[asit.kulkarni93]

Originally Posted by fordfreak

Congratulations on your new ride! You have picked up the most fun-to-drive generation of the Corolla sold in India to date. The big boot, comfortable interiors, basic features and reliability; make the Corolla one of the most practical car's to own.

Our Corolla was the first ever 'big car' I got to drive after getting my license. The way the car accelerated through the gears was addictive and the engine didn't mind being revved. High speed stability was also very impressive. At the same time driving it in city traffic was a breeze too.

One of the best things about owning a Toyota, is the peace of mind one has over reliability. We had a Qualis in our factory that had it's ODO stuck at around 4,35,000 kms and was still running without any trouble (no idea how much it had actually run after that point). All the owner needs to do, is to carry out the scheduled maintenance and change parts when they wear out. I have never had a part fail before it's designed life on my Corolla. Do this and you will get to enjoy your Toyota for lakhs of kilometers without a worry.

Attaching a picture of my car, taken a couple of hours before handing her over to the new owner. The car still felt fresh despite having over 1,00,000 kms on the ODO at the time of sale. Felt awful letting her go after 12 years of ownership.

Attachment 1679586

(Mods, please delete if off-topic/irrelevant)

Wow! That doesn't look like a 100k kms done/12-year-old Corolla. A friend of mine picked up a 199k kms done Corolla last year and his car has been munching miles since then. Surprisingly his car felt a lot smoother than mine. These cars are built to last. The Qualis was a legend, Good to hear about your trouble-free experience.

Originally Posted by R2D2

Which to me sounds like a good deal! You can't get a bigger, better & more reliable car for this kind of money. And best of all it is comfortable for backseat passengers. Ask them.
If you're giving it for a detailing job ask the detailer to do this for you. Or, if you're interested in a DIY this stuff is made for this kinda job.

Yes to me it was a paisa vasool deal. Thank you for the links sir. I will be speaking to the detailer soon and check with him if he can do the headlight restoration during detailing otherwise i would do it myself.

Originally Posted by GTO

Just goes to show how the market loves the Corolla over the Civic. You got a 10 year old Corolla for 3.1 lakhs. My Civic was also well-maintained, had a similar odometer reading and lots of extras (rims, wheels etc.). Still, when she was 8 years old, the best price I got was 2.5 lakhs (of course, I sold the ICE separately).

Used car dealers have told me that Corollas move fast, while Civics are dead slow.

The Corolla is definitely a fast mover in the used car market when compared to the Civic but the difference in our deals is because of the cities. While I was looking for a car, The Mumbai market had much cheaper deals than the Pune market. In fact, I remember shortlisting a Mumbai Corolla of the same year and the quoted price was at least 25% lesser than the Pune market.

Originally Posted by Ace F355

Sweet looking Corolla, asit.kulkarni93. Many congratulations. I have always loved Corolla because of its practicality, this is a perfect upgrade in used car market for you. Although I will add that interiors of this car were b-o-r-i-n-g though, even at the time of its launch but very practical. Boring may be a hit harsh word, more mature might be appropriate!

Thanks AceF355. Agreed on the interiors they are practical and nowhere close to that of the Civic. Only saving grace is the absence of super-hard plastics even on the lower variants (like mine). Your Fortuner is an inspiration for me. Whenever I plan to replace the Corolla, A Used Fortuner+after-market suspension setup would be an ideal upgrade.

[Pari2310]

Great review,I guess we follow the same story of a pre-owned corolla! I too managed to grab a good deal on a pearl white 2005 corolla 1.8E from Raj Motors Pune.The Rolla came home on 27th October 2015 and have definitely loved pampering it.
List of upgrades done:

1. HID HB3 Bulbs DHC unit
2. 205/55/15 Continental Maxcontact tyres
3.Led DRL
4.Pioneer double din ICE to replace the classic 6cd changer!

Overall happy with the Jap boy!just a small question which led headlight bulb did you put on your car,not able to find any in Pune which is hb3/4.

