Recently, I’ve been getting a lot of questions of “Which car should I buy” from people that don’t know a lot about cars, and just want “a car.” Naturally, I start with my list of questions. What do you need the car to do? How much are you looking to spend? However, what I have found is that many people really don’t know exactly what they want.
Mr. Regular from the YouTube Channel Regular Car Reviews explains it fantastically in the intro of his review for a 1999 Toyota Corolla. The answers are vague, and filled with “I don’t know,” “maybe,” and other words that indicate massive uncertainty.
With that level of indifference and uncertainty, it is difficult to give a good recommendation for a car.
Difficult, but not impossible.
For people like this, there is just one car you should recommend.
No used BMWs. No Chevy Blazers. No sub-$20k Maseratis. No Chrysler Sebrings.
TOYOTA! COROLLA!
So why should you buy a Toyota Corolla? Why is it my default recommendation for people that don’t know exactly what they want, but need a car?
(Full Disclaimer: This is NOT sponsored content, I have not been paid to write this piece by a third party, and the information here solely represents my personal thoughts.)
Table of Contents
It’s fuel efficient
Should you buy a Toyota Corolla if you want good fuel economy? Yes.
The Toyota Corolla, over the last 25-30 years, has been very consistent in what it offers buyers. It doesn’t matter if you are buying a used 1999 Corolla or a new 2022 Corolla, what you are getting is a small, 5 seater sedan that can easily get 35-40 MPG or more, meaning it is easy on the wallet. And low fuel consumption is always something I stand behind, since I am of the camp of “Don’t spend more money than necessary to achieve your desired outcome.”
This will be especially the case with the Toyota Corolla hybrids that were first launched in 2020, but, as I stated in a previous review of the Prius, keep in mind the batteries will have to be replaced at significant expense at some point down the road. Nonetheless, on the used market, this cost will be more than offset by the fuel savings.
These points about the Corolla are especially true for people that aren’t sure about what they want to buy and just “want a car.” Good fuel economy means that people who are unsure won’t get adversely affected by their decision, which leads us onto our next point.
It is Mechanically Simple and Reliable
Toyota Corollas are known to be mechanically simple and reliable cars. That’s the entire brand identity of what a Corolla is. For someone that doesn’t know about cars and wants it to be like their refrigerator or washing machine and just work day in and day out, this is what is needed. Why? Being so mechanically simple, there are few things on Corollas to actually go wrong in the first place.
However, the components in a Toyota Corolla historically have been built quite well, meaning there is a low likelihood of failure through normal use. When something does fail though, the repair bill will be low, because many people have bought Corollas, and due to the fact there isn’t much to them in the first place, the labor costs will be lower than many other cars.
It’s Affordable
Think about this for a moment. Toyota has made more Corollas than there are Canadians. This means the question “Should you buy a Toyota Corolla?” isn’t about actually being able to afford one, because most people can some type of Toyota Corolla, even without a car payment. Instead, the question is “What is your budget?”
Have only $4,000 to work with? Can’t go wrong with a Corolla. What about $15,000? Again, hard to go wrong with a Corolla. In fact, Toyota has consistently demonstrated such good build quality that if you find a good, lower mileage model from the 1990s, don’t shy away just because of the age! In my view, they are still solid bets for a reliable daily driver even now in 2022 (so long as you find one without rust, of course), and I have no trouble recommending a Corolla to anyone.
Everyone knows what it is
I have to confess, I’m lazy. I don’t like to waste time explaining superfluous, stupid things that are obvious to me. And, unfortunately, a lot of people still come to me and ask what I see as dumb questions about cars. So, to save myself time and sanity, I always respond with the following answer: TOYOTA. COROLLA. Why?
I don’t want to go through the trouble of explaining to every person I meet: “Oh, get this make/model of car, but only from a certain year, and only with a certain engine, made on the second friday of the first month when my cousin was on his shift at the plant and there was a full moon.” Save me the 20 minutes of my life and the high likelihood that everything I just said went in one ear and out the other.
And the two words to save my life and my sanity? Toyota Corolla. Nothing more needs to be said. That is the strength of the Toyota Corolla brand name. When most people hear “Toyota Corolla,” they think “reliable car.” When combined with the other three reasons listed prior, it is both the easiest way to answer the question, and an answer that I have zero hesitation giving, as even with much more in-depth questions about which car to buy, Toyota Corolla makes a lot of sense.
Some of them can be quite fun!
Toyota Corollas have a reputation for being boring, so should you buy a Toyota Corolla if you want a car that, above all else, is fun? Absolutely, because there are many types of Toyota Corolla out there for you as well. The most notable of these is 1983-1987 Toyota Corolla AE86 Sprinter Trueno. It was made famous by the Initial D series of anime and manga which features an AE86 hatchback as the central protagonist’s hero car, and next to the Mazda Miata and Nissan 240SX, these are some of the best lightweight, rear-wheel-drive driver’s cars ever made.
And while they used to be dirt cheap, given how famous Initial D became, prices for a “hachi-roku” as it is known are higher than even new Corollas, but still affordable, as $20-$30k USD will get you a decent one, and $35k will get you an excellent one.
If that is too much money, then pre-1983 Toyota Corollas are a fantastic option too! Weighing 2000 lbs or less and with rear-wheel drive as well, these cars are under-appreciated in my opinion, and are some of the best options for an affordable fun car on the market right now. Even the best pre-1983 Corollas can be found for sub $10k; which is amazing given the nutty state of the used car market at the time of writing this.
If you instead want four-wheel drive, the Toyota Corolla will soon have you covered too with the GR Corolla Hatchback. For me, it is one of the cars I most look forward to in 2022 (see the others here) and if the GR Yaris is anything to go off of, the GR Corolla should be some seriously good fun. Four wheel drive, a manual transmission, and a turbo-3 cylinder engine making north of 250 hp are all pretty much a sure thing with the GR Corolla, meaning, it is shaping up to be a good year with Toyota’s most well known model.
Summary
In my view, some type of Toyota Corolla is a great fit for most people. What do you think? What do you by default recommend to people that need to buy a car? What do you think about the Toyota Corolla? Let me know down in the comments below.
