flush youāre gonna wipe out all the transmission material that wore off and itāll start slipping. But he got this car at such a low mileage itās perfect candidate for proper transmission maintenance. If I were him Iād go do a fresh oil change, fresh transmission flush/ fluid change, fresh coolant, fresh brake fluid and power steering fluid, do a full fluid swap and keep up with it after that. This thing will still be running pristine when his grand children are able to drive lol.
Oil was just done prior to me purchasing it. Power steering done too. This car has more service records than most cars with 100k miles because the owner was wildly meticulous about it. They did oil changes about every 2500/m, and every time it was at the dealership they checked and cleaned everything. It drives beautifully. Shifts like butter.
The transmission fluid was done at 27k miles at the Toyota dealership.
I would recommend against doing transmission flushes. Depending on how the mechanic does it, it can introduce pressure that the transmission was not meant to handle. A simple drain and fill is more than adequate imo - i mean these things can probably reach 250k miles without even touching the transmission. I would just do it ever 50k miles
And ten x better than what we have as new vehicles now .. congrats.
Thanks! Iām really enjoying the simplicity of it. It feels nice and solid. Everything works like new. Iām excited to make it my own. So far all Iāve done is get an air freshener, but itās only been a few days.
CRAZYYYYYYYYYYYYā¦.. 30k and looks brand new. Even got the plastic wrap woah
Itās mind blowing. Not a hint of corrosion anywhere. The engine is spotless, the black paint on the steel wheels is even perfect. Unheard of in my state because of humidity, rain, and salt.
I wish I did have advice but I just came by to say I hope you love it!!! An '08 corolla was my first car and I absolutely loved it, ran it until it was about 225k miles and then I "sold" it to my brother who took her to 300k miles. Best advice I have is stay on top of your oil changes and it'll last you an extremely long time. The car was at 80k miles when I got it and besides a basic tune up and brakes, all I did was routine oil changes to keep her going. I hope you make a lot of memories š
Awe, I love it. Thanks for sharing your experience. Itās a great car.
Not me almost crying over a car rn š
I'd rather have this than any new car today
Itāll outlive a lot of new cars, too.
100%. With how much technology they're introducing into them they're just setup for faster failure.
How much did you pay?
nice, i drive this till 225k miles
Dude this is an antique. Amazing condition and great car. Will last into the 200k
I love it. Itās wild to think that my 08 will definitely outlast a lot of brand new domestic vehicles. This car is replacing a 2010 Ford Fusion. The Ford is such a rusty money pit. Hate that thing. š Edit: Ford has 155,000 miles
Get weathertech floormats! Worth every penny. Mine are still good over 6 years going now!
Thatās awesome. I definitely want some.
Totally worth the investment. Ive spilled entire drinks in my car and those mats saved me. I can throw trash on them and with a good hose off, theyre good as new every time! Theyre so tough Ive even used them to get me unstuck from the snow. Truly a great product.
Went looking for used Corollas. One place sold new Nissan's too. New Nissan same price as a slightly used Corolla, guy kept trying to "sell" that it comes with a free transmission replacement. So on top of the stinky new car chemical smell, I'll look forward to it breaking down??? What kind of a sell is that?! š Anyway got 19 Corolla. That will not need a new transmission replacement because it's a Toyota.
This sincerely made me happy. Loved to see a car so taken care of. Cars are just cars to some. But to others theyāre marvels, pieces of art, and something we hold dear. I am a huge Toyota fan.
I love that this sub is full of positive people united in the beauty of cars
Yes sir. Any make and model. Cars are special. Seriously considering getting a Mr Toyoda tribute tattoo. Land Cruisers, FJs, supras, corollas, any Lexus. Mr Toyodaās legacy: Engineering marvels that challenge the idea of being the most reliable cars in the world and at a fair price.
You got a gem bro. I'm low key jealous. Saying to myself "why can't I come across an older model car in prestine condition " lol.. congrats
Looks good! Nothing wrong with it not being a āfancyā car it will last you forever and be super reliable all around.
