[vigsom]

Fulfilled a 1.5 year old desire to upgrade to a Corolla - and executed it in early November

My Requirements

A Corolla 2005 H2 with a budget of 5 lacs;my usage from 1998 averaged 6k kms a year,so made no sense going in for a brand new car through my Company.

Examples Assessed

• 2003 H4 Blue auto-assessed this initially only for a starter. this had come for a full paint job to be readied for sale,so got to assess it inside out as all panels were open
• 2004 H1 with CNG-70k kms-assessed this purely for comparison - quote was for 4.5 lacs but could have been got for 4.25
• 2004 H2 Black,but regd in a nearby town-67k kms , good car overall but had XYG windscreen and rear winsdscreen,quote was 4 lacs but could have been had for 3.8
• 2005 H5 with ABS - one look at the inside and I could tell it was flood affected-the Instrument console was a H1's-quote was 5.01,but again assessed purely for comparison
• 2004 H2 White-Purrfect condition.This would have been perfect for me but the owner wasn't interested in selling, SO used it as a benchmark
• 2007 H5-Perfect again but a tad above budget at 6.75 lacs

I made my own checklist(as I did for all cars that I have owned so far) and did a comparison of all the above examples

Ground Work

• Having assessed the local market and also availability of cars(did not get a single call in response to two newspaper ads),decided to study the Blue 2003 H4 auto again
• obtained feedback from a few members of the forum on the + and - if an auto, also got feedback from my cousin in Chennai who has a 2004 H4,and then decided to give the H4 another round of assessment

The Final Choice

The 2003 H4 Blue was assessed again-in As Is State-

• structurally sound,
• negligible corrosion,
• non-flooded
• front seats leather cracked at places,but rear seats pretty good
• original glass all around
• Michelin Primacy LC tyres of Week 2210
• K&N Air Filter
• Healthy engine-can make out from visual inspection through engine oil fill hole
• tranny oil in good shape
• no oil leaks
• steering boots and driveshaft boots in decent shape
• all four wheels' brake pads with a lot of life left
• single owner,comprehensive insurance

Test drove the car with the help of a friend(since I've never driven an auto ever) and observed for the gear shifts and for abnormal noise from suspension-no abnormality heard.

Rattles were there,which I didn't bother about,since the door panels were off

More to follow ....

[vigsom]

Closed the deal at 3.4 for the car in As Is state and went ahead with restoration

Restoration

• got all the wheels off, tyres off to give the alloy wheels a fresh finish
• an all round paint job using Glasurit automotive finish to match the original paint formulation(the name plate in the engine bay carries the paint code as well
• canary yellow solid colour on the calipers
• interior cleaning
• grille painted dark brown(the Qualis shade)
• removed the dark sun film
• wash and wax
• new DEPO lights
• Castrol Magnatec 10W40 with a new oil filter(wanted Shell Helix 15W40 but could not manage it)

Work In Process

Paint job over but alloy wheels not done


Calipers painted and sun film off


Finished Car Minus the front logo


The Final Product

[Hatari]

Congratulations! Love the old Corolla.

Was planning to paint my Disc brake calipers Yellow/Red.
But apprehensive as a bright colour behind the alloy will become dirty quickly and would be diffcult to clean daily.
Do let me know your experiences on this

[vigsom]

Thanks;it's been just four weeks since the car came home ; so far the yellow is intact.

A big Thank You to @sgiitk and @deralte for their inputs which facilitated my decisions.

[shk 8896]

Congrats vigsome.The blue color looks awesome .Rear looks good without those badges.
Drive safe
SHK

[camchennai]

Congrats vigsom on the Corolla, that blue color is awesome there were only few car which were sold in this color and post 2004 black was introduced and blue was stopped.
I had the same color Corolla however it was a MT. Any given day this shade has a distinct gloss which other shades lack.
Corolla is a brilliant car and more practical, I am sure you would love this car much.
Happy motoring

[vigsom]

thanks a lot SHK and Cam

I did not know the blue was a limited colour.This car is a Mar2003 but was produced in 2002 end(at least that is what I figured when I looked at the windows.

The gloss is terrific but more to do with the quality of the paint job;pics don't do real justice.The only flipside is that it shows up dust imemdiately.

Minor rattles persist,not disturbing though.

Project ICE is complete and will post on that later.

[camchennai]

Also forgot to mention one thing, these previous gen Corolla's had issue with suspension which causes uneven wear in tires. So please ensure you check your tires every 500 km for any even wear, do some frequent rotations.
Rattle will be mainly from the dashboard, one from the small box in the right side, just below the ORVM controls and other from the box which is down below AC controls. Those two tend get lose very soon and create unnecessary rattles. Also check for the bushes in the glove box, they too create some rattle if the bushes are out.

[sgiitk]

Congrats vigsom. A good job. I have only one suggestion - I might consider will going back to a stock filter from K &N if you have any possible dusty conditions issue. Read the Spicer report and you will know why. I know I may be brewing up a hornets nest.

[vigsom]

The car returned 10.5kmpl in city driving in my first Fuel Efficiency test.What I have seen is that one needs to cap the top speed at 60-70kmph,then keep the accelerator at bare minimum.

The engine revs at a mere 1200rpm and the car just cruises;one needs to judge movement at traffic islands and then move on

Great driving experience indeed !!!

[Live To Jive]

Nice car. Being a Toyota, expect it to last forever. Really a good buy.

[eastwind]

Excellent buy. As GTO says, there is definitely value to be unlocked out of the Indian used car market. And you seem to have done your homework well. May she serve you for many years from now. Wishing you many many miles of happy driving!.

[Utopian]

Congrtas vigsom for the Corolla. It still looks so graceful and fresh after all those years. The snaps have come out really well.
Wishing you tons of miles with the sturdy Toyota.

[prince_pervez]

Congrats on the latest purchase. Drive safe. Wish you many miles on this reliable machine.

[Dry Ice]

Congratulation vigsom, thats an awesome deal you got there. It sure looks classy in that shade! And superb FE you are getting, considering the age of this beauty.