Toyota Corolla T-Sport

Kill_Phil

Kill_Phil

Kill_Phil

Soldato
Joined
11 Feb 2010
Posts
3,079
Location
England
Hey folks I'm finally ditching my trusty Ford Ka who's served me well over the last 2 years. I've been looking for a while at potential cars and have narrowed it down to the corolla (which I know I will probably get some bashing on here for this). saw a tidy example thats within budget .http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201015356617594/sort/priceasc/usedcars/engine-size-cars/1-7l_to_1-9l/price-from/3000/model/corolla/make/toyota/postcode/wv125fh/radius/1501/page/5?logcode=p

the mundane looks appeal to me and its coming up fairly cheap on the insurance side. I considered the other candidates such as the clio 172/182 (don't like the interior), CTR (insurance is sky high), Leon Cupra (don't like the looks) etc. so any opinions on the CTS? what should I look out for? and feel free to recommend any alternatives (though im sure ive looked at every potential car). requirements are: 5k budget, must return at least mid 20's MPG and fairly reasonable on the insurance.
Ta,
 
I think they are a bit of a bargain. The facelift one like you have linked is supposed to have improved handling as well as looking a bit sharper. £5k for a reliable practical 190bhp hot hatch 6 years old with 40k on it. I'd take one over a Cupra thats for sure.
 
I'd take any of the others over the Corolla.

My best mate ran one from new for about 12 months. I hated it. Wobbly handling (very soft), no torque, noisy on the motorway and it chewed through petrol. The only strengths were the usual Toyota stuff - warranty and build quality. Once the newness wore off he swapped it for a 1.8T Beetle! Nuff said.
 
Is the insurance for the CTR really that much more?

The T sport does appear to offer pretty good value, even if it's the 'softer' option in comparison with these other cars. You can tweak the handling probably quite easily too, which might be worth considering as an option (but then you have a modified car to insure, which could cost as much as the CTR).
 
danza said:
Is the insurance for the CTR really that much more?

The T sport does appear to offer pretty good value, even if it's the 'softer' option in comparison with these other cars.
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yup unfortunately it is an extra £450 at that, which i cant really justify. i think its the step up to a 2.0l enginge that does it.but then again the 182 is only £200 more. only thing putting me off the 182 is in the interior... and whislt it may be softer im pretty sure anything is a step up from my trusty ford ka :D
 
Engine capacity has little to do with insurance group at this end of the market. It goes off parts prices and claim history. A CTR or Clio 182 is "cooler" therefore more likely to end up in the hands of a eager 20 year old and hence end up backwards through a hedge.
 
MagicBoy said:
Engine capacity has little to do with insurance group at this end of the market. It goes off parts prices and claim history. A CTR or Clio 182 is "cooler" therefore more likely to end up in the hands of a eager 20 year old and hence end up backwards through a hedge.
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Yep, this is totally it. You only have to have seen CTR owners forum a few years back to see that now it's degenerated into (largely) a population of 'rudeboiz' and boy racers compared to the way it used to be. I rarely visit these days, it's just becoming annoying really. It's not like the forum ever had a real prestige to lose, but it's just not the same.
 
BMW forums as well :(

One of them used to be about people asking whether they should buy Michelin Tyres or Continentals, and which main dealer was best. Now it's full of people with ebay angel eyes, awful mods, smoked indicators and arguing there is nothing wrong with Nangkangs.
 
haha dam you chavs ruining it for us decent people! but thats what attracts me to the CTS mundane looks, and the 'rudeboiz' are not on the CTS bandwagon as of yet. and shredder what aver mpg was you getting there is a lot of differnt figures across the net
 
Its a good value option in its area, but its not as good as its competitors. It depends on your priorities really, you will get a much newer and lower mileage CTS than any of its competitors, but obviously the reason for that is its not as good! The gap isn't as whopping as most people suggest, not in the hands of an average driver in some twisties anyway. In a straight line it will keep with a CTR until 90 ish, round the bends it probably won't, its really down to the driver. Its pretty pants on the motorway, 6th gear is just not long enough and 4k rpm isn't a comfortable db level!

Personally I bought one because age and reliability were more important to me than outright ability, but I still wanted something with a bit of poke and enjoyment. 5k will get you a very nice facelift, it will only get you an average CTR (last time I checked?). Certainly enough for a decent 182, but I discounted it because of the teeny weeny size and insurance.

Real life MPG for me is 26-28 being careful around town and 35 on the motorway.

