Four Corollas, all purchased new, beginning with 1988 model. Subsequently acquired 1993, 2012, and 2016 models.
The 1993 was the best car I've ever owned, even though it suffered some premature (in my opinion) failures:
Starter at 56,000 m.
Water pump, 63,400 m.
Heater blower motor, 65,000 m.
Engine mount, 68,500 m.
Rear hub and bearing assembly, 68,570 m.
A/C died, took four visits to dealer to properly repair, 71,000 -79,000 m.
Despite these failures, the car served well for twenty years, and what I've heard since from those in the know, was that the early 90s were probably the best years for the Corolla.
The 2012 Corolla was the WORST car I've ever had, and I was shocked at the decline in quality in the twenty years since my first one. Incredibly bad design features, as well. Having previously owned only manual shift cars, this Corolla was virtually undriveable, with its abysmal interface of Electronic Throttle Control (ETC) and transmission. How they got that so wrong is beyond me.
The 2016 model I currently own is somewhat improved in shifting quality, but still nothing close to any car I've ever owned. Also, the quality of materials, especially in the interior, has declined even further since the 2012 model, which, combined with the almost complete lack of fasteners used in assembly, leaves me to suffer the highest level of squeaks and rattles I've ever experienced. Shame on you, Toyota.
Anyway, as a result of the quality issues and the downright unsafe body design ( poor outward visibility, an unfortunate trend across all makes these days), I think I'm done with Corollas, perhaps with Toyotas in general.