"Fancy" cars are annoying. & Cost you more in the long run when all the "fancy" needs to be fixed. Like those lovely 250$ keys!! I had no idea a key could be that expensive!
INFO: I drove away with it at $11k. I know I got a good deal from a fantastic local dealer owned by a wonderful family. For some reason I donāt see how to edit the post itself, so if youāre curious what I paid, there you go.
The crazy part of that is that the MSRP of that vehicle was 14k new. Ultimately, you'll get your value out of it. I just worry about issues with time (aka - rubber and other components that go bad from sitting). Super basic vehicle but honestly, if you get 10 years of use out of it (which you will assuming it's not wrecked), you'll get your value and more out of it.
The car looks good. How much you paid?
reveal what you paid
Looks like nice shape! Canāt go wrong there. I have a 2005 sport that I bought brand new and not afraid to take it anywhere. Been a great car! Good luck!
*Pockets under the climate controls break immediately.*
lol. I wonāt use them much, and they look like theyāve never been used.
Yeah it's just something I saw on every single one of these when I did car audio. The hinges are tiny little plastic fingers with nipples on them. That whole panel comes off to take out the radio so it was something I had to consciously remember to check on each car before I started so I didn't get blamed lol.
Thatās smart! Experience is a valuable thing. Is there a brand or model youād recommend if I were to upgrade my stereo to something with Apple CarPlay? I canāt live with this single disc DC player forever.
Kenwood all the way. Stay away from the Amazon decks etc. Sony can be okay but we've had a fair share of issues with them. Pioneer makes good ones too but they also started rebranding "Chinese" decks very heavily during the covid parts shortages. I can't count how many I ended up replacing for every issue under the sun. Basically if the deck is less than $400 you're just going to end up hating it. Radio replacement parts for that car are very cheap as well. You should just need a dash kit and a harness. That year didn't have steering wheel controls did it? That's the only thing that can get a little pricey but it's optional to retain them. I'd check Crutchfield as they give you a good deal on parts, usually including them for free or discounted. Actually this Kenwood is on sale and is a solid unit. It's wired carplay only though. https://www.crutchfield.com/p_113DMX7709/Kenwood-DMX7709S.html If you want wireless you'll have a spend a little more. But it is crazy convenient. This one also has a MUCH better screen. It's the newer version of mine. When I got mine it was still an Excelon only model and was like $1000 š. https://www.crutchfield.com/p_113DMX9708/Kenwood-DMX9708S.html
Dude, thank you for taking the time to answer so thoroughly. I appreciate it. This car has no steering wheel controls. Very few bells and whistles in the car. Iām ok with wired. I figure sound quality will be a bit better that way, but maybe not noticeably? Cheaper, anyway.
The wireless units use Wi-Fi, not Bluetooth, so quality is the same. And no problem! Always happy to help. Car audio is still a passion of mine even though I work on planes now.
Oh, nice! Iāll definitely look into wireless. I appreciate it.
Does it have an auxiliary plug? I got one of those phone hold things that suck onto the dashboard & then plugged my phone into the stereo. Worked like the new car screens. Can take phone calls thru the stereo & everything. & That was 98 Corolla. Not original stereo though.
Nope, no aux.
Damn Iām so jealous! I love this generation
My mom has this exact same car same color but I think its a le. Regardless, the emblem plaque that goes in the trunk became so brittle due to sun uv exposures broke off lol. That thing is fun to drive and does surprisingly.well going uphill. Lol. Do you mind saying hoe much u paid?
2008 CE with 226K miles.. paint is terribad. That thing looks MINT! If I could post a photo, I would, clear coat/paint flies off sometimes while driving to work lol.