[asit.kulkarni93]

Originally Posted by Pari2310

Great review,I guess we follow the same story of a pre-owned corolla! I too managed to grab a good deal on a pearl white 2005 corolla 1.8E from Raj Motors Pune.The Rolla came home on 27th October 2015 and have definitely loved pampering it.

List of upgrades done:



1. HID HB3 Bulbs DHC unit

2. 205/55/15 Continental Maxcontact tyres

3.Led DRL

4.Pioneer double din ICE to replace the classic 6cd changer!



Overall happy with the Jap boy!just a small question which led headlight bulb did you put on your car,not able to find any in Pune which is hb3/4.

Hey Pari2310!

We got our cars in the same month. I got mine on 15th October 2015. I know the owner of Raj motors as I had purchased my Nano from them. My friend had ordered the LED bulbs from aliexpress. I installed them 1 month/2k kms back. I want to see how they perform for 3 months & I will be putting up a review. How are the Conti's performing?


Asit

[aboveallkaran]

Hey congratulations. Very nice buy. In one of the pictures you shared "enroute Dhule from nashik" the led light throw is fantastic. Can you please share the bulb details?

[Swapnil4585]

Originally Posted by asit.kulkarni93

..
2007 Toyota Corolla 1.8 H1 J, 46k kms done, Second owner on paper but used by a single person.

Congratulations for the bullet proof Toyota. I myself got a used Corolla Altis (petrol) earlier this year, and my ownership review is still being drafted (thanks to the GST chaos). I'd however comment that if you spent 3.35 lac on buying it, the deal has been costlier. Mine is a late 2011 model with ~90000 km, costed me 3.40.

What do I dislike about the car-
1. The absence of a 6th gear.
2. Body roll.

Exactly my thoughts. Though I don't find the body roll to be too much of a problem, the absence of a 6th gear is very annoying. Either there should've been a 6th gear or the 5th should've been taller. 100 kph @ 2500 rpm is the benchmark.

Engine and Gearbox

The low-end torque is brilliant. In fact, the gear ratios and the overall torque delivery makes driving it easy around the town. Out on the highways if speeds drop below 65kmph then only do you need to downshift otherwise it can effortlessly pull in the 5th gear. The gearshift is smooth, gates are defined and the throws are precise not too long nor too short. The mid-range is strong which is helpful on the highways but I miss the 6th gear. It would keep the engine relaxed on highway drives.

Agree. The second and third ratios are so perfectly chosen that the car drives like an automatic. If you drive this car with a light foot at speeds up to 65 kph, the fuel economy would be outstanding.

Wish you the best with the Corolla.

[yogeshnagpal]

Great choice Asit.

Corolla's are very practical, fuss free and extremely low on maintenance.

I'm on my second corolla. The first one being a MT, which I sold.

The current one is an AT and has clocked 110k kms.

I recently changed to Mobil Fully Synthetic 5w40 oil. I have actually noticed a drop in FE after moving to Mobil Fully Synthetic 5w40. Although the car runs much smoother.

How much did you pay for the air filter? If I'm not wrong, I paid around 350/- for an OEM Air Filter. The filter is shared between the Toyota and Lexus range.


Cheers,
Yogesh.

[asit.kulkarni93]

Originally Posted by aboveallkaran

Hey congratulations. Very nice buy. In one of the pictures you shared "enroute Dhule from nashik" the led light throw is fantastic. Can you please share the bulb details?

Thank you, sir. These LED bulbs were ordered from Aliexpress by a friend. All the 4 bulbs were replaced with 55W LED’s. I will get the exact details in a different post about the product from the friend who ordered them. Just waiting to clock a few more kms and see how they perform. Reliability is unknown.

Originally Posted by Swapnil4585

Congratulations for the bullet proof Toyota. I myself got a used Corolla Altis (petrol) earlier this year, and my ownership review is still being drafted (thanks to the GST chaos). I'd however comment that if you spent 3.35 lac on buying it, the deal has been costlier. Mine is a late 2011 model with ~90000 km, costed me 3.40.

Agree. The second and third ratios are so perfectly chosen that the car drives like an automatic. If you drive this car with a light foot at speeds up to 65 kph, the fuel economy would be outstanding.

