I bought a brand new 2009 Toyota Corolla last November 2008.First time buying a new car.After 12k miles,even tho Ive been trying,I just dont like it.The clutch is weird,dies out a lot,and ALWAYS dies out between reverse and 1st,unless I gun it hard.It also has a spoiler which nterferes w.rear visibility and skirts and makes me feel silly.What was I thinking.I have about 13k left,its paid till Jan of next year.Im thinking of trading it in on a used Scion tc.Or ,if I can find a Celica w/out the silly paint jobs.Or something else even.a Honda???,Is a Scion tc ok in the snow?Can you suggest something w.the reliability and roadworthiness of the corolla s,but w/out the clutch delay thing and the silly spoiler-y thing?I like a manual transmission.Reliability is paramount.Good gas mileage is nice too.A poolboy would be the dealmaker.Any advice will be immediatly tattooed into my body at the location of your choice.And,am I going to take a huge beating on the price? I owe about 13k on the Toyota.How does one go about doing this? Is it a stupid idea? I feel like I should at least like the car im paying for anyway…Thanks to you both,you handsome devils,Its almost worth getting up b4 noon to cathc your fabulous show!!!
Honda civic si and my uncle just got a 2009 nissan sentra sr there pretty good cars and cheap too about 19000 fully loaded
Decent in the snow?I like the Honda Civic a lot,everyone raves about them.
Didn’t you drive the Corolla before you bought it? Didn’t you see the silly spoiler? What were you thinking?
They sell thousands of Corollas with manual transmissions, but YOURS has a weird clutch and keeps stalling. Right. Maybe you should consider an automatic.
If you trade the car now you will take a financial beating. There’s no way around it. The salesperson will wrap your old loan into a new one, and it might look good on paper, but you’re going to be in WAY deep if you trade this car now.
However, it’s your money, and if you really don’t like the Corolla maybe trading is the best thing to do. There is no better combination of reliability and gas mileage than a Corolla (except maybe a Civic), so anything you trade for will be at least a small step down in one of those two categories.
A Scion tC is OK in snow if you put winter tires on it. Otherwise, the high performance summer tires that come standard on the tC will act like skis when there’s snow on the ground. The tC is a very nice car, but its standard tires aren’t great in the winter. Sorry, but I think the pool boy option was discontinued a few year ago.
You’re in a tough spot. I suggest you think long and hard before you make a move. Anything you do will cost you money, but you’re right, you should like the car you’re paying for, or at least be able to tolerate it.
Good luck.
In addition to the spoiler that the OP apparently did not notice prior to purchase, this Corolla has skirts on the rear wheels? I have never seen a Corolla with fender skirts, and I find it hard to accept that the OP did not see this type of silly aftermarket accessory in addition to the spoiler.
As mcparadise stated, perhaps an automatic transmission would be preferable for this driver. And, perhaps an updated eyeglass prescription would be in order also.
UM,Mine DOES have what the dealer calls a "sticky clutch.I was told to just drive it a while and it would adjust.Yeah…And Ive been driving manual trannmissions for many many years.I know that "thousands " of Corollas are made each year,and the majority are ok.Mine is not.Ive have others drive it,same result.I hate automatics,would never have one ,on purpose.My other cars are both manuals,and they are fine…Ive kinda nixed the scion idea too.Snowy road issues.Altho,I had to put studded snow tires on my Corolla too.Winters are very very bad here…I did see the silly spoiler and all but didnt realize it would become so silly…I was just wondering if there was a “golden hour” to trade a car in,or just hope for the best.Thanks.
You didn’t tell us this before.
This car is still under warranty. If the dealer acknowledges a “sticky clutch,” they should fix it. The clutch isn’t going to fix itself. If something is preventing the clutch from working as designed it is the dealer’s responsibility to repair the defect, not tell you to “drive it.”
Make them do something about the clutch before the warranty runs out. You shouldn’t have to live with this.
The aerodynamic package is different. That you have to live with.
I doubt the OP meant “fender skirts.” The Corolla S comes with “aerodynamic” cladding along the rocker panels, in addition to a rear spoiler and a different front valence. It also comes with a larger engine.
