[dr. sen]

Hello,

Congrats for the toyota, welcome to the family. As rightly said by turbanator and tazman, the corollas, the camrys, the cressidas, the crowns, the coronas, can go years to years, with only oil change and disk pad changes. Ask any person from gulf. They will swear by them. Ask any one in Al-Quida, ISIS, or the Talibans or the mujahideens, or even the somalian pirates. They trust no one with their life, except the trustworthy american $, the russian AK-s and lastly the never say die, the japanese Toyotas.

I can write a million pages on their trustworthiness. Just make sure you buy genuine toyota SP. i had driven from kuwait to turkey, nearly non stop in 1991 (saddam's kuwait adventure). when the mileage was alreaady 1.8 lacs. The same vehicle was shipped to bombay and driven to delhi, and now crossed 4.8 lacs, this july. i.e. 1988 to 2015. no clutch change. brake disk changed in kuwait and then only in somewhere in 1999. (Khan market spares- delhi). no shocker, no rubber parts. yes, the lights had been changed due to frosty shade (3 times). The windscreen was changed due to hot sand marks (typical of gulf). horn was changed. self was serviced with carbon bushes changed. some.

One thing 90% of the time, it was driven with max -1 or 2 person. the driver and a helper in the co-driver for overtakes. In delhi traffic that was essentially required, if you wanted to move from fast. (you guessed it right, it was LHD).

The 'Asteem' and 'Opel Uustra' were to beaten and they were beaten black and blue in the red lights, with nearly 2 lacs in odo.

What more to give confidence, to Swami Babu.

cheers

Hello Swami Babu,

Originally Posted by swami69

Thanks tazmaan - congrats on your Corolla. Yes, before I took delivery, I just knelt down as much and checked the underbody, there were no rusts. Also, there were no rusts in the spare wheel area (which I found in all those CIVIC I saw - not sure why). Then when I changed the tyre, I could get down underground and checked my Corolla and there were no rusts. But there were few spots on the exhausts line which seemed nothing big, but will check it out soon.

Nothing to fear about rusts in toyotas. They have somehow best alloys in the auto industry. The hondas in india have known to be rust prone. my friends 2008 honda city old model delhi, had under body rust in 2013, and my cousin honda civic hydrabad, 88k km. both the place has hardly any salt except acid rains in delhi! however in kolkata, all carwallas get the unrbody coat done in the first year itself. so cannot on kolkata hondas. my innove in kolkata has no anti rust treatment (2005 model). and so of the old corolla (1988 -2015). They are perfectly ok.

So quit worrying, and start enjoying the vehicle. its a wonderful vehicle. once inside you are as safe as home or rbi bank vault. Just make sure, you should pay attention to all warning signs of mechanical failure, which all modern vehicles do. some for long long time (like toyotas) and some for very short time, like say xxxx. ( lest i say and, my fellow brethren will pounce on me).

cheers.

[ciddharth]

Congratulations on this pristine and immaculate beauty Swami. It is indeed difficult to scout for a well maintained used cars and you've been fortunate to find a good specimen.
The interiors and engine bay really conceal its age. A noob might mistake it for a 1 year old car.

When the Corolla was launched - I was bowled over by its size. Because it appeared to be 1 whole size larger than the imported Camrys of the late 90s or the segment higher 2001 Honda Accord.

Is it me or does any one prefer this simple 'boring' looks to the sharp and tad overdone new Altis?

Wish you a trouble free ownership for a lifetime and hope you preserve it as an heirloom.

[sjain2054]

In India, a lot of 14lakh+ car buyers tend to upgrade their cars every 4-5 years. Therefore, there are a lot of 60k-80k kms driven 4-5 year old cars that are good to be used further for as much time and distance. I think every 6-8lakh budget buyer should consider second hand cars of this kind (preferably Japanese because of the obvious reliability factors).

Swami has done the right thing by purchasing a good Toyota for this price rather than spending 6-8lakhs on a new car for family.

Of course, the heart also tugs towards the beautiful European TSI and BMW diesel engines but then the associated maintenance hassles hold one back. If only India had GOOD + Alternate to authorized servicing solutions (basically a more evolved setup like in the west) then more people can indulge in more fun to drive cars also.

Also, even I prefer this Corolla looks to the Altis! I might pick up a good used toyota/honda myself!!

