2004 Toyota Corolla CE from North America - Comments

Absolutely nothing so far. (Touch wood)

The corolla I feel is an excellent commuter car.

It held up to its high reputation of reliability.

I however feel that the seats and the steering position are uncomfortable.

The car begs for a telescopic steering.

An excellent price for your money of you believe in getting from point A to point B.

Otherwise, you might get bored of your car in just a few months like me.

It may be boring, but it's one of the best, most reliable vehicles made. And no, I don't own one - (too boring!) Just kidding!

Some of us enjoy the ride. Drive for pleasure. The corolla is a no-frills car. I am not thrilled about my car's handling. A little bit of rain and I can feel the tires loose some grip.

Apart from that I have done 15,000 miles on the car I do have couple of problems to report.

When I turn on the heat or the ac, I get this really pungent sulphur-like smell. Its so embarrassing that now a days when I have someone along with me, I make it a point to tell them its the car that causes the odor not me!!

I talked to the dealer and he said the new Camry's and Avalon's are having that problem too. Its seems that toyota has not figured out the cause for the problem.

Secondly, the car is beginning to rattle a bit. It is not too loud; really not a bother.

Does any one thing the new Corolla's windshield frame sticks out too much? I personally feel it a little difficult to see who is crossing the road. I've had pedestrians come out of no where!!

I have a 2002 corolla and I am well pleased with it's reliable performance. However, I do not enjoy the smell from the exhaust which smells like carbide from the miners' lamps. The car is an excellent comuter car and I will buy another one in the future.

I am the original poster... reporting back. I now have 30k miles on the car. I have not had a single problem with the car so far except the sulphur smell on turning on the heater or ac.

I recently bought a BMW 325xi which weirdly made me respect my corolla a lot more. Agreed I can't compare the two cars in any form or fashion, but the kind of no-headache reliability I get from the corolla which cost less than half the BMW is awesome.

I would highly recommend this car to anyone looking for a good no-frills commuter car. I regularly get a mileage of 28-30 (mixed) and 40-42miles/gallon on the freeway.

I would buy another one without a second thought, but knowing the corolla is will last me atleast a decade more!

I have 57000 miles on my 2004 Corolla CE and love it. All I have done is changed the oil (I keep AMS oil in it and replace it every 20,000 miles) and replaced the tires with a little larger tire. I am now ready to move up a notch to a 4 cylinder Camry for a little more room. If you look through Consumer reviews Both of these cars are rated at the top.

This is no surprise to me given Toyota's excellent service and reliability reputation. They are no frills, but that 06 Camry is definitely a great looking car! Wow, what an improvement in looks from the last model.

Change the fuel type you use - stop buying the same cheap gas, from the same brand, go elsewhere, try higher octane and the smell might go away. It took my friend 6 months for this smell to stop... Toyota did not offer much help. I changed my tires to falkin brand, best rated for rain, and still got $ for trade in of the new corolla tires.

Please make sure your corolla is made in JAPAN not USA.

I am the original poster with updates. I now have 45,000 miles on the car. I had an accessory belt replaced ($90) but apart from that the car has been rock solid!!! It has consistently given me 33-38 miles per gallon. The brakes still seem in good condition, the air conditioner as cold as ice, heater just great, never had a problem starting the car on cold mornings (I know cold… I am in Minnesota now) and the paint has held up. I guess this is where I say touch wood again!!

A few new perspectives:

This car has now become my wife's ride to work. She puts in 120miles/day and the car seems to hold up to the rigors.

For a while now I couldn’t quite get what I was missing in the car and then I realized the car was like owning a appliance lets say a microwave... albeit a very reliable appliance. It won’t thrill you, but it will be there when you need it.

With the great many miles being logged on this car I have resorted to maintaining the car myself. In this aspect the car is really easy to maintain for a DIYer.

Snow tires: With my wife driving, I decided to buy some piece of mind my buying snow tires. This car can easily accommodate 14 inch wheels apart from the stock 15 inchers and I bought my piece of mind (tires and rims) under $500 

I only thing that concerns me sometimes was that I opted for the CE model without the side airbags. This sometimes worries me when she takes off to work on a snowy day. I hate to part with such a reliable all round performer, but I might have to because the corolla with out the side impact airbags has very low crash test ratings. I would highly recommend spending some money and go for the side airbag option if anyone is looking at buying a corolla.

Summary: Apart from the side airbags…..no regrets!!

I’ll report back around 60k! Happy motoring!!