CL (Calif) 2003 Toyota Corolla SOLD. (Now what?)

[philip]

http://orangecounty.craigslist.org/car/428544054.html

After that recent run up to Portland OR and back ... I am ready for a new car.

There's nuthin' wrong with this Corolla. It's ME that wants a car with rear independent suspension and steering that is a bit less touchy. Corolla lost rear independent suspension back in '03 for the "sporty" torsion roll bar.

Yeah ... I'm getting a bit softy. Back at home, I tried out several other cars and I'm impressed with a 2006 Buick Lucerne and the new Mazda 3 Hatchback. I looked at Volvo, Ford, and Nissan. I'm in no hurry.

[rlaggren]

Peugeot, PEUgeot, PEUGEOT....

And diesel too! (Just couldn't resist. <GG>)


Cheers, Rufus

[philip]

Peugeot, PEUgeot, PEUGEOT....

And diesel too! (Just couldn't resist. <GG>)

Cheers, Rufus

Pew-joe.

(oh waitress...) "Check please!"

[plenzen]

Got a 07 Imapla LTZ and is the most comfortable car that I have ever driven. Same paltform as the Buick and we looked at them too but too much of an "Old Mans" car. Have to get a Fedora Hat to drive one. It's in the contract from Buick!!

giddeeeup!!!

paul

[philip]

Got a 07 Imapla LTZ and is the most comfortable car that I have ever driven. Same paltform as the Buick... paul

I'll take a look!

[rlaggren]

> Impalla

So the seats are OK? Supportive? My eternal beef w/American car makers (most others, too) is the pillow seats they install which allows your back to assume the shape of a question mark. Also, I sit high and head rest often hits me in the middle of the neck and the back of the seat hits me between the shoulder blades. And the airlines have evoled this design into a true instrument of torture!

Cheers, Rufus

[plenzen]

I am 6'5" and 2?? lbs. and am very comfortable in it. The seats, at least as far as I can tell, have been changed a lot since the previous generation. ( I spent many hours in them) They also have a lumbar support thingy that you can wind up and it supports your lower back to keep it from bulging out. Had an 02 GP GTP and although fun to drive etc. not all that comfortable on a long trip. Did the cross Canada thing in it, 20,000+ Km.s in 6 weeks and was glad to be out of it at the end. Have taken the Impala on a 950Km. trip and spent most of the time trying to stay awake. For me it was like my XL Lazy Boy at home. Heated seats here in the GWN are a definate plus! Old, lazy and soft I guess. It's only 11 months old and I would consider buying another one at this point anyway. Buick was really nice too. Camry, although fun to drive, was a bit stiff for me for a long haul I think. (I got back issues as well).


Paul

[philip]

Well ... the Corolla is now the new owner of a young Pakistani man. CASH. I like that!

I posted the car to craiglist and to auto trader ... both on internet. MUCH better responses from auto trader. Cost me $25 and ... you get what you pay.

Now. I can look at my leisure ... a cush sedan. I still have the DATSUN diesel. I looked underneath the Impala you mentioned and also a 2yr old Pontiac Grand Prix. Neither had the same rear suspension of the Buick. But ... the depreciation of the Impala L-whatever drops like a rock. Of course, so do the Buicks. So it's still smart to buy 2-4 yr old cars. No NEW.

[plenzen]

Your right on the depreciation, first 3 years is at least 50%.
I thought that the new Impala's (06 - 07) had a different rear suspension from the older ones. I had an 02 GP as well and it was nice but too hard for me to get in and out of ( low to the ground and I have a screwed up back as well). The good thing with the new ones is that you are always under warranty. If the ECM, Cluster Computer, Coil module, or even a coil dies, and you have to buy some of these bits to repair it, then I am kind of glad that I have the warranty that’s all. New GM is 160,000 Ks (100,000 mi) so we will keep this one for a while. You can dump 2 or $3000.00 on electronic bits on them in no time and there is no guarantee that you got the right bit, and that another equally expensive bit did not allow the smoke to escape out of the one that died. And I don’t know what it is like there but up here once you open the sealed plastic bag or container of the electronic part,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, “It’s Yours”!! About 1996 is the end of my patience with the gassers, and most of them are near impossible to work on anyway. Got to be a 6'7" 119lb contortionist to get at anything with a spare eyeball or two in the ends of your fingers. (handy option don’t you think??)
So!
Blah blah blah
I will buy the new ones, and when they give me headaches I will take them to the dealer and say " F I X "

In the mean time I will just putter down the road leaving a haze of smoke and soot everywhere I go, and let wife drive the new one.