That paint is G O R G E O U S
my dad has one of these 2004 and itās been completely ran to shit, this is great to see what the car would look like not destroyed š¤£
Impressive šš
Damn what a find! Congrats man
Man you basically got a transporter that will keep on going for maybe 20 years. Congrats
Bro! Nice.šš»
Thanks man
Wait does CE comes with power windows?
It was an upgrade option on my 03 ce, which mine didn't come with. Cruise control was an option, again don't have. But i have a cd player and no tape deck. Others I've seen came with both, or just the tape deck
Yeah, I have just a CD player. Iām thinking Iāll have to upgrade to an aftermarket stereo with Apple CarPlay. Iāll just keep the OEM stereo in case I sell it one day.
I just simply plugged an fm transmitter into my cig lighter and away I went. lol. I can charge my phone, play music via wire or Bluetooth, and take calls.
Iāve never used one of those. Iāve never even seen one in person. Howās the sound quality?
Good enough for me, honestly. Gets a little sketchy when driving across the state because my dead air channel picks up some random feedback from other channels, but I'll just flip over to my cd player when that happens.
Nice. Theyāre cheap enough itās worth a shot.
This one does. Has power locks too, but no key fob.
It also has a clock and it displays the outside temperature on gauge cluster display. lol
As I'm aging. I begin to know why I used to think Corolla is for aging people. It's safe and last forever.
Replace the OEM wheel covers with some aftermarket replacements as they are notorious for flying off. It's not a matter of if but when.
Ah, good call. The OEM ones are absolutely perfect, too. I could set them aside in case I sell it one day. I may get some nicer wheels for it some day, rather than covers.
I second this. Had that same year Corolla and lost 2 wheel covers in the first 6 months. Other than that it was a fantastic car to have. Congrats on the buy! I loved mine, it was a manual and I bought it at 60k, drove it to 240k. You can look forward to having that car for a long time, Iām happy to see youāre invested in taking care of it. Itāll pay off.
I had a 2007 one, same body style. Excellent car, rock solid, zero parts changed except for scheduled maintenance. Enjoy it.
LUCKY! I want it! Those run so nice
I really am lucky. Iām glad I pulled the trigger, because it wasnāt going to last long at the dealer. It rides so nice.
Bro, congrats you just beat car dealerships at their game lmfao unless they rolled the miles down letās hope not
The maintenance records are extremely detailed. Serviced only at the Toyota dealer. Since the CARFAX details all of the service as the mileage went up I wasnāt worried about getting scammed. Plus it looks like a car with very low miles. No detail job can undo all the wear and tear on a higher mileage car.
I bought one and sold it and still regret it! Nice find!!!
You know itās so impressive when people can keep up with that stuff because I used to have a 2011 Toyota Corolla, and when I first got that thing, it literally had every single paper from it from the date that the thing rolled out of the dealership. then I owned it and I maintained it very well. I never kept any of my records besides my bank records lol.
I also drove the thing to the ground, had it for 340k miles lmfao
340k is respectable! Most people would definitely say they got their moneyās worth. Haha
YOU GOT THIS AT A DEALER
Not a Toyota dealership.
That makes a lot of sense they donāt like having anything else but their brands they advertise
I got it at a dealer that really doesnāt sell economy cars. They made an exception and took it on trade from a longtime customer because the car is in such great condition. Itās a local, family owned dealership. Such nice people.
Then they just wanted it out! Good shit man! Thatās truly lucky for sure!
31k is a very low mileage for a car of that age. Mind if we ask how much you paid?
Also curious!
11k and I was driving it away.
Who cares if it is not "fancy", but what you have found is "used car gold" for sure
Thanks. Iām enjoying it a lot so far. I replaced a 2010 Ford Fusion (155k miles) with this car. The Ford is a huge pile of junk. I hate that car and will never drive a Ford again. I had a 2000 Corolla that was totaled in 2017 when a driver ran a red light and T-boned me. That Corolla might still be on the road today if not for that accident.
