I'm torn, and I can't seem to make up my mind on this... The Tercel is in good shape, but not worth putting any money into for a better engine. The current one is only getting me 20mpg. I'm not set up enough yet to be able to have a project car. I need something better/newer for work.

Locally, there's a 2000 Accord V6 with 135k on it. Nice shape, dealer serviced. The V6 with VTEC-E is a bit 'gutless' despite it's 200+hp, but I'm not looking for all-out performance anymore. It's gas mileage is great for a V6, but I feel it's way too much car for me. All gold leather, etc. I may be at the outer edge of the Blue/Black/Yellow interior 'ricer' stages but this is just over the top for 'old man' car.

It drives nice, but needs new sway bar links in the front (or new sway bars (: ), that being said it's a bit mod-able to have some fun with. The V6 implosion problem and electrical glitches have me concerned, though.

The other choice is a brand new Corolla CE Special Edition II, or maybe a Sport. Great leasing/financing available on them now at 3.9 percent. They get great mileage and have a bit of power for a little fuel-efficient 4cyl.

Also, my little brother just started at Pickering Toyota (I think). Car sales drones need a bit of help to establish a client base at the start, so I thought I could fly up and buy it from him to help him out, then drive it back.

Any opinions? (Like I needed to ask... (: )

I would take the Corolla Sport, great gas mileage, releable, nice car. I'm also thinking on buying a Corolla in the near future.

look at the echo too.
I take the Echo or Yaris over Corolla.

Th Accords are nice family cars, but do you need the extra spaces and two additional cylinders?

I dont have any personal experience with a Corolla but i know Accords are EXTREAMLY reliable. Right now for a winter car im driving a 97 Accord my rents passed down to me. It has 300 000kms on it and the only thing weve had to fix/ replace were the brakes.

They just got rid of a 2003 V6 Accord (lease was up) and had nothing but good things to say about it.

Like i said though, i dont know about Corollas

You can't go wrong with a Corolla Troy.
Honda's and Toyota's are on par with each other in terms of quality and near indestructability,not to mention resale. However, given a choice, why not get the new car and help your brother out at the same time? He might even be able to score some cool extra stuff for you.

I got an echo hatch in may. Great little thing, and with the 5-speed it's surprisingly quick for a 108hp $13k car. Also:

A 6 foot person has headroom in the back seat too.
I fit my central A/C in the back when i picked it up.
It's so light that power steering is simply not needed (though they did look at me weird when i didn't buy the option package that had it)

The Accord's Achilles heel is the V6 transmission, and various electrical problems. The Corolla is reliable, but their engines can get gunked up and start wearing if they're not run to temperature and the oil isn't changed as it's supposed to be.

I don't want/need the bigger car, but the Accord also has the more powerful engine and better handling setup. Seeing as my dream car is a BMW 540i/M5, it's actually downsizing. (:

Damn, there's also a '99 Passat GLX VR6 for around the same money/condition as the Accord.

I hear you, Dan. Believe me, it's a STRONG argument for the new car. The Toronto trip (and drive back) would be a pain, because there'd be no time to stop and smell the roses, and it'd cost around $550, which negates any savings on the car. But it'd be worth it if I could get someone to 'front' me on the deal, and then walk in myself to pick up the car from him. (:

OTOH, if he can't handle himself he should also look into a new line of work. (:

I am not sure about NS, but here in Ontario and I am guessing in general VWs have very cheap parts.

That being said, I find the Jetta and Golf to be somewhat electrically overcomplicated and I could only see the Passat to be more fancy.


And as for Echo being big, amongst the VERY few cars I could fit in the back. certainly bigger than ANY American sedan I have sit in.

If you could save 100 bucks a month on payment and 50 bucks on gas by having a smaller car, that is 150 bucks you don't need to work for or you have to do otherthings with.

Depending on the level of maintenence from the previous owner, both the Toyota and Honda can last a very long time.

However, I would lean towards the simpler Toyota for reliability. Toyota's just dont break down.

The newer V6 accords arn't as reliable as thier venerable 4 bangers. Plus you'd end up paying in the long run in terms of maintenence and fuel economy on the V6

As for the VW, I would rather stay far from a used one.

I don't mind the Echo/Yaris, except I don't think I like the center gauge thing. And the car is just TOO small. I'd rather have something more substantial around me, plus the Corolla has a touch more 'luxury' to it.

I was just settling on the Accord as it's service records aren't too bad, but my father came up to me last night and said, "So, when are you flying up to buy that car from Tim?"

And Nick, the other thing is that you've (unless it's sold) got a DSM you can go jump into when you need a burst of power. I have nuthink! ):

I guess that sort of made my mind up. It's "help the family" time. (:

I work at the Toyota plant that builds corolla's and let me tell you that the management/QC is anal about quality. I'm guessing your brother could also get you a good deal on the car possibly something similiar to the employee discount that I recieve. I personal like the "S" model. Fuel economy is great as well.

I vote corrola "S" Solid, well put togeather.

I have a '98 Accord V6 and I love it. Yes, the 98-02 have tranny problems and they are not cheap to replace. As with everything longevity depends on how it was utilized and cared for from new. I have 170K on mine and so far (knock on wood) it's fine. The engine it a silky dream and the fuel economy is great for a car this size. I average 10L/100km right now, that's 80% highway, a fair bit north of the average 401 speed. The best I saw was 7.9L/100km when driving through Newfoundland with cruise at 100km/h. Other than normal wear and tear items it needed the following: hood alarm switch, 1 horn, 1 door lock actuator, 1 purge solenoid, 2 rear wheel bearings. Having said all that, if you intend to keep whatever you purchase for a very long time, I would go with a 4 cylinder stick simply due to the track record of longevity.

The Corolla is a great all around buy if you don't mind the styling, the spartan interior and can fit in it ok. For me (6'2") there is not enough leg room and as much as I think it's a smart buy, I can't get over it's rear end.

How does yours shift, Mike? When I was test-driving this one it seemed to rev about 3-800rpms higher each time it changed gears. No clunking or excessive slipping, but it just seemed weird to me. I know the previous owner reported that the tranny was having small issues, but the dealer told him they could find nothing wrong.

No big discounts for me, unfortunately. This'll solely be for getting his sales count up by one. (:

Test drove another V6 Accord. Much nicer than the first one. I was starting to get hooked.

Then gas went up to $1.23/L locally and my brother asked me to come buy a car from him. Looks like it's a quick flight to Toronto, a new Corolla CE Special Edition (Can't justify $2k extra for the Sport) and a long drive home...

Thanks for the input...

I was also REALLY tempted by the '94 AWD and silver '98 GSX in the 'For Sale' forums, though... Damned maturity (more like lack of a garage (: ).

Get the 98 GSX. Screw maturity.

Funny thing is that I test-drive the '06 Corolla Sport yesterday...and didn't like it. Having safety shoes on didn't help, but...

Compared to the Vibe/Matrix, the dash just looked...cheap. Even the black on white gauges of the sport looked like a kid did them with paper cutouts. The car drove fine, good power, nice tranny (beyond the shifter), and QUIET to a fault...but it reminded me a little of a Malibu. No soul. And the 'sport' seats felt like they were made of TerryCloth.

My brother didn't like to hear that, so I'm looking more to the Matrix now. We'll see how it goes.

On the flipside, my wife said I could buy my old '90 TSi AWD back. She said that my plan to put several thousand into it would give me a reliable car...

I showed her the 'Help' forums here and laughed at her... Ah, the cruelty of reality.