Reader, We Bought It

Last week, Pippa and I put a fair amount of time into car shopping, calling around, test driving, even a little passive haggling, and we finally bought a 2006 Toyota Corolla LE, in deep red. Pippa ruled out the beige Corolla, and the White Corolla was an ’07 with more miles on it at a higher price, so the red one looked good to us. It’s covered by an extensive warranty, and it comes with the enthusiasm so many friends and readers here expressed for Toyotas.
 
My early assessment of it notes the difference in weight (and momentum) from our ’96 Subaru Legacy Outback; the Corolla really feels much lighter on the road. The engine is clearly fresher, and although no one will mistake it for a muscle car, it does fine for itself. Pippa immediately asked about the possibility of getting an iPod input installed, and that seems agreeable to me. The Corolla is smaller, and I’m a wee bit nervous about what that will entail when we make our first road trip — our family carries a lot of stuff — but so far it feels good. And honestly — when I went to the Subaru to start it up to deliver it as a trade-in, the car wouldn’t budge. That’s a sign, my friends; I’m deeply relieved that the dealer still accepted it, even sent a truck to tow it out. The moribund Subaru served us well for six years or so, and although it cost us an arm and a leg in repairs during the last year, it’s out of our hands now. The big catch comes when we try to find the new car in a parking lot.

6 thoughts on “Reader, We Bought It

  1. We drive a white Corolla. Every third car in the state of Hawai’i is a white Corolla. Our solution is a leopard-print steering wheel cover.

  2. I understand your concern about road trips.

    We keep my 1992 Dodge Caravan only for long road trips (and as a backup vehicle). After packing Mark, Ollie, Wendy, two dogs and food for a weekend in the cabin into the Honda Accord, I realized why people like SUVs.

    We have quite a few friends who love their Toyota Corollas and the Saskatchewan climate isn’t friendly to cars so it sounds like you made a great choice. Best of luck with it and nice choice on the color!

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