Paul

[philip]

Your right on the depreciation, first 3 years is at least 50%.
I thought that the new Impala's (06 - 07) had a different rear suspension ...
Paul

I stopped by a ENTERPRISE lease company. They had a 'nice' looking 2007 Chevrolet Impala LS. Medium/darker metalic grey. Black dash and top line doors inside. Light color seats/back and I LOVE that driver seat!. 3500cc / 4 auto. It ran NICE all the way around! Almost bought it but for the higher price. $18,500 out the door (used car had 21k mi). ENTERPRISE does not haggle price.

They also asked me to test a '07 Saturn Aura. Very much similar but for ... the clunky suspension (eh ... so-so) and their CLUNKY and gear spaced automatic transmission turned me OFF. That has been the way Saturn's have been all along but not quite as bad. Still quite noticeable.

Both cars steered very neutral when starting out from a stop and the flooring it while turning right (about 110 degrees) and then a little left before centering down the road. Hey... the salesman TOLD me to do that. So ... I DID! Torque steering on FWD cars is important to know!

All said ... the Impala has more finish about everything.

[goglio704]

My sister has an 05 Impala. She loves it. She learned to drive in full size RWD cars and doesn't like small FWD.

[asavage]

Friday, I had to replace the typical broken part in a GM column.



Typical in that these things break very regularly, and then the lock is no longer connected to the switch, so you can lock/unlock the steering wheel but can't start (or stop!) the engine. Three special tools are required for the typical GM locking column to accomplish this repair, and I've done it "dozens" of times. I charge 1.5 to 2.0 hours to replace a $15 part.

Except this was a 1990 Corsica, with a similar but different column. Can't buy an aftermarket $15 part, had to buy a GM $90 part -- in stock (does that tell you anything: GM doesn't keep parts around more than six years if it doesn't have to).

Instead of assembling from the top, this "new" (18 yr old) design requires a column drop! Then work with a mirror and torx on wobbly to remove the broken part from the back/bottom side. Cannot see the fasteners without a mirror.

After I had the new part in my hand (column already dropped and apart) I took almost exactly two hours to assemble it, because the old parts were broken in two places and springs and levers flew out upon disassembly. Several trial fits to get it assembled correctly.

New part shipped with "Instructions". What does it say? "Use included fasteners." No exploded view. Old fasteners are T-15 Torx. New fasteners are E4 Torx: male Torx. Ever try to buy an E4 socket? I have, I own one, special ordered from Wiha, because I've run into this GM-only fastener before. Won't fit: fastener centerline too close to column's outer shell, socket binds. Grrrr.

This is just the latest in a long line of GM engineering nightmares I've seen on anything they've built since 1983 or so. Did I ever mention my aunt's 1986 Cadillac Eldorado with the PS line routed under the motor mount? I'm not saying that Ford or Chrysler are so much better, only that GM is the worst I have to deal with. I cannot bring myself to buy a GM product anymore (but I am going to put an old GM diesel into an old GM truck).

You cannot go wrong with Toyota -- they do not have a bad car, even the cheapest stuff they sell is decent to repair.

[kassim503]

I find the new impala nice, reminiscent of the cars of the 80's and 70's, except with a stiffer suspension and FWD. Personally im not a FWD person, torque steer and the fact you cant rip donuts is no fun. Also im just accustomed to the RWD feel, and to stubborn to accept FWD.

Should of given it pillowed seats too, I love pillowed seats, If they made a new car with pillowed seats id be all over it.

