2002 Toyota Corolla LE from North America - Comments

6th Dec 2004, 12:59

"A Commuter's Special"

What things have gone wrong with the car?

Nothing other than general maintenance!

General comments?

My previous car was a 1989 Acura Legend which I miss dearly. That was the best used car I ever owned and I finally retired it at 181,000 because it was going to need another timing chain and fuel pump, and tires. I could not justify spending that kind of money on a 12 year old car. The timing chain and water pump were not bad, it's just a preventative measure.

This Toyota I bought for 3 primary reasons: 1. It was fair priced, 3. Great gas mileage and 4. Low operating costs.

My ONLY complaint is that 6 months after I bought the car, I have been hearing various squealing noises from the brakes. The dealer says it is nothing, that they cannot see or hear anything that would cause a major problem. So far, so good. The noises are not that bad, but nonetheless, they are there.

This car is perfect for me being that I drive a total of 70 miles a day to and from work.

A zippy car that does 80 miles an hour on the highway with no problems! Acceleration is better than one would expect from a 1.8L gas engine.


16th Jul 2005, 15:31

I own a 2002 Corolla CE "Plus" purchased new. (currently has 40,000 miles) Recently serviced and water pump required replacing, but was covered under warranty. Great commuter car.

From the looks angle-it will require a windshield replacement and rock chips on paint occur quite easily. A word of advice here-try and avoid the tan cloth interior if possible.

Overall, based on the last 3 years I feel this was a smart purchase.


15th Oct 2005, 22:38

Highway chips will occur and be more pronounced on a dark color paint. After a year of highway driving, the white dimples on my hood and grille area were becoming unsightly. I purchased a nose mask for $110 and I only wish I bought it when I initially bought the car. It has made a very big difference!

For anyone doing a lot of highway driving, especially in the snow, do yourself a BIG favor. Drop another $100 and get that nose mask! Your car's re-sale value will suffer if you don't!


22nd Jul 2006, 18:47

Just bought a 2002 LE with about 80K on it for $6600. A good deal - car runs fine - have been averaging about 32-33mpg (auto). Only things I've noticed is that fan is making a small ticking noise on low setting. And those paint chips - I live on top of a mountain up a windy rocky road and I can hear the rocks pinging off the sides of the car and I see the evidence shortly thereafter! Anyone have any luck with mud flaps?

Only other problem is that prior driver smoked a lot and I've tried all kinds of seat shampoos, Febreze sprays, etc trying to get it out, but after a few hot days of it sitting closed up, smell always seems to return. Anyone have a surefire way of getting rid of that smell?


26th Mar 2007, 15:15

I am the poster of this review. Here is the latest since I last wrote this review:

-Car now has 94,000 miles. I still own it.

-At 92,000 miles I just had all my brakes done! The first time too! However, I must point out that this is a highway driven car.

-At 88,000, I had to have my evaporator cannister replaced. This was odd, because these allegedly should not malfunction. My engine check light came on, and I had to have it replaced because of NYS emissions standards. A car will not pass NYS inspection with an engine check light on. That cost me almost $400 to replace.

This is it, other than oil changes, serpentine belt, tires, tranny flushes and coolant flushes the car has been flawless. I am really happy I got this car!

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