Wish you the best with the Corolla.

Thanks, Swapnil. Congratulations on the Altis. You got a fantastic deal. Did you get your car in Jalgaon itself? As far as I know, petrol cars beyond Dzire and WagonR in and around Jalgaon have a poor resale value. I am from Dhule and know someone who had picked up a 2.5-year-old Civic for less than 50% price of the OTR. In my case, the car had barely done 46k kms plus the Pune market is the most expensive used car market in MH. I got it for 3.10L.

I have achieved the best FE between 80-95kmph. The moment I start cruising at 3-digit speeds the FE drops to 14-15kmpl which isn't very bad considering the drivability it offers.

Originally Posted by yogeshnagpal

Great choice Asit.

Corolla's are very practical, fuss free and extremely low on maintenance.

I'm on my second corolla. The first one being a MT, which I sold.

The current one is an AT and has clocked 110k kms.

I recently changed to Mobil Fully Synthetic 5w40 oil. I have actually noticed a drop in FE after moving to Mobil Fully Synthetic 5w40. Although the car runs much smoother.

How much did you pay for the air filter? If I'm not wrong, I paid around 350/- for an OEM Air Filter. The filter is shared between the Toyota and Lexus range.


Cheers,
Yogesh.

Thank you yogeshnagpal. I recently drove an Automatic Corolla and it drove really well in spite of having clocked 180k kms. The owner was consistently getting 10-11kmpl in the Pune traffic. The gearbox is no DSG but is robust. I have experienced the same gearbox in my dad’s RAV4 in Bahrain while mild-off roading and it was smooth unlike a few jerky TC’s. My experience with 5w40 Shell semi-synthetic oil wasn’t any great either. There was a noticeable drop in the FE. The recommended grades are – 5w30, 10w30 & 15w40. Currently, I am running on 15w40 mineral oil as 5w30 & 10w30 weren't available with my oil dealer. As recommended by Bhpian R2D2, I will be trying 5w30 synthetic oil the next time. You got the OEM filter for just Rs. 350? I paid close to 500 for the Purolator filter. As far as I know, the OEM air filter costs upwards of Rs. 1500. Can you please tell me where you got the filter from? I will pick it up during my next Mumbai visit.

Asit

[sajo]

Excellent ownership review Asit! Having owned one (not in India though) with 1,60,000 kms on the clock , it was truly a fill it-shut it-forget it experience. Newer cars owned by my friends kept having small niggles, while this one was rock solid. It has changed hands twice since I sold it off, and it is still running, 15 years after it rolled off the factory gates, and over 2,50,000 Kms on the odo now! I am in touch with the latest owner, and he couldnt be happier.
I am surprised at how low these seem to go for! :O , if I was in the market for a car now , would buy one in a heart beat.

[Swapnil4585]

Originally Posted by asit.kulkarni93

Thanks, Swapnil. Congratulations on the Altis. You got a fantastic deal. Did you get your car in Jalgaon itself? As far as I know, petrol cars beyond Dzire and WagonR in and around Jalgaon have a poor resale value. I am from Dhule and know someone who had picked up a 2.5-year-old Civic for less than 50% price of the OTR. In my case, the car had barely done 46k kms plus the Pune market is the most expensive used car market in MH. I got it for 3.10L.

I have achieved the best FE between 80-95kmph. The moment I start cruising at 3-digit speeds the FE drops to 14-15kmpl which isn't very bad considering the drivability it offers.

Yes. My Altis is from Jalgaon itself. The F.E. of 14-15 at triple digit speeds is very good actually. I think you can extract the best out of this car at either below 70 or above 100.

I am nearing the 1,00,000 kilometre mark. Which oil would you suggest for better protection at higher temperatures?

[Ashdel]

Great going. I still drive my 2004 Corolla 1.8 H5 with 1.2 Lac km on the ODO. Its fuss free and drives like a breeze.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by Swapnil4585

Yes. My Altis is from Jalgaon itself. The F.E. of 14-15 at triple digit speeds is very good actually. I think you can extract the best out of this car at either below 70 or above 100.