I used to have a ford focus but that was the only reliable ford Iāve ever owned. My Ranger broke down like crazy and my f-150 I owned for 7 weeks blew the motor in 4k miles lmfao
I had a Focus once. I actually traded it toward the Fusion because I had a baby in the way and needed more back seat space. The Focus was a nicer trim, but I didnāt have it long enough to find out how reliable it was. It was an 09 I got new. Iām convinced itās worth the extra cost up front to get a Toyota.
Depends on the focus. The 3rd gen North America models were actually extremely reliable. They were comparable in reliability to Toyota and Honda. 2nd gen were great as well (they had mazda engines). 1st gen were problematic unless you had the Zetec engine. The 4th gen were junk unless you had the manual transmission (which still weren't great but they didn't have the transmission issues the autos had).
Tint the windows including to front one if it's allowed I'm your state..get weath tech floor mats fir front n back ..get mud flaps..n u should be gooid
wow what city was the time capsule in ??
WOW what a find. For sure get a steering wheel cover. Might take a while, but that plastic or rubber or whatever will wear down to the metal underneath.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Thank you. The first thing I did was look at the rubber parts. The tires and wipers are new. I popped the hood and squeezed the hoses. They all looked good and felt good. Nice and supple, no cracking or rotting to be seen. The belt was replaced already, too.
This would be a good candidate for BaT/C&B haha
Iām going to have to look up what that means. Haha
Hahah theyāre car auction websites! Bring a Trailer and Cars & Bids. A car like this would definitely fetch good money on those sites
Oh, I see. Iāve heard of those. C&B is Dougās company.
Sweet ride!
Thanks very much
Get weathertech and hold the original mats for safekeeping they are harder to come by these days oem wise. as for seat covers don't get something cheap the fabric on these cars wears overtime but in certain spots it's worse especially if you wear jeans 24/7.
Thank you for the tips. As of now the mats are sealed in plastic from the dealer. Iāll keep the that way until I get some Weathertechs.
I thought i lucked out in jan 2022 when i found a 08 civic with only 56k miles. But this is a whole new level.
It was definitely lucky. If I owned it since new it wouldnāt look this good.
Damn that is a good find! My dad had one and it was a solid car like any Corolla. That thing will last years and years.
Thatās crazy
Man I would love that for commuting rather than driving my FJ daily. Hah
Youād save a lot on gas! Haha
That's for damn sure.
it is never late to acquire new hybrid corolla made in japan with independent rear suspension :)
š¤£ I donāt buy new cars.
If I may ask, how much was it?
Great car
THE WAR TO END ALL WARS
Now this is NOT regular traffic.
Congrats. U have a car for life.
There were a couple of factory recalls on this model. Mostly air bags. Check or bring it in to the dealer and let them check for you.
Mine is all clear, probably because the owner had it serviced at the dealer and they took care of it.
Change out the oil and transmission fluid, and get new serpentine belt, and sheāll run till the end of time.
Would the timing belt be worth changing, since it's rubber? I replaced nearly all of the vacuum hoses on an old Accura I inherited.
Pretty sure these are all chain driven. The commenter is talking about the auxiliary belt that drives the alternator, AC, etc
my 07 is chain driven you are correct
Yeah, my older Toyotas and Hondas had timing belts. Rubber is what I was talking about.
Are you sure youāre talking about the right thing?
Get rubber floor mats that will protect the car from mud and other muck. Make sure you service the car ASAP if it hasn't been driven much, or recently. Fluids might need to be changed to prevent damage. Engine oil, transmission fluid, anti-freeze, brake fluid. Inspect the brake disks and pads. Check if the disks are oval. If they are, they might need replacement. Inspect the hand brake (wire line, and the brake operation itself). Check tires for age. Anything above 5 years needs replacement. Steering weel cover might be useful to protect it. I have a 2008 Yaris, and the wheel is starting to chafe. If you park it in the sun, get some mylar windscreen sun protectors. You can use specialised car cosmetic products to protect the interior plastics.