Feel free to ask any questions, I have a 02 PFL - link!
 
phil_c_ said:
just the advice i was after... your reputation precedes you
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While it was quite blunt, he was absolutely correct - the other cars you've considered are better.

If the insurance on the CTR is too expensive to insure then fair enough, but the other 182 and Leon are worthy of consideration.

For a start - your reasoning for not wanting the Clio is the interior. That would put a lot of people off, but lets be honest - the Corolla isnt exactly germanic bliss inside. I cant see there being enough in it - the Clio is a brilliant chuckable wee car and will probably be better on fuel too.

The Leon has a very nice interior and is probably faster than the others. Dismissing an otherwise appealing car because of it's looks is quite an immature thing IMO - it's not like it's a Ssan Yong Rodius and the Corolla is no DB9 either..plus its not like you have to buy an Ovni Yellow one!

As has already been mentioned, the Celica would be a good shout - more of the same but a better interior and much more desirable.

Alternatively, save a grand and get a nice ST170 if you want a warm hatch. You could save a few grand and get a 306 GTi-6/Rallye too

Or maybe http://pistonheads.com/sales/1623638.htm
 
iaind said:
The Leon has a very nice interior and is probably faster than the others. Dismissing an otherwise appealing car because of it's looks is quite an immature thing IMO - it's not like it's a Ssan Yong Rodius and the Corolla is no DB9 either..plus its not like you have to buy an Ovni Yellow one!
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What an odd thing to say, i wouldnt buy one because of the way they look - awful looking cars from the rear. How is that immature, what a ridiculous comment to make seeing as nearly everything we buy will be bought on looks and or first impressions!
 
Shimmyhill said:
What an odd thing to say, i wouldnt buy one because of the way they look - awful looking cars from the rear. How is that immature, what a ridiculous comment to make seeing as nearly everything we buy will be bought on looks and or first impressions!
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I consider it immature, that's just an opinion.

If you're buying everything you own on looks and first impressions, you're doing it wrong IMO. I buy things based on what is the best tool for the job I want to do, not which one is shiniest. In this case, the LCR is the better car all round, so buying something you know is inferior just because you dont like the shape of the boot is silly.

It would be like buying a laptop thats got an inferior specification because its prettier..mind you, people do buy macbooks...

The exception to this is where something's purpose (main or secondary) is to be visually appealing - furniture, carpet, clothes etc etc
 
iaind said:
I consider it immature, that's just an opinion.

If you're buying everything you own on looks and first impressions, you're doing it wrong IMO. I buy things based on what is the best tool for the job I want to do, not which one is shiniest. In this case, the LCR is the better car all round, so buying something you know is inferior just because you dont like the shape of the boot is silly.

It would be like buying a laptop thats got an inferior specification because its prettier..mind you, people do buy macbooks...

The exception to this is where something's purpose (main or secondary) is to be visually appealing - furniture, carpet, clothes etc etc
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Replying on a MBP ;)

We buy houses on looks/character and often compromise the living space for looks - pretty much the most expensive thing you will buy is based on looks....

And as the LCR isnt best in class - by your definition it shouldnt sell at all, unless there is a strange breed out there that like the look of them...

Anyone suggesting buying habits are not majorly affected by first impressions and looks is deluding themselves or living under communist rule ;)
 
Shimmyhill said:
Replying on a MBP ;)

We buy houses on looks, character and often compromise the living space for looks - pretty much the most expensive thing you will buy is based on looks....

And as the LCR isnt best in class - by your definition it shouldnt sell at all, unless there is a strange breed out there that like the look of them...

Anyone suggesting buying habits are not majorly affected by first impressions and looks is deluding themselves or living under communist rule ;)
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I bought my flat based on suitability for my needs (location to amenities etc), living space, character etc etc. Yes character could be considered as looks, but there's more to it than that. The fact that its a nice looking building from the outside is fairly irrelevant - provided it looks OK from the outside I'd much rather have something that fits my needs and is nice inside. The same goes for cars.

Yes, in an ideal world you'd have it all, but the OP doesnt have a budget to buy it all, so IMO looks should be sacrificed first as they're close to the bottom of the list. While the Leon isnt best in class, the OP doesnt have a best in class budget and it is better in almost every way to the corolla.

I probably wouldnt have mentioned anything if the OP was talking about something especially attractive originally (like the Celica maybe), but the CTS really isnt very special looking so how much of a priority can it really be? You say the Leon isnt very nice from behind but...

media



Mmmmm...
 
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