I am nearing the 1,00,000 kilometre mark. Which oil would you suggest for better protection at higher temperatures?

Swapnil, you can select between the following API SL/SM/SN multigrade oils:

Mineral - 5W-30 (new Toyota India OEM oil filled at the factory and at the dealer), 10W-30, 15W-40
Semi Synthetic - 10W-40
Synthetic - 5W-30, 10W-30, 5W-40

DO NOT use 0W-20 or 5W-20.

Best protection for highway running or stop & go traffic is 5W-40 synthetic. You can't go wrong with this one.

For slightly better fuel efficiency - 5W-30 synthetic or mineral. However, with a thinner oil and Indian summer temps I'd prefer a 5W-30 synthetic, not mineral. I will be using 5W-30 (Mobil 1 ESP) for the first time.

Originally Posted by asit.kulkarni93

In my case, the car had barely done 46k kms plus the Pune market is the most expensive used car market in MH. I got it for 3.10L.

Know why? Mumbai has sea side corrosive air where car panels are prone to rust over the years. Pune's drier climate helps preserve the car for much longer.

Also, Mumbai's longer commutes (I was born and lived in Mumbai in my early years and then took up my 1st job there) in stop and go traffic take a toll on the engine.

Pune's traffic is bad from a discipline point of view but it's rarely stop and go traffic except in few areas like Hinjawadi IT Park, Karve Rd and BT Kawade Rd. One rarely faces traffic jams. That's the saving grace about the high volume of 2 wheeler traffic in this city, imagine if those were cars like in Mumbai! Pune traffic keeps moving albeit at a slow pace.

My experience with 5w40 Shell semi-synthetic oil wasn’t any great either. There was a noticeable drop in the FE. The recommended grades are – 5w30, 10w30 & 15w40.

The effect of engine oil on overall mileage is minimal. You won't see dramatic increases or decreases either way.

But, hold on, using synthetic and its attendant benefits including smoothness causes you to rev the engine higher than you would with normal mineral oil. It is this behaviour that can cause a drop in FE. I speak from experience.

As recommended by Bhpian R2D2, I will be trying 5w30 synthetic oil the next time. You got the OEM filter for just Rs. 350? I paid close to 500 for the Purolator filter.

Purolator India and other filters available in this country, including Elofic & some unknowns like a Delhi based brand called 'Altech', are sub optimal compared to Denso. Take one apart and you'll see the difference in construction. In fact even the exterior construction of these India made filters is El Cheapo.

Which is why I went through the pains of buying Denso filters from TKM and even from Boodmo who sourced it from the UAE.

Since your Dad is in Bahrain he could buy it OTC at a Toyota dealer. The part # is Toyota 90915-10003 and they are made in China & Japan depending on the lot. Other filter alternatives from Mobil 1, Fram, Wix are also available overseas. Use a cross reference table to see equivalent models from other filter manufacturers.

Wix India has the cartridge element for the 2ZR-FE engine here (it is inserted into a horizontally placed plastic filter housing under the engine) but not the spin-on metal canister filter for the 1ZZ-FE.

I'd sincerely advise you to use good quality oil, oil filters and change regularly. That's all the engine needs to run lakhs of kms without a fuss.

As far as I know, the OEM air filter costs upwards of Rs. 1500. Can you please tell me where you got the filter from? I will pick it up during my next Mumbai visit.

As mentioned earlier the air filter for the Altis costs approx. Rs 900. The oil filter is approx. 700.

PS - Here's the oil filter cross reference table: http://www.oilfilter-crossreference....TA/90915-10003

[Swapnil4585]

Originally Posted by R2D2

Swapnil, you can select between the following API SL/SM/SN multigrade oils:

Synthetic - 5W-30, 10W-30, 5W-40

DO NOT use 0W-20 or 5W-20.

Best protection for highway running or stop & go traffic is 5W-40 synthetic. You can't go wrong with this one.

Thinner oil is not my idea too. I'd always prefer a bit heavier oil for better protection at higher temperatures.

