2003 Toyota Corolla Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Great little car. Absolutely no problems with it in over 2 years. Love the engine, quiet and yet powerful. Only problem is the automatic transmission, which has a mind of its own on when to shift, and does it when you don't want it too. Not a big car, so not great for families, but for a couple, perfect. Excellent for city because it is compact, yet full of space, more than enough for any big shopping trips short of refrigerators or washing machines.Aug 25, 2012

This is the kind of car my brother has. He doesn't care about cars and doesn't really take care of it and it's never had even one mechanical problem. Ever. The Corolla is everything you'd expect, and nothing you wouldn't. Its exterior styling, performance, and interior are as bland and sensible as any church-going suburbanite could hope for. And, it gets great gas mileage. If you never think about your car when you're not driving, the Corolla is perfect for you.Apr 12, 2009

I bought my corolla from a friend.IT WAS IN A PRETTY GOOD CONDITION.I had to do some work on it.the first drive after I fixed it was unbelievable it went on a max of 210smoothly.there was a little problem witcth the gear,it stuck twice but that was the first and last time.it squeeks at high speed but thats not a defect,its an economy car\ after all.great for me at least Oct 02, 2008

I was just given this car from my dad recently. With well over 110,000 miles on it & it runs great! The only problem is i think it tends to struggle when i get it past 70 mph. The steering wheel shakes a lot...it does the same when i break too! But i think thats normal. Since my dad & I owned this car we have never taken this car into the shop to get it repaired. Its a great Japanese car. Other than its oil changes & brakes done. I wish it had leather seats in the interior than cloth. & the exterior is a little dinged up due to living in a big city. Lots of scratches. Other than that i think this car is awesome!Aug 10, 2008

If you are looking for a cheap car with few frills and no refinement, the E120 Toyota Corolla may be your cup of tea. It isn't mine. This compact sedan seems to have the pretensions of being an upscale car: Sleek modern styling, faux wood trim, and an interior that coddles you in a cocoon of comfort. But the illusion dissipates the moment you turn the key in the ignition. The engine starts with an quiet clatter. As the car accelerates, the quiet clatter becomes a much louder clatter. Acceleration is underwhelming until about 4000 rpm where the torque finally kicks in. Which is slightly unfortunate because by 3500 rpm your eardrums will have already shattered. The accelerator pedal is another problem. It takes a noticeable amount of effort to start it moving along its unusually short travel, but offers little resistance once "unstuck" (physicists: there is a clear difference between its static and dynamic friction). Because of this, speed regulation is a bit of a chore. In fact, so is steering. Control is direct and precise, but this comes at the expense of weight. There is a bit of power assist, but not as much as most people are accustomed to in modern cars. When it comes time to slow down, your foot will go halfway to the floor before you feel anything at all After that the brakes respond quite smoothly, but there is no excuse for such a massive control dead-zone. Despite the problems, there are some compelling reasons you might want this car. First, it is incredibly cheap. When you purchase an E120 Corolla, you are getting a car that looks decent inside and out for very little money. Secondly, the car handles competently, and has acceptable acceleration and braking for a car in its class. The build quality is excellent, and I can guarantee it will rarely need repairs if you treat it right. On my example the only thing that ever went wrong is a hubcap that fell off. Thirdly, the gas mileage is amazing at 32 city, 38 highway (my own figures). On the other hand, this is not an exciting car, and doesn't feel unique in any way. You may also be turned off by the ride, which is noisy and bumpy at any speed. I would recommend this car to anyone who doesn’t mind the lack of refinement and wants a small practical car that will probably last forever.Jul 09, 2008

This is my car. I've had it about six months, and put around 4,500 miles on it; considering it had about 143,000 when I bought it, it still runs beautifully. And it should be good for another 100K+ so long as it's maintained. It's a 4-cylinder manual transmission, but you wouldn't know that from the way it handles, even uphill and from a stop, and as a result it gets great mileage. Plenty of trunk space too, which is going to be handy once I'm finished school.Mar 28, 2008

This is my mom's car sence 2002, I drove it before got my own car. It's auto slushbox, 1.8L VVT-i variable timing engine, very economical. Car is light weight, interior is a littlebit cheap, but the engine is very reliable, ofcorse because its a toyota heh. The handling may be an issue to someone, the steering feel is rather unstable, compare to the 626 I have right now. Car like to roll over when cornering.. Anyway it's a family sedan not a race car. I'd give a final score 3.5/5Mar 23, 2008