[swami69]

Originally Posted by dr. sen

Hello Swami Babu,

Nothing to fear about rusts in toyotas. They have somehow best alloys in the auto industry.

so quit worrying, and start enjoying the vehicle. its a wonderful vehicle. once inside you are as safe as home or rbi bank vault. Just make sure, you should pay attention to all warning signs of mechanical failure, which all modern vehicles do. some for long long time (like toyotas) and some for very short time, like say xxxx. ( lest i say and, my fellow brethren will pounce on me).

cheers.

thanks dr. sen for all your comments. Whether it is hear say or whether it is true, i do not know, but many people whom I spoke during my purchase period mentioned that Toyota cars are mostly rust free, including the dealers and your comments confirm that.

[fordfreak]

Congrats on your Corolla! You haven't bought a car. You bought a tank. This car just refuses to die as long as one carries out the required timely maintenance.

Had initially planned on selling my Nov-2004 Corolla (H5) back in December 2011. Had a change of heart and couldn't let it go. Still have it till date with 99,400ish on the odo, with no plans of selling any time soon. Having owned this since new, I seem to have become a bit too attached to the car.

Just for a comparison, could you tell me what sort of fuel economy has your car been giving you (My Corolla manages 8-9km/l) ?

Wish you many happy miles!

P.S. - Your Thar looks mean!!

[swami69]

Thanks fordfreak. It is nice to have a co-owner who has a similarly aged car. I am sure I will seek your assistance & guidance wherever required since you know this car by now, inside out. I agree with you that we get really attached with things once we own them for a certain period of time.

I think i need to refill petrol soon as there have been many queries for the mileage and I will know that in the next fill (tank full). Will soon update the thread with this information.

Swami

[sureshkishore]

Congrats on the Corolla.

Had bought a similar 2003 car from a used car dealer, used it for almost a year and sold it for the same price. And it did not incur any expense at all other than an oil change.

Only problems were:

Gear Knob leather wear
The Wood Finish compartments below the ACC controls dont stay closed.

The above were the only issues. And that says a lot for a 12 year old car.

The seat fabric and interiors don't wear at all. Mine had done 1.7lakh kms and still felt fresh. It even had the original fur type floor mats.

The boot is humongous and rear bench really wide and supportive. Which made my family really happy.

The car handles pretty well, has better ground clearance than the civic and sits higher too. Engine is not really that rev happy. But it is a strong highway cruiser.

The 6 cd changer Music System, I felt was really nice with a strong bass and sweet treble. I am not an audiophile though. The best part is that the car returns pretty decent FE with 13-14 on the highway runs at sane speeds.

Anyways happy driving!

[nda992]

Heartiest Congratulations for a Fantastic buy. I could feel the excitement and adrenaline in your blood by the really well written article, kudos to you for that.

Your article also reminded me of the good ol' days in the 80's when people really loved their cars and maintained it painstakingly.

My father had a 1973 Premier President which was maintained like the President's car. Somehow, I notice that youngsters today are really not that careful with their rides.

Here's wishing you and your family many more happy and safe miles.

[swami69]

UPDATE - Mileage

Previous tank fill - 83333 kms
Current tank fill - 83591 kms
Kms run - 258
Litres filed to achieve tank full again - 21.31 L
Achieved Mileage 258/21.31 = 12.10 kms/litre

Pattern of driving :

Always with Auto A/C at 25.5 degrees
25% slow traffic
75% free flowing

The above is on City driving conditions. I have not had a highway run yet on this car.

Swami

[parth.jain]

Congrats Swami 69 on the car! Deals like these are really sweet!

If a car is driven regularly, it's age should be seen by the number of kms driven and not by number of years old. These japs can run for lakhs of kilometres with just regular maintenance if serviced regularly!

I bought a 2006 Honda City ZX Gxi last year for around Rs. 2.60 lakhs with only 60,000 kms on the odo and that car drove like a dream. In the 12 months I kept it, I had to just get the oil and filters changed at my FNG and nothing else was spent on the maintenance. Sold it last month to a friend without incurring much loss on resale in respect of what I would have lost on re-selling a new car which I had bought! Pre-owned car deals are sweeeet!

[Rollingwheels26]

Ah congrats Swami ji. I remember us discussing the Civic at the TBHP meet. Seems like the 'H' badge didnt make the cut Do bring her along to the next meet !