This stuff does look “silly” on a Corolla, but Toyota seems to sell a lot of Corollas with this optional package. I see them all the time.
I think the rocker panel cladding is what she means by “skirts.”
I DID see them,I just dont like them now.And the Corolla S does indeed have all of these aftermarket accessories.Check the website.If you go OUTSIDE,and away from the computer in your parents’s cellar rec room,you might even see one or two.If I had wanted an automatic transmission,I would have gotten one.I do have 2 other cars,both stick shifts.They are fine.Summer cars.My Celica Gt shifts smooth as buttah. I appreciate your concern for my vision,but I just had my eyes checked and they are fine.How sweet and thoughtful.Wow,I bet you feel stupid now,huh?lol.Dont worry,Ill bet you are an powerful elven warlord in a land far far away…
I’m assuming the OP is a joke.
Twotone
Mcparadise,Thanks,I do have an appointment to have it checked out tomorrow.I get so annoyed when people tell me that its just that I dont know how to drive a stick.I have always driven one,and being a blond dose’nt preclude that ability.The sales guy said the same thing till we took it for the first test drive.Then he admitted that,“well.yes,some women do prefer and are able to drive a manual transmission”.Sheesh,is this the 1600’s??? I have the 100k 10 year warrantee,but you are right.Asap.Thanks for the advice and for not being a sacrastic tick.Sounds like you actualy know what you are talking about.Thanks.
Years ago I taught my kids, a son and a daughter, to drive in manual-transmission cars. To this day both of they both prefer, and own, manual-transmission cars, and so do I. Many women I know drive such vehicles, and they are very good at it. Hair color has nothing to do with it.
I hope you can convince them to take the “sticky” out of your stick shift. You have a good car. It would be a shame to give up on it.
Thanks Mcparadise.I do like lots of features of this car,and am getting an average of 36 mpg.My last Toyota,a 97 camry,went 135 k miles before I had to replace the clutch.My Celica gt has 125k,clutch is still like new…I learned to drive on my aunts 1964 vw bug,6volt,no radio.It was a very cool car.Teaching yer kids to drive a stick was a smart thing to do.You have given me hope,again thanks for not flaming me.
I agree the clutch isn’t supposed to be “sticky”. Toyota should be able to fix it under warranty, so get it checked out before the warranty expires. Hopefully they can fix it.
The aero package can be removed by a good body shop, including the rear spoiler. They may have to fill in some holes where the stuff was mounted and touch up the paint in those areas. If you don’t think you’ll ever use them perhaps you can sell those parts on ebay. I don’t care much for any of the plastic add ons. At 70mpg they don’t do much and I agree they look silly on most cars, but especially so on a Corolla.
Now is not a bad time to sell the Corolla as the “Clunkers” program has pulled all the small fuel efficient cars off the dealers lots. Someone who wants a stick Corolla will have a difficult time finding one from a dealer. That means your car could be in a high demand low supply market right now. The used car book prices won’t reflect this since the clunkers program changed the auto market dynamics so suddenly. You can list the car for free on sites like VEHIX.com, AUTOTRADER.com, or CARS.com and perhaps get a buyer.
For your next car I’d suggest a Civic. A basic model comes with V-tec motor, 6 speed stick, ABS, and I think it has limited slip differential too. The limited slip with snow tires should make this a very good snow car. My 2003 Civic with a stick does fine in snow and I run snow tires on all 4 wheels in the winter.
Hmmm…Maybe she is just being “sacrastic”.
As we know, “being a blond dose’nt preclude that ability”.
;-))
Bottom line: you hate the car. You’re choices now are to drive a car you hate for the next five years or take a loss and get something you like. Your choice.
I’ve driven a tC for four years now, in NH on a daily 31 mile commute through all sorts of weather. It’s highly reliable and, while the original equipment tires aren’t great in snow, I did fine. If your winter skills are good you’ll do fine with decent all season tires. You need not be reluctant to get one IF you like it.
I love my tC. Whether it’s right for you is purely subjective. Take long test drives, try a few different models (including the Civic), and choose more carefully this time.
Happy shopping.