Used 2001 Toyota Corolla Consumer Reviews
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First Corolla, others to follow
Jon, 08/26/2016
2001 Toyota Corolla LE 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 4A)
4 of 4 people found this review helpful
Bought this 2001 with 98,000 miles in January, 2009. Was a very clean, one-owner car. As of Aug 2016 we now have 230,000 miles on it, some rust showing, but it may give us another year. Only repair besides expected maintenance was the rack-and-pinion went out; replaced with inexpensive used part. This car has been reliable, very good on gas (usually 35-40 mpg; winter that dips), and easy to park in our small parking pad. Oh, both front springs have broken, but since it still steers and brakes and corners fine, I've not fixed them. It clunks on bumps, but tire wear remains normal. FYI, though, these 1.8L motors do begin to consume oil once miles add up. Oil return ports begin to sludge and restrict, causing blowby. I've just kept a close eye on oil levels and add as needed. I used Amsoil for a long time, but now use inexpensive conventional, and synthetic in MN winter.
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Great Value, Reliable
a9zn, 08/30/2006
2001 Toyota Corolla CE 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
5 of 6 people found this review helpful
Got this car used in 2002 & have been putting 1k mi per month on it. Gets me from point A to B w/o any hassle. Easy on the gas & my wallet. Very economical to maintain it.
Great Car
gorzo55, 01/21/2013
2001 Toyota Corolla LE 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 4A)
5 of 6 people found this review helpful
I bought my 2001 Corolla used in 2003 with 40k miles. It now has 120k miles and is still my primary car. No engine problems that others have reported. My catalytic converter was replaced at 115k though. I've done by the book maintenance and have had no major problems. The only big repairs I've had were break issues that were my fault from overly aggressive city driving. I'm not sure about what others have said about burning oil...I haven't noticed it but I know little about cars. This car gets better gas mileage than the current Corolla models. I once drove from Pittsburgh to Indianapolis on one tank.
Great Reliable Car!
decator, 02/28/2014
updated 02/29/2016
2001 Toyota Corolla S 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
We bought this car new in May 2001, we now have 135K miles on it and still love it! The only issues we have had to deal with was replacing the clutch at 95K (driver fault) and simple maintenance. The front brake pads lasted until 120K (I check them regularly). I still average about 31mpg when its all city driving and 36 when I commute on the highway. We could afford a new car, but I will drive this one until it's last mile, and would not hesitate to buy another. With that said it is not perfect and there are drawbacks like interior size, road noise, etc.. But I am a believer that those are little things while reliability and affordability are the things that are harder to come by. UPDATE 2/29/2016: Still love this car, but recently had some transmission issue (manual). Had to have it rebuilt and continue to have issue with a seal. Partly my fault because I neglected to change the trans fluid and maybe just a fluke. We are going to part ways with it because of my 500 mile/week commute otherwise I would keep it as my main driver.
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Long term owner
tcle2001, 08/30/2012
2001 Toyota Corolla LE 4dr Sedan (1.8L 4cyl 4A)
8 of 11 people found this review helpful
I purchased a used LE in 2001 with 17k miles. I now have 170k miles on the odometer. The cost of ownership for this vehicle has been good despite my car suffering from many of the woes documented by others. The major concern is the engine. Despite by the book maintenance my engine expired at 146k miles. Premature piston ring wear leads to piston slap and eventually a broken wrist pin. I also have the continuous CEL. A note to other owners, if your fuel economy deteriorates, change the mass air flow sensor. It is a cheap and easy fix. I also had the broken door handle and the sagging headliner. At the end of the day it is cheap tranportation.