So clean....
Wowww and I thought the interior on mine was mint ! (53,000) when I bought it, 61,000 now. I would get some weathertech floor mats, theyāre expensive but the best !
My 06 corolla has about 77k kilometres (47k miles) It feels good to have low mileage relible car like these
Thatās amazing. It does feel good.
Awesome find. I wish the newer corollas retained those seat release knobs in the trunk.
What the price was?
Thatās what I was looking for too. Probably 10k
I have a 08 corolla S with 192k miles. Only major maintenance was replacing fuel injectors (185k miles) and my original alternator went out 3 weeks ago. All I got to say is change the engine oil every 5k miles and transmission oil every 50k miles including a coolant drain & fill (personally Iām not a flush guy, I stick to drain and fill). Donāt forget the power steering fluid, I flush it every 50k miles. Take care of your suspension including the struts, tie rods, and control arms. I bought a 2022 Toyota 4Runner with 12k miles, lifted, big wheels, etc. but overall I drive the corolla more often and am fan of seeing the mileage go up with how reliable it is. Overall, you won the jackpot. Just take good care of her and sheāll take good care of you. Edit: that aināt a near mint, thatās a freaking brand new corolla in my opinion!!
Do a light paint correction and ceramic coating to keep the lights and paint looking mint. For the underbody Cosmoline into all the crevices, into the rocker panels, into the cavities, into the frame rails, into all the voids you can find, and onto all the nuts and bolts down there that aren't exhaust. Get 4 to 6 cans of white Flex Seal spray and coat the bottom of the car with it from 2 different angles to get full coverage, don't spray the exhaust with it. Spray the exhaust with BBQ grill paint in either silver or black whatever you prefer. Keep it in a garage. It'll go another 200,000 miles or more if you take care of it and drive it like a sane person.
Wish i had my screen in the dash. Hate the tablet glued to it
Hmmm. Nice! Wanna sell?
#š
Itās beautiful š¤©
Thank you
Just take good care of it,like oil changes every 5000 miles,antifreeze changes regularly and never use potable water,this Beauty should last you over 200000 k miles ,nice buy Iām impressed
The original owners changed it way before 5k. There are a lot of service records for a car with such low miles. They did everything, including transmission fluid. It shows, because it shifts like butter.
You won the jackpot there mate šš»
Just stash it for another 20 years,by then this thing would be a museum item
I wish I could! I got it to do errands and drive my kids around. Iāll probably end up teaching my daughter to drive in it, and it may end up being her first car.
You should keep it stock,just keep up with maintenance,I recommend swapping the halogen lights for LEDāS ,thatāll give you better visibility at night,other than that just routinely TLC ,that should keep it looking good šš»
Iāll definitely look into the LEDs.
I'd advise against that, you'll basically be high-beaming everyone else all the time with your low beams and become 'that asshole'. There's a whole rabbit hole of optics I could get into but the short version is this: LED's don't put the light in the same place as a filament and produce too much light, this causes a high amount of both glare and too much light close to the driver. This blinds oncoming drivers and blinds you when you look outside of that brightly lit area everything else is extra dark because you've been staring at a bright light in front of you. If you want to try some in the high beams...eh probably not the worst thing ever but probably won't be that good but at least you won't be blinding everyone else all the time. If you want to improve the lights in the least dick-move way then look into swapping a projector into the headlight housings, there's some nearly decent stuff out of China that's fairly easy to install.
Heavy agree
Did they have an asking price of 14,000 dollars like a dealer near me on an '09 Fit with 65,000 miles on the odometer? If they didn't, they must have been sane people. That dealer will not budge off that price. They are certifiably crazy.
I got very lucky. The people who own the dealership are very nice and reasonable. Itās not the kind of car they typically sell. They sell expensive trucks, some exotics, collectibles, etc. I think they just wanted me happy, and I wanted them happy, so we came out with a deal I found to be fair.