P.S I know its a family car but any plans of mods ?

[mukul32]

Well, @swami69, congratulations on a fantastic deal!! That's shock value for money! That car seems really clean and in brilliant condition. And the car being a Toyota petrol, the age and mileage are just numbers. I'm going to show your thread to everyone in my circles looking for a used car henceforth.
It's even better, considering that at <3L, all you could've got new is a barebones variant of some entry level hatch.
Instead, you get a car several notches above, with far better road presence, space, comfort, performance, refinement, etc etc. The design is timeless and the engine a reliable and refined workhorse.
And from how good the car looks in pictures, the engine should be in great condition too.
The only thing, some things feel dated, like the music player, but that's not a major issue. I'd suggest you that few months down the line, you could easily upgrade the head unit to a newer 2-DIN one, and the seat covers to better leather ones. That would make it much more contemporary.

[swami69]

Originally Posted by Rollingwheels26

Ah congrats Swami ji. I remember us discussing the Civic at the TBHP meet. Seems like the 'H' badge didnt make the cut Do bring her along to the next meet !

P.S I know its a family car but any plans of mods ?

Rollingwheels26 - Nice to hear from you. Yes the 'T' badge won over 'H' badge Sure, I will bring it to the next meet. Not sure of any quick mods, definitely NO power mods, but see my reply to mukul32 below

Originally Posted by mukul32

Well, @swami69, congratulations on a fantastic deal!! That's shock value for money! That car seems really clean and in brilliant condition. And the car being a Toyota petrol, the age and mileage are just numbers. I'm going to show your thread to everyone in my circles looking for a used car henceforth.
It's even better, considering that at <3L, all you could've got new is a barebones variant of some entry level hatch.
Instead, you get a car several notches above, with far better road presence, space, comfort, performance, refinement, etc etc. The design is timeless and the engine a reliable and refined workhorse.
And from how good the car looks in pictures, the engine should be in great condition too.
The only thing, some things feel dated, like the music player, but that's not a major issue. I'd suggest you that few months down the line, you could easily upgrade the head unit to a newer 2-DIN one, and the seat covers to better leather ones. That would make it much more contemporary.

Is it telepathy or what ? - I was precisely thinking about these two mods at least to be done on this car.

OE music system - While it plays audio CDs, it is very outdated, cannot play mp3, no USB, no AUX In. While I always like audio CDs better, it is always not practical as well. Therefore, I am looking into getting a dash kit and a touch screen double DIN player. I am checking with a friend in the US whether he can bring it as I see some descent stuff for $ 125 etc., and I think that should be enough for me.

Then, the seat covers - They are pretty good and it is original. I do not see any problem with it. But, just to cut the monotone - too much Biege and light colour in the car, i was visualizing something like a Art Leather Black skin fit seat cover, arm rest padding, door inserts to get a nice visual balance. (Silver car, clear windows, light interiors, not very appealing)

It is only a thought process as of now as I would like to drive this car for more to identify any other hidden problems on which I may have to spend rather than these mods and that will be more important to spend from my reserve. Thanks for your suggestions.

Swami

[mkpiyengar]

Hello Swami Sir,
Congratulations !! on your purchase.
I had a few queries which i PM'd you. Kindly respond whenever you find time..

Enjoy your new car.

P.S; I heard that the clutch in Corolla(old) is hard compared to Altis. How do you find the clutch feel compared to diesels.

Cheers
MKP

[mkpiyengar]

Hi,
I'm looking used Toyota Corolla's in budget of less than 2.5 lacs.
I see quite a lot of choices for H2 2004-2005 cars as well as some H5.

Why Corolla:
1. 8+ yrs cars are available at < 3 lacs.
2. Low maintenance.
3. High reliability.
4. Good rear seat comfort for elders.

My questions are:

1. Is the asking price of AT less or more in Used market compared to MT. Since AT would be low mileage so less takers, making it cheaper.
2. What are the pros and cons of AT in terms of maintenance.
3. What safeguards to take for AT.
4. Expecting mileage of 9-10 for AT is realistic.
5. Things to watch out for other than brakes, suspension.

I saw "tappet cover packing leakage " what does this mean ? How much to fix it ?

Cheers
MKP