2001 Toyota Corolla Review

Ugh, Engines need to be recalled

Written by: Brad Peterson on 03/14/2009

Vehicle

2001 Toyota Corolla LE 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)

Review

Just bought my Celica from a wholesale dealer. Had it checked out by mechanics, did my research, looked like a good car with only 58k miles on it. 6 weeks later, the engine starts rattling, the oil light comes on, and to my surprise, it burned through all the oil (and damaged the timing chain!) Seems I'm not alone. I've read about 50 other stories from 1999-2002 Celica owners with the same problem. Nobody knows how to fix it, other than to buy a new motor. And many of those people say it starts eating oil again 50k miles later. I really wished Toyota would recall these engines. What a worthless car.

Favorite Features

The heater and AC are awesome. Gas mileage is great. It's a perfect commuter car.

Suggested Improvements

An engine that doesn't eat a quart of oil every 400 miles.

0 out 1 people found this review helpful

Was this review helpful?      Yes No

Report inappropriate post

Not the Toyata Quality I Have Known

Written by: Yogasong44 on 03/11/2009

Vehicle

2001 Toyota Corolla LE 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)

Review

I bought this car used with 30,00 miles on it and have had regular maintenance performed. Have have had a few major problems that were costly to repair. Common Toyota problem, per my body shop guy: the door handle mechanism broke requiring $800 repair. My body shop guy says he sees about 15 Toyotas a year that have this problem; from Corollas to Avalons and Toyota hasn't done any recall. My roof paint is chipping and is rusted, so poor paint quality because no accidents to account for this. I fear this repair. My gas mileage is only about 24 city, 32 highway. I've always owned Toyotas and have enjoyed them, and this is my only mediocre one, but makes me want to go Honda next time around.

Favorite Features

Comfortable seats for a small car. Handles well with smooth steering control.

Suggested Improvements

The cup holder is in a very inconvenient location: in front of the eject area for the CD player, so you can't have a cup in the holder and load a CD at the same time. Opening from trunk to the folded down back seats is too small for what it could be.

Was this review helpful?      Yes No

Report inappropriate post

OK Car

Written by: yoyo on 11/09/2008

Vehicle

2001 Toyota Corolla CE 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)

Review

The 2001 corolla is about as boring of a car as you can get. Too bad the 2002 made major improvements. I have had this car since it was bought brand new and still drives fine with some minor mechanical problems. The check engine light has been on many many times. I think the interior is OK quality and there are not any bells and whistles at all. Also, I noticed that not just my car, but many Corollas like mine are missing hubcaps or have aftermarket ones. That tells me the interior quality isn't great either. The fuel economy definitely does not reach 41mpg on the highway. Overall, it is just a mediocre car in my mind.

Favorite Features

Nothing much

Suggested Improvements

More accessory features, more comfortable interior, better acceleration

Was this review helpful?      Yes No

Report inappropriate post

Rockin' Rolla

Written by: Adam on 09/19/2008

Vehicle

2001 Toyota Corolla S 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)

Review

I haven't had this car very long yet but bought it because of it's reputation as a solid reliable car. And that's exactly what it is. I'm very very happy with it, just recently took it on a 11 hour drive, and it performed great. Has enough power to pass on the highway no prob...just drop it into 3rd and it's gone. I suggest the manual though, I don't think it would be so great in an automatic, but that's just me. The gas mileage is awesome! It's fun to drive for a 4 door economy car, and looks good too. The A/C works great, but really robs the engine of power. But yeah, great choice if you're looking for a reliable cheap to own car. Can't go wrong with a Toyota.

Favorite Features

Uh, the reliability! There's also just little things that I noticed that I thought were cool, like the in dash thermometer, and all the cubby spaces. Oh and the cup-holders do a great job. I love it's exterior styling (especially the "S", like mine), and the trunk is nice and big.

Suggested Improvements

Back seat leg room is pretty lame, but I rarely have rear passengers so I dont really care. That's about it! I'm sure that fixed this issue on the newer Corollas.

Was this review helpful?      Yes No

Report inappropriate post

Great Car

Written by: JB on 06/16/2008

Vehicle

2001 Toyota Corolla LE 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)

Review

I was spending $320/mo. in gas at the time I purchased this vehicle, so there were two things I looked for in my vehicle: reliability and gas mileage. This is the premium package for both. I drive my car all the time and living 30 minutes from work I only spend about $100/mo. in gas now. I recently took a small road trip in 530 miles, I used 15 gallons of gas! So I averaged at 35 mpg! I could improve this number by getting a tune up, an oil change, and inflating my tires. I also used my air conditioner most of the way and drove at about 75 mpg. Not bad.

Favorite Features

Gas mileage, reliability, roomy for a compact, nice front end design, comfortable, great A/C and heat, good drive.

Suggested Improvements

Apparently rear seat comfort (as I was told by a passenger). Rear end design is ugly in my opinion.

Was this review helpful?      Yes No

Report inappropriate post