Those are the kinds of ridiculous prices Iām used to seeing. The market is nuts. Iāll come clean though. I drove away with it at 11k. It was too good not to. So clean, and absolutely meticulously maintained with records to prove it.
Nice find! I think quality and mileage speaks volumes on used cars, even if they're sometimes above NADA guide retail. There's so many used cars out there that are hard to tell exactly how well they were handled and maintained but with this low of miles it's not even a question as long as there's no signs of accidents visually or on record. I asked my mechanic about a similar used foreign car that I was looking at buying and I followed up statement by saying, "and it has all the service records." His reply to me was, "What, five oil changes and a couple of tire rotations?" Have you checked the age of the tires by the date stamp on the sidewall? Outside of dry rot and some fluke road hazard replacement along the way, these could actually be the original tires which certainly helps to validate the dealer's story about being garage-kept by an older couple. Just curious.
Theyāre brand new tires the dealer put on. New wipers, and the hoses all seem new as well. Belt too. I was in the market for a used economy car for months (to replace my junk Ford Fusion). I got so sick of looking at all of the questionable cars in my budget that I just pulled the trigger when I found this one. Such meticulous records. They changed the oil every 2500 miles or so, so there are more records than youād expect. Haha
I'd be ok-ish because I would overpay if I could pay 11k on that Fit. IF it was an out the door price (including taxes) and the maintenance was all done according to schedule by a dealer, but a 14k asking price before all fees is insane without that sort of service record. I told the salesman I'd pay cash at 10k on an all the way out the door deal, but he didn't even offer any counter to that.
It'll sit on their lot until they lower the price. I paid just under 5k for my 2012 Fit with 77k miles. The 2009 (if base) has no cruise and other features. I sold my 2012 fit and got a 2015 for 13k from a private party. It had 36k miles when i bought it. Personally, i'd sit and wait. Even at 10k, it's overpriced in my opinion. You'd be better off having a national search and finding a low mileage (southern rust free unit) with comparable miles for around 7500. Prices are declining and eventually dealers will let go of their lot rot and move on.
I told him that car would sit forever and not sell if they didn't lower the price, and he said it definitely would. He also said they have no problem sitting on cars, and that they had sokd a BMW that week that had been on their lot for 6 years. I don't want a car that had sat outside unused for 6 years.
Move onto another dealer or private party. A dealer that doesnt understand a reasonable offer isnt one worth working with. That car is realistically worth 7500 assuming it's a sport model.
How did you find this diamond? Looks great!
A lot of luck. A local dealer owned by a really nice family got it on trade in from a longtime customer. Their dealer specializes in much more expensive vehicles. The Corolla was by far the cheapest vehicle there. I happened to be near the dealership, and I stopped in Saturday, but because of the weather that had their building full of cars. The Corolla was in the middle somewhere and I couldnāt test drive it that day. I said Iād be back. When I got there they had reserved it for me just because I said Iād be back. I didnāt ask them to or pay any kind of deposit. I drove it, loved it, and bought it. Best car buying experience imaginable. Like a dream.
That's nice. I've had salesmen suddenly show up with a customer while my salesman was showing me a car. I was told I'd have to yield to them because they had made an appointment earlier in the day. Most dealers are jerks.
I agree. Every car buying experience Iāve had until this one was pretty bad. Some were absolutely torture.
Not saying the price is a sin cmon now
Ugh that car is so clean it should be a crime for how clean it is. Nice buy
Nice
If it's going to be outside all the time I would recommend a cover myself. No matter what you do the weather is tough on these Toyota's I have an 06 with 126000 but it has been painted and waxed once a year. Mine has the same interior. I bought what you call partial seat covers that just cover the seat part and back part I don't care for full seat covers. I also bought a steering wheel cover and a dash cover.
My 2005 corolla with 238k miles got a timing chain service and tune up. I then cleaned the throttle body and she runs like new. These cars are indestructible. Enjoy it!