We don't have access to Mobil fully synthetic oil in Jalgaon. What alternative brand would you suggest? I had a good experience with Valvoline on my previous car (diesel Indigo).

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by Swapnil4585

Thinner oil is not my idea too. I'd always prefer a bit heavier oil for better protection at higher temperatures.

We don't have access to Mobil fully synthetic oil in Jalgaon. What alternative brand would you suggest? I had a good experience with Valvoline on my previous car (diesel Indigo).

Of course I have heard of Valvoline (their products are used in Cummins Diesel engines as OE oil if I am not mistaken) but haven't used those products in my cars. You see, I am a petrol head and never owned a diesel vehicle.

I'd recommend Shell Helix Ultra 5W-40 (fully synthetic), Shell Helix HX7 10W-40 (Semi Synth) or Shell Helix HX5 15W-40 (mineral). If you can't source them in Jalgaon they are available on Amazon India.

PS - Which engine does your car have? It is the 1ZZ-FE or 2ZR-FE? I ask because the change over to the newer engine happened in 2011-12.

[asit.kulkarni93]

Originally Posted by sajo

Excellent ownership review Asit! Having owned one (not in India though) with 1,60,000 kms on the clock , it was truly a fill it-shut it-forget it experience. Newer cars owned by my friends kept having small niggles, while this one was rock solid. It has changed hands twice since I sold it off, and it is still running, 15 years after it rolled off the factory gates, and over 2,50,000 Kms on the odo now! I am in touch with the latest owner, and he couldnt be happier.
I am surprised at how low these seem to go for! :O , if I was in the market for a car now , would buy one in a heart beat.

Thanks Ojas. We need to catch up sometime. Wasn't yours the 8th generation Corolla in US?

Originally Posted by Swapnil4585

Yes. My Altis is from Jalgaon itself. The F.E. of 14-15 at triple digit speeds is very good actually. I think you can extract the best out of this car at either below 70 or above 100.

I am nearing the 1,00,000 kilometre mark. Which oil would you suggest for better protection at higher temperatures?

I don't have a first-hand experience with Chaudhari Toyota but a relative was sending his Innova at their Dhule facility and was quite impressed with their work. I would suggest you stick to them for oil & filter change. The biggest issue is finding the 5w30 or 10w30 synthetic oils in the open market. If you can get the oil from the Toyota dealer along with the filters then you can change it outside. I am on 15w40 for now and have barely clocked 300kms so can't comment.

Originally Posted by Ashdel

Great going. I still drive my 2004 Corolla 1.8 H5 with 1.2 Lac km on the ODO. Its fuss free and drives like a breeze.

Thank you, sir.

[yogeshnagpal]

Originally Posted by asit.kulkarni93

Thank you yogeshnagpal. I recently drove an Automatic Corolla and it drove really well in spite of having clocked 180k kms. The owner was consistently getting 10-11kmpl in the Pune traffic. The gearbox is no DSG but is robust. I have experienced the same gearbox in my dad’s RAV4 in Bahrain while mild-off roading and it was smooth unlike a few jerky TC’s. My experience with 5w40 Shell semi-synthetic oil wasn’t any great either. There was a noticeable drop in the FE. The recommended grades are – 5w30, 10w30 & 15w40. Currently, I am running on 15w40 mineral oil as 5w30 & 10w30 weren't available with my oil dealer. As recommended by Bhpian R2D2, I will be trying 5w30 synthetic oil the next time. You got the OEM filter for just Rs. 350? I paid close to 500 for the Purolator filter. As far as I know, the OEM air filter costs upwards of Rs. 1500. Can you please tell me where you got the filter from? I will pick it up during my next Mumbai visit.

Asit

Asit - I took the filter from Regal Motors, SV Road, Khar West. I just called him up.

He has two variants of the air filter-

1. Imported (the box says Made in Thailand) which costs around 400 odd. The part is shared between Toyota and Lexus, as indicated by the logos on the box.

2. Denso which is 1350+.


When I picked it up, I got the first one. Today he got the stock for both.


Cheers,
Yogesh.