[plenzen]

We looked at the LS as well and decided on the LTZ only because of the Sun Roof, the Heated Seats, (important here in the GWN) Remote starter, the larger wheels and a few of the other things that just sucked the money out of us, but as the old saying goes,,,,, Happy Wife Happy Life. The 3.9 VVT engine is nice with lots of torque etc but you can’t run the E85 in it and I guess that’s OK because that stuff is pretty scarce here anyway, at least for now it is. MPG's are good too for a vehicle that size. The Half Shafts are pretty even so the torque steer is not all that bad, in fact less than the Acura TL, at least I thought it was. Test drove the SS as well and although it had tons of giddeeup the speeding fines would have made that a bad purchase by now. I dropped the hammer on it just after a right turn and before I had it completely straight and all I did was fry the tires ( I turned off the traction control), then it straightened out fine with no darting at all. Also I think on the SS to accomodate the V8 and the different trans they put a weight on the shorter shaft to even the balance out but not sure as I could not see under it. The DOD feature was not available on anything but the SS and that was too bad too although I think that it may be for the 3.9 in 08 but not sure. That will bring the HWY MPGs over the 40+ mark. The biggest reason for getting it though was how comfortable the seats were, and "In" and "Out" was real easy. Doors open darn neer 90 degrees, front and rears!! The trunk is massive

[philip]

-snip- The biggest reason for getting it though was how comfortable the seats were, and "In" and "Out" was real easy. Doors open darn neer 90 degrees, front and rears!! The trunk is massive

I cruised around last Sunday afternoon at several dealerships lately (I've been trying a variety of cars with some specific requirements).

DROVE an '07 Chevy Impala LS ($18,100 out-the-door, 21k mi) and a Saturn Aura (16k mi) at Enterprise. Lots to like about both ... the Impala is my choice.

Medium (not dark) gray silver body color
Black dash (top) No light glare from windshield
NO dash rattles
Black top trim on doors.
Washable plastic indoors (instead of light gray cloth) where your arms lay.
Very dark floor carpet.
THE BEST seats (equal to the Buick Lucerne) separate adjustable seat/back. Adjusted seat (separate from the back) so that my under thighs don't pressure me. OH YEAH :^)
Automatic trans gear ratios right.
Rear independent suspension very good. Suspension floats together front and rear.
3500 cc V6. Plenty of punch.
VERY neutral "steer torque".
(The salesman grabbed on when I "tested" a full throttle from about 5mph while turning a 120 degree around a right corner ... squealing front tires ... then to a 1/4 turn left by about 30 mph... and back to straight by about 40 mph... and then backed off the throttle. Hey ... the salesman TOLD me "test it). LOL. Again ... VERY neutral "steer torque" and both suspensions did everything RIGHT. )

The Saturn Aura was seemed a little narrower inside. The automatic transmission is better but still drives clunky and does Saturn familiar double bump chunk gear (3-4) both directions. Suspension was good enough but the rear suspension is relatively chunky during bumps.

Chevy is a making a NICE CAR ... again. Who knew? I'll take the Impala.

Since the trip back from Portland OR, I've tested (new and used)

2006 Buick Lucerne (There was everything for me to like but for the somewhat windshield glare)
2005 Volvo S40 (Ok ... I have now driven a Volvo. Next please)
2001 Ford Victoria
2005 Ford Victoria (redesigned much better rear suspension and front steering!)
2007 Honda Civic sedan (drove felt like rear suspension had a HINGE). Hard seating.
2006 Mazda 3 (pretty darned right. Better buy than Corolla particularly the better rear suspension and no dash rattles)
2005 and 2007 Nissan Altima (had CVT auto. No rattles. Seats still firm but ... ok. Don't like THAT much electronics ie ignition key and switch. Somewhat windshield glare from dash color)
2004 Buick Park Avenue (almost bought it but for the windshield glare thanks to dash color)
2005 VW Passat (Typical German hard seating)
2007 Saturn Aura (Typical clunky transmission and gear ratios 3-4)
2005 Mercedes C230 (Low to over-high power assist steering as you turn. Typical hard German seats and those light color dash with too much glare windshield)

Still have the old 1982 Datsun diesel truck. Ya gotta have a truck! LOL