Faults:

Right window motor had to be repaired.

General Comments:

Well what can I say about my experience with this legendary car? Before I stepped into the Corolla, I had been driving a small Maruti Suzuki 800cc car for 12 long years. During that time, the little Suzuki had done some incredible drives. More about that elsewhere.

Going up from a small 800cc bare bones go kart to a mature family sedan, considered a luxury car in India, was an awesome experience. In India Toyota Corollas are not considered as a normal family car; they are considered a car for the well to do. Hence when I bought my car it was a terrific experience. I bought the car at about 80000 kilometres. The first thing I did was take it to the Toyota Service Centre, and since then from the 6th year till the 10th year, I only got it serviced from the authorized Toyota Service centre.

All in all it is a magnificent car. One of the key things which strikes you is the quality of the seat cover material, the plastics, the ride and handling. Everything in the car seems built to last. It doesn't squeak even over some of India's worst roads, it doesn't rattle, the engine is silent when the car is standing still and makes a turbine like roar as you cross about 140 km per hour.

The music system by Toyota is still working after 12 long years and the engine purrs like a kitten. An awesome car. Pity I am going to sell it in two days. May this be my tribute to her.

Faults:

Right front bearing got worn out, right window motor was not working... both repaired

General Comments:

A real gem of a car. Has never ditched me.

I bought this car second hand when it already had clocked about 85000 km and was five years old. My previous car was a small economy hatch, the ubiquitous Maruti Suzuki 800cc, which no doubt may be small but has a lion's heart. I had it for 13 years and had once done about 400 miles in one stretch with just two stops in about 12 hours. However its reliability decreased over time.

The Corolla was a huge jump for me from a 200,000 rupee car to a 1,300,000 rupee car. But boy it's a great, great car. The words that come to my mind are solidity and reliability, and mind you here in India it's a tough place to drive. I have taken my Toyota to the mountains many times and covered long distances, and it has never let me down. I like the comfort and the way everything wears like seat covers, carpets etc. They still look pristine.