Faults:

Standard maintenance for about the first 200k miles.

Dome light died (wiring, not bulb or fuse) after a long time.

Odometer stopped counting at 299999.

Got airbags replaced on recall.

A/C needed to be recharged.

O2 sensor.

Gas cap replacement.

General Comments:

I've had this car my entire adult life. I know it better than I know my husband. It's also more reliable.

For a small, front wheel drive car, it's amazing in snow, ice, and rain. It's good on unpaved roads. It's easy to drive. It's hardy and easy to repair. Rear brakes are drums, which is minorly annoying.

I have since talked four family members into getting Toyota Corollas. I can't possibly say enough good things about this car. At 330k miles and 17 years old, it is still reliable. And that's saying a lot.

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.

Faults:

The original tires were only good for about 50,000km. The replacement tires lasted twice that long.

I had a noisy wheel bearing at 126,000. The Toyota dealer told me it was my tires, so I had it fixed elsewhere.

The brake pads were replaced once, then all brakes were redone at 162,000. I did that myself.

Most maintenance was done by the Toyota dealer.

Overall, I could not have asked for better reliability.

General Comments:

My fuel mileage averaged almost exactly 40mpg (UK gallons) over the time I had it.

I towed a 4X8 utility trailer, which I used for home use.

I had a roof rack I used for canoes and a rooftop cargo box I used occasionally for extra cargo space.

In the winter I carried chains, and they came in handy a few times.

It served as a multipurpose vehicle for me. It was very economical and very reliable. I really could not have asked more from it.

It was written off when someone rear ended me at a stoplight. It was not badly damaged, but with the cost of repairs, the age and the mileage, it was not considered worth fixing. The insurance company paid me out for the car.

At the point of write off there were no outstanding issues. The car was running like new and showing very little aging. The interior was still nice and the paint was holding up well.

It never had any squeaks or rattles, ever.

I bought the car originally from a car rental company. When it was written off, I went back to the same company and bought a 2009 Mazda 3 sedan. I bought the Mazda because it is a more sporty handling car